#SongLyricSunday : Burn Fire Flame


Time again for the Song Lyric Sunday Challenge.  Jim over at A Unique Title For Me who has stepped up as Guest Host for this weekly challenge. Jim has given us the prompt for this week as “Burn/Fire/Flame”
 
For the longest time, the only song that was in my head was one that is just too offensive to post here. I think about that song because it reminds me of a time I worked in a call center for America Online (back in the days when it was cool to have AOL) It was my job to convince the suckers on the phone to keep their accounts active when they calling in to cancel service. I was very good at this job - being named in the top 10 sales for the entire company a few times. My coworkers and I would put our phones on mute while the callers would complain. And we’d lean over to each other and whisper the chorus of Bloodhound Gang’s “Fire Water Burn’.  As I stated earlier, the lyrics are a bit offensive, but if you’ve ever worked in customer service - I’m sure you’ll understand the sentiment. I’m not going to post those lyrics here - you can look them up for yourself.

The other songs that came and went through my thoughts were songs that seemed like fairly obvious choices - I thought about Cheap Trick’s ‘The Flame’, Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’, and Bruce Springsteen’s ‘ I’m on Fire’.   I thought about using George Strait’s ‘The Fireman’ but I used that song as part of my occupations playlist for Monday’s Music Moves Me recently.

I had almost given up on writing a post for today. I’ve not been feeling so well lately and thought that perhaps this was a sign I should sit one out. But then…  I remembered this song. 

In 2005, during an interview on NPR, Taylor explained to host Scott Simon that the song was written in three parts:

  • The first part was about Taylor's friend Suzanne, who died while Taylor was in London working on his first album after being signed to Apple Records. Friends at home, concerned that it might distract Taylor from his big break, kept the tragic news from him and he found out six months later.
  • The second part details Taylor's struggle to overcome drug addiction and depression.
  • The third part deals with coming to grips with fame and fortune, looking back at the road that got him there. It includes a reference to James Taylor and The Flying Machine, a band he briefly worked with before his big break with Paul McCartney, Peter Asher, and Apple Records.

The Lyrics:








Song Lyric Sunday Rules for participation (note: you don’t need to participate to comment):
  • Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not.
  • Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
  • Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
  • Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
  • Ping back to this post will eventually work, as long as you are being patient.
  • Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
  • Feel free to suggest future prompts.
  • Have fun and enjoy the music.



Be sure to check in tomorrow for more fun posts!

Did you enjoy today’s post? Be sure to check out Jim’s post to see the other participants and come back next week for more Song Lyric Sunday fun!








Comments

  1. I love this song so much. It's been years since thinking about it. Never knew what the lyrics were referring to, so the explanation is appreciated. Perfect song choice, Mary!

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  2. Song Lyric Sunday is turning into Classic Music Sunday! Love JT, and this is an excellent choice!

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  3. I never heard about this song! It is when my parents where in elementary school and prolly never really heard of it! But, it is a nice folk son!

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    Replies
    1. James Taylor's style was more Folks Song than anything. He did have a few pretty good ones, though.

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  4. I always loved this song and I used some of it in my second book.

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  5. Replies
    1. I'm torn about what song to use for next week. So many good choices.

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  6. Ahhh JT! Such a classic, and makes for some great listening. So many great songs.
    Thanks for the extra facts, too. :)

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  7. Love James Taylor. This song is a classic.

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