Fire On High

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"Fire On High"
Single by Electric Light Orchestra
from the album Face the Music
A-side	"Livin' Thing" (UK) "Sweet Talkin' Woman" (US)
Released	29 October 1976 (UK) February 1978 (US)
Recorded	1975
Genre	Art rock, progressive rock[1]
Length	5:31 4:01 (US single version)
Label	Jet/United Artists (UK) United Artists (US)
Songwriter(s)	Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology
"Nightrider" (1976) "Fire On High" (1976) "Rockaria!" (1977)
Face the Music track listing
show 8 tracks Side one "Fire On High" "Waterfall" "Evil Woman" "Nightrider" Side two "Poker" "Strange Magic" "Down Home Town" "One Summer Dream"

"Fire on High" is the opening instrumental track from the 1975 Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) album Face the Music.

The song was the UK B-side to the band's worldwide hit single "Livin' Thing", issued in blue vinyl. It was also later included — in an edited form minus the backwards vocals — as the flip side of the United States hit single "Sweet Talkin' Woman" in 1978.

Backmasking[]

The album version contains an opening with a backwards message; in reverse, a masked heavy voice (that of ELO drummer Bev Bevan) says, "The music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back! Turn back! Turn back! Turn back!". Ostensibly, this was Jeff Lynne's shot at backmasking hysteria, after satanic allegations were made against their song "Eldorado" by Fundamentalist Christianity members.^[2] Snippets of Messiah by Handel can be heard during the album opening as well.

Despite being almost entirely instrumental, the song's title can be faintly heard near the end of the track by the chanting chorus.

Other uses[]

"Fire on High" was used as the opening theme for the CBS Sports Spectacular TV show in the mid-1970s. Currently, it is the opening and closing theme to "The Diner with Lou Simon," a weekly music-related talk show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

In 2000, The New Jersey Devils used the song, accompanied by visuals, in the opening ceremony for all their home games. Much of the song was also played prior to every Atlanta Thrashers home game.

A remix of "Fire on High" is played inside the "Astrosphere" at Funtown Splashtown USA in Saco, Maine. The attraction is a Scrambler ride inside a large dome.^[3]

Personnel[]

• Jeff Lynne–guitars
• Bev Bevan–drums, spoken intro (backwards)
• Richard Tandy–piano, moog synthesizer
• Kelly Groucutt–bass
• Mik Kaminski–violin
• Hugh McDowell–cello
• Melvyn Gale–cello

Additional musicians[]

• Louis Clark, Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy–orchestral and choral arrangements
• Louis Clark–orchestral conductor

	"Fire on High (section)" Menu 0:00 A forward version of the start of "Fire on High"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

	"Fire on High (section) (reversed)" Menu 0:00 A reversed version of the start of "Fire on High"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

References[]

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