Hang Fire
song written and composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, originally recorded by The Rolling Stones and released in 1981
"Hang Fire" is a song by the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from their 1981 album Tattoo You. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Richards was asked about the track in a 1981 Rolling Stone magazine interview where he states that the track relates to England and the "ugly politicians" who, he said, had caused the country to decline when the "money got tight".
Billboard called it "an effervescent rocker". Record World called it "no-nonsense rock n' roll, sweetened by a falsetto chorus" and commented on "Keith Richards' economical guitar break and the hot hook."
The title expression "hang fire" (by formal definition) means to do nothing, to delay, wait, hold back, or hesitate. The phrase originally denoted the instance when a gun, using an antique type of ignition such as percussion cap, or flintlock, would fail or markedly delay to fire when the trigger was pulled.
"Hang Fire" was first written and recorded during the Some Girls sessions in Paris. Released as the third single from Tattoo You, the song became a radio hit in the US, where it reached No. 20 on the singles chart and #2 on the Top Rock Tracks chart. The song was played heavily on the Stones' tours of 1981 and 1982, but has not been played since.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Hang Fire” is song written and composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, originally recorded by The Rolling Stones and released in 1981. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Hang, Fire and song, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “song written and composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, originally recorded by The Rolling Stones and released in 1981” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4992689. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1981 and 1982.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Hang Fire”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Hang Fire primary sources, Hang Fire archive and Hang research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Hang Fire”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Hang Fire” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.