Category: Music

Springsteen Video for The Saints Cover “Just Like Fire Would”

Springsteen Saints

I have been listening to the new Bruce Springsteen album High Hopes enjoying the odd collection of songs and thinking about where it fits in the Springsteen Canon. But one of the songs that I especially like is his cover of The Saints song “Just Like Fire Would.” Now, he has released a video of the song, featuring Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who plays on six songs on the new album.

“Just Like Fire Would” begins with the singer in a motel room in the middle of a long journey. The singer is drinking wine, and in the final lines of the song we learn the singer is thinking of someone else: “I see you now but we may never meet again, child / The ice is hanging on the door.”

The title comes from the chorus, where the singer exclaims, “And just like fire would, I burn up.” Interestingly, if you have only heard the song and never seen the title written, the phrase “just like firewood” seems to work too. Anyway, check it out.

The Australian punk band The Saints, who formed in 1974, first recorded “Just Like Fire Would” on their 1986 album All Fools Day. If you wish to compare the Springsteen version to the original, check out the video below.

What do you think of “Just Like Fire Would”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Ira Hayes Won’t Answer Anymore

    Ira Hayes Iwo Jima On January 24, 1955, Ira Hamilton Hayes died from alcohol poisoning near where he lived in Sacaton, Arizona. Even if you do not recognize the name, you have seen a photo of Hayes, as the 22-year-old Pima Indian Marine appears in the famous historical photo by Joe Rosenthal of soldiers raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi at Iwo Jima in 1945 during World War II.

    The image was also used as a model for the 1954 Marine Corps War Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery, where Hayes is now buried. The war image and what happened to Hayes after the famous flag raising have since been immortalized in pop culture.

    Ira Hayes in Movies

    If you were not born during World War II but recognize the name of Ira Hayes, you may have seen the movie about Hayes directed by Delbert Mann and called The Outsider (1961). In that movie, Tony Curtis starred as the Native American Hayes. [September 2015 Update: Unfortunately, clips from The Outsider are no longer available on YouTube.]

    Adam Beach portrayed Hayes in Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers (2006). The real Hayes played himself in the John Wayne film, Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). Here is a video of the flag-raising in the movie, even though you cannot single out Hayes in this clip.

    Ira Hayes in Song: “The Ballad of Ira Hayes”

    But most likely those of us in a certain generation recognize the name “Ira Hayes” because of a song.  Songwriter Peter La Farge, inspired by The Outsider film, wrote the song “The Ballad of Ira Hayes.”

    Johnny Cash then recorded the song and made it famous.

    Like many others, I first learned about Ira Hayes through the Cash song. My dad used to play an 8-track with the song on it, and he explained to me the story about Ira Hayes. While the song takes some liberties about Hayes, it captures the essence of his tragic life. Because of the photo, Hayes was hailed as a hero, but he wanted to live a normal life and did not consider himself a hero after seeing so many of his comrades killed.

    Hayes probably suffered from what we now know as post-traumatic stress syndrome.  He fell on hard times and turned to alcohol, resulting in his death.

    Cash’s version of “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” remains the most famous version of the song.  But other artists like Kris Kristofferson have covered the tune.

    Songwriter Townes Van Zandt captured the sadness in the song when he sang “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” as part of Solo Sessions, January 17, 1995.

    While one might complain that the song oversimplifies Ira Hayes by focusing on his downfall, the song remains as a fitting tribute to the man. It helps keep him in our memories, while also reminding us of some of the downsides of war and fame. RIP Corporal Hayes.

    Photo via public domain.

    What is your favorite version of “The Ballad of Ira Hayes”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Springsteen Discusses His “High Hopes”

    In this new promotional video, Bruce Springsteen discusses his new album released this week, High Hopes. In the video, he explains the odd collection of songs that make up the album, how Tom Morello became involved, etc. Check it out.

    I am still trying to figure out what I think of the album, although I do know that I love certain moments on the album such as the new version of “Dream Baby Dream.”

    What do you think of High Hopes? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Sting Sings With Robert Downey Jr.? (and it’s pretty awesome)

    Sting Robert Downey Jr.

    In October 2011, Robert Downey Jr. joined Sting at the latter’s 60th birthday concert and career celebration at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The two men sang The Police song “Driven To Tears,” and it was surprisingly good. Recently, a professional video of the performance started circulating the interwebs, so now you can check it out.

    “Driven to Tears” first appeared on the 1980 Police album Zenyatta Mondatta.

    Who would you like to see Sting sing with? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Sneak Peak at Marty Brown’s Video for “Whatever Makes You Smile”

    Marty Brown has released a “sneak peak” at the upcoming video for his single, “Whatever Makes You Smile.” The video from the 1990s country music star and recent America’s Got Talent comeback artist contains some footage from the video.

    Update:  Below is the complete video for a great Marty Brown song.

    Check out our previous post on the new single here.

    What do you think of the sneak peak? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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