Girl on Fire (song)

"Girl on Fire" is the lead single and title track from Alicia Keys' fifth studio album, Girl on Fire (2012). Alongside the main single, Keys recorded two other versions: the Inferno Remix which features new verses from Nicki Minaj, and a Bluelight Remix which strips back the vocals and production from the main single. Gerrick Kennedy from the LA Times spoke of the multiple versions of the song commenting that the main single was most likely made for pop radio, but noted that Minaj's verses on the Inferno Remix would probably get noticed more. On being able to premiere her new song at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, Keys said, == Music and lyrics ==

Main version "Girl on Fire" is a midtempo song written by Keys, Jeff Bhasker, Salaam Remi and American rock guitarist Billy Squier. Squier earns a writing credit for the inclusion of an interpolation of the drums from his 1980 song "The Big Beat". The chorus of Eddie Holman's 1970 hit song "Hey There Lonely Girl" is also interpolated in the bridge. ("She's a lonely girl, and it's a lonely world") "Girl on Fire" uses common time and is set to a "heavy beat" at a tempo of 93 beats per minute and is in the key of A major. Keys' lyrics centre around toasting the "achievements of women everywhere", particularly with the hook "She's just a girl and she's on fire", which according to MTV's Rob Markman is delivered with a "calming-yet-commanding wail". Critics likened "Girl on Fire" to Keys' previous singles "No One" (2007) and "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" (2009). She raps "Took me on the balcony, telling me to jump with her/ Yeah I'm in the ghost but I ain't doing stunts with her/ I ain't trying to be that, haters want to see that/ But I got 'em aggy, cause I win the gold like Gabby". Bluelight version By contrast, the Bluelight version features a slower production and re-recorded vocals. == Reception ==

Critical response The song received universal acclaim. Jon Pareles from the New York Times described "Girl on Fire" and the previously released song "New Day" as "booming anthems" and the complete opposite to Girl on Fires ballads which feature just Keys' vocals and a piano. Rob Markman from MTV's RapFix blog described "Girl on Fire" as a "high-powered Alicia ballad" just like previous singles "No One" and "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart". Erin Thompson from Seattle Weekly praised Keys' on the song for making the "often cheesy" girl-power theme seem "genuinely stirring and elegant", commenting that "only Alicia Keys could do it". Describing the chorus of the song, Thompson said "it booms with thudding drums as her drawn-out notes soar on top. It's heavily bombastic, but the drama of it makes it memorable, and the hooky melody is beautiful and exhilarating. Keys seems to have to set out to make a statement song about power, and it's undeniable that she's succeeded in that". Speaking of the song's inferno remix, Idolator's Carl Williot agreed with previous reviewers particularly noting Keys' vocals, using term "trademark soaring vocals" to describe Keys' performance on the song. The song has also become an international hit for Keys as well for Minaj, reaching number one in Austria, South Korea, and Slovakia, the Top 5 in the Netherlands, Brazil, Israel, Denmark, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France, and the United Kingdom, and a Top 20 hit in the US, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Italy, Finland, Hungary, and Spain. The song was included in a popular Brazilian soap opera, Salve Jorge, which contributed for the success in Brazil. It was also featured in the credits for Borderlands 3. == Music videos ==

The music video for the song, premiered on BET's 106 & Park on October 19, 2012, and was directed by Sophie Muller. The video portrays Keys as a working mother caring for her kids and an elderly mother, has received wide acclaim from critics. Christopher Farley from the Wall Street Journal was of the opinion that Keys is making 21st-century domesticity sexy, and is "an intriguing move for a pop-soul star". Rolling Stone magazine says Keys "applies glamour and magic to household chores", and made reference to Mary Poppins being an inspiration in the videos magic scene. The video for the Inferno remix was uploaded to VEVO on November 2, 2012. It is much the same video as the main version but with Minaj's scenes pasted in the video. In Minaj's first verse, she appears in front of a red and black wall wearing a black and white outfit. In Minaj's second verse, we see her singing on a TV screen wearing a black outfit and having a starry night sky behind her. A completely new video was released for Japan in January 2013. == Live performances ==

Keys performed "Girl on Fire" for the first time at 2012 MTV Video Music Awards on September 6, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. She was joined by Nicki Minaj who rapped her verses from the Inferno Remix of the song as well as the 2012 Summer Olympics gymnastics gold medalist Gabby Douglas who performed during the second half of the song. The Team USA female gymnasts performed a brief routine while Keys was introduced to the stage. During the performance, Keys began stood up at a keyboard before walking down the steps to the main stage. American Superstar magazine described the performance a "true TV performance" thanks in part Minaj and Douglas, as well as "Keys hit[ting] many high notes — and then some". The magazine concluded that the performance was "sexy, yet intimate". Jack Antonoff, guitarist of indie band fun., said he thought Keys' performance could be "that performance that people will be talking about for 10 years". "Girl on Fire" was performed on ITunes Festival on September 28, 2012. Keys performed the song live on the UK version of The X Factor on November 18. On November 12, 2012, Alicia Performed New Music like "Girl On Fire" and another new song off her upcoming album titled "Brand New Me" + Our Favorites On VH1 Storytellers. On November 11, 2012, Alicia took the MTV Europe Music Awards stage by storm with a jaw-dropping performance of her new songs "New Day" and "Girl On Fire" On November 20 at 7:00 PM EST, Alicia exclusively performed on YouTube Live Stream with Google+ Hangout, also premiering her new album, "Girl on Fire" for the very first time. The "Girl On Fire" singer performed on November 26, 2012, on Good Morning America, as well as November 29, 2012, on The X Factor USA. On January 21, 2013, Keys sang the song with modified lyrics during President Barack Obama's Inaugural Balls, which celebrated his second term. On January 25, 2013, Keys did a medley of the song with "New Day" and "Brand New Me" at Los Premios 40 Principales in Spain. The next day, she sang "Girl on Fire" in Cannes, France, during the NRJ Music Awards. At the 2013 Grammy Awards, she performed the song and "Daylight" with Maroon 5. The song is performed on The Alicia + Keys World Tour. == Cover versions ==

In September 2012, Misha B covered the track. One critic described the acoustic cover as that "awkward moment when someone sings your new song better than you". American drag queens Willam Belli, Detox and Vicky Vox released a parody of the song titled "Boy Is a Bottom" on January 26, 2013. Willam Belli later on released a Spanish version of "Boy Is a Bottom" called "Es Una Pasiva" on January 13, 2015. In 2021, Halsey covered the track for the 2021 film Sing 2, in which she voices Porsha. ==Use in media==

In March 2023, Lloyds Bank began airing a television commercial in the United Kingdom which heavily used "Girl on Fire" as the advert's soundtrack. The song saw increased popularity in that country, and, on 24 March 2023, "Girl on Fire" peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart. The song was heard in the Grand Final of the first series of the BBC Reboot of Gladiators when Marie-Louise Nicholson won the Eliminator. == Track listings ==

• Digital Single • "Girl on Fire" – 3:44 • "Girl on Fire" (Inferno Version; featuring Nicki Minaj) – 4:30 • Digital EP • "Girl on Fire" (Main Version) – 3:44 • "Girl on Fire" (Inferno Version; featuring Nicki Minaj) – 4:30 • "Girl on Fire" (Bluelight Version) – 4:22 • "Girl on Fire" (Instrumental) – 3:45 == Credits and personnel ==

;Recording • Recorded at Jungle City Studios (NYC), Oven Studios (NYC) & The Record Plant (Los Angeles, CA) ;Personnel • Producer, writer, lead & background vocals – Alicia Keys • Producer, writer, CP-70 piano, organ – Jeff Bhasker • Producer, writer, drum-programming – Salaam Remi • Writer – Billy Squier • Big drums – Dylan Wissing • Engineered and recorded by Ann Mincieli • Big drums engineered by Ken Lewis • Assistant engineers – Val Brathwaite, Ramon Rivas, Ghazi Hourani • Mixed by Manny Marroquin • Mix assistant – Chris Galland == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==