“Fire”

Posted by M - on

Many of you may be surprised to hear that I like funk – as in the musical style – probably because it is heavy on the bass groove and I love a good bass groove! (Great dance music, too.)

The 1970s were the era of highest mainstream visibility for funk music. In addition to Parliament Funkadelic, artists like Sly and the Family Stone, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Bootsy’s Rubber Band, the Isley Brothers, Ohio Players, Con Funk Shun, Kool and the Gang, the Bar-Kays, Commodores, Roy Ayers, Curtis Mayfield, and Stevie Wonder, among others, got radio play. Disco music owed a great deal to funk. Many early disco songs and performers came directly from funk-oriented backgrounds. Some disco music hits, such as all of Barry White’s hits, “Kung Fu Fighting” by Biddu and Carl Douglas, Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You Baby”, Diana Ross’ “Love Hangover”, KC and the Sunshine Band’s “I’m Your Boogie Man”, “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan (also known as the Queen of Funk), and Chic’s “Le Freak” conspicuously include riffs and rhythms derived from funk. In 1976, Rose Royce scored a number-one hit with a purely dance-funk record, “Car Wash”. Even with the arrival of disco, funk became increasingly popular well into the early 1980s. [source]

Since the Sun is in the sign of Aries (also my birth sign), what better way to celebrate this FIRE sign than with a song popular during the 1970s.

Ohio Players
“Fire”
Fire (1974)

Video courtesy of TopPop.

Personnel:
James “Diamond” Williams – drums, chimes, percussion, lead & background vocals
Billy Beck – piano, organ, piano, Clavinet, ARP, percussion, lead & background vocals
Marvin “Merv” Pierce – trumpet, flugelhorn, valve trombone & background vocals
Marshall “Rock” Jones – bass
Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner – guitar, percussion, lead & background vocals
Ralph “Pee Wee” Middlebrooks – trumpet, trombone & background vocals
Clarence “Satch” Satchell – baritone sax, tenor sax, soprano sax, flute, percussion, lead & background vocals

Hey, ha, uh-huh
Hey, hey, hey, Lord (ow, gow)
Hey, ha, uh-huh
Hey, hey, hey, Lord
(Fire)

Fire (Uh, uh)
Fire (Sing us home) (Oh Lord)
Fire (woo, woo, woo, woo)
Fire

The way you walk and talk really sets me off
To a four-alarm, child, yes it does, uh, uh
The way you squeeze and tease knocks to me my knees
‘Cause you’re smokin’, baby, baby

The way you swerve and curve really wracks my nerves
And I’m so excited, child (yeah) woo, woo
The way you push, push lets me know that you’re
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, good
(You’re gonna get your wish) Oh, Lord, oh

Fire (what I say, child, ow)
Fire (uh-huh)
Got me burnin’, got me burnin’ (woo)
Got me burnin’, got me burnin’ (no no)
Got me burnin’, got me burnin’ (whoa)

Woo hoo hoo hoo, baby
Says burnin, burnin’ baby
Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo
Burnin, burnin’ baby
Oh, baby
‘Cause someone on me

When you shake what you got, and girl, you’ve got a lot
You really somethin’, child, yes, you are
‘Cause when you’re hot, you’re hot, you really shoot your shot
You’re dyn-o-mite child, yeah

Well, I can tell by your game, you’re gonna start a flame
In my heart, baby, baby
I’m ’bout to choke from the smoke, got to tighten up my stroke
Can you feel it, girl? Yeah

Got me burnin’, got me burnin’
Got me burnin’, got me burnin’
Got me burnin’, got me burnin’ (fire)
Got me burnin’, got me burnin’ (fire)
Got me burnin’, got me burnin’ (fire)
Got me burnin’, got me burnin’ (fire)
Got me burnin’, got me burnin’ (fire)

ℳ –

12 responses to ““Fire””

    • I love “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)”by Parliament, just about anything from the Ohio Players, “PLay that Funky Music” by Wild Cherry, Earth Wind & Fire, “Brick” by Dazz, “Brick House” by The Commodores. Most of the funk I got into was during the 70s Disco era. Very groovy and danceable.

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    • I second what M wrote, especially Earth, Wind and Fire. “Joystick” is my favorite song by The Dazz Band. The Brothers Johnson’s “Strawberry Letter 23” is a classic, as is McFadden and Whitehead’s “Ain’t No Stopping Us,” Cheryl Lynn’s “Got To Be Real” and Jamiroquai’s “Canned Heat.”

      If you like funk/disco with modern EDM production, I highly recommend Televisor.

      There is so much of it out there, and funk kinda bleeds into disco and vice versa. A lot of modern artists venture into funk sounds as well and people don’t even realize it. I’m not a fan of Lizzo, but she did a funk track on SNL last night and it was good.

      But IMO the most important thing for this genre is to listen on a system that will give you low end. It’s not music that works well on smartphone or computer speakers, you gotta hear the whole range because funk is driven by the bass.

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