JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD

Album version



One night in a motel room
Eyes cast like steel
I drank the wine that they left on my table
I knew the morning was too far

I smoked my last cigarette
Stay only to defy
The night was dark and the land is cold
I was frozen right to the bone

Just like fire would, I burn
Just like fire would
Just like fire would, I burned up

Five hundred miles I've gone today
And tomorrow's five hundred more
Outside my window the world passes by
It's stranger than a dream

Just like fire would, I burn
Just like fire would
Just like fire would, I burned up

I go to work and I earn my pay load
My sweat falls to the ground
I see you now but we may never meet again, child
The ice is hanging on the door

One night in a motel room
Eyes cast like steel
I drank the wine that they left on my table
I knew the morning was too far

Just like fire would, I burn
Just like fire would
Just like fire would, I burned up

Just like fire would, I burn
Just like fire would
Just like fire would, I burned up

Come on!


Info

JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD is a 1986 song by The Saints. See the original The Saints version for more details.

Bruce Springsteen released JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD on his 2014 album High Hopes. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD as released on High Hopes.

Studio Recording

In a December 2013 interview for Rolling Stone, Bruce Springsteen told Andy Greene that The Saints' JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD is a song that he had on his radar for 20 years or so and that he always liked.

JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD was recorded in studio in March 2013 during the Australian leg of the Wrecking Ball Tour. Along with HIGH HOPES, the song was cut at Studios 301 in Byron Bay (a town 165 kilometres south of Brisbane) and Sydney in Australia, with the E Street Band and featuring Tom Morello on guitar. Morello, who was in Brisbane, recorded his part at the studio's Byron Bay complex while the rest of the band recorded together at the studio's Sydney complex. This happened in one day, though some parts were added or re-recorded later.

The recording sessions in Australia were spontaneous. The band was there and so was Brendan O'Brien's engineer Nick DiDia who had moved to Australia, "so they just decided to cut a couple songs," Rom Aniello told Andy Greene in a December 2013 interview for Rolling Stone. "I was listening in online. I wasn't part of the tracking session."

The album version of JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD was produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen. The performing musicians line-up on the track is:

  • Bruce Springsteen (vocal, guitar)
  • Roy Bittan (piano)
  • Nils Lofgren (guitar)
  • Garry Tallent (bass)
  • Max Weinberg (drums)
  • Steven Van Zandt (backing vocals)
  • Patti Scialifa (backing vocals)
  • Tom Morello (guitar)
  • Charles Giordano (organ)
  • Ron Aniello (12-string guitar)
  • Everett Bradley (percussion, backing vocals)
  • Jake Clemons (horns)
  • Barry Danielian (horns)
  • Clark Gayton (horns)
  • Ed Manion (horns)
  • Curt Ramm (horns)
  • Jeff Kievit (piccolo trumpet)
  • Curtis King (backing vocals)
  • Cindy Mizelle (backing vocals)
  • Michelle Moore (backing vocals)
  • Rob Mathes (New York Chamber Consort — string arrangement and conductor)
  • Lisa Kim (New York Chamber Consort — concertmaster, violin)
  • Quan Ge (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • Hyunju Lee (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • Jessica Lee (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • Ann Lehman (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • Joanna Mauer (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • Suzanne Ornstein (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • Annaliesa Place (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • David Southorn (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • Jeanine Wynton (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • Sharon Yamada (New York Chamber Consort — violin)
  • Maurycy Banaszek (New York Chamber Consort — viola)
  • Desiree Elsevier (New York Chamber Consort — viola)
  • Shmuel Katz (New York Chamber Consort — viola)
  • Robert Rinehart (New York Chamber Consort — viola)
  • Maria Kitsopoulos (New York Chamber Consort — cello)
  • Alan Stepansky (New York Chamber Consort — cello)
  • Ru Pei Yeh (New York Chamber Consort — cello)

Single Release

JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD was released as a single on 22 Jan 2014. It was issued on CD-R for promotional purposes in Europe.

Bruce Springsteen -- Just Like Fire Would
Bruce Springsteen -- Just Like Fire Would

CD-R single - Columbia (no catalog number) - UK, 2014

1-track promotional CD-R, comes in a clear plastic sleeve with title inlay.

01- JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD
Bruce Springsteen -- Just Like Fire Would
Bruce Springsteen -- Just Like Fire Would

CD-R single - Sony Music (no catalog number) - Holland, 2014

1-track promotional CD-R, comes in a slimline jewel case with picture insert.

01- JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD

High Hopes

High Hopes is Bruce Springsteen's eighteenth studio album. It was officially released on 14 Jan 2014 on Columbia Records. It consists of 12 tracks and clocks at 56:24. Four songs were previously released in different versions (two of which are covers), two more were previously performed live but never released, and the remaining six are new to fans (one of which is a cover). "This is music I always felt needed to be released," Springsteen wrote in the album's liner notes.

In a December 2013 interview for Rolling Stone, Springsteen told Andy Greene that he has always written and recorded significantly more songs than can fit on to whatever album he's creating at the moment. "I have a lot of this music on a computer," he said. "I bring it out on the road to amuse myself. Very often, if I have nothing to do late at night I'll bring it up and look at different bodies of music." The songs that began catching Springsteen's attention were largely recorded after he reunited with the E Street Band in 1999. "The songs were relatively current and had a similar sound picture," he said. "I was interested in putting this material together in some form because it sounded like it all fit together... You have to imagine that when I'm home or done with a tour I go into a studio and I'm surrounded by paintings that I've sorta half-finished. There might be something wrong with this one and I didn't have time to finish this one. When I go into my studio, I'm surrounded by all my music that I haven't released. I wait to see what's going to speak to me." But then they cut a few sessions in 2013 while on tour. "I said, 'Well, these sound good,'" Springsteen told Rolling Stone. "These things blend together. Suddenly, it began to feel very fresh and fit together quite well."

Work on the album started in late 2012 when Springsteen called producer Ron Aniello asking him to work on some demos that he was thinking about releasing. "I remember that Bruce called me on my birthday, so it was December 9th, 2012", Aniello told Andy Greene in a December 2013 interview for Rolling Stone. "He said to me, 'I have some songs. I want to get together.'" According to Aniello, these were old demos that Springsteen had done with Toby Scott and that had been around for a while. Springsteen told him that he wanted to get these songs in shape and see what comes out of that. Aniello was not able to sit with Springsteen to sort it all out because Springsteen was away most of the time touring with the E Street Band. "It all happened in a very unusual manner," Aniello told Rolling Stone. "There was a lot of conversations in Europe and I did some of the recording via iChat when the band was in Australia."

In a January 2014 interview for Rolling Stone, Tom Morello told Andy Greene that he wasn't aware that there was ever talk of a new studio album when they sent him a couple of songs to add guitar on. He did that in his home studio and shortly after he was recording in studio with Max Weinberg and Ron Aniello. "But these studio sessions just kept occurring without any formal notion of what we were doing," Morello recounted. "My assumption was just that 'Bruce is always recording music.' So it was fantastic that I was asked to be a part of it. I was psyched." In March 2013 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed ten shows in Australia as part of the Wrecking Ball Tour. Steven Van Zandt was off filming his television series Lillyhammer and was replaced by Morello for that leg of the tour. Morello suggested to add HIGH HOPES to the live set. They worked it up during the rehearsals prior to the Australian shows and Morello then "proceeded to burn the house down with it," as Springsteen said. They then re-cut the song along with JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD at Studios 301, Australia's largest studio complex. "Tom and his guitar became my muse, pushing the rest of this project to another level," Springsteen said. He told Rolling Stone's David Fricke, "We've never had a recording session during a tour in our lives. We did a couple of things that I wanted to put down. So that was very exciting. And being with Tommy was exciting. The band — Steven, Nils, all those guys — continues to be a source of inspiration for me." Morello told Rolling Stone that he didn't get the notion that this was "coalescing into what was going to be a major release" until they were in Australia.

No less than sixteen recording studios were used in the making of High Hopes: Thrill Hill Recording (Springsteen's home studio in Colts Neck, NJ), Stone Hill Studio (Springsteen's new home studio in Colts Neck, NJ), Very Loud House (in Los Angeles, CA), Renegade Studio (in New York City, NY), Veritas Studio (in Los Angeles, CA), Southern Tracks (Atlanta, GA), East West Studios (in Los Angeles, CA), NRG Studios (in Los Angeles, CA), Village Studios (in Los Angeles, CA), Studios 301 (in Byron Bay and Sydney, Australia), Record Plant (in Los Angeles, CA), Electric Lady Studios (in New York City, NY), Avatar Studios (in New York City, NY), Sear Sound (in New York City, NY), and Berkeley Street Studio (in Santa Monica, CA).

Ron Aniello revealed that at least 20 tracks were recorded for the album. Among the tracks that didn't make the album cut were COLD SPOT, HEY BLUE EYES, AMERICAN BEAUTY, and MARY MARY.

The album was produced by Bruce Springsteen, Brendan O'Brien, and Ron Aniello. It features all E Street Band members, including the late Clarence Clemons and the late Danny Federici on several songs of what Springsteen calls "some of our best unreleased material from the past decade." The album also features an ensemble of guest artists, including Tom Morello who's featured prominently on the album, appearing on eight tracks.

Bruce Springsteen -- High Hopes
Bruce Springsteen -- High Hopes

High Hopes is available in three configurations: standard CD edition, limited edition, and double-disc LP. The limited edition consists of the standard audio CD and includes a bonus live DVD of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performing the entire Born In The U.S.A. album on 30 Jun 2013 at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, England, during the Wrecking Ball Tour. The double-disc LP is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and includes a CD version of the album.

High Hopes was officially announced on 25 Nov 2013 and the release date was set for 14 Jan 2014, but on 28 Dec 2013 it became available for purchase as individual tracks in MP3 format through Amazon.com's mobile application. Although Amazon quickly removed the files, presumably recognizing its mistake, the album had already made its way onto file-sharing websites.

The album topped the charts in 20 countries, including the United States and the UK. It was Springsteen's eleventh #1 album in the US, placing him third all-time for most #1 albums only behind The Beatles and Jay-Z. It was his tenth #1 in the UK, putting him joint fifth all-time and level with The Rolling Stones and U2.

Country Chart Peak position
Australia Aria Top 50 Albums Chart 1
Austria Alben Top 75 2
Belgium Ultratop 50 Albums (Flanders) 1
Belgium Ultratop 50 Albums (Wallonia) 2
Canada Billboard Top Canadian Albums 1
Croatia Arhiva Kombiniranih (all artists chart) 1
Czech Republic ČNS IFPI - CZ Albums Top 100 1
Denmark Album 40 1
Finland Suomen Virallinen Albumilista 1
France Top 200 Albums 2
Germany Media Control Charts Top 100 Albums 1
Greece 1
Hungary Top 40 Albums 12
Ireland Top 100 Individual Artist Albums 1
Italy Top 20 Albums 1
Japan Japan Hot 100 8
New Zealand Album Top 40 1
Norway VG-lista Topp 40 Album 1
Poland Poland Albums Top 50 6
Portugal Albums Top 30 4
Slovenia 1
South Africa 5
South Korea 83
Spain Album Top 100 1
Sweden Sverigetopplistan Albums Top 60 1
Switzerland Albums Top 100 1
The Netherlands Album Top 100 1
UK Official UK Albums Top 100 1
USA Billboard 200 1

Music Video

A music video for JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD was posted on 22 Jan 2014, simultaneously with the single release, on both Bruce Springsteen's official website and Bruce Springsteen's VEVO YouTube channel. It was filmed on 13 Jan 2014 at SIR Studios in New York City, NY, during Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's closed rehearsal prior to their appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the following day. The audio is dubbed from the album version. The video was also included on the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album.


Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-

Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- is a Bruce Springsteen compilation album released by Sony Music Japan in 2023. The compilation, which was exclusively released in Japan, consists of previously released 35 audio tracks and 62 video tracks. The collection is part of a 26-title reissue campaign to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's debut album. The series, issued in three waves (25 Oct 2023, 22 Nov 2023, and 20 Dec 2023), includes 25 albums originally released between 1973 and 2014 plus a new compilation album that includes all of Springsteen's singles released in Japan from 1975 to 1999. All audio CD's were manufactured using Sony Japan's Blu-spec CD2 format.

Bruce Springsteen -- Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-
Bruce Springsteen -- Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-

Disc 1: (audio CD)

  1. BORN TO RUN
  2. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
  3. PROVE IT ALL NIGHT
  4. BADLANDS
  5. HUNGRY HEART
  6. I WANNA MARRY YOU
  7. SANTA CLAUSE IS COMIN' TO TOWN [Live 12 Dec 1975 version]
  8. ATLANTIC CITY
  9. DANCING IN THE DARK
  10. COVER ME
  11. BORN IN THE U.S.A.
  12. I'M ON FIRE
  13. GLORY DAYS
  14. I'M GOIN' DOWN
  15. MY HOMETOWN
  16. WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
  17. FIRE [Live 16 Dec 1978 version]

Disc 2: (audio CD)

  1. BRILLIANT DISGUISE
  2. TUNNEL OF LOVE
  3. ONE STEP UP
  4. TOUGHER THAN THE REST
  5. SPARE PARTS
  6. HUMAN TOUCH
  7. BETTER DAYS
  8. 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON)
  9. ROLL OF THE DICE
  10. STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA
  11. SECRET GARDEN
  12. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD
  13. DEAD MAN WALKIN'
  14. BLOOD BROTHERS [Alternate studio version]
  15. I WANNA BE WITH YOU
  16. CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
  17. AMERICAN BEAUTY
  18. I'LL STAND BY YOU

Disc 3: (DVD)

  1. ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 08 Jul 1978 version]
  2. BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version]
  3. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  4. THUNDER ROAD [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  5. PROVE IT ALL NIGHT [Live 08 Jul 1978 version]
  6. BADLANDS [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  7. HUNGRY HEART [Live 09 Jul 1995 version]
  8. I WANNY MARRY YOU [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  9. THE RIVER [Live 21 Sep 1979 version]
  10. ATLANTIC CITY
  11. HIGHWAY PATROLMAN
  12. DANCING IN THE DARK
  13. COVER ME [Live 30 Jun 2013 version]
  14. BORN IN THE U.S.A.
  15. I'M ON FIRE
  16. GLORY DAYS
  17. I'M GOIN' DOWN [Live 30 Jun 2013 version]
  18. MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
  19. WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
  20. FIRE [Live 13 Oct 1986 version]
  21. BRILLIANT DISGUISE
  22. TUNNEL OF LOVE
  23. ONE STEP UP
  24. TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
  25. SPARE PARTS [Live 10 Jul 1988 version]
  26. VIGILANTE MAN [Live Feb 1988 version]
  27. HUMAN TOUCH
  28. BETTER DAYS
  29. 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON)
  30. ROLL OF THE DICE [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]
  31. LEAP OF FAITH [Live 06 Aug 1992 version]
  32. IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [25 Sep 1999 sound-check version]

Disc 4: (DVD)

  1. STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA [1993 music video version]
  2. MURDER INCORPORATED
  3. SECRET GARDEN
  4. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 27 Nov 1995 (NBC Studios) version]
  5. DEAD MAN WALKIN'
  6. LONESOME DAY
  7. WAITIN' ON A SUNNY DAY [Live 16 Oct 2002 version]
  8. DEVILS & DUST
  9. RADIO NOWHERE
  10. LONG WALK HOME
  11. WORKING ON A DREAM
  12. THE LAST CARNIVAL
  13. A NIGHT WITH THE JERSEY DEVIL
  14. SAVE MY LOVE
  15. WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN
  16. ROCKY GROUND
  17. HIGH HOPES
  18. JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD
  19. HELLO SUNSHINE
  20. TUCSON TRAIN
  21. WESTERN STARS
  22. I'LL STAND BY YOU
  23. LETTER TO YOU
  24. GHOSTS
  25. THE POWER OF PRAYER
  26. I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
  27. DO I LOVE YOU (INDEED I DO)
  28. NIGHTSHIFT
  29. DON'T PLAY THAT SONG
  30. TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME

Live History: on-tour

JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD was performed once during the Wrecking Ball Tour (133 dates, March 2012 to September 2013), on 14 Mar 2013 in Brisbane, Australia. See the live 14 Mar 2013 version.

JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD was performed 16 times during the High Hopes Tour (34 dates, January to May 2014). The song was played in its album arrangement.

  1. 28 Jan 2014 at Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town, South Africa
  2. 05 Feb 2014 at Perth Arena, Perth, Australia
  3. 07 Feb 2014 at Perth Arena, Perth, Australia
  4. 08 Feb 2014 at Perth Arena, Perth, Australia
  5. 11 Feb 2014 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia
  6. 12 Feb 2014 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia
  7. 15 Feb 2014 at AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia
  8. 16 Feb 2014 at AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia
  9. 19 Feb 2014 at Allphones Arena, Sydney, Australia
  10. 22 Feb 2014 at Hope Estate, Hunter Valley, Australia
  11. 23 Feb 2014 at Hope Estate, Hunter Valley, Australia
  12. 26 Feb 2014 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
  13. 02 Mar 2014 at Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
  14. 19 Apr 2014 at Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
  15. 22 Apr 2014 at Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
  16. 26 Apr 2014 at Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood, Atlanta, GA

Live History: off-tour

JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD was performed off-tour on 14 Jan 2014 at Rockefeller Center in New York City, NY, during a TV appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. The song was played in its album arrangement, with the E Street Band and Tom Morello. See the live 14 Jan 2014 version for more details.

Request

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Available Versions

List of available versions of JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD on this website:

JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD [Album version]
JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD [Live 14 Mar 2013 version]
JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD [Live 14 Jan 2014 version]
JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD [Original The Saints version]

Page last updated: 19 May 2014