Earl Thomas Conley – Fire And Smoke

About The Song

“Fire and Smoke” was written and recorded by American country music singer Earl Thomas Conley, released in April 1981 as the second single and title track from his album Fire & Smoke on RCA Records. It marked his fourth top 40 country hit and his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, holding the top spot for one week in July 1981.

The song was recorded during a period of rising success for Conley, following his first top 10 hit, “Silent Treatment,” in the fall of 1980. The track spent 14 weeks in the top 40 country chart and was named the No. 1 country song of the year by the end of 1981, solidifying his status in the country music scene.

The recording took place in Nashville, produced with a traditional country sound that included steel guitars and fiddles, reflecting the early 1980s country trend. Conley’s emotive vocals, combined with the song’s heartfelt lyrics, contributed to its widespread appeal.

The lyrics explore the pain of lost love, with lines like “If there’s fire and smoke, ooh, what a rush I got when your love was hot.” Conley drew from personal experiences, crafting a narrative of longing and regret that resonated with listeners, enhancing the song’s emotional depth.

The album Fire & Smoke was released on October 14, 1981, and included other notable singles like “Tell Me Why” and “After the Love Slips Away.” The song’s success helped establish Conley as a leading figure in country music during the 1980s, a decade in which he achieved 18 No. 1 hits.

Conley, born on October 17, 1941, in Portsmouth, Ohio, promoted the single with live performances and radio appearances. The music video, though not widely available in 1981, features live footage from that era, later included in compilations and TV specials.

“Fire and Smoke” has been celebrated as a classic, covered by various artists and featured in country music retrospectives. Conley’s career spanned from 1980 to 2003, with ten studio albums, and he passed away on April 10, 2019, leaving a lasting legacy in the genre.

Video

Lyric

In and out of honky tonks, from one town to the next
But anything worth loving, Lord, just too hard to forget
Every day’s another way of feeling more the same
Looks like I’ll run out of highway before I outrun the rain

But if there’s fire and smoke
Ooh, what a rush I got when your love was hot
Oh, but I couldn’t see that when the flame burned out
You’d leave a cold dark cloud, a raining down on me

So I’m reaching out to someone, wishing she was you instead
And everything I left behind was waiting up ahead
Pulling on the bottom, baby, looking back on you
‘Cause any way’s the right way, babe, as long as I pull through

But if there’s fire and smoke
Ooh, what a rush I got when your love was hot
Oh, but I couldn’t see that when the flame burned out
You’d leave a cold dark cloud, a raining down on me

Yeah, when the flame burned out
You left a cold dark cloud a raining down, a raining down on me
(Ooh, raining down)
Down on me (Ooh, raining down)
Raining down on me (Ooh, raining down)
Raining down on me