The one year anniversary of Phillip Phillips‘ second album Behind The Light is only a few weeks away. So we are counting down to the anniversary by featuring one song from the album each week until May 19, 2015!
We start the countdown with “Raging Fire,” the first single to be released from the album and the one that officially ushered Phillip’s new musical era after the spectacular success of The World From The Side Of The Moon.
Written by Phillip, Todd Clark, Gregg Wattenberg and Derek Fuhrmann, “Raging Fire” was released exactly a year ago on March 3rd, 2014. To accompany the release of the song, Phillip and team commissioned artist Rob Carmichael to design the single’s cover. The result was a striking image of superimposed profiles of Phillip over a fiery red and orange background. The image not only perfectly captured the essence of the song but of Phillip’s new visual style and sound: it was a departure from the naturalistic photos and images of the previous album, but one that still retained an iconic image of Phillip. Upon its release, “Raging Fire” also managed to seem both familiar and new, as it brilliantly fused a new heavier, rockier sound with the warm and anthemic qualities of Phillip’s two previous massive hits, “Home” and “Gone Gone Gone.”
Musically, “Raging Fire” is four minutes of pure, driving energy. It’s also a song of contrasts: a lush and warm string arrangement (by Dave Eggar and Chuck Palmer) against solid, rocking drums and Phillip’s striking, passionate vocals. The lyrics also move from the intimate to the epic, evoking a love that has been touched by time and is full of shared hopes, pains and memories.
Talking about the meaning of this song, Phillip has said that it’s about love, and about wanting to feel the same way you felt the first time you kissed the person you love. It is indeed a beautiful song about love, particularly long-lasting love, and about keeping passion alive in your heart in the name of all your shared hopes, pains and memories. More than with any other song, with “Raging Fire” Phillip shows that he is a romantic in the true sense of the word, somebody who dares to believe that passion (be it in love, music, art, life) is always worth fighting for. And as it’s always the case with Phillip’s music, the message rings absolutely authentic and true.
Check out the lyric and official videos of “Raging Fire” below. Also, let us know what are your favourite parts or lyrics from the song, or share your thoughts or art inspired by the song. Don’t forget to leave your comments below!