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Fire Lake

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Fire Lake"
Single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
from the album Against the Wind
B-side"Long Twin Silver Line"
ReleasedJanuary 1980
StudioMuscle Shoals (Sheffield)
GenreHeartland rock[1]
Length3:30
LabelCapitol
SongwriterBob Seger
ProducersBob Seger and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band singles chronology
"Old Time Rock and Roll"
(1979)		 "Fire Lake"
(1980)		 "Against the Wind"
(1980)

"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

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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

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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

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Seger's 2003 Greatest Hits 2 compilation.[10]

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section

Additional musicians

Chart performance

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References

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  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Pop Songs: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 218.
  3. ↑ "Fire Lake", Lamont's Music Notes Feb. 19, 2020, Lamont and Tonelli. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Dean, Maury (2003). Rock 'n' Roll Gold Rush. Algora Publishing. p. 359. ISBN 087586208X.
  5. ↑ "Top Singles Picks" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. February 23, 1980. p. 58. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  6. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. February 23, 1980. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  7. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. February 23, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  8. ↑ Roberts, Janey. "Top 20 Bob Seger songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  9. ↑ "David Cole homepage". Davidcolemusic.com. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  10. ↑ 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)
  11. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Image 0153a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 December 2024. [dead link]
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Image 0166". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 December 2024. [dead link]
  14. ↑ "Bob Seger Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  15. ↑ "Bob Seger Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  16. ↑ "Top 100 Singles (1980)". RPM. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "1980 Talent in Action – Year End Charts : Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 92, no. 51. December 20, 1980. p. TIA-10. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
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