When the Pop Idol Trades Bubblegum for a New Wave Edge
It’s a curious thing, isn’t it, how certain songs mark a genuine turning point in an artist’s journey, a deliberate step away from the familiar path they were expected to tread. For many of us who remember the screaming, poster-plastered phenomenon that was Shaun Cassidy in the late 70s, the song “Cool Fire” stands as one of those key moments. By 1980, the fever pitch of teen-pop stardom—fueled by hits like “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll”—had begun to cool, and Cassidy was ready to shed the clean-cut “Hardy Boy” detective image that had made him a household name.
“Cool Fire” was the second track on his fifth, and final, studio album, Wasp, released in September 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. Critically, and perhaps more tellingly, commercially, the album was a major departure from his previous work and did not chart on the US Billboard 200, nor did “Cool Fire” register on the Billboard Hot 100 as a single. This lack of chart success, however, is precisely what makes the song so significant: it represents Shaun Cassidy’s earnest attempt to reinvent himself as a serious, “New Wave” artist, moving away from the “bubblegum” label he’d rightfully earned.
The story behind “Cool Fire” is inextricably linked to the album’s producer, the legendary Todd Rundgren, and his band, Utopia, who served as the backing musicians. Cassidy recruited Rundgren specifically to give him that edgy, post-punk, New Wave sound that defined the era. On the previous four albums, Shaun had been produced by the very polished Michael Lloyd, but for Wasp, the sound was raw, angular, and experimental, a world away from “Hey Deanie.” “Cool Fire” is a co-written track, credited to Cassidy, Rundgren, and Utopia members Roger Powell and John Wilcox. Cassidy himself has cited the song as one of his favourites from the record, underscoring its personal importance in his transition. It was one of the few original compositions on an album dominated by covers of artists like David Bowie, The Who, and Talking Heads, making it a pivotal piece of his creative statement.
The meaning of “Cool Fire” is wrapped up in this artistic reinvention itself, though its lyrics also speak to the confusing, often contradictory nature of passion and control. It’s a beautifully titled track, evoking a feeling that is simultaneously burning and reserved, intense yet intellectual—much like the New Wave genre itself, which took the primal energy of rock and filtered it through synthesizers and introspection. The “cool fire” could be the artist’s own reined-in ambition, the smoldering realization that fame isn’t always artistic fulfillment. For those of us listening at the time, this song felt like a message: the teen idol was still there, but he was evolving, using his creativity as a new kind of “fire” that burned with more depth and less heat. It was a poignant moment, watching a phenomenon try to grow up right in front of the audience that had, perhaps too tightly, held him captive.
The album Wasp, and by extension “Cool Fire,” didn’t find the massive audience the label hoped for, but it became a cult favorite, a testament to Shaun Cassidy’s courage in prioritizing artistic integrity over guaranteed commercial success. It signaled the end of his recording career but the beginning of his evolution into the respected writer and producer he is today. A quiet, cool fire, indeed.