“Set the World on Fire” by Annihilator

The story behind the composition of “Set the World on Fire” is that it is the product of Annihilator’s Jeff Waters’ personal reaction to the Gulf War. The Gulf War was a brief but notable skirmish waged in 1991 between the United States and Iraq, countries respectively led by Presidents George Bush Sr. and Saddam Hussein. The latter, despite also possessing the title of President, was perceived in the eyes of the international community as a dictator. This caused the aforementioned Waters to go about researching the history of dictatorship. 

One enlightening commonality that he discovered is that none of them actually last. And while the dictators are in power, many of their people tend to suffer immensely. Such is the thematic underpinnings of “Set the World on Fire”.

The Dictator

What we can ascertain from the onset of the song is that the vocalist is taking on the role of a dictator. He presents himself as someone who holds all the answers to his nation’s woes. As such, he has also taken it upon himself to “pave the way”. 

And whereas such leanings may sound altruistic on the surface, this is also clearly an exercise is self-exaltation. Moreover, since we already know that this is a dictator, we also understand that the last line of the verse, when he talks of the people “scream(ing) deliverance”, would be pointing to literal, not metaphorical screams.

By the second verse, we get a better idea of just how self-righteous this individual is and how he perceives himself as, shall we say the rightful leader of his people. He still comes off as if he has their best interest in mind. But now, it is becoming more obvious that he’s hell bent on ruling, whether they agree to it or not.

The Dictator’s Enemy

Now during the first half of the song, it is arguable that the chorus is being relayed from the perspective of the dictator’s enemy as opposed to the dictator himself. This enemy of his could be the U.S. or whatever powerful foreign nation. 

But considering the way the song is arranged, most likely it would be said dictator exclaiming that he’s going to “set the world on fire”. And if so, the logic of the lyrics would imply that he is levying this threat against his own people. 

Take Chairman Mao Zedong (1893-1976) for instance. He instituted a policy called the Great Leap Forward which, despite only being in effect for four years, killed tens of millions of people. And as the title of the project implies, he did so in the name of moving the country forward. So that’s how dictators tend to be. They perceive mass murder, if you will, as being part and parcel of national progress.

A Change in Chorus

But during the second half of the song, the chorus notably changes. Here it would definitely be the foreign enemies of the dictator rather threatening to “set… on fire” his world, as in bring him “down”. The reason they are doing so, most pointedly, is because he’s torturing the damn out of his people. And by the time the song concludes, said dictator has in fact been “retired”.

Takeaway

So even though this song was inspired by the history of dictators in general, it is also pretty clear that it was influenced specifically by the Gulf War. For during said conflict Saddam Hussein did go about being expeditiously defeated. However, he wasn’t actually “retired” as a result, as he remained in power for another decade afterwards. 

So going back to dictators in general, it’s as if based on the lessons of history, Annihilator were able to foretell Saddam’s ultimate fate of losing power over his country nonetheless.

Quick Facts about “Set the World on Fire”

Two people penned this song:

• Canadian guitarist and Founder of the thrash metal band Annihilator, Jeff Waters
• Coburn Pharr

Co-writer, Jeff Waters also produced this song for Annihilator.

Heavy metal and trash metal music are the genres of “Set the World on Fire”.

1993 was the year in which Annihilator officially released this song. It appears in an album it shares the same name with (“Set the World on Fire”).

Annihilator’s “Set the World on Fire” Album

“Set the World on Fire” is heavy Metal band, Annihilator’s third studio album. The Canadian band recorded the album in 1993 in three studios. It was produced by the founder of the group Jeff Waters and officially released through Epic and Roadrunner Records on August 24, 1993.

“Knight Jumps Queen”, “Brain Dance” and the album’s title track became the most preferred by fans after its release. The title track “Set the World on Fire” was also released as a single in 1993.

The album peaked on German Charts and number 79, and number 47 on Japanese charts. Due to the fact that the album did not gain much success in the United States, the band was dropped from Roadrunner Records in 1993.

Below are the official singles Annihilator released from this album:

• “Set the World on Fire”
• “No Zone”
• “Hell Bent for Leather”
• “Brain Dance”

The Gulf War, the Incident that Inspired “Set the World on Fire”

The gulf war was fought by alliance powers from 35 countries led by the United States against Iraq. The war was a direct response to the intrusion of Kuwait by Iraq stemming from oil pricing and production disputes.

It was given the alias, Operation Desert Shield and began on the 2nd of August 1990 to the 17th of January 1991.

The Iraqi Army first invaded Kuwait, resulting in international condemnation and UN sanctions. Countries such as the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt joined forces to send their armies to expel Iraqi troops. 

Sadam Hussein, Iraqi leader, and dictator shortly after his troops overpowered Kuwait, declared victory and established a puppet regime in the territory known as the Provisional Government of Free Kuwait. He later installed his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid as Kuwait governor.

Saddam was hoping to use Kuwait’s oil reserves to pay off debts incurred after the Iraq-Iran war. The first gulf war was a concrete example of the problematic nature of dictatorships.

Saddam’s repressive dictatorial rule resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Kuwait. Within the period of his governance, the Iraqi security services murdered an estimated 250,000 Iraqis amidst several human rights violations.