Because I can’t leave the house today as we could have a neighborhood evacuation at any moment due to the massive forest fire lying in wait just a couple miles from us, I thought I’d take a moment to count down the unlucky 13 Best Fire-Related Songs* of all time. Enjoy!

1. Let me Stand (Next to Your Fire) - Jimi Hendrix
Although Red Hot Chili Peppers did a great cover of it at Woodstock ‘99
2. Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
3. Fire - Ohio Players
“Fiiiiiii-yuh.” :: Sigh :: That song’s just b’dass, really.
4. Burnin’ for You - Blue Oyster Cult
5. Light my Fire - The Doors
6. Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
7. Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
8. Heat Wave - Martha and the Vandellas
9. Lake of Fire - Meat Puppets/Nirvana
Nirvana did it better, although I’ll always be a Puppets fan.
10. Burn, Baby, Burn (Disco Inferno) - The Trammps
11. Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
12. Burnin’ Love - Elvis Presley
13. Hot! Hot! Hot! - Dexter Poindexter
guh… what a rancid song. Only made worse when played on local Toyota dealership commercials.

*I refrained from including songs like “Fever”, “Boogie Fever”, “Hot Blooded”, or “Hot Legs” because those discuss biologically-related heat issues instead of just elemental fire.