"Smoke and Fire" | ||||
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Single by Sabrina Carpenter | ||||
Released | February 19, 2016 | |||
Format | Digital download | |||
Recorded | 2015 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:45 | |||
Label | Hollywood | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Ido Zmishlany | |||
Sabrina Carpenter singles chronology | ||||
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"Smoke and Fire" is a song recorded by American singer Sabrina Carpenter, released by Hollywood Records on February 19, 2016. Originally intended to be the lead single from her second studio album, Evolution, the song was dropped from the track listing; Carpenter later said that this is because the "evolution" came after this song. Later, "On Purpose" replaced it as the lead single. The song was produced by Ido Zmishlany and written by Carpenter and Zmishlany. It is a synth-pop song with influences of pop and lyrically it is a break-up song which expresses the feelings experienced after a relationship has ended. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. The song sold 6,012 digital copies in its first week.
Carpenter stated she wrote the song in 2015 and it was the first story she had been waiting to tell on her then-upcoming album which had no name at the time. Carpenter stated she was still experimenting with new sounds of music and was writing a lot more. She said she had learned to use the internet more, for example she used Rhyme Zone to write "Smoke and Fire" along with other songs on her second album.
When asked what influenced her to write "Smoke and Fire," Carpenter said that she thought it was just "natural maturity" and that the style of music on her previous album, Eyes Wide Open, gave her the ability to be more free with what she eventually would fall into for future albums because she believed music was all about evolving, changing, growing up, and trying different things. She doesn't see "Smoke and Fire" as an extremely personal song, but rather that she hopes it will uplift anyone who listens to it. She felt as though she took the inspiration from a subject that was not good and turned it into something that was. She says she chose this as the expected first single because she felt that it was a great transition and development from Eyes Wide Open. Carpenter helped choose the sound for the song and co-wrote it with Ido Zmishlany. She states that there are lots of elements in "Smoke and Fire" that set the sound and tone for the rest of the then-upcoming album.
While fans had high hopes for "Smoke and Fire" to be on Carpenter's upcoming album, Sabrina released "On Purpose" in late July, which was revealed to be the lead single for her second album. In September, she announced the album's name, Evolution, as well as its track list and album cover. Fans noticed that "Smoke and Fire" was not a part of the track list, and Sabrina later confirmed on Twitter to one fan (who asked why "Smoke and Fire" was not on the album) that the "evolution" came after "Smoke and Fire".