SUPER FURRY SUNDAYS (aka The Singular Adventures of Super Furry Animals)

A guest series by The Robster

#14: Fire In My Heart (1999, Creation Records, CRE323)

You’d think, given their nature of twisted psychedelia, the one thing Super Furry Animals wouldn’t have in their armoury was a big, lighters-out, arms-in-the-air torch song. But as ever, this band confounded expectation, and the second single to be released from ‘Guerrilla’ was exactly that.

mp3: Fire In My Heart

Remember when I said the thing that disappointed me about If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You was how it just sounded so ordinary? I suppose you could make a similar argument about Fire In My Heart. It’s one of the most straightforward songs in the band’s catalogue, even using what Gruff Rhys himself described as “clichéd lyrics”. Yet Fire In My Heart is a delight.

Originally titled Heartburn, it is, according to Gruff, a country song delivering “soul advice” about “all kinds of people in your life”. But despite its “normalness”, it has its quirks. The lyrics in the bridge, for instance, include: “The monkey puzzle tree has some questions for the watchdogs of the profane”, which by anyone’s standards isn’t what you’d expect from a clichéd country song. Then there’s the big key change at the end, the biggest cliché of the lot, but totally unexpected here. It is a SFA song, after all.

As was becoming common, the critics fawned over it, but the record-buying public were ambivalent. Fire In My Heart reached its chart peak of #25 the week after its release in August 1999. Shocking. If anyone ever wondered where I lost my faith in human nature, you don’t have to look much further.

So what of the other songs on the single? The 7” and cassette had this one:

mp3: Mrs Spector

An interesting one, I can’t say whether or not it’s about Ronnie, though I doubt it. But that chorus – shades of (1990s) Cardiacs perhaps?

This next one was the b-side of the 12” promo, and the extra track on the CD single:

mp3: The Matter Of Time

Apparently, this was initially going to be on ‘Guerrilla’, but the band felt it would make the album “too self-indulgent”. They replaced it with The Teacher in the final cut, a track they refer to as the “silly song”. Not sure that I’m entirely on board with that logic, but it’s not the strongest track in their canon, as pleasant as it is.

This week’s bonus track is the demo version of Fire In My Heart, an interesting take if far from polished.

mp3: Fire In My Heart [demo]

But wait! There’s more. You see, this isn’t just about those officially-released singles. I’m a bit of a nerdy completist, you know. Shortly after this release, Creation slipped out a one-sided 12” promo containing one of the album’s more peculiar, experimental songs. Wherever I Lay My Phone (That’s My Home) was written around a phone ringtone, with the rhythm track being based on a sample of bassist Guto Pryce tripping over a lead while Huw Bunford played a note on his guitar.

I’m not totally sure of the reasons behind the promo being sent out, but as next week’s article explains, there was a plan to release this track as the next single. The album version (and the one on the promo) was a trimmed-down edit lasting 5½ minutes. However, today, I’m going to create my own 12” promo, using the full uncut version and the demo.

I spoil you lot, I really do.*

mp3: Wherever I Lay My Phone (That’s My Home) [unedited]
mp3: Wherever I Lay My Phone (That’s My Home) [demo]

Oh, and this article is dedicated to MrsRobster. Today is our 21st Wedding Anniversary. I still very much have a Fire In My Heart for her.

The Robster

*JC adds…….apart from jumping in to wish the Mr and Mrs Robster the happiest of wedding anniversaries, I did want to echo the sentiment that we are being very spoiled right across this series with the b-sides, demos and mixes, topped off today with a cleverly crafted and creative offering.