High (James Blunt song)

Infobox Single
Name = High


Artist = James Blunt
from Album = Back to Bedlam
Released = October 2004
October 2005 (re-release)
Format = CD single, digital download
Recorded = Los Angeles, California
Genre = Folk rock, pop rock
Length = 4:03
Label = Atlantic Records/Custard Records
Writer = James Blunt
Ricky Ross
Producer = Tom Rothrock
Jimmy Hogarth
Certification =
Chart position =
* 3 (Italy)
* 16 (UK)
* 14 (Spain)
Last single = –
"You're Beautiful"
(2005)
This single = "High"
(2004)
"High" (re-release)
(2005)
Next single = "Wisemen"
(2005)
"Goodbye My Lover"
(2005)Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Type = Single

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Lower caption = Re-release single cover"High" is a pop rock song written by British singer James Blunt and Ricky Ross (the lead singer of Scottish band Deacon Blue) for Blunt's debut album "Back to Bedlam" (2004). The song was produced by Tom Rothrock and Jimmy Hogarth and received a mixed reception from music critics. It was released as the first single in the autumn of 2004 and failed to make an impact on the United Kingdom singles chart, peaking well outside the top seventy-five. Following the success of "You're Beautiful", "High" was re-released in the autumn of 2005, and became a top twenty hit worldwide, charting at number three in Italy and at number sixteen in the UK.

The song is featured on the soundtrack for the 2006 romantic comedy "It's a Boy/Girl Thing".

Blunt was inspired to write the song after sitting on a clifftop in Devon watching the sun rise up. The single release featured two non-album B-sides. "Sugar Coated" was included on the initial release of the single in 2004 and was written by Blunt and Sacha Skarbek. A cover version of the U2 song "In a Little While" was included on the re-release of the single in 2005. The version of the song was performed by Blunt on Jo Whiley's BBC Radio 1 show live from the "Unleashed Music Festival" in Newquay, Cornwall on August 5 2005. A 7" vinyl single was released in the UK and included a special B-side song called "Butterfly" that was written by Blunt.

The song became popular in Italy and Germany after being used in an advertising campaign for Vodafone, while in the U.S. it was featured in commercials for Hilton Hotels and ABC Family, as well as an episode of "Grey's Anatomy".

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "High".

;UK CD
#"High"
#"Sugar-Coated"

;UK CD1 (re-issue)
#"High"
#"In a Little While" (Radio 1 Jo Whiley Session)

;UK CD2 (re-issue)
#"High"
#"You're Beautiful" (US Radio Session)
#"High" (CD-Rom Making Of Video)
#"High" (CD-Rom Video)

;UK 7" (re-issue)
#"High"
#"Butterfly"

Music videos

Blunt has made two music videos for "High". The first video, which is associated with the first release as a single, shows him buried in a desert and then chasing an illusional girl while drunk. In the video for the re-release of "High", Blunt is sitting on a plastic chair in a warehouse-like room, playing the guitar and singing the song; these scenes are intercut with scenes where Blunt is running in a forest.

Chart performance

On October 18 2004, "High" was released in the United Kingdom. The song failed to make an impact on the singles chart, peaking at a low hundred and forty-eight. It was re-released in the UK on October 3 2005 The song became Blunt's third top twenty single when it peaked at number sixteen on the singles chart, and spent a total of twelve weeks in the top seventy-five. The re-release appeared on the singles chart a week before the physical release was released, backed by the strength of its digital download sales, charting at number seventy-four. The following week it climbed fifty-eight places on the chart, rising to number sixteen.

Outside of the UK, the song was also successful. It reached number three in Italy and became Blunt's first top ten single. "High" also went top ten twenty in Austria, Ireland and Switzerland. In the United States, the song debuted at number one-hundred on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and became Blunt's third single to chart within the top hundred. In Canada, "High" reached number sixty-six on the BDS Airplay chart.

Charts

References

*cite web | title= Chart Data: James Blunt| work= Worldwide chart positions| url=http://www.mariah-charts.com/chartdata/PJamesBlunt.htm| accessmonthday=August 24 | accessyear=2006
*cite web | title= Music Square – James Blunt Charts| work= Worldwide chart positions| url=http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/song/2266| accessmonthday=August 24 | accessyear=2006

External links

* [http://www.jamesblunt.com/ JamesBlunt.com] — official website.
* [http://www.atlanticrecords.com/ AtlanticRecords.com] — official website for Atlantic Records.