Fire Lake
| "Fire Lake" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band | ||||
| from the album Against the Wind | ||||
| B-side | "Long Twin Silver Line" | |||
| Released | January 1980 | |||
| Studio | Muscle Shoals (Sheffield) | |||
| Genre | Heartland rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:30 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter | Bob Seger | |||
| Producers | Bob Seger and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section | |||
| Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Fire Lake" is a song written and recorded by the American musical artist Bob Seger, from the 1980 album Against the Wind. The single reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] A live version of the song appeared on the album Nine Tonight, released in 1981.
Background and writing
[edit]Seger and colleagues decided to make "Fire Lake" the first single from Against the Wind because it was "totally and unequivocally unlike anything I'd ever done before."[3]
Reception
[edit]Music critic Maury Dean described the song as an "ominous ballad" about "4th of July fireworks".[4] Dean praised the song's intensity, Seger's vocal, and the "nifty" minor chords.[4] Dean speculated that the title may not be entirely figurative, as there may be a hidden reference to a midwestern body of water which caught fire, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio.[4] Billboard described "Fire Lake" as an "excellent song [that] is paced by acoustic guitar which lends a folk flavor" and the lyrics as describing "the subversion of small-town life."[5] Cash Box said it has "full-bodied harmonies and an easy, country-tinged melody" and praised the production.[6] Record World called it "Dynamite!"[7] Classic Rock History critic Janey Roberts rated it as Seger's 14th best song.[8]
Production
[edit]Three of the Eagles provided the backing vocals for this track: Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit. Seger's recording engineer David Cole refers to the song on his website when he talks of his history with Seger: "I was there when the Eagles sang 'Who wants to go to Fire Lake?' and many other great moments during the Stranger in Town album".[9]
Personnel
[edit]Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Seger's 2003 Greatest Hits 2 compilation.[10]
- Bob Seger – lead vocals
- Barry Beckett – piano
- Pete Carr – lead guitar, acoustic guitar
- Roger Hawkins – drums, percussion
- David Hood – bass
- Jimmy Johnson – rhythm guitar
- Randy McCormick – organ
Additional musicians
- Glenn Frey – harmony vocals
- Don Henley – harmony vocals
- Timothy B. Schmit – harmony vocals
Chart performance
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
References
[edit]- ↑ Osmon, Erin (28 April 2026). "Appendix: 150 Essential Heartland Rock Songs". Won't Back Down: Heartland Rock and the Fight for America. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 293–300. ISBN 978-1-324-05137-4. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Pop Songs: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 218.
- ↑ "Fire Lake", Lamont's Music Notes Feb. 19, 2020, Lamont and Tonelli. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- 1 2 3 Dean, Maury (2003). Rock 'n' Roll Gold Rush. Algora Publishing. p. 359. ISBN 087586208X.
- ↑ "Top Singles Picks" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. February 23, 1980. p. 58. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. February 23, 1980. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. February 23, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
- ↑ Roberts, Janey. "Top 20 Bob Seger songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ↑ "David Cole homepage". Davidcolemusic.com. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ↑ Greatest Hits 2 (CD). Bob Seger. Capitol Records. 2003. CDP 7243 8 52772 0 7.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Image 0153a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 December 2024. [dead link]
- ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Image 0166". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 December 2024. [dead link]
- ↑ "Bob Seger Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ↑ "Bob Seger Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ↑ "Top 100 Singles (1980)". RPM. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ↑ "1980 Talent in Action – Year End Charts : Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 92, no. 51. December 20, 1980. p. TIA-10. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
