Irons in the Fire

Irons in the Fire is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Teena Marie, released on August 14, 1980 by Motown. Her first self produced effort, it was dedicated to her father, Thomas Leslie Brockert (1919-1976). It received positive reviews on its release. In a 2009 interview she named it as her personal favourite of all her albums.

This article is about the 1980 Teena Marie album. For the 2013 album, see Redlight King.
Not to be confused with irons in the fire.
Irons in the Fire
Studio album by
Teena Marie
ReleasedAugust 14, 1980
Recorded1979–80
StudioMotown/Hitsville Recording Studios
(Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length43:41
LabelGordy
ProducerTeena Marie
Teena Marie chronology
Lady T
(1980)		 Irons in the Fire
(1980)		 It Must Be Magic
(1981)

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Pitchfork9.0/10[2]
Robert ChristgauC+ [3]

Irons in the Fire peaked at #9 on the Black Albums chart and #38 on the Pop Albums chart. Lead single "I Need Your Lovin'" peaked at #9 on the US Black Singles chart and became her first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #37. It also reached #28 in the United Kingdom, making it Marie's second and last top 30 single in that country. In addition, along with the track "Chains", "I Need Your Lovin'" peaked at number two for two weeks on the dance charts.[4] "Young Love" was released as the album's second single, peaking just outside the top 40 on the US Black Singles chart.

Track listing

All songs were written by Teena Marie, except where noted.

  1. "I Need Your Lovin'" – 7:31
  2. "Young Love" – 5:29
  3. "First Class Love" – 5:06
  4. "Irons in the Fire" – 3:33
  5. "Chains" – 7:11
  6. "You Make Love Like Springtime" – 4:59
  7. "Tune in Tomorrow" (Mickey Hearn, Marie) – 6:26
  8. "You Make Love Like Springtime (Reprise)" – 3:26

Bonus tracks - 2011 Expanded Edition

  1. "You Make Love Like Springtime (Reprise)" (Extended) – 5:23 (replaces track 8)
  2. "I'm A Sucker For Your Love' (Live)" – 8:35
  3. "I Need Your Lovin' (Live)" – 5:31
  4. "Someday We'll All Be Free (Live)" – 2:26
  5. "Deja Vu (Live)" – 10:38
  6. "Square Biz (Live)" – 6:29

Personnel
  • James S. Stewart, Jr. – Piano, Electric Piano
  • David Taylor, Greg Hargrove, Wali Ali – Electric Guitar
  • Nick Brown – Acoustic Guitar
  • Michael Boddicker – Synthesizer
  • Bobby Lyle – Piano
  • Allen McGrier, James Jamerson – Bass
  • Paul Hines, Earl Palmer – Drums
  • Paulinho da Costa – Percussion, Congas
  • Thomas "T" Bumpass – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
  • William Carroll White, Jr. – Alto Saxophone
  • Ray C. Woodard – Tenor Saxophone
  • Lloyd Lindroth – Harp
  • Jill Jones, Mickey Hearn, Shirley Mattison, Ozone – Backing Vocals
  • Paul Riser – string arrangements

Technical

  • Bobby Brooks – engineer
  • Ginny Livingston, Johnny Lee – art direction
  • Ron Slenzak – photography

Charts

Singles
Year Single Chart positions[8]
US US
R&B		 US
Dance		 UK
(OCC)
1980 "I Need Your Lovin'" 37 9 2 28
1981 "Young Love" — 41 — —

Covers

In 2000, pop singer Sheena Easton covered "I Need Your Lovin'" as a bonus track on her retro Disco covers album Fabulous for the Japanese market. The Cover Girls, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and Curiosity Killed the Cat have also covered the song.

References
  1. Kellman, Andy. Teena Marie: Irons in the Fire > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  2. Torres, Eric (October 4, 2020). "Teena Marie: Irons in the Fire Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  3. Christgau, Robert. "Teena Marie: Irons in the Fire > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 166.
  5. "Teena Marie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  6. "Teena Marie Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  7. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1981". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. "Teena Marie US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
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