Fire Water Burn
| "Fire Water Burn" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Bloodhound Gang | ||||
| from the album One Fierce Beer Coaster | ||||
| Released | April 3, 1997 | |||
| Format | CD, 12" | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop, rap rock, post-grunge | |||
| Length | 4:51 | |||
| Label |
Jimmy Franks Recording Company Republic Records Geffen Records (1998 re-release) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jimmy Pop, Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Pop | |||
| The Bloodhound Gang singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Fire Water Burn | ||||
 12 inch cover | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Fire Water Burn" on YouTube | ||||
"Fire Water Burn" is the first single from The Bloodhound Gang's 1996 (re-released in 1998) album One Fierce Beer Coaster. The chorus of the song is derived from the song "The Roof Is on Fire" by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three, yet sung considerably slower. The song ranked among the top songs on the Billboard Charts in 1997, reaching #18 on the Modern Rock Tracks, and also #28 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. It made number 4 on the Dutch Top 40. "Fire Water Burn" was remixed for the CD single by God Lives Underwater. It appeared in the soundtrack of Some Girl, Fahrenheit 9/11, The Nutty Professor and CKY4.[1]
Music video
The song's music video features the band performing in a retirement home's cafeteria. As the song progresses, lead vocalist Jimmy Pop leaves the stage and performs numerous spontaneous actions in front of a group of unresponsive senior citizens, including dancing suggestively on tables and making awkward facial gestures. The video culminates when the elderly notice the band, and are rejuvenated by their performance. With the retirement home now filled with a rock concert-like atmosphere, the band exits the stage with numerous senior citizens. The final shot of the video reveals that the retirement home was specifically designated for the deaf.
The video is introduced by "Pat Minfield" (portrayed by Pop), a parody of Matt Pinfield, the host of MTV's music video show 120 Minutes (which is presented in the video as 120 Midgets).
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1996-97) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Charts) | 13 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[2] | 18 |
| Denmark (IFPI)[3] | 9 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | 89 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[4] | 5 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[5] | 4 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] | 7 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ) | 6 |
| Norway (VG-lista) | 2 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 6 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 28 |
| US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 18 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 15 |
Outside references
"Fire Water Burn" makes a variety of references to numerous figures from popular culture. These include the musicians Jimmy Pop, Barry White, Frank Black, Marvin Gaye, Martha Raye, Lawrence Welk, Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, the fictional characters Han Solo and Webster, the television show Kojak, the actor Emmanuel Lewis, the author Mark Twain, and U.S. president John F. Kennedy.[8]
Additionally, the song makes a modified quote from the Pixies song "Monkey Gone to Heaven", with the lyrics, "if man is five and the devil is six then that must make me seven / this honky's gone to heaven" rather than "so if man is five / then the devil is six / then God is seven / this monkey's gone to heaven". The song is also musically similar to the latter half of the Pixies song "The Happening" from their album Bossanova.
References in other media
- Ben Stiller quotes the song while in an angry rampage in the film Mystery Men.
- The song is featured in the Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.[9]
- The song is featured in the movie Some Girl (1998), written by and starring Marissa Ribisi.
- The song is featured in the film Head of State (2003), written, directed by and starring Chris Rock.
References
- ↑ IMDB.com, Bloodhound Gang Retrieved on March 17, 2007
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ↑ "Top 10 Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ↑ "Íslenski Listinn NR. 220 Vikuna 8.5. '97 - 14.5. '97" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir. May 9, 1997. p. 16. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bloodhound Gang" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ↑ "End of Year Charts 1997". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
- ↑ Bloodhoundgang.com, Lyrics Schmyrics — Fire Water Burn Retrieved on March 17, 2007
- ↑ Woestendiek, John (12 July 2004). "Song that fires up troops in film". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 29 December 2016.