"Relight My Fire" is a popular song which was written and released by Dan Hartman in 1979, when it topped the US dance music charts for six weeks. It was also performed by Costa Anadiotis' band Café Society in 1984 and British boy band Take That in 1993. The song is from the 1979 Dan Hartman album Relight My Fire.
Dan Hartman original version
Originally released in 1979 as the follow-up to "Instant Replay", "Relight My Fire" topped the United States dance charts for six weeks from December 12, 1979 to February 16, 1980; it was less successful in the UK, however, where it failed to chart. Loleatta Holloway is credited as a featured vocalist on some versions of the record, singing the "strong enough to walk on through the night" refrain. The song's strings and horns were played by MFSB and conducted by longtime MFSB member Don Renaldo. The 12" version includes a 4½-minute intro called "Vertigo", often used in discos as a floor-filler before the song begins; this 11:22 version is available on Hartman's 1994 hits package titled Keep the Fire Burnin'. The title track from this album was a new recording between Hartman and Holloway, featuring some samples from "Relight My Fire".
Versions
7" vinyl single version, 3:42, US release: Blue Sky, CBS ZS9 2784, 1979
12" vinyl The Historical 1979 Re-Mix, 6:52, UK release: Blue Sky, SKY 12 8104, 1979
Vertigo/Relight My Fire, album version, 9:44, US release: Blue Sky, JZ 36302, 1979
12" vinyl Vertigo/Relight My Fire, 11:22, US release: Blue Sky, 4Z8-2790, 1979
Vertigo/Relight My Fire, 11:55, mixed By John Luongo, edited by Ben Liebrand. This version features the full "Vertigo" intro of the "progressive instrumental mix", the entire 4-bar break and full vocal part of the album version and ends with the full outro of the "progressive instrumental mix".
This song was the theme of a classic Mexican sitcom called "Mis Huéspedes".
From January 2nd-December 17, 1981, the instrumental of this song was adapted as the theme for Tom Snyder's The Tomorrow Show after it was renamed Tomorrow Coast to Coast.
A remix of the song by X-Treme, re-titled "My Fire", appears in Dance Dance Revolution.
Chart performance
Café Society version
South African disco group Café Society recorded this song in 1984. It was the third and last hit from the group.
Take That version
"Relight My Fire" was covered in 1993 by English boy band Take That and featured guest vocals from Lulu, reprising the Holloway role. The second of the band's twelve number-one hits, it topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in October 1993. It was the first UK number-one single for Lulu and at the time broke the record between an act's chart debut and their reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart, happening 29 years 148 days after her debut with "Shout" in 1964. The band performed Dan Hartman's "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" version as the intro and opening number of their Nobody Else Tour. In 1999, Love to Infinity remixed Take That's cover and issued it on a "12" vinyl" pressing "3.0 Hitmixes". In 2005, the track was remixed for their reunion compilation, known as the 'Element Remix'. However, only a 3 track CD single featuring the new remix was issued to DJs while the commercial CD single pressing was withdrawn. The song has received a silver disc certification and sold over 360,000 copies in the UK. The band appeared on Mooi! Weer de Leeuw in the Netherlands on March 14, 2009 to perform "The Garden". They also ended up performing "Back For Good" and "Relight My Fire" due to popular demand from the host and audience the next day.
Critical reception
editor Peter Fawthrop described the song as a "saucy dance track" in his review of Everything Changes. Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger said it was "a confident consolidation of their stardom" and noted it as a "fine" and "very enjoyable" song. He also added that guest vocalist Lulu "had the lungs for the job – she needed to, replacing a Loleatta Holloway vocal." Pop Rescue said that the strings, piano, disco beat and tempo "are all wonderful." They added that Lulu "makes light work of the vocals and really shows off her powerful vocal range – a raw contrast against Gary’s softer voice."
Music video
The music video depicts the band and singer Lulu dancing and partying in a club atmosphere.
covered "Relight My Fire" in 2003. In late January 2003, Billboard reported that Grammy Award-winnig remixer Hex Hector recently spent time in the studio with Martin and Anastacia. The trio, with Hector in the producer's seat, completed a cover of Dan Hartman's disco classic "Relight My Fire." Billboard added that Anastacia reprised Loleatta Holloway's performance from the original, and the song should appear on Martin's forthcoming album. However, the single released in February 2003 included Holloway's original vocals, and the song did not appeared on any of Martin's albums. "Relight My Fire" is credited to "Martin featuring Loleatta Holloway."
Chart performance
On the Billboard issue dated April 19, 2003, "Relight My Fire" appeared on the Hot Dance Breakouts chart, and on May 3, 2003, it entered the Dance Club Songs at number thirty-eight. The song peaked at number five on June 21, 2003 and spent twelve weeks on the Dance Club Songs chart.
