Jock Bartley and Mark Andes of Firefall

Firefall didn't set their sights on soft-rock stardom, but they were stuck with it when "You Are The Woman," from their debut album, dug a trench on Adult Contemporary radio, enduring as a staple of at-work listening.

On this episode of the Songfacts Podcast, we welcome founding members Jock Bartley and Mark Andes. Jock, on guitar, is Firefall's mainstay, part of every iteration. Mark, their bass player, left in 1980 and returned in 2014. Pre-Firefall, Jock toured with Gram Parsons' band; Mark was a member of Spirit when they toured with Led Zeppelin in 1968 and 1969 - their song "Taurus" seeped into "Stairway To Heaven." He left Firefall in 1980 and picked up with Heart a few years later, just in time for their astounding resurgence.

The main songwriters in Firefall were Rick Roberts, last with the band in 1992, and Larry Burnett, who left in 1981. Roberts delivered "You Are The Woman" and the mellow follow-up "Just Remember I Love You"; Burnett came up with the fan favorite "Cinderella."

Firefall has been mostly a live act the last few decades, but they put together an album called Comet that was finally released in December 2020 following coronavirus-induced delays. The lead single, "Way Back When," is a trip through three distinct years: 1965, 1967, and 1969. Jock does an acoustic version at the end of show.

This Song is a part of Pantheon Podcasts.

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