Ice on Fire

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 is the nineteenth studio album by the English musician Elton John. It was released on 4 November 1985 through Geffen Records in North America and The Rocket Record Company elsewhere. Stemming from a desire for a change in sound, John fired the rhythm section of Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson, both of whom had performed on the preceding two albums, and opted to use multiple lineups of session musicians, including Fred Mandel, David Paton, and Charlie Morgan, as well as guest appearances by Sister Sledge, George Michael, and members of Queen. The album was recorded at The Sol in Cookham, Berkshire, and was John's first since Blue Moves (1976) to be produced by Gus Dudgeon.

Ice on Fire
Studio album by Elton John
Released	4 November 1985
Recorded	January – June 1985
Studio	Sol Studios (Cookham, Berkshire, UK) and CTS Studios (Wembley, London, UK)
Genre	Pop, pop rock
Length	45:41
Label	Geffen (US), Rocket (UK)
Producer	Gus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
Breaking Hearts (1984) Ice on Fire (1985) Leather Jackets (1986)
Singles from Ice on Fire
"Nikita" Released: October 1985 (UK) "Wrap Her Up" Released: October 1985 (US)[1] "Soul Glove" Released: 1985 (Spain) "Cry to Heaven" Released: February 1986

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
Rolling Stone	(not rated)[4]

In comparison to the pop rock sound of previous albums, Ice on Fire contains elements of soul and rhythm and blues music, while also exhibiting a contemporary 1980s sound, emphasizing synthesizers and electronic percussion. Bernie Taupin's lyrics explore both personal and political themes, such as war ("Cry to Heaven"), the economic decline in working-class communities ("This Town"), and the Cold War-themed "Nikita". A duet with Millie Jackson, "Act of War", was included as a bonus track on CD and cassette editions of the album.

Ice on Fire was released to mixed commercial success. The album's first two singles—"Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up"—were successful, with the former reaching the top 10 in the US and UK, and the latter reaching the top 20 in both territories as well. The album itself reached number three in the UK, and has since received a Platinum certification by the BPI. However, the album was John's lowest-charting up to that point in the US, where it stalled at number 48, though it was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA. Reviews were mostly negative, and retrospective assessments of John's catalogue tend to rank the album near the bottom of his discography.

Background

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 for the film's soundtrack.^[5]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Length
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

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

Side two

No.	Title	Length
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.	Title	Length
11.	"Act of War" (Duet with Millie Jackson)	4:43
Total length:		50:24

Bonus tracks (1999 Mercury reissue)

No.	Title	Length
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

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

Musicians

• Elton John – lead vocals, acoustic piano (1–3, 5, 8, 10, 11), Yamaha GS1 piano (4, 5), synthesizer (4, 7, 9, 11), backing vocals (4)
• Fred Mandel – synthesizers (1, 4, 5, 10, 11), keyboards (2, 3, 6–9), sequencer (6), electric guitar (7, 11), finger snaps (7), arrangements (10)
• Davey Johnstone – electric guitar (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11), Spanish guitar (2), synth guitar (2, 7), backing vocals (3, 5, 6–9)
• Nik Kershaw – electric guitar (4, 7, 11), backing vocals (4)
• Paul Westwood – bass (1, 2, 6)
• Deon Estus – bass (3, 7, 11)
• David Paton – bass (4, 8, 9)
• John Deacon – bass (5)
• Pino Palladino – bass (10)
• Charlie Morgan – drums (1, 2, 6)
• Mel Gaynor – drums (3, 7, 11)
• Dave Mattacks – drums (4, 8, 9), military snare (5)
• Roger Taylor – drums (5)
• Frank Ricotti – percussion (3, 5), vibraphone (9)
• James Newton Howard – string arrangements (3, 6)
• Gus Dudgeon – horn arrangements (3, 6), Simmons drums (5, 11), arrangements (10)
• David Bitelli – horn arrangements (1, 3, 6, 9), baritone saxophone (1, 6, 9), tenor saxophone (3, 6)
• Bob Sydor – tenor saxophone (3)
• Phil Todd – alto saxophone (6)
• Nick Pentelow – tenor saxophone (9)
• Pete Thomas – tenor saxophone (9)
• Rick Taylor – trombone (1, 3, 6, 9), horn arrangements (9)
• Chris Pyne – trombone (9)
• Raul D'Oliveira – trumpet (1, 3, 6, 9)
• Paul Spong – trumpet (1, 3, 6, 9)
• Sister Sledge – backing vocals (1)
• Alan Carvell – backing vocals (3, 5, 7–9)
• Kiki Dee – backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
• Katie Kissoon – backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
• Pete Wingfield – backing vocals (3, 5, 6–9)
• George Michael – backing vocals (4), featured vocals (6)
• Millie Jackson – lead and backing vocals (11)

Production

• Produced by Gus Dudgeon
• All lyrics by Bernie Taupin
• Recorded by Stuart Epps
• Mixed and edited by Graham Dickson and Gus Dudgeon
• Additional mixing and editing by Tom Pearce
• Mastered by Gordon Vicary at The Townhouse (London, UK)
• Design – David Larkham
• Photography – Terry O'Neill

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Ice on Fire Chart (1985–1986) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[6] 2 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 9 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 11 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 6 French Albums (SNEP)[10] 14 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 5 Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[12] 22 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 8 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[14] 2 Spanish Albums (Spanish Albums Chart)[15] 6 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 16 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 2 UK Albums (OCC)[18] 3 US Billboard 200[19] 48

Year-end charts 1985 year-end chart performance for Ice on Fire Chart (1985) Position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[6] 77 UK Albums Chart (OCC)[20] 45 1986 year-end chart performance for Ice on Fire Chart (1986) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[21] 19 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[22] 56 French Albums (SNEP)[23] 54 Swiss Albums (Swiss Hitparade)[24] 3 US Billboard 200[25] 97

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Ice on Fire

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[26]	Gold	25,000*
Belgium (BRMA)[27]	Gold	25,000*
France (SNEP)[28]	Gold	100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[29]	Gold	250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[30]	Gold	80,000[31]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[32]	Platinum	15,000^
Spain	—	48,500[31]
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.