Break it Down: 'Burnin’ for You' - Blue Öyster Cult

Written by David Stevens

Time is the essence, and time is the season… something Blue Öyster Cult understands and employs with cleverness and simplicity in their hit “Burnin’ for You,” from their album Fire of Unknown Origin. Released in 1981, the song features some enormous riffs and eloquent use of time to create a driving upbeat tune that rocks hard but doesn’t club you over the head.

Considered by many to be among the loudest bands in the world, BÖC really knows how to build a song to climax. After the iconic twin-guitar-harmony intro riff, the song blends a simple minor chord progression with a choir-style backing vocal that provides a nice uplifting counterpoint. Guitarists Donald Roeser (better known by his stage name, Buck Dharma) and Eric Bloom then do something that really sets this song apart from your average 4/4 rock anthem.

The verse section features one guitar following the bassline, while the other guitar plays an off-beat chord progression, striking the chords staccato on the 2 and 4, and tastefully ending each phrase with slight sustain. This gives the section a very subtle reggae feel, and room to breathe – a technique bands like Rush and The Police also use.

“Burnin’ for You” then travels into the pre-chorus, which features a very simple but heavy A – G – F chord progression that is the basis for the actual chorus riff. Once again, they use time to create some tension to allow the song to build, by strategically placing rests in this riff. Because of the rests, each individual chord has more impact than if they were strummed along with the beat, hence the song sounds heavier.

Once that riff is established, BÖC then change things up by splashing in some C and D chords. This gives the song more of that same uplifting feel from earlier, just long enough to lull you before slamming back into the main chorus riff. After the chorus winds down, we return to a variation of the melodic intro riff, and repeat the sequence.

The third time we see the verse, however, the lead guitar cuts loose with the solo, making great use of the elbow room allowed by the simple off-beat timing. Working on into the final chorus, we again see where the rests between chords do their job, allowing the lead guitar to keep shredding over the top of them, culminating in one final rocking moment, cue the laser-light show finale.

So while the lyrics might declare that “time ain’t no reason” or “time ain’t on my side”, BÖC clearly don’t believe that when writing great rock songs. The wise say timing is everything, and “Burnin’ for You” clearly proves that.

Originally a Michigan native, David Stevens has more than 30 years of experience ripping apart games off all kinds to see what makes them tick. When he's not busy wrecking Rocksmith notetracks for Ubisoft Studio SF, he can be found consuming large quantities of films, books, coffee, music, video games, and Mexican food.

1977 publicity photo of Blue Oyster Cult by Eric Meola is in the public domain.