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Fire (The Jimi Hendrix Experience song)

original song written and composed by Jimi Hendrix

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 27, 2026
Entity authorityQ2714734
Source-derived summary

"Fire" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in early 1967. It has been described as "an exercise in soul, psychedelic rock, and polyrhythmic jazz-inspired drumming" by AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald. The song has often been described as a duet between Hendrix and his drummer, Mitch Mitchell. The song was remixed in stereo for the American release of the album. In 1969, it was released as a stereo single in the UK with the title "Let Me Light Your Fire".

One of Hendrix's most popular songs, he frequently played it in concert. Several live recordings have been released and the original song is included on numerous Hendrix compilations, such as Smash Hits, Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix, Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection, and Fire: The Jimi Hendrix Collection.

Overview

Despite its sexual overtones, the song had an innocuous origin. Noel Redding, bass player for the Experience, invited Hendrix to his mother's house on a cold New Year's Eve in Folkestone, England, after a performance. Hendrix asked Noel's mother if he could stand next to her fireplace to warm himself.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Fire (The Jimi Hendrix Experience song)” as original song written and composed by Jimi Hendrix. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Fire, Jimi and Hendrix.

Editorial reviewA useful identification and reception guide that helps separate the work itself from editions, performances, ownership and later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1967, 1969—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1967-01-01. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Fire, Jimi and Hendrix providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Fire (The Jimi Hendrix Experience song)”, the useful work is to connect “original song written and composed by Jimi Hendrix” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

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 Jun 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2714734. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1967 and 1969.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. 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.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Fire (The Jimi Hendrix Experience song)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Fire (The Jimi Hendrix Experience song) primary sources, Fire (The Jimi Hendrix Experience song) archive and Fire research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Fire (The Jimi Hendrix Experience song)”?
  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Fire (The Jimi Hendrix Experience song)” 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.