The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded “Fire” for their 1967 debut album, Are You Experienced? The story starts with Jimi Hendrix’s visit to bass player Noel Redding’s mother’s house. It was cold, and she had a fireplace, and Hendrix asked if he could stand next to it. Her dog, Rover, was blocking it, so he referenced that in the song. The assumption was always that the song was about sex, but Hendrix was literally singing about access to a live fireplace. Mitch Mitchell’s manic jazz drumming and Hendrix’s guitar, with its fuzzy effect, drive the song “Fire.” The song was another creative blast that made the album an innovative stride in rock music and helped deliver the band to stardom. Rock music and the way the guitar was perceived and played were reinvented by Hendrix through his blues, funk, jazz, and R&B influences and virtuosic guitar playing. They had reached new creative heights, and the album also sold a million copies within seven months of its release The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice Cooper, and Ghanaian rock band Osibisa have covered “Fire.” Rick Ross, Aladdin, Lupe Fiasco, The D.O.C., Charles Hamilton, and Chumbawamba have all sampled “Fire.” The National Recording Registry added Are You Experienced? to its list in 2005, and it continues to top critic lists.
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