"The Tide Is High" | ||||
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Single by The Paragons | ||||
A-side | "Only a Smile" | |||
Released | 1967 | |||
Genre | Rocksteady | |||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | Treasure Isle Records | |||
Writer(s) | John Holt | |||
The Paragons singles chronology | ||||
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"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 song written by John Holt and originally performed by The Paragons with John Holt as lead singer. The song went mainly unnoticed in the rest of the world until it was rediscovered in 1980 when it became a US/UK number 1 hit for the band Blondie. The British girl group Atomic Kitten also had a no.1 with their version of the song in 2002, and it was also a hit for Kardinal Offishall.
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The song was written by John Holt and originally recorded by The Paragons, the vocal trio of which he was a member. It was produced by Duke Reid and released as a 7-inch single on Reid's Treasure Isle and Trojan labels and as the B-side of the "Only a Smile" single.[1]
The song features the violin of "White Rum" Raymond and was popular in Jamaica and became popular amongst West Indians and skinheads in the UK when a deejay version by U-Roy was released in 1971. Both tracks from the single were included on the 1970 collection On the Beach.
The song was released as a single in 1978 by Gregory Isaacs, a version produced by "Prince" Tony Robinson. It was released on the State Line label in the US, on Isaacs own African Museum label in Jamaica, and on the Front Line label in Jamaica as a 12-inch discomix featuring a new deejay version by U Roy.[1]
"The Tide Is High" | ||||||||
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Single by Blondie | ||||||||
from the album The Best of Blondie and Autoamerican | ||||||||
B-side | "Suzy & Jeffrey" | |||||||
Released | November 1980 (UK)[2] March 1981 (US) |
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Format | 7" | |||||||
Recorded | 1980 | |||||||
Genre | New Wave, Reggae, Ska | |||||||
Length | 4:39 (Album Version) 3:55 (Edit) |
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Label | Chrysalis Records | |||||||
Producer | Mike Chapman | |||||||
Certification | Gold (US) | |||||||
Blondie singles chronology | ||||||||
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"The Tide Is High" was covered by US new wave band Blondie in 1980, in a reggae/ska style that included horns and strings. It was released as a single, and appeared on the band's fifth album, Autoamerican. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and was popular outside the USA, reaching number one on the UK singles chart, number four in Australia, and number fifteen in the former West Germany.[3] It was the last UK number one single for the band until "Maria" in 1999. The B-side of "The Tide Is High" was "Suzie and Jeffrey", which appeared as a bonus track on the original 1980 cassette edition of the album Autoamerican and was also included on EMI-Capitol's re-issue of Autoamerican in 2001.
Official remixes of the Blondie version have been issued twice. First by Coldcut in 1988 on the Blondie/Debbie Harry remix compilation Once More into the Bleach and the second time in 1995 by Pete Arden and Vinny Vero on the album Remixed Remade Remodeled - The Remix Project (UK edition: Beautiful - The Remix Album).
In November 1980, the song was played on radio stations across the state of Alabama in anticipation of a football game between the University of Alabama, whose nickname is the Crimson Tide, and the University of Notre Dame.
In 1981, Swedish singer Siw Inger recorded a German language version of the song. Although the lyrics are not a direct translation, the vocal and instrumental arrangements are virtually identical.
In 1984, Nigerian singer Onyeka Onwenu covered the song for the album In the Morning Light. A year later, parts of this song were taken and used as a sample for Bryan Adams' "Reggae Christmas".
Chart | Peak position |
Certification |
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U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 | Gold |
U.S. Billboard AC Singles | 3 | Gold |
UK Singles Chart | 1 | Gold[4] |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 | Gold |
Irish Singles Chart | 2 | |
Dutch Top 40 | 4 | |
Netherlands Singles Chart | 5 | |
Swiss Singles Chart | 5 | |
Austrian Singles Chart | 6 | |
Norwegian Singles Chart | 7 | |
Swedish Singles Chart[5] | 19 |
Preceded by "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand |
UK Singles Chart number-one single (Blondie version) 15 November 1980 – 22 November 1980 |
Succeeded by "Super Trouper" by ABBA |
Preceded by "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single (Blondie version) 31 January 1981 |
Succeeded by "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang |
Preceded by "Shaddap Your Face" by Joe Dolce |
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single (Blondie version) 13 February 1981 – 20 February 1981 |
Succeeded by "Woman" by John Lennon |
Preceded by "You're Too Late" by Fantasy |
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (with "Rapture") 28 February 1981 – 21 March 1981 |
Succeeded by "Breaking and Entering" / "Easy Money" by Dee Dee Sharp-Gamble |
"The Tide Is High" | ||||
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Single by Papa Dee | ||||
from the album The Journey | ||||
Released | 23 June 1996 | |||
Format | CD | |||
Genre | Rap, dancehall | |||
Length | 3:55 | |||
Label | WEA Records | |||
Papa Dee singles chronology | ||||
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In 1996, Papa Dee covered the song on his Album The Journey. Unlike the original, this version is very dancehall-heavy and includes influences from the rap scene. It was released only as a CD-Single and the Bonustrack is the mixture Funky Raggamuffin/Let the Music Play.
CD Single
Country | Peak position |
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Finnish Singles Chart [6] | 20 |
Swedish Singles Chart[7] | 44 |
In 2000, "The Tide Is High" was covered by singer-turned-actress Billie Piper for her second album, Walk of Life. It was due for release in early 2001. However, according to Piper's autobiography, Growing Pains, she told Virgin Records (her record label) not to bother releasing "The Tide Is High" as a single because she was worn out and didn't want to sing anymore after appearing in court against a woman named Juliet Peters who had given Piper, her friends and her family numerous death threats.
"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" | ||||
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Single by Atomic Kitten | ||||
from the album Feels So Good | ||||
B-side | "Dancing In The Street" | |||
Released | 26 August 2002 | |||
Format | CD single, Cassette | |||
Genre | Dance-pop | |||
Length | 3:26 | |||
Label | Virgin Records | |||
Producer | Bill Padley, Jem Godfrey | |||
Certification | Platinum (RIANZ) | |||
Atomic Kitten singles chronology | ||||
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"The Tide Is High" was re-recorded by girl group Atomic Kitten, and was released as the second single from their second studio album, Feels So Good. This time, the song was remade with keyboards to make it more pop-oriented. Their version of the song also added a new bridge, hence the subtitle "Get The Feeling". The full song was played during the opening credits of The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and was also used for a TV commercial featuring Japanese beer company, Asahi Breweries. It was the band's first and only single to chart on the official American Billboard Hot 100 with a peak position of #42. This was the groups third and final number one single.
Atomic Kitten also recorded a Spanish version of the single, titled "Ser Tu Pasion". It was released in Colombia, Mexico and Spain, but failed to chart. However, the song promoted Atomic Kitten's second studio album Feels So Good in Mexico, and in doing so, peaked at #69 on the albums chart; it was also included on the Spanish version of Atomic Kitten's Greatest Hits album. The song is very rare, but is available to listen to on YouTube.[8]
The music video is invariably Atomic Kitten's most famous music video due to the fact of band member Natasha Hamilton being heavly pregnant in the video. The music video begins with the group walking up to the screen. A flashing rainbow can be seen in the background. Whenever the chorus of the song is on, a dance accompanies it. Natasha, Liz and Jenny do a simplistic dance that they also did during live performances. Whilst they dance, four men are also dancing alongside the group with slightly different moves - they also accompanied the live performances. Behind them is a sign that says "Atomic" that flashes throughout the music video. The dance that accompanies the music video has become extremely famous. Each of the group has a different set for their solo. Liz's is next to a silver tree, with a purple background with a repeating pattern of the same tree that she is dancing next to. Jenny's is next to a car, and Natasha's is in a pink room.
UK CD1
UK CD2
UK Cassette
The song did extremely well in the charts, managing to sell over 1.5 million worldwide. The single peaked at #3 in the European charts, and #6 in the worldwide singles chart.[9] It became their second best charting and selling single of their career. In the United Kingdom, the single sold 145,000 copied in its first week, and topped the charts for 3 simultaneous weeks. It was eventually certified Gold, and sold over 410,000 copies in the UK. In Oceania, the song did particularly well. It went platinum in both New Zealand, and Australia, selling approximately 150,000 copies over there. It spent twelve weeks in the Australian top ten, four of which were at #4 - its peak position. This was better than "Whole Again", which only spent ten weeks in the top 10. "The Tide Is High" was also a Christmas hit over there. In New Zealand, the song spent four weeks at #1, and three weeks at #2. The song also spent four weeks at #1 in Ireland. In Germany, the single debuted at #8. In its next week, it peaked at #3 on the chart becoming their second highest charting single over there, where it stayed for 2 weeks. It managed to stay in the top 10 for five weeks. It sold over 100,000 copies. In the rest of German-Speaking Europe, it also peaked at #3 in Austria for two simultaneous weeks, and in Switzerland, it peaked at #4, and spent four weeks in the top 10. The song did exceptionally well all over Europe, becoming a top 20 hit everywhere - except for Italy, where it peaked at #30, and France, where it only managed to peak at #42. Atomic Kitten's only single or album to get anywhere into the top 20 in France was "Eternal Flame", making them one-hit wonders over there. "The Tide Is High" was also a huge success in Asia, becoming the "Best British Single" of 2002.
Charts
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Certifications
End of year charts
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Preceded by "Like a Prayer" by MadHouse |
Irish Singles Chart number-one single 31 August 2002 – 21 September 2002 |
Succeeded by "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne |
Preceded by "Tha Crossroads" by Blazin' Squad |
UK Singles Chart number-one single 1 September 2002 – 21 September 2002 |
Succeeded by "Just Like a Pill" by Pink |
Preceded by "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne |
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single 20 October 2002 – 10 November 2002 |
Succeeded by "The Ketchup Song (Asereje)" by Las Ketchup |
"Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" | |||||||||||
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Single by Kardinal Offishall featuring Keri Hilson | |||||||||||
from the album Not 4 Sale | |||||||||||
B-side | "Nina" | ||||||||||
Released | September 2008 (Radio) 14 October 2008 (iTunes) |
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Format | Digital download, CD single, 12" single, 7" single | ||||||||||
Recorded | 2008 | ||||||||||
Genre | Canadian hip hop, dancehall | ||||||||||
Length | 3:43 (Album Version) 3:41 (Radio Edit) |
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Label | Kon Live/Geffen/Black Jays | ||||||||||
Writer(s) | J. Harrow, D. Chin-Quee, J. Holt | ||||||||||
Producer | Supa Dups | ||||||||||
Certification | Gold (CRIA)[40] | ||||||||||
Kardinal Offishall singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" is the latest version of "The Tide Is High", performed by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall featuring Keri Hilson. Produced by Supa Dups, the song – a percussive, dancehall-infused hip hop update – was released in September 2008 as the fourth single from his fourth album Not 4 Sale.[41] It was released on iTunes on 14 October. In March 2010, the single was certified Gold by the CRIA.[40]
Aside from the album version, which features Rihanna, there are three other versions of "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)". The second is the original version, featuring Nicole Scherzinger. A third version features Rihanna and Nicole Scherzinger. The fourth version is the official single and features Keri Hilson. There is also a mash-up version which features Rihanna, Nicole Scherzinger and Keri Hilson.
The music video premiered on 24 October 2008 at Yahoo! Music.[42] It was directed by Gil Green, and Akon makes a cameo appearance.[43] The song "Nina" is featured at the end of the video.
12" single
7" single
Chart | Peak position |
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Canadian Hot 100[45] | 38 |
Hot Canadian Digital Singles[46] 1 | 32 |
German Black Charts[47] 1 | 1 |
Turkey Top 20 Chart[48] | 5 |
UK R&B Chart | 29 |
UK Singles Chart[49] | 84 |
Rihanna and Nicole Scherzinger versions1
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