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Cover of Fire of Unknown Origin by Blue Oyster Cult
Cover: Fire of Unknown Origin

Song · Blue Oyster Cult

“Burnin for You” by Blue Oyster Cult

From the album Fire of Unknown Origin (1981)

“Burnin for You” by Blue Oyster Cult appears on 81 radio countdowns from 25 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1981 on the album Fire of Unknown Origin. Its best result is #63 on the BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013).

81countdowns
25stations
#63best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

Watch

Blue Oyster Cult - Burnin' For You (Official Video)

Video from YouTube (BlueOysterCultVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Burnin' for You" was the lead single from Blue Öyster Cult's Fire of Unknown Origin in 1981, and it puts the band's quiet weapon out front again: Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, taking the lead vocal from regular singer Eric Bloom just as he had on "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" in 1976. Roeser wrote it with Richard Meltzer, who had supplied words for a good few of the band's songs, and Martin Birch produced and engineered it, keeping the guitars sleek and the hook right up front. It's hard rock with the cuffs loosened, a restless, melodic chugger that smoulders rather than bellows.

It went all the way to number one on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and just scraped into the top 40 of the Hot 100, with a popular video from MTV's earliest days helping it along.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 488 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1990 450 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1994 224 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 258 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1997 244 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
2002 241 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2011 288 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 150 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 289 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 196 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2013 215 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 274 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 122 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 63 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 451 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2014 204 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 234 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 80 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 230 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 228 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 273 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 97 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 324 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 70 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 97 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 172 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2017 66 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 158 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 275 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 213 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2018 66 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 196 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 139 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 257 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 420 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 180 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2020 201 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 153 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 271 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 441 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2021 220 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 293 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 167 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 400 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 346 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 91 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2022 98 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 90 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 463 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 343 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 77 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 174 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 220 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 125 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 75 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2023 293 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 279 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 483 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 314 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 486 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 287 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 77 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 113 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 112 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 271 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2024 419 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 481 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 343 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 289 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 274 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 213 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 88 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 141 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2025 264 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 482 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 158 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 169 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 127 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 231 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 287 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 345 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Burnin' For You; Burnin' for You; Burnin For You.

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