10 Rock Songs That Have NOT Aged Well
8. I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen (1985)
Surely the Boss can do no wrong? Well yes and no. This is a song that suffers from being sung by an older man, in character as some one much younger, leaving its meaning somewhat ambiguous...
Springsteen was inspired to write the I'm On Fire while he ruminated about being young and sleeping at his parents' place. The song details his restlessness, as he yearns to be with his estranged lover. If this is the case, then the line, "Hey little girl, is your daddy home? Did he go away and leave you all alone?" doesn't seem so cringe-inducing. A couple of teenagers sneaking out, late at night to see one another, is all part of being young.
The music video offers another explanation. Springsteen is seen fixing up a car, when a faceless women comes to check on his work. She implies that once he finishes the job, he should pay her a late night visit while her partner is away. In this version the term 'Daddy' is used to represent the woman's lover.
Lets hope it's the first of the two, because those lines just don't come across all that well without some wider context...