Fire Water Burn

"Fire Water Burn"
Single by Bloodhound Gang
from the album One Fierce Beer Coaster
Released	February 9, 1997 (1997-02-09)[1]
Genre	Hip hop[2] funk rock[3]
Length	4:51
Label	Jimmy Franks Republic Geffen
Songwriter(s)	Jimmy Pop Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three
Producer(s)	Jimmy Pop
Bloodhound Gang singles chronology
"Mama Say" (1995) "Fire Water Burn" (1997) "I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks" (1997)
US 12-inch vinyl cover
Music video
"Fire Water Burn" on YouTube

"Fire Water Burn" is a song by American rock band Bloodhound Gang, released as the first single from their second album, One Fierce Beer Coaster (1996). The chorus of the song is derived from "The Roof Is on Fire" by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three, yet sung considerably slower. The song was remixed for the CD single by God Lives Underwater. It charted on two US Billboard charts, reaching number 18 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 28 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was more successful abroad, reaching number two in Norway, number four in the Netherlands, number five in Iceland and the top 10 in Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden; it has gone Platinum in the latter two countries.

Lyrical references

"Fire Water Burn" makes a variety of references to numerous figures from popular culture. These include the musicians 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.[4]

The lyric, "the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire; we don't need no water, let the motherfucker burn" is originally from a song by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three from 1984 called "The Roof is on Fire". The lyric "we don't need no water, let the motherfucker burn" is also present on the 1994 song "Burn" by Rancid on their album Let's Go.

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.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard commented on the song, "Is the world ready—or in need—of a new act mining ground broken by the Beastie Boys and Ugly Kid Joe a number of years ago? Probably not, but here comes the Bloodhound Gang anyway. And this (...) proves to be quite the guilty pleasure. The words of this chugging funk/rocker are extremely amusing and are delivered with a monotone howl that gets its bounce from grinding turntable scratching and fuzz guitar lines."[3]

Matt Diehl of Entertainment Weekly wrote of the song, "If you think mumbling hip-hop slang with self-conscious Caucasian stiffness is funny, this dud’s for you."[5]

Music video

The song's accompanying music video features the band performing in the cafeteria of the Mt. Yermom Retirement Home, where tapioca pudding is being served as the day's special meal. 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 joke being that if they weren't impaired they would have left upon noticing the band.

The video is introduced by "Pat Minfield" (portrayed by Pop), a spoonerized parody of Matt Pinfield, the then-host of MTV's music video show 120 Minutes (which is presented in the video as 120 Midgets). Minfield, in a fashion similar to Pinfield, attempts to connect Alex Karras, Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, The Graduate, Simon & Garfunkel, Diana Ross, The Wiz and Michael Jackson.

Track listings

US 12-inch vinyl and European maxi-CD single[6][7] "Fire Water Burn" (Rudimental Jammy Jam) – 4:50 "Fire Water Burn" (Jim Makin' Jamaican Mix) – 5:01 "Fire Water Burn" (We Don't Need No God Lives Underwater Mix) – 3:31 "Fire Water Burn" (A Coo Dic Ver Din) – 4:42 European CD single[8] "Fire Water Burn" (Rudimental Jammy Jam) – 4:50 "Fire Water Burn" (Jim Makin' Jamaican Mix) – 5:01

Australian CD single[9] "Fire Water Burn" (Rudimental Jammy Jam) "Fire Water Burn" (Jim Makin' Jamaican Mix) "Fire Water Burn" (We Don't Need No God Lives Underwater Mix) "Fire Water Burn" (A Coo Dic Ver Din) "Fire Water Burn" (Donkey edit)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997-98) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[1] 13 Australian Alternative Songs (ARIA)[10] 3 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[11] 18 Benelux Airplay (Music & Media)[12] 16 Denmark (IFPI)[13] 9 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] 89 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[15] 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 7 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 6 Norway (VG-lista)[19] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 6 Quebec (ADISQ)[21] 32 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[22] 18 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[23] 28

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position Australia (ARIA)[24] 75 Estonia (Eesti Tipp-40)[25] 90 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[26] 81 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[27] 42 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[28] 46 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[29] 15 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 13 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[31] 87

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[32]	Gold	35,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33]	Platinum	10,000^*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[34]	Gold
Sweden (GLF)[35]	Platinum	30,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
2. Sarig, Roni (2004). "The Bloodhound Gang". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 86–87. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
3. Flick, Larry (December 7, 1996). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 49. p. 78. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
4. Bloodhoundgang.com, Lyrics Schmyrics — Fire Water Burn Archived 2007-03-16 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on March 17, 2007
5. Diehl, Matt (January 10, 1997). ""Fire Water Burn"". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
6. Fire Water Burn (US 12-inch vinyl sleeve). Bloodhound Gang. Jimmy Franks Recording Company, Republic Records. 1997. REP-96031, 757433960318.
7. Fire Water Burn (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Bloodhound Gang. Geffen Records, Republic Records. 1997. GED 22203.
8. Fire Water Burn (European CD single liner notes). Bloodhound Gang. Geffen Records, Republic Records. 1997. GED 22249.
9. Fire Water Burn (Australian CD single liner notes). Bloodhound Gang. Geffen Records, Republic Records. 1997. GED 22234.
10. "ARIA Alternative Charts Top 20". ARIA Report. No. 380. June 8, 1997. p. 12. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
11. "Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
12. "Major Market Airplay: Benelux" (PDF). Music & Media. May 10, 1997. p. 25. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
13. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 49. December 6, 1997. p. 14. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
14. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 21. May 24, 1997. p. 12. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
15. "Íslenski Listinn NR. 220 Vikuna 8.5. '97 – 14.5. '97". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). May 9, 1997. p. 16. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 22, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
17. "Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
18. "Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
19. "Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn". VG-lista. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
20. "Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
21. "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (PDF) (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
22. "Bloodhound Gang Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
23. "Bloodhound Gang Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
24. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1997". ARIA. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
25. "Eesti Tipp-40: ESTONIA – Raadio 2 AASTAHITT Top 100 of 1997". Eesti Ekspress. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
26. "Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1998. p. 25. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
27. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1997". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
28. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
29. "End of Year Charts 1997". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
30. "Årslista Singlar, 1997" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
31. "Best of '97: Modern Rock Track". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 28, 1997. p. 30.
32. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
33. "New Zealand single certifications – Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
34. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
35. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2019.