Just Like Fire Would

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Chris J. Bailey, 1986. Originally recorded by The Saints. Springsteen's version is Track 4 of High Hopes, 2014.

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Credits

• High Hopes (2014)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
  • Ron Aniello: 12-string guitar
  • Roy Bittan: piano
  • Everett Bradley: percussion, backing vocals
  • Jake Clemons: saxophone
  • Barry Danielian: trumpet
  • Clark Gayton: trombone
  • Charles Giordano: organ
  • Stan Harrison: saxophone
  • Jeff Kievit: piccolo trumpet
  • Curtis King, Jr.: backing vocals
  • Nils Lofgren: guitar
  • Ed Manion: saxophone
  • Cindy Mizelle: backing vocals
  • Michelle Moore: backing vocals
  • Tom Morello: guitar
  • Curt Ramm: trumpet
  • Patti Scialfa: backing vocals
  • Garry Tallent: bass
  • Steven Van Zandt: backing vocals
  • Max Weinberg: drums
  • New York String Section
    • Rob Mathes (arranger and conductor), Lisa Kim (concertmaster), Quan Ge (violin), Hyunju Lee (violin), Jessica Lee (violin), Ann Lehman (violin), Joanna Maurer (violin), Suzanne Ornstein (violin), Annaliesa Place (violin), David Southorn (violin), Jeanine Wynton (violin), Sharon Yamada (violin), Maurycy Banaszek (viola), Désirée Elsevier (viola), Shmuel Katz (viola), Robert Rinehart (viola), Maria Kitsopoulos (cello), Alan Stepansky (cello), and Ru Pei Yeh (cello)

Performances

Performed live 18 times (not including snippet performances). 2014-04-26 Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood, Atlanta, GA 2014-04-22 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA 2014-04-19 Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC 2014-03-02 Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand 2014-02-26 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 2014-02-23 Hope Estate, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia 2014-02-22 Hope Estate, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia 2014-02-19 AllPhones Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2014-02-16 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2014-02-15 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2014-02-12 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 2014-02-11 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 2014-02-08 Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia 2014-02-07 Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia 2014-02-05 Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia 2014-01-28 Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town, South Africa 2014-01-14 Rockefeller Center, GE Building, Studio 6A, New York City, NY 2013-03-14 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Performances broken down by tour (not including rehearsals and snippet performances) Performed at 0 show(s) of 118 on the 2023-24 International Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 266 on the Springsteen On Broadway run. Performed at 0 show(s) of 14 on the Summer '17 Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 75 on the The River Tour 2016. Performed at 16 show(s) of 33 on the High Hopes Tour. Performed at 1 show(s) of 133 on the Wrecking Ball Tour. Performed at 1 known other show(s), plus 0 public tour rehearsal(s).

Released on Album

Released on High Hopes (2014).

Released as Live Download

Live versions are available on the following 15 official live downloads:

• 2014-04-26 Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
• 2014-04-22 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
• 2014-04-19 Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
• 2014-03-02 Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
• 2014-02-26 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• 2014-02-23 Hope Estate, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia
• 2014-02-22 Hope Estate, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia
• 2014-02-19 AllPhones Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• 2014-02-15 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• 2014-02-12 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
• 2014-02-11 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
• 2014-02-08 Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
• 2014-02-07 Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
• 2014-02-05 Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
• 2014-01-28 Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town, South Africa

On The Tracks

JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD - V1a		uncirculating
JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD - V1b		uncirculating
JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD - V2	3:56	HOPES

Note: Written by Chris Bailey, frontman of Australian band The Saints and first released in 1986 on their album All Fools Day. Springsteen premiered his cover of "Just Like Fire Would" on March 14, 2013 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. V1a was recorded March 17, 2013, at Studios 301 in Sydney with engineer Nick DiDia, in an unknown number of takes. Tom Morello recorded his parts at Studios 301, Byron Bay late that night. V2 is the final album track, with overdubs recorded later that year in New York and Los Angeles. Released January 22, 2014 as a single Produced by Ron Aniello and Springsteen.

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^{Studio Sessions: High Hopes}

Lyrics

Just Like Fire Would

One night in a motel room
Eyes cast like steel
I drank the wine that they left on my table
I knew the morning was too far

I smoked my last cigarette
Stay only to defy
The night was dark and the land is cold
I was frozen right to the bone

Just like fire would, I burn
Just like fire would
Just like fire would, I burned up

Five hundred miles I've gone today
And tomorrow's five hundred more
Outside my window the world passes by
It's stranger than a dream

Just like fire would, I burn
Just like fire would
Just like fire would, I burned up

I go to work and I earn my pay load
My sweat falls to the ground
I see you now but we may never meet again, child
The ice is hanging on the door

One night in a motel room
Eyes cast like steel
I drank the wine that they left on my table
I knew the morning was too far

Just like fire would, I burn
Just like fire would
Just like fire would, I burned up

Just like fire would, I burn
Just like fire would
Just like fire would, I burned up

Come on!

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

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