40 Songs About Fire By Genre (Pop, Rock, Rap etc.)

Foundations of Music

40 Songs About Fire By Genre (Pop, Rock, Rap etc.)

Whether it’s a fiery love song or an angry protest anthem, when it comes to making fire-themed music, musical artists have burned up the charts for centuries.

I. Pop Songs About Fire

Many pop songs use fire as a metaphor for passion, lust, desire, and sometimes destruction.

1) Burning Down the House

Artist: Talking Heads
Album: Speaking in Tongues
Year: 1983
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“Burning Down the House” was written as a metaphor for liberating oneself from whatever is holding them back.

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2) We Didn’t Star the Fire

Artist: Billy Joel
Album: Storm Front
Year: 1989
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Written after a conversation with Sean Lennon, who was 21 and expressed he thought it would be easier to grow up in an earlier decade.

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3) I’m on Fire

Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Album: Born in the U.S.A.
Year: 1984
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4) Eternal Flame

Artist: The Bangles
Album: Everything
Year: 1989
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The song was inspired by The Bangles visit to Graceland and an eternal flame that burned in a shrine for Elvis.

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5) Firework

Artist: Katy Perry
Album: Teenage Dream
Year: 2010
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Firework was written to inspire those who feel unappreciated or underestimated.

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Il. Rock Songs About Fire

In rock music, a person may use fire to represent passion, power, or anger and frustration.

1) Light My Fire

Artist: The Doors
Album: The Doors
Year: 1967
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2) Sleep Now in the Fire

Artist: Rage Against the Machine
Album: The Battle of Los Angeles
Year: 1999

The song is about greed as a cause of the decline of Western civilization.

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3) Fire

Artist: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Album: Are You Experienced
Year: 1967
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4) Burnin’ for You

Artist: Blue Oyster Cult
Album: Fire of Unknown Origin
Year: 1981
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5) Smoke on the Water

Artist: Deep Purple
Album: Machine Head
Year: 1972
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Smoke on the Water is about a fire that started during a Frank Zappa concert in 1971.

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Ill. R&B Songs About Fire

Fire is often used as a metaphor for love, passion, and desire. It speaks to the desire people feel when they are drawn to each other, like moths to a flame.

1) Full of Fire

Artist: Al Green
Album: Full of Fire
Year: 1976
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2) Fire We Make

Artist: Alicia Keys
Album: Girl on Fire
Year: 2012
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3) Through the Fire

Artist: Chaka Khan
Album: I Feel For You
Year: 1985
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Through the Fire is about willing to go to any lengths to be with the one they love.

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4) Fire

Artist: The Pointer Sisters
Album: Energy
Year: 1978
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5) Fire and Desire

Artist: Rick James
Album: Street Songs
Year: 1981

Fire and Desire is a love song that was written by Rick James for Teena Marie while they were dating.

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IV. Rap/Hip-Hop Songs About Fire

Fire is often used as a metaphor for passion, intensity, and energy in rap and hip-hop songs. As a symbol for being hot and on top, rappers often use fire as a way to express their power and dominance.

1) Fire Squad

Artist: J. Cole
Album: 2014 Forest Hills Drive
Year: 2014
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Fire Squad is about the struggle to make it to the top as a rap artist.

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2) Hot Like Fire

Artist: Aaliyah
Album: One In A Million
Year: 1996

This is a seductive song that encourages a love interest to wait before intimacy.

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3) Fireworks

Artist: Drake
Album: Thank Me Later
Year: 2010
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4) Fire

Artist: Des’ree
Album: Supernatural
Year: 1998
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5) That Fire

Artist: Paul Wall
Album: Get Money, Stay True
Year: 2007
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https://youtu.be/aIRlgboC6Hs
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V. Country Songs About Fire

Country songs use fire as a metaphor for love and passion, while some of the best country songs about fire paint pictures in your mind of heartache, betrayal, and redemption amidst the flames.

1) Setting the World on Fire

Artist: Kenny Chesney
Album: Cosmic Hallelujah
Year: 2016
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2) I’m On Fire

Artist: Rascal Flatts
Album: Rewind
Year: 2014
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3) Old Flame

Artist: Alabama
Album: Feels So Right
Year: 1981
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4) Kerosene

Artist: Miranda Lambert
Album: Kerosene
Year: 2005
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5) Out of Control Raging Fire

Artist: Patty Loveless
Album: Mountain Soul
Year: 2001
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The song is about rekindling a flame with an old lover who broke her heart.

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VI. Metal Songs About Fire

Fire can be just as symbolic and rebellious metal as it is for other genres. Lyrics portray fire as a power that destroys enemies, shows the intensity of anger or passion, or even how it can give us hope.

1) Shepherd of Fire

Artist: Avenged Sevenfold
Album: Hail to the King
Year: 2013

The song is about the ways the devil will deceptively tempt people into following him.

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2) Set Me on Fire

Artist: Flyleaf
Album: Between the Stars
Year: 2014
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3) Freedom or Fire

Artist: Fear Factory
Album: Obsolete
Year: 1998
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https://youtu.be/j00FyCv-dkM

The song is about being determined to stand and fight rather than back down.

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4) I Am The Fire

Artist: Halestorm
Album: Into the Wild Life
Year: 2015
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I Am The Fire is a song about staying motivated especially when times get tough.

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5) Fire Burns Below

Artist: Judas Priest
Album: Stained Class
Year: 2001
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https://youtu.be/DeTO9MmVch8
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VIII. Pop Songs About Burning

Burning is used metaphorically to describe the feeling of love or passion. It’s also used to express anger at someone who has hurt them by burning their trust.

1) Burning Desire

Artist: Lana Del Rey
Album: Paradise
Year: 2012
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2) Burning Memories

Artist: Machine Gun Kelly
Album: Hotel Diablo
Year: 2019
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3) Beds Are Burning

Artist: Midnight Oil
Album: Diesel and Dust
Year: 1987
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Beds Are Burning was written in protest of the suffering of Australian Aboriginal people.

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4) Burning Love

Artist: Elvis Presley
Album: It’s a Matter of Time
Year: 1972
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5) Burning Up

Artist: Madonna
Album: Madonna
Year: 1983
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XI. Disney Songs About Fire

Fire can symbolize either hope or destruction in Disney songs. It can also symbolize power – the ability to destroy, create, hurt, or heal.

1) Shere Khan and the Fire

Artist: John Debney
Album: The Jungle Book (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Year: 2016
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https://youtu.be/skVIjd_Qh6w
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2) Just Like Fire

Artist: Pink
Album: Alice Through the Looking Glass (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Year: 2016

Just Like Fire is a song about not letting anyone get you down or discourage you from going after your dreams.

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3) Spirit II Fire

Artist: Joseph Trapanese
Album: Myth: A Frozen Tale (Original Soundtrack)
Year: 2020
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https://youtu.be/hfvL6uBqoRc
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4) Fire and Ice

Artist: Christophe Beck
Album: Frozen 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack/Deluxe Edition)
Year: 2019
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5) Fire!

Artist: Mark Mancina
Album: Planes: Fire & Rescue
Year: 2014
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https://youtu.be/_lLnVPiuuoY
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