Fire (Jimi Hendrix song)
| "Fire" | |
|---|---|
German single picture sleeve
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| Song by the Jimi Hendrix Experience | |
| from the album Are You Experienced | |
| Released | May 12, 1967 |
| Recorded |
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| Genre | |
| Length | 2:34 |
| Label | Track |
| Songwriter(s) | Jimi Hendrix |
| Producer(s) | Chas Chandler |
"Fire" (often erroneously referred to as "Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire") is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in early 1967. It has been described as "an exercise in soul, psychedelic rock, and polyrhythmic jazz-inspired drumming" by AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald. The song was remixed in stereo for the American release of the album. In 1969, it was released as a stereo single in the UK with the title "Let Me Light Your Fire". One of Hendrix's most popular songs, he frequently played it in concert. Several live recordings have been released and the original song is included on numerous Hendrix compilations, such as Smash Hits, Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix, Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection, and Fire: The Jimi Hendrix Collection.
Despite its sexual overtones, the song had an innocuous origin. Noel Redding, bass player for the Experience, invited Hendrix to his mother's house on a cold New Year's Eve in Folkestone, England, after a gig. Hendrix asked Noel's mother if he could stand next to her fireplace to warm himself. She agreed, but her Great Dane was in the way, so Hendrix let out with, "Aw, move over, Rover, and let Jimi take over". Hendrix later joked with the lyric: "Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to find her poor dog a bone, but when she bent over Rover took over, 'cause Rover had a bone of his own! Shakespeare, page 35!"
The Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1983 have been performing the song live and recorded the song as a b-side for their 1987 "Fight Like a Brave" single and a year later released it on their The Abbey Road E.P.. The song was also included on their 1989 album, Mother's Milk as a tribute to the band's founding guitarist Hillel Slovak who died in 1988. The Chili Peppers version features lead singer Anthony Kiedis changing some of the lyrics such as "Move over, Rover, and let Jimi take over" to "Move over, Rover, and let Mr. Huckleberry take over" for Slovak (who was also known by his nickname, "Mr. Huckleberry"). As of July 2017, the song has been performed 100 times by the band in the past 34 years.
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