"Relight My Fire" is a disco song written and released by American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer Dan Hartman as the title track from his 1979 album of the same name. It was also performed by Costa Anadiotis' band Café Society in 1984 and British boy band Take That (with Lulu in a featured role) in 1993, five months before Hartman died.
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".
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[1]
Vertigo/Relight My Fire, album version, 9:44, US release: Blue Sky, JZ 36302, 1979
12" vinyl Vertigo/Relight My Fire (Progressive Instrumental Remix), 11:22, US release: Blue Sky, 4Z8-2790, 1979
Vertigo/Relight My Fire (Full-length version), 11:55, mixed By John Luongo, edited by Ben Liebrand (appears on CD compilation Grand 12 inches volume 2, Sony Music Media 5198852000, 2005). 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 in instrumental form was the theme of the 1980's classic Mexican sitcom called Mis Huéspedes (My Guests in English).[2]
From January 2 – 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.
English boy bandTake That covered "Relight My Fire" in 1993 with guest vocals from Scottish singer Lulu, reprising the Holloway role. It was released in September 1993 by RCA and BMG as the third single from Take That's second album, Everything Changes (1993). The second of the band's 12 number-one hits, it topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in October same year.[13] 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.
Robbie Williams was originally intended to sing the lead vocals on the track, but Gary Barlow did it instead when the producers felt Williams could not perform the song.[14]
The band will often perform Dan Hartman's "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" version in their tours, including the Nobody Else Tour (as the opening number, featuring British singer Juliet Roberts in the female vocal role), The Ultimate Tour (with Lulu returning to perform the vocals) and The Circus Live (featuring Loleatta Holloway, who performed on Hartman's original version).
In 1999, Love to Infinityremixed Take That's cover and issued it on a 12-inch single pressing "3.0 Hitmixes". In 2005, the track was remixed for their reunion compilation, known as the 'Element Remix'. However, only a three-track CD single featuring the new remix was issued to DJs while the commercial CD single pressing was withdrawn.
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.
AllMusic editor Peter Fawthrop described "Relight My Fire" as a "saucy dance track".[15] Another AllMusic editor, Dave Thompson, felt the Lulu collaboration "is a riot".[16]Tony Parsons from The Daily Telegraph complimented the cover as "engaging".[17] Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger stated that it was "a confident consolidation of their stardom", and called it a "fine" and "very enjoyable" song. He also added that Lulu "had the lungs for the job – she needed to, replacing a Loleatta Holloway vocal."[18] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "A hit almost before it started".[19] Alan Jones from Music Week gave it five out of five and named it Pick of the Week, declaring it as a "storming version" and "faithful to the original", with the guest vocalist turning in "an excellent performance". He concluded with that "this is certain to follow "Pray" all the way to number one."[20] In an retrospective review, Pop Rescue constated that the strings, piano, disco beat and tempo "are all wonderful", noting that Lulu "makes light work of the vocals and really shows off her powerful vocal range – a raw contrast against Gary's softer voice."[21] Mike Soutar from Smash Hits gave "Relight My Fire" four out of five, remarking that it "sounds so authentically '70s" He also felt that "she fits in. A stroke of genius."[22]
"Relight My Fire" was successful on the charts on several continents, peaking at number-one in both Israel[23] and the UK. In the latter, it went straight to the top position on the UK Singles Chart, on October 3, 1993.[24] It was Take That's second number-one hit on the chart and spent two weeks at the top. In Israel, it also peaked for two weeks at the top. Additionally, it was a top-10 hit in Belgium (10),[25] Finland (5),[26] Ireland (2),[27] Lithuania,[28] and the Netherlands (10).[29] "Relight My Fire" was also a top-20 hit in Denmark (19),[30] Germany (18)[31] and Switzerland (18),[32] a top-30 hit in Austria (27),[33] and Iceland (24).[34] It both debuted and peaked on the Eurochart Hot 100 in the same week, at number eight on 16 October, after charting in the UK and Ireland.[35] Elsewhere, it was a top-40 hit in Australia, peaking at number 33,[36] as well as charting in Japan.
"Relight My Fire" earned a silver record in the UK, with a sale of 360,000 singles.
A music video was produced to promote the single, which was filmed on August 31, 1993[37] and directed by Jimmy Fletcher.[38] It depicts the band and singer Lulu dancing and partying in a club atmosphere.[39] The video was later made available on Take That's official YouTube channel in 2009, having generated more than eight million views as of early 2024.
Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Ricky Martin covered "Relight My Fire" in 2003.[64] In late January 2003, Billboard reported that Grammy Award-winning remixer Hex Hector recently spent time in the studio with Martin and Anastacia.[65] The trio, with Hector in the producer's seat, completed a cover of Dan Hartman's disco classic "Relight My Fire."[65]Billboard added that Anastacia reprised Loleatta Holloway's performance from the original, and the song should appear on Martin's forthcoming album.[65] However, the single released in February 2003 included Holloway's original vocals, and the song did not appear on any of Martin's albums.[66] "Relight My Fire" is credited to "Martin featuring Loleatta Holloway."[66]
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.[67][68] The song peaked at number five on June 21, 2003, and spent twelve weeks on the Dance Club Songs chart.[69]
^Relight My Fire (Japanese CD1 liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG Victor. 1993. BVCZ 1017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Relight My Fire (UK CD2 liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321168612.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Relight My Fire (Japanese CD2 liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG Victor. 1993. BVCZ 1018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Relight My Fire (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321167727.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Relight My Fire (UK cassette single sleeve). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321167724.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Relight My Fire (European CD single disc notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321 17033 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Relight My Fire (Australian CD single liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, BMG. 1993. 74321168612.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Relight My Fire (UK CD single liner notes). Take That. RCA Records, Sony BMG. 2005. 82876760602.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Relight My Fire (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Take That. RCA Records, Sony BMG. 2005. 82876760601.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
