I'm on Fire

In July and August 1985, "I'm on Fire" by Bruce Springsteen reached No. 1 in the Netherlands for three weeks, while two other singles from Born in the U.S.A., "Dancing in the Dark" and "Born in the U.S.A.", were also in the Dutch top ten. That made Springsteen the first artist to place three singles inside the Dutch top ten since the Beatles had done so in 1965. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Cash Box Top 100, becoming the fourth of a record-tying seven Top 10 singles from the album.

The track had its origins in an impromptu session on May 11, 1982, at The Power Station. Springsteen began making up a slow tune on guitar for lyrics he had on hand, some of which had been written for "Spanish Eyes", and drummer Max Weinberg and keyboardist Roy Bittan, hearing it for the first time, built an accompaniment on the spot. The finished recording merged a soft rockabilly beat, lyrics about sexual tension, and synthesizers, an early use of that instrument in Springsteen's music.

The music video was shot in Los Angeles in March 1985 and directed by John Sayles. Instead of a performance clip, it was a dramatic interpretation in which Springsteen played a mechanic whose married customer leaves her keys with him, hinting at an affair. After driving her Thunderbird to her mansion, he drops the keys in the mailbox and walks away. The video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video later that year.