Another installment in the partnership between boss Bruce Springsteen and film director John Sayles ("Matewan", "Lone Star"), this cinematic video for "I'm On Fire" is
very quiet, chilling and slightly mysterious. The soft ballad from the classic "Born in the USA" album, the clip presents Bruce as a mechanic who is hired by a beautiful woman
(of whom we cannot see, but it's Sayles' partner Maggie Renzi who provides her voice) to fix her car and deliver to her address. For obvious reasons he falls for her and does
exactly what he's told and he drives all the way to her house. But the mystery remains: does he stand a chance with her?
I don't much of a connection between the song's words and the images given - maybe except that he's all on fire for her - but everything is so carefully planned and well presented that I didn't care much about this issue. Somehow, all the elements work together and if compared to some of Springsteen's videos this one isn't corny or strangely dated (like "Glory Days", also with Sayles, presenting the band performing the song in a strange sort of excitment). It has time to create a little story and it does it properly. And since the main idea is to sell the song to audiences, it's an excellent way for such. One of my favorite of all time. Oh and I love how the video does not fall into the typical cliche with its ending. It makes viewers guess why things happen in the way they happen. 8/10.
I don't much of a connection between the song's words and the images given - maybe except that he's all on fire for her - but everything is so carefully planned and well presented that I didn't care much about this issue. Somehow, all the elements work together and if compared to some of Springsteen's videos this one isn't corny or strangely dated (like "Glory Days", also with Sayles, presenting the band performing the song in a strange sort of excitment). It has time to create a little story and it does it properly. And since the main idea is to sell the song to audiences, it's an excellent way for such. One of my favorite of all time. Oh and I love how the video does not fall into the typical cliche with its ending. It makes viewers guess why things happen in the way they happen. 8/10.
