Cover Me Round-Up: I’m on Fire

So I’ve had this dilemma for a while now: there are just too many great covers of “I’m on Fire” out there.

Over the past three years or so, I’ve featured no less than sixteen covers of Bruce’s 1985 Top Ten single, but they keep multiplying at an accelerating pace.

What is it about “I’m on Fire” that appeals to so many artists? I wish I knew. All I know is that I could start a blog solely focused on “I’m on Fire” covers and have plenty of material.

In recent months, I’ve steered away from that song in favor of less frequently covered songs from Bruce’s catalog. The only problem is, there are some new and darn good versions of “I’m on Fire” that should really be on your radar.

So I’ve decided to compromise: once in a while I’ll do a roundup of several “I’m on Fire” covers that deserve notice, and today is the first installment.

For our debut “I’m on Fire” round-up, let’s take a trip around the world,

First up: a cool, bass-centric arrangement by Canadian artists Jake McIntyre-Paul and vocalist Jessica Heaven, who perform together under the name Descartes.

Their version of “I’m on Fire” is actually the second single off their new album Descartes for Sheila, which features inventive arrangements of classic songs by Billy Joel, The Beatles, Paul Simon, and more. Check the album out here.

Next, we switch genres from jazz to rockabilly with this swinging cover by Dutch band Mainline 55.

Of course, “I’m on Fire” is a seduction song at heart, and Canadian singer-songwriter Sanjay Seran found a way to turn up the heat with his late-night, lights-out version.

Israeli artist Noam Bass mines a similar vein but adds a hook you can dance to in his late-breaking cover, published just a few weeks ago.

Finally (for now), we travel down under to check out the Nick Trovas Band. They’ve been playing “I’m on Fire” at their gigs for years, and it shows in their polished cover.

I hope you enjoyed this mini-tour. Personally, I find it fascinating how Bruce’s music resonates around the world in so many different ways, inspiring artists to uncover new elements and infuse new life into Bruce’s classics.

We’ll do this again sometime… but not for a while. There are still a lot of great versions of less frequently covered songs to explore!