I have been listening to the new Bruce Springsteen album High Hopes enjoying the odd collection of songs and thinking about where it fits in the Springsteen Canon. But one of the songs that I especially like is his cover of The Saints song “Just Like Fire Would.” Now, he has released a video of the song, featuring Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who plays on six songs on the new album.
“Just Like Fire Would” begins with the singer in a motel room in the middle of a long journey. The singer is drinking wine, and in the final lines of the song we learn the singer is thinking of someone else: “I see you now but we may never meet again, child / The ice is hanging on the door.”
The title comes from the chorus, where the singer exclaims, “And just like fire would, I burn up.” Interestingly, if you have only heard the song and never seen the title written, the phrase “just like firewood” seems to work too. Anyway, check it out.
The Australian punk band The Saints, who formed in 1974, first recorded “Just Like Fire Would” on their 1986 album All Fools Day. If you wish to compare the Springsteen version to the original, check out the video below.
What do you think of “Just Like Fire Would”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
