spɹˈɪŋstiːnz mˈænɪdʒɚ dʒˈɑːn lˈændaʊ spˈɛkjʊlˌeɪɾᵻd spɹˈɪŋstiːn hæd ɐ spˈɛʃəl kənsˈɜːn ðˈæt, ɪf ɪŋklˈuːdᵻd ˌɔn dˈɑːɹknəs ɔnðɪ ˈɛdʒ ʌv tˈaʊn, "fˈaɪɚ" wʊd biː kəlˈʌmbiə ɹˈɛkɚdz sˈɪŋɡəl ʌv tʃˈɔɪs dᵻspˈaɪt nˌɑːt bˌiːɪŋ ɹˌɛpɹᵻzˈɛntətˌɪv ʌvðɪ ˈælbəm æz ɐ hˈoʊl.
Springsteen's manager Jon Landau speculated Springsteen had a special concern that, if included on Darkness on the Edge of Town, "Fire" would be Columbia Records' single of choice despite not being representative of the album as a whole.