Radioactive

Album: The Firm (1985)
Charted: 28
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Songfacts®:

  • "Radioactive" was written by Paul Rodgers, who also did the vocals.

    Technically speaking, The Firm were one-hit wonders, and this is it. However, don't be too hasty to judge them, because they were a supergroup - with vocalist Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), guitarist Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), drummer Chris Slade (Uriah Heep, Manfred Mann's Earth Band), and fretless bassist Tony Franklin. Franklin would later go on to be part of Whitesnake and Quiet Riot; Slade would later join AC/DC.

    Page has since indicated that The Firm was never intended to last longer than two albums. Supergroups are notorious for being short-lived; there's often just too much talent (and accompanying egos) in one place for everyone to get along amicably.
  • My, how this song is composed! First we have Franklin's bass hook and Rodgers' reverbed vocals. Add to that Page's Fender Telecaster and wah pedal. Slade drums a steady beat; in live performances he would lead with a drum solo.
  • "Radioactive" inspired that slide bass on Pearl Jam's classic "Even Flow." Their bass player, Jeff Ament, is a big Tony Franklin fan and was fascinated by his work on this track.

    "Because of Tony Franklin, I knew that fretless would add a really cool voice and texture to rock music," Ament told Songfacts. "So that harmonic, I'm kind of ripping The Firm's 'Radioactive.'"

Comments: 2

  • Greg from Portland, CtThe Firm were important for me because their existence gave me an opportunity to see Pagey from the 5th row at the Spectrum in Philly. A late bloomer, I had seen the mighty Led Zep one time, in NYC on Monday night, June 13, 1977, but I was far back from the stage in MSG. Also saw Beck, Clapton, Page at A.R.M.S. concert in NYC in 1983, with the Beach Boys in Philly on July 4, 1985 and at Live Aid, again in Philly, just 9 days later. But it was only on The Firm's second tour that I got to see Jimmy up close, and I will never forget it!
  • Diane from Longview, WaWhile they may have technically had only one hit, their album "The Firm" peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200 chart and #15 in the UK, which in my opinion isn't to shabby. I'm not sure how much PR these albums received prior to release. To refer to them as "one-hit wonders" minimizes the quality of the total body of work created by this band. They produced 2 albums together. Both of which are great albums with some amazing music.
    The unsolicited yet polite opinion of a Firm Fan
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