Great Balls of Fire

Infobox Single
Name =Great Balls of Fire


Cover size =
Border =
Caption =
Artist =Jerry Lee Lewis
Album =
B-side =
Released =November 1957
Format =
Recorded =October 8 1957, Sun Studio, Memphis, Tennessee
Genre =
Length =
Label =Sun 281
Writer =Otis Blackwell, Jack Hammer
Producer =
Audio sample? =
Certification =
Last single =
This single ="Great Balls of Fire"
(1957)
Next single =
Misc ="Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 song written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer [Jack Hammer is a New Orleans-born songwriter, born September 18 1940 - http://nfo.net/calendar/18 September.htm] .

Jerry Lee Lewis recording

The song is best known for Jerry Lee Lewis's rendition, 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". [cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/11028260/the_rs_500_greatest_songs_of_all_time/1|title=The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|publisher=RollingStone.com|accessdate = 2007-06-02]

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 recordings

* 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"
* OV7, originally called "La Onda Vaselina" made a version in Spanish called “Grandes luces de fuego” in 1989.
* Dean Delannoit, record the song for his debut album (2007).

Notes