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"Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 song written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer.

Jerry Lee Lewis version

The song is best known for Jerry Lee Lewis's version, which was recorded in the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee on October 8, 1957, and released as a 45rpm single on Sun 281 in November 1957. It reached # 2 on the Billboard pop charts, # 3 on the R&B charts, and # 1 on the country charts. It also reached # 1 on the UK pop charts.

The song was ranked as the 96th greatest song ever by Rolling Stone.

The song title is derived from a Southern expression, which some Christians consider blasphemous, that refers to the Pentecost's defining moment when the Holy Spirit manifested itself as "cloven tongues as of fire" and the Apostles spoke in tongues. In the 1939 movie Gone with the Wind, Scarlett O'Hara (played by Vivien Leigh) frequently exclaims, "Great balls of fire!"

Other versions

• New Grass Revival recorded a high-speed bluegrass version of the song on their 1972 album The Arrival of the New Grass Revival.
• Electric Light Orchestra recorded a version for their 1974 The Night the Light Went on (in Long Beach) live album.
• Dolly Parton recorded a version in 1979.
• Teitur recorded a version in 2006, released on the Stay Under the Stars album.
• The Misfits recorded a version in 2003 for their Project 1950 album.
• Offenbach on the live DVD of the album Ultime

Adaptations

In 1989, a motion picture of the same name detailed part of the life of Jerry Lee Lewis. It starred Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder. Some cast and crew members had their names removed from the project. Despite poor reviews, Quaid received much acclaim for his performance.

Cultural references

• In the episode "Boys Do Cry" of the animated series Family Guy, Seamus the Sea Captain plays a portion of the song (presumably the rest is played, but not shown) while trying out to be church organist (quite a feat as he has 2 peg-legs and peg-arms) calling it "an old sea chanty from me youth"
• In the 1986 movie Top Gun, Maverick and Goose sing the song to Goose's son at a bar, while Goose plays the piano.
• In an episode of Beavis and Butt-head where they are watching a Jerry Lee Lewis video, Beavis (a pyromaniac) mentions the title, putting great emphasis on the word "FIRE!".
• In the episode "Daphne's Room" from the second season of the hit series "Frasier", Dr. Frasier Crane (played by Kelsey Grammer) is shown playing his piano softly, then jumps into a rather noisy rendition of the song, but immediately goes back to the soft playing when his brother and father walk into the apartment.

Notes

1. Jack Hammer is a New Orleans-born songwriter, born September 18, 1940 - http://nfo.net/calendar/sep18.htm
2. "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". RollingStone.com. Retrieved 2007-06-02.

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