Burn Baby Burn (song)

"Burn Baby Burn" is a song by Ash, released as the second single from the Free All Angels album on 2 April 2001, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number 20 in Ireland. It was released as a single CD (released on 2CD formats, the second of which being an enhanced CD) and as a 7" vinyl, and was also released for the first time on DVD format. The song can also be found on the Intergalactic Sonic 7″s hits collection.[3]

This article is about the 2001 Ash song. For the 1976 disco song which prominently features the line in its chorus, see Disco Inferno.

"Burn Baby Burn"
Single by Ash
from the album Free All Angels
B-side
Released2 April 2001 (2001-04-02)[1]
GenrePower pop[2]
Length3:31
LabelInfectious
Songwriter(s)Tim Wheeler
Producer(s)Owen Morris
Ash singles chronology
"Shining Light"
(2001)		 "Burn Baby Burn"
(2001)		 "Sometimes"
(2001)
Alternative cover
CD 2 cover

Background and release

"Burn Baby Burn" was originally written for "Nu-Clear Sounds" but did not make the cut. However, Mark Hamilton liked the riff, and encouraged Wheeler to re-write parts of the song, namely the chorus. Wheeler came up with the chorus while driving back to his parents' house from Belfast, and wrote it down when he got home. He said a personal breakup inspired the song.[4]

Originally the track was titled "This Is Slow Suicide", then simply "Slow Suicide", but was changed at the last minute to "Burn Baby Burn" to avoid radio censorship.

"Burn Baby Burn" was the first ever song played on the BBC's 6 Music station.[5]

For release in America, the song was remixed and features a new 'mid-song breakdown' during the final bridge, which reflects the band's live arrangement. "Burn Baby Burn" has been consistently in the band's set since the song's release. As such it appears on the Tokyo Blitz live DVD.

"Burn Baby Burn" was also released as a DVD. The DVD featured the single, acoustic versions of the 1995 single "Girl from Mars" the Free All Angels track "Someday", and "Chinese New Year" - later released as a b-side to "Polaris", and was the first episode of Ash's road movies. Entitled "Episode 1: Road Movie", it lasted 20 minutes and starred the band's usual rockstar antics, ensuring a Parental Guidance sticker for the DVD. The DVD was limited edition, and only 8,000 were produced.

The track was released in a promo EP form in many countries. In Australia, it starred all of the b-sides from the 2CDs released for "Burn Baby Burn", as well as the song itself.

Stephen Merchant spoke with Radio 2 Zoe Ball, where he stated that this was his favourite song of all time.

Music video

The video for "Burn Baby Burn" is directed by Jeff Thomas. It stars the band performing the song while basketball players play around them and cheerleaders dance. The video was shot in Selsdon High School, and starred carefully selected cheerleaders and the London Towers basketball team and Brendan Hanlon. Ash claims it to be one of their favourite videos, and one of the most enjoyable they have shot. The cheerleaders in the video also performed with the band on "Top of the Pops".

B-Sides

Both of the CD1 b-sides were recorded for BBC Radio 1's Evening Sessions. "13th Floor" is a fast-paced number left over from the "Free All Angels" sessions that also appears on the "Cosmic Debris" b-sides collection.

The second CD1 b-side, "Only in Dreams", is a cover of the final song of Weezer's self-titled debut album, known as "The Blue Album". It is one of Ash's longest songs at just under 8 minutes.

"Thinking About You" appears on the CD2 version of "Burn Baby Burn", as well as on "Cosmic Debris". A soft acoustic song, it's somewhat of a fan favourite due to its heart-string pulling lyrics, telling of a far-away love.

Finally, the last b-side is a remix of "Free All Angels" track "Submission", written by drummer Rick McMurray.

Awards

The song won several awards, including:

  • NME Awards 2002: Best Single
  • Q Awards 2002: Best Single
  • 91 Suns' Greatest Song of All Time, revealed in December 2020.[6]

Track listings

All tracks written and composed by Tim Wheeler; except where indicated.

CD one

  1. "Burn Baby Burn (Radio Edit)"
  2. "13th Floor"
  3. "Only in Dreams" (Cuomo)

CD two (Enhanced)

  1. "Burn Baby Burn (Album Version)"
  2. "Thinking About You"
  3. "Submission (Arthur Baker Remix)" (McMurray/Wheeler)
  4. "Burn Baby Burn" (Video)

DVD

  1. "Burn Baby Burn (DVD Audio)"
  2. Episode 1- Road Movie
  3. "Someday (Acoustic)"
  4. "Girl From Mars (Acoustic)"

Promo CD

  1. "Burn Baby Burn (Radio Edit)"

Australian CD

  1. "Burn Baby Burn (Album Version)"
  2. "13th Floor"
  3. "Only in Dreams" (Cuomo)
  4. "Thinking About You"
  5. "Submission (Arthur Baker Remix)" (McMurray/Wheeler)

Japanese Promo CD

  1. "Burn Baby Burn (Radio Edit)"
  2. "Submission (Arthur Baker Remix)" (McMurray/Wheeler)
  3. "Shining Light (Radio Edit)"
  4. "Thinking About You"
  5. "Feel No Pain"

Charts
Chart (2001) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[7] 45
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 20
Scotland (OCC)[9] 10
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 13
UK Indie (OCC)[11] 1

References
  1. "New Releases – For Week Starting April 2, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 31 March 2001. p. 31. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  2. Begrand, Adrien (9 March 2005). "Ash: Meltdown". PopMatters. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  3. Burn Baby Burn ashofficial.com, June 2009
  4. Wiser, Carl (11 May 2018). "Tim Wheeler of Ash : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  5. "BBC Radio 6 Music – Cerys Matthews, 6 Music Celebrates 10 Years live from Maida Vale". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016.
  6. ""The Top 10 Greatest Songs of All Time" (Season 3, Episode 5)". 7 December 2020.
  7. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 18, no. 17. 21 April 2001. p. 11. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Burn Baby Burn". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  9. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  11. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
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