"Jump into the Fire" gained further recognition following its inclusion as the soundtrack to a pivotal scene in Martin Scorsese's 1990 gangster thriller Goodfellas.

"Jump into the Fire" is a rock song written and performed in a style that music journalist Matthew Greenwald likens to the early-1970s sound of the Rolling Stones.

"[1] Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes the track as "surging hard rock",[2] while James Parker of The Atlantic calls it "livid, dragon-bones funk".

[5] As with much of the material on the album, it marked a departure from his previous work, as Nilsson was keen for commercial success after years of recognition as a quality artist and songwriter.

[6] The musicians on the basic track were Nilsson (piano), Chris Spedding (guitar), Herbie Flowers (bass) and Jim Gordon (drums).

[15] In 1990, the song was used by director Martin Scorsese as the soundtrack to a frenetic scene in his film Goodfellas, when Ray Liotta's character Henry Hill, a cocaine-addicted gangster, fears that the authorities are closing in on his illegal activities.

[18] In his review for AllMusic, Greenwald highlights LaVern Baker's cover of the track for the Everybody Sings Nilsson tribute album as a "hot version".

[19] The band's dance adaptation of the track appears in their 2012 documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits, as well as their 2014 live album The Long Goodbye.