Radioactive (The Firm song) explained

Radioactive
Cover:Thefirmradioactive.jpg
Type:single
Artist:The Firm
Album:The Firm
B-Side:Together
Released:1985
Recorded:1984
Genre:Rock
Length:2:49
Label:Atlantic
Producer:Paul Rodgers, Jimmy Page
Next Title:Satisfaction Guaranteed
Next Year:1985

"Radioactive" is a song by English rock band The Firm. It was the first single released from their eponymous debut album The Firm, where it was the fifth track. It was written by Paul Rodgers. Rodgers still performs this song during his solo sets and it appears on the 2007 Paul Rodgers: Live In Glasgow DVD.

Background

A compact and straightforward rock song from the 1980s, structured with Tony Franklin's fretless bass hook at the beginning, combined with Jimmy Page's guitar scratch on the third line in the verse, Rodgers' reverbed vocal, and followed by a wah pedal inflected guitar solo. Chris Slade plays a steady drum beat throughout. On live performances, the song was introduced with a drum solo from Slade, leading into Franklin's opening bass line.[1] Page utilized his brown 1960s Fender Telecaster guitar featuring a Parsons and White B-string bender on tour with this song.

Their self-titled album, appearing on Atlantic Records, cracked the Billboard Top 20 on the strength of this single. A music video to promote the song was filmed in October of 1984.[2] Jimmy Page broke with the past and participated in the recording for the music video and single, the first time he had done both since the late 1960s.[3] Page can be seen miming to the recording with his famous red doubleneck 1971 Gibson EDS-1275 guitar. In March 1985, MTV began heavily promoting the video, although the track was a modest seller, reaching #28 in America and topping the Top Rock Tracks chart for one week. "Radioactive" was also released as a 12" single and limited edition picture disc.

Formats and track listings

1985 7" single (US: Atlantic 7-89586, UK: Atlantic A-9586)

1985 12" special mix edition (US: Atlantic 86896, UK: Atlantic A-9586T)

1985 12" single (UK: Atlantic A-9586TE)

1986 7" single reissue (US: Atlantic Oldies Series 7-84966)

Chart positions

Chart (1985)Peak
position
Canadian RPM Top 100[4] 75
UK Singles Chart[5] 76
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 28
US Billboard Top Rock Tracks[7] 1
US Radio & Records Top 40 Singles[8] 27
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[9] 28

Personnel

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Firm: The New Band of 1984 . Mattfeld, Jens . jens-mattfeld.de . 2009-01-19.
  2. Web site: The Firm Radioactive, Official Music Video . Youtube.com . 2023-12-26.
  3. Web site: Page Onstage '85: The Jimmy Page interview Part 1 . Welch, Chris . brandyzep . 2009-01-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20091028131111/http://geocities.com/brandyzep/Onstage85.html. dead . 2009-10-28.
  4. RPM Singles Chart - 13 April 1985 . RPM . 2009-01-19.
  5. Web site: Top 100 Singles - 23 February 1985 . . 2009-01-19.
  6. Hot 100 Chart - 13 April 1985 . Billboard . 2009-01-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140711222152/http://www.billboard.com/charts/1985-04-13/hot-100 . July 11, 2014 .
  7. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=the firm|chart=Mainstream Rock Tracks}} Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks - 16 March 1985 ]. Billboard . 2009-01-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160321223937/http://www.billboard.com/artist/406572/firm/chart?f=376 . March 21, 2016 .
  8. Top 40 Singles - 5 April 1985 . Radio & Records . 2009-01-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120220114913/http://msdb.hp.infoseek.co.jp/radio_and%20_records/85-4.htm . February 20, 2012 .
  9. Web site: Top 100 Singles - 13 April 1985 . Cash Box . 2009-01-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121001214222/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19850413.html . 1 October 2012 .

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