Ice on Fire

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This article is about the album. For the 2006 Italian film, see Ice on Fire (2006 film). For the 2019 documentary film, see Ice on Fire (2019 film).

Ice on Fire
Studio album by
Elton John
Released4 November 1985
RecordedJanuary – June 1985
StudioSol Studios (Cookham, Berkshire, UK) and CTS Studios (Wembley, London, UK)
GenrePop, pop rock
Length45:41
LabelGeffen (US), Rocket (UK)
ProducerGus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
Breaking Hearts
(1984) 		Ice on Fire
(1985) 		Leather Jackets
(1986)
Singles from Ice on Fire
  1. "Nikita"
    Released: October 1985 (UK)
  2. "Wrap Her Up"
    Released: October 1985 (US)[1]
  3. "Soul Glove"
    Released: 1985 (Spain)
  4. "Cry to Heaven"
    Released: February 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Rolling Stone(not rated)[4]

Ice on Fire is the nineteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1985. It was recorded at Sol Studios and his first album since Blue Moves produced by his original long-time producer, Gus Dudgeon. David Paton and Charlie Morgan appear for the first time on bass and drums respectively, replacing original band members Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. Fred Mandel, who had played with John during the Breaking Hearts tour, also contributed guitar and keyboards.

The album was met with little praise and only reached #48 on the US charts, although it reached #3 in the UK. "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up" became top 20 hits. The latter reached #20 in the US, and the former reached #7 in the US and #3 in the UK. In the US, the album was certified gold in June 1986 by the RIAA.

Background

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The title of the album contains a line from the lyrics of "Nikita".

"With eyes that looked like ice on fire"

Guests on the recording include Nik Kershaw; Sister Sledge; Pino Palladino; Mel Gaynor and Millie Jackson, who duetted with John on "Act of War"; George Michael, then of Wham!, who appears on "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up"; and Roger Taylor and John Deacon of Queen who play drums and bass guitar on "Too Young".

According to Elizabeth Rosenthal in her book, His Songs: The Musical Journey of Elton John (p. 260; First edition), the LP's closing track, "Shoot Down the Moon", was considered for the James Bond film A View to a Kill, but the producers instead decided to go with the title track as performed by Duran Duran.[5]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."This Town"3:56
2."Cry to Heaven"4:16
3."Soul Glove"3:31
4."Nikita"5:43
5."Too Young"5:12
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Wrap Her Up" (John, Taupin, Davey Johnstone, Fred Mandel, Charlie Morgan, Paul Westwood)6:21
2."Satellite" (4:37 in length on CD reissue)3:57
3."Tell Me What the Papers Say"3:40
4."Candy by the Pound"3:56
5."Shoot Down the Moon"5:09
Total length:45:41
  • Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–10 on CD reissues.
Bonus track (On the 1985 original CD and the 1992 MCA reissue)
No.TitleLength
11."Act of War" (Duet with Millie Jackson)4:43
Total length:50:24
Bonus tracks (1999 Mercury reissue)
No.TitleLength
11."The Man Who Never Died" (John)5:12
12."Restless" (Live 1984)4:25
13."Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Live 1977 (Erroneously listed as "Live 1984"))3:23
14."I'm Still Standing" (Live 1984)4:52
Total length:64:13

Notes

  • The remastered 1999 version did not include "Act of War"; the 1999 remaster had a longer intro to "Satellite" than the LP and the 1985 CD issue, and has a slightly different vocal mix. The live version of "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is not the version found on the 12" single of "Nikita", but is an unreleased version from 1977 (Live at Rainbow Rock in May). It is unknown why the switch occurred. The other two live tracks were recorded at Wembley Stadium during the tour for the album Breaking Hearts.
  • "The Man Who Never Died" is a song written about John Lennon, in addition to "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)", from Elton John's album Jump Up!

Personnel

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Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.

Musicians

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Production

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Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Ice on Fire
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[26] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[27] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[28] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[29] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[31] Gold 80,000[30]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[32] Platinum 15,000^
Spain — 48,500[30]
Sweden (GLF)[33] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[34] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[36] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Great rock discography". p. 439.
  2. ^ Ice on Fire at AllMusic
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "John, Elton". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2,003. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  4. ^ [1] Archived 2 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Rosenthal, Elizabeth J. (2001). His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John. New York City: Watson-Guptill. p. 260. ISBN 0-8230-8893-6.
  6. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Elton John – Ice on Fire" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0657". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Ice on Fire" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – J". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Elton John from the menu, then press OK.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Elton John – Ice on Fire" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 20 July 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Elton John".
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – Elton John – Ice on Fire". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Ice on Fire". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  15. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  16. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Elton John – Ice on Fire". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Elton John – Ice on Fire". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  21. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 1986" (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original (ASP) on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  22. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8824". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  23. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1986 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  24. ^ "Hitparade.ch – Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986". Swiss Music Charts (in Swedish). Hung Medien. Archived from the original (ASP) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  25. ^ "Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1986". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  26. ^ "The European Best Sellers of 1987 – Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music and Media. worldradiohistory.com. 26 December 1987. p. 44. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  27. ^ "European Gold & Platinum Awards 1986" (PDF). Music and Media. worldradiohistory.com. 27 December 1986. p. 33. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  28. ^ "French album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 21 April 2021. Select ELTON JOHN and click OK. 
  29. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Elton John; 'Ice on Fire')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  30. ^ a b White, Chris (22 December 1990). "Elton John – Record Man Across The Water" (PDF). Music and Media. worldradiohistory.com. pp. 17–19. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  31. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 21 April 2021. Enter Ice on Fire in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1986 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  32. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  33. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  34. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Ice on Fire')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  35. ^ "British album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  36. ^ "American album certifications – Elton John – Ice on Fire". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
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