B-side "Never Too Old" Genre Heartland rock | Format 7", CD single Length 3:51 | |
Released August 15, 1987 (1987-08-15) Recorded Belmont Mall Studio, Indiana | ||
"Paper in Fire" is a song by American rock singer John Mellencamp, released as the first single from his ninth studio album The Lonesome Jubilee.
Contents
The song was a success in the U.S., reaching #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and becoming a top ten hit on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also topped the Canadian Singles Chart, and charted on various European singles charts.
Inspiration
In a 1989 interview with the BBC, Mellencamp said: "'Paper in Fire' deals with a lot of biblical things – paper in fire, in fact, is hell, and is referred to in the Bible as hell. 'A man will be cast into paper in fire.' It's in there, believe me, it's in there. That's where that term came from."
The line, "we keep no check on our appetites," from the song's final verse, was cited in the 1963 movie Hud, which is one of Mellencamp's favorite movies and has inspired many of his songs.
Track listing
- "Paper in Fire" – 3:53
- "Never Too Old" – 3:45
- "Paper in Fire" – 3:48
- "Never Too Old" – 3:43
- "Under the Boardwalk" – 3:51
- "Cold Sweat" – 3:23
- "Paper in Fire" (video) – 3:57