Girl on Fire

## Single by Alicia Keys

"**Girl on Fire**" is a song by Alicia Keys, her first piece of music to be released through RCA Records. It serves as the lead single from her studio album under the same name, and was co-written with Jeff Bhasker and Salaam Remi. The Inferno version features Nicki Minaj, who performs two new verses, while the Blue Light version is stripped back. A collection of remixes was released on November 18, 2012, which included all three tracks plus an instrumental version.

The song debuted at number 37 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 and in 2020, was certified five times platinum by the RIAA.

While fans linked Katniss Everdeen from *The Hunger Games* series, who was described as "The Girl on Fire" to the song, Keys explained she wrote it before the movies came out.

## Composition

Keys was inspired by the title from an interview, where someone wrote 'She's like a girl on fire' upon describing her. When going to the studio to work with the two collaborators, Jeff Bhasker and Salaam Remi, she explained her concept. Eventually Remi found drum samples that sparked inspiration, and lyrics were created in several hours. Concerning the recording process, Keys revealed in an interview:

> It feels so good to sing in this really high space because it's almost like I'm screaming at the top of my lungs when I say, 'This girl is on fire.' It's like a declaration; it's a passion that's like, 'This is me.' And so when I was recording it, it felt perfect. I didn't have any feelings like it was too high or not. I just felt it was in that breaking spot in my voice that feels like the emotion that I wanted it to feel like. ... And then, I came around to have to do, like, 90-minute shows, and add that on top of all my other songs. And all of a sudden, I said, 'Whoa. This is kind of high.'
>
>

## Music videos

The accompanying music video was uploaded to YouTube on October 19, 2012, directed by Sophie Muller. It portrays Keys as a working mother caring for her kids and an elderly mother. The video for the Inferno remix was uploaded to VEVO on November 2, 2012, where Minaj's scenes are interspersed in the video.

Muller shared in an interview that she struggled to come up with an idea for the visual, before she came to the thought of motherhood.

## Credits

* Alicia Keys – lead and background vocals, writer, producer
* Ann Mincieli – recording engineer
* Billy Squier – writer
* Chris Galland – mixer assistant
* Dylan Wissing – drums
* Ghazi Hourani – assistant engineer
* Jeff Bhasker – writer, producer, CP-70 piano, organ
* Ken Lewis – drums, engineer
* Manny Marroquin – mixing engineer
* Ramon Rivas – assistant engineer
* Salaam Remi – writer, producer, drum-programming
* Val Brathwaite – assistant engineer

## Lyrics

### Single Version

**Lyrics**
[Verse 1]

She's just a girl, and she's on fire

Hotter than a fantasy, lonely like a highway

She's living in a world, and it's on fire

Feeling the catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away

[Pre-Chorus]

Oh, she got both feet on the ground

And she's burning it down

Oh, she got her head in the clouds

And she's not backing down

[Chorus]

This girl is on fire

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire

This girl is on fire

[Verse 2]

Looks like a girl, but she's a flame

So bright, she can burn your eyes

Better look the other way

You can try, but you'll never forget her name

She's on top of the world

Hottest of the hottest girls say

[Pre-Chorus]

Oh, we got our feet on the ground

And we're burning it down

Oh, got our head in the clouds

And we're not coming down

[Chorus]

This girl is on fire (fire, fire)

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire (fire, fire)

This girl is on fire (Oh)

[Bridge]

Everybody stands, as she goes by

'Cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes

Watch her when she's lighting up the night

Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl

And it's a lonely world

But she gon' let it burn, baby, burn, baby

[Chorus]

This girl is on fire (Fire, fire)

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire (Fire, fire)

This girl is on fire

[Outro]

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...

She's just a girl, but she's on fire

### Inferno Version

**Lyrics**
[Verse 1: Nicki Minaj]

Spirit of Marilyn callin' me, audibly

Bawling, she said that she would never leave, continued to torture me

Telling me to come with her, underneath my comforter

And she brought a gun with her, pills and some rum with her

Took me on the balcony, telling me to jump with her

Yeah I'm in the ghost, but I ain't doing stunts with her

I ain't trying to be that, haters wanna see that

But I got 'em aggy, 'cause I win the gold like Gabby

[Verse 2: Alicia Keys]

She's just a girl, and she's on fire

Hotter than a fantasy, lonely like a highway

She's living in a world, and it's on fire

Feeling the catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away

[Pre-Chorus: Alicia Keys]

Oh, she got both feet on the ground

And she's burning it down

Oh, she got her head in the clouds

And she's not backing down

[Chorus: Alicia Keys]

This girl is on fire

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire

This girl is on fire

[Verse 3: Alicia Keys]

Looks like a girl, but she's a flame

So bright, she can burn your eyes

Better look the other way

You can try, but you'll never forget her name

She's on top of the world

Hottest of the hottest girls say

[Pre-Chorus: Alicia Keys]

Oh, we got our feet on the ground

And we're burning it down

Oh, got our head in the clouds

And we're not coming down

[Chorus: Alicia Keys]

This girl is on fire (fire, fire)

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire (fire, fire)

This girl is on fire

[Bridge: Alicia Keys]

Everybody stands, as she goes by

'Cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes

Watch her when she's lighting up the night

Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl

And it's a lonely world

But she gon' let it burn, baby, burn, baby

[Verse 4: Nicki Minaj]

Dear God, If you're here God

Make the fire disappear when they stare God

Take away my fear when they interfere God

Do you fear God? 'Cause I fear God

And in my backyard, that's a deer, God

And that's a horse ranch, and to my core fans

Keep reppin' me, do it 'til the death of me

'X' in the box, 'cause ain't nobody checkin' me

[Chorus: Alicia Keys]

This girl is on fire (Fire, fire)

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire (Fire, fire)

This girl is on fire

[Outro: Alicia Keys]

Oh, oh, oh...

She's just a girl, but she's on fire

### Blue Light Version

**Lyrics**
[Intro]

Like a match to a flame...

[Verse 1]

She's just a girl and she's

Hot like a flame, she's on fire

On fire, baby, on fire, oh, oh yeah

She's filled with catastrophe

She lives in a world that's on fire

On fire, baby, on fire, oh, oh

[Pre-Chorus]

Oh, oh, she's got her feet on the ground

And she's burning it down

Oh, oh, she's got her head in the clouds

And she's not backing down

(Never)

[Chorus]

This girl is on fire

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire

This girl is on fire

I'm a girl, and I'm on fire

Like a match to a flame

Like a match to a flame

She's a match to a flame

Yeah, I'm a flame

[Verse 2]

She looks like a girl, but she, yeah

She's really just a flame

You can try, but you'll never, you'll never forget her

On fire, on fire, baby, on fire, oh, oh yeah

She so bright, she'll burn your eyes

Better look the other way

She's on top of the world

Hottest of the hottest

On fire, on fire baby, on fire, oh, oh

[Pre-Chorus]

Oh, oh, we got our feet on the ground

And we're burning it down

Oh, oh, we got our head in the clouds

And we're not backing down

(Never)

[Chorus]

This girl is on fire

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire

This girl is on fire

I'm a girl and I'm on fire

Like a match to a flame

She's a girl in a flame

I'm a match to a flame

[Bridge]

Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl

And it's a lonely world

But she gon' let it burn, baby, burn, baby

[Chorus]

This girl is on fire

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire

This girl is on fire

I'm a girl and I'm on fire

[Outro]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Said I'm a girl, and I'm on fire (Match to a flame)

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

I'm a girl and I'm on fire (Like a match to a flame)

Yeah, haha, yeah, you know I am

You know what you see

It's like a match to a flame

### *VH1 Storytellers* Version

**Lyrics**
*We were in the studio and I said:*

*"What does a girl on fire sound like?"*

*Apparently it sounds something like this*

*This is called a CP-70*

*It's a very kinda old school keyboard, I love it very much*

*And this is featured on "Girl on Fire"*

*Yes, let me tell you*

[Verse 1]

She's just a girl and she's on fire

Hotter than a fantasy, lonely like a highway

She's living in a world and it's on fire

Filled with catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away

[Pre-Chorus]

Oh oh oh oh oh

She's got both feet on the ground

And she's burning it down

Oh oh oh oh oh

She got her head in the clouds

And she's not backing down

[Chorus]

This girl is on firе

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire

This girl is on firе

Yeah

[Verse 2]

Looks like a girl, but she's a flame

So bright, she can burn your eyes

Better look the other way

You can try but you'll never forget her name

She's on top of the world

Hottest of the hottest girls say

[Pre-Chorus]

Oh oh oh oh oh

We got our feet on the ground

And we're burning it down

Oh oh oh oh oh oh

We got our head in the clouds

And we're not coming down

[Chorus]

This girl is on fire

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire

This girl is on fire

Oh

[Verse 3]

Everybody stares, as she goes by

'Cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes

Watch her as she's lighting up the night

Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl

And it's a lonely world

But she gon' let it burn, baby, burn, baby

[Chorus]

Girl is on fire

This girl is on fire

She's walking on fire

This girl is on fire

[Outro]

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh, oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh, oh

She's just a girl and she's on fire

## References

1. ↑ Gail Mitchell (November 2, 2012). "Alicia Keys' 'Girl on Fire': The Billboard Cover Story". *Billboard*.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Antwane Folk (January 25, 2022). "A Look Back at Alicia Keys' 'Girl on Fire' Video".
3. ↑ Zachary Woolfe (September 27, 2012). "Alicia Keys Goes From Spark to Fire". *The New York Times Magazine*.
4. ↑ "Alicia Keys: How a 'Girl on Fire' Keeps from Burning Out". *NPR*. November 25, 2012.