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Cover of Face the Music by Electric Light Orchestra
Cover: Face the Music

Song · Electric Light Orchestra

“Fire On High” by Electric Light Orchestra

From the album Face the Music (1975)

“Fire On High” by Electric Light Orchestra appears on 28 radio countdowns from 12 stations between 1997 and 2024. It was first released in 1975 on the album Face the Music. Its best result is #22 on the 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #7,270 indie & aaa song of all time.

28countdowns
12stations
#22best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1997–2024years charted

Watch

Electric Light Orchestra - Fire On High (Audio)

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

Electric Light Orchestra don't ease you into Face the Music, their 1975 album. They kick the door in with "Fire On High", a Jeff Lynne instrumental he wrote and produced, and it's a creepy, overstuffed thrill ride: backwards vocals, a spoken bit from drummer Bev Bevan, cellos from Melvyn Gale and Hugh McDowell, Mik Kaminski sawing away on violin, and Richard Tandy piling piano, clavinet, Moog and extra guitar on top of Lynne's. Kelly Groucutt plays bass, and Brian Jones is credited with foot stomps.

It turned up twice as a flip side: in Britain on blue vinyl behind "Livin' Thing", and in America, trimmed and stripped of its backwards vocals, behind "Sweet Talkin' Woman" in 1978. Stereogum's Ryan Reed later put it tenth among the band's songs, and Classic Rock History's Brian Kachejian ranked it seventh.

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

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1997 89 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
2002 100 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 128 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2011 155 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2011 22 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 28 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2013 66 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 193 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 60 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 811 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 192 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 360 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 212 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2016 326 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 192 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 495 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2017 489 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2019 474 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 904 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 1680 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2022 432 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 909 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 389 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2023 498 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 367 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 385 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 330 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 1023 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043

Also listed as: Fire on High.

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