Released April 24, 2009 Genre Dance Label Epic, Geffen, Koch | Recorded 2008-09 Length 4:03 | |
Format digital download
CD single | ||
"Fire Burning" is a song by Jamaican-American singer-songwriter Sean Kingston. It is released as the lead single from his second studio album Tomorrow. Unlike many of his previous singles, which are all produced by J.R. Rotem, the song is produced by RedOne. The song was used for the opening number of the Miss Universe 2009 live at the Atlantis Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas.
Contents
Composition
"Fire Burning" is a song written by Robin Wang. The song's instrumentation consists of a heavy synthesizers and a variety of percussive sounds. The song is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 120 beats per minute and is written in the key of B♭ minor. It begins with an energetic clarion call to the dance floor followed by modern dance beat.
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. As of July 22, 2012, the song has sold over 3 million downloads. Sean Kingston performed the song for the first time live at the Teen Choice Awards 2009.
Music video
The music video premiered on MTV on June 15, 2009. Rick Ross makes a cameo appearance in the video along with fellow island singer Iyaz. The video was directed by Gil Green. The video also shows Kingston's Audi R8 in the video.
Remixes
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". Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy said that 'Fire Burning' has all the makings of a classic summer anthem with its swathes of GaGa-esque synths, infectious chorus hook and fuzzy bassline but he wasn't in favor of Kingston's reggae-tinged vocals.
Formats and track listings
- "Fire Burning" (Album version) (Kisean Anderson, Bilal Hajji, RedOne) – 4:03
- "Fire Burning" – 4:00
- "War" – 2:59
Chart performance
"Fire Burning" 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. It also peaked at number two on the Canadian Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks.It became a #1 Record in South Africa and holding off strong competition from Lady Gaga's "LoveGame". Prior to this "Fire Burning" was ranked 36th on South Africa's Year-End-Chart.