Fire Burning
| "Fire Burning" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Fire Burning" is a dance pop reggae-influenced song by pop musician Sean Kingston. It is released as the lead single from his second studio album Tomorrow. The song displays a little more synth-dance sound than his previous recordings, with influences of dance music and electropop. Unlike many of his previous singles, which are all produced by J.R. Rotem, the song is produced by RedOne.
Release
Kingston had released the song on his MySpace webpage to promote his song. The song was released to radio stations and for digital download April 24, 2009. To date the song has been played more than 13 million times on his MySpace page.[1] The song has sold over 1 million downloads.[2]
Music video
Video was premiered at MTV on June 15, 2009. Rick Ross makes a cameo appearance in the video. The video was directed by Gil Green. The video also shows Kingston's Audi R8 in the video.
Remix
- "Fire Burning" (Remix) (featuring Pitbull)
Critical reception
Michael Menachem of Billboard reviewed the song as "the most danceable single yet" and commented on the fast tempo and Kingston's well-projected vocal "that allows producer RedOne to blend the infectious hook with heavy synthesizers and a variety of percussive sounds that made Lady GaGa's "Poker Face" so striking". He also comments that "the chorus is repetitive, it sounds just like Unstoppable by Kat Deluna, but this song is often what makes for a sizzling club hit".[3] Bill Lamb of About.com comments on the song's fuzzed up bass lines, potent vocals, and a clear call to head to the dance floor, saying that it stands a good chance of making this a summer smash and demonstrate RedOne's success with Lady GaGa is no fluke.[4] Lamb also calls the pros of the song a Clarion call to the dance floor, Sean Kingston's energetic vocals, and fuzzed up bass tracks while the cons are the standard synth dance sound.[4] He also has this to say:
Every summer needs a big dance smash, and it's quite possible that in 2009 it will be Sean Kingston's "Fire Burning." With confident pop-dance production from RedOne, the man behind Lady GaGa's smash hits, Sean Kingston has moved beyond the cuteness of "Beautiful Girls" and reliance on sampling past pop and rock hits, which sounds similar to Kat Deluna's Unstoppable. A bit copycat. There is not a lot of lyrical depth here, but not much is needed to get pop fans to the floor in the summer.
RedOne has mastered the difficult craft of putting together songs that sound great on the radio, through headphones, and booming at a party. There is plenty of room for remixing for the club, but an unadulterated "Fire Burning" would do well on its own. Sean Kingston's Jamaican accent is still strongly present, but his vocals do have a new confidence and clarity that rise powerfully above the mix.
Many fans and critics saw Sean Kingston's rise as little more than a novelty, but "Fire Burning" is a strong statement for sticking around. Due to his unique voice, there is no mistaking this is a Sean Kingston record. However, this is a move forward and no hint of sameness with his first album. "Somebody call 911!"[4]
Formats and track listings
- Digital download
- "Fire Burning" (Album version) (Kisean Anderson, Bilal Hajji, RedOne) – 4:03
Charts
"Fire Burning" first debuted at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Kingston's highest debut on the chart. Since then it has entered the top ten peaking at #5 so far.
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Charts | 63 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Canadian Hot 100 | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 62 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 39 |
| Japan Hot 100 | 9 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[5] | 38 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 38 |
| Turkey Top 20 Chart[6] | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart | 29 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 | 3 |
References
- ^ http://www.myspace.com/seankingston
- ^ http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/39845/week-ending-july-12-2009-records-fall-as-jackson-surge-intensifies/
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews-singles/fire-burning-1003971498.story
- ^ a b c Bill Lamb. Fire Burning Review About.com. Accessed May 10, 2009.
- ^ New Zealand Singles Chart
- ^ "Turkey Top 20 Chart". Billboard Turkiye. Billboard. July 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-13.