| "The Roof Is on Fire" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three | |
| B-side | "Request Line" |
| Released | 1984 |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Length | 5:30 |
| Label | |
"The Roof Is on Fire" is a song by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three, released as a single in 1984. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. It is known for its chorus:
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire!
We don't need no water—Let the motherfucker burn!
Burn, motherfucker, burn!
It is also known for the lyric "Now throw your hands in the air and wave 'em like you just don't care" which, like the title lyric, has been interpolated in many other songs and used as a meme in pop culture in general.
The intro of "The Roof Is on Fire" is sampled by the Chemical Brothers in their song "Hey Boy Hey Girl" (it actually says "Hey girls, hey boys..."), and the chorus is interpolated in the Bloodhound Gang's "Fire Water Burn", Coal Chamber's "Sway", Rancid's "Burn", Quad City DJ's "Party Over Here", YACHT's "Dystopia (The Earth Is on Fire)", Bratmobile's "Polaroid Baby", the Pharcyde's "Return of the B-Boy", and Nigel & Marvin's "Follow de Leader".
Chart performance
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[1] | 45 |
Parody
The riff was parodied by Uncle Jamm's Army and the California Cat Crew (produced by Rodger Clayton) as "The roach, the roach, the roach is on the wall, we don't need no Raid, let the silly sucker crawl."
References
External links
- "The Roof Is on Fire" at AllMusic
- ""The Roof Is on Fire" lyrics". Genius Lyrics. Retrieved 23 November 2015.