Walking on Thin Ice

"Walking on Thin Ice" is a New Wave/dance song by Yoko Ono, released in 1981. She and John Lennon concluded the recording of the song on December 8, 1980. It was upon their return from the recording studio to The Dakota (their home in New York City) that Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman. Lennon was clutching a tape of a final mix when he was shot.

The song is also included on the experimental compilation album called Disco Not Disco (2000).

Background

Lennon's lead guitar work on the track, which he recorded on 8 December 1980, is praised by many as the most fascinating of his career. This was his final creative act. At the end of January 1981, "Walking on Thin Ice" was released as a single and became Ono's first chart success, peaking at number 58 in the US and gaining major club/underground airplay. The single was released in February 1981 in the UK and reached number 35 on the chart. The lyrics talk of the unpredictability of life and death — of "throwing the dice in the air" — and reach the conclusion, "when our hearts return to ashes, it will be just a story....". On the version included on 1992's Onobox, a new intro was added, where John Lennon can be heard remarking "I think you just cut your first number one, Yoko."

In 2003, riding on the success of several Ono club remixes including "Open Your Box" and "Kiss Kiss Kiss", "Walking on Thin Ice" was released as a maxi-single with remixes by dance artists including the Pet Shop Boys, Danny Tenaglia and Felix Da Housecat. It met incredible success, spending many weeks on the US dance chart before reaching number one, beating Madonna and Justin Timberlake. In the UK, it reached number 35 on the chart, exactly the same position as the original reached in 1981.

"It Happened" was selected as the B-side to the 1981 single - a slower, mellow track about acceptance - from Ono's vaults that was originally recorded for A Story and had already seen limited release in Japan as the B-side to "Yume O Moto", but was remixed for inclusion on the single.^[1] Much like the A-side, the lyrics have a new haunting quality given Lennon's murder: "It happened at a time of my life/When I least expected... And I know there's no return, no way". In the essay on the back of the single, Ono talks about how Lennon picked out this track from her old tapes and marked it as a hit. She said "No way!" to which he responded "I'll make it a hit". He was murdered hours later.

Track listings

1981

7" / 12" single

• A. "Walking On Thin Ice" - 5:59
• B. "It Happened" - 5:08

Promo 12" / Cassingle

• A. "Walking On Thin Ice" - 5:59
• B1. "It Happened" - 5:08
• B2. "Hard Times Are Over" - 3:26

2003

CD Maxi

1. Pet Shop Boys Radio Mix - 4:09
2. Danny Tenaglia Walked Across the Lake Mix - 12:40
3. Pet Shop Boys Electro Mix - 6:37
4. Felix da Housecat's Tribute Mix - 5:29
5. Pet Shop Boys Extended Dance Mix - 7:58
6. Rui da Silva's Kismet Mix - 10:42
7. Peter Rauhofer Electro Mix - 6:08
8. Orange Factory Radio Mix - 3:54
9. FKEK Vocal Mix - 9:55
10. Peter Rauhofer Chill Mix - 4:58

2x12" single

1. Danny Tenaglia Walked Across the Lake Mix - 12:40
2. Peter Rauhofer Future Mix - 10:07
3. Pet Shop Boys Electro Mix - 6:37
4. Pet Shop Boys Extended Dance Mix - 7:58
5. Rui da Silva's Kismet Mix - 10:42
6. FKEK Hard As Ice Dub - 8:35
7. Orange Factory "Larry" Dub - 6:20
8. Orange Factory Yoko-pella - :34

UK 12" single

1. Danny Tenaglia Walked Across the Lake Mix - 12:40
2. Pet Shop Boys Electro Mix - 6:37

US 12" single

1. Danny Tenaglia Dub - 9:07
2. Felix da Housecat's Tribute Mix - 5:29
3. FKEK Vocal Mix - 9:55

UK CD promo

1. Pet Shop Boys Electro Mix Edit
2. Felix Da Housecat Tribute Mix Edit

iTunes single

1. Pet Shop Boys Radio Mix - 4:09
2. Danny Tenaglia Walked Across the Lake Mix - 12:40
3. Pet Shop Boys Electro Mix - 6:37
4. Felix da Housecat's Tribute Mix - 5:29
5. Pet Shop Boys Extended Dance Mix - 7:58
6. Rui da Silva's Kismet Mix - 10:42
7. Peter Rauhofer Electro Mix - 6:08
8. Orange Factory Radio Mix - 3:54
9. FKEK Vocal Mix - 9:55
10. Peter Rauhofer Chill Mix - 4:58
11. Peter Rauhofer Future Mix - 10:07
12. FKEK Hard As Ice Dub - 8:35
13. Orange Factory "Larry" Dub - 6:20
14. Orange Factory Yoko-pella - :34
15. Danny Tenaglia Dub - 9:07

2007

1. "Walking On Thin Ice" (with Jason Pierce of Spiritualized) - 5:07
2. "Toyboat" (with Antony of Antony and the Johnsons and Hahn Rowe) - 4:24

Promos

Yoko Ono herself directed a music video for "Walking on Thin Ice" which was released in February 1981. In 2003 Mike Mills and Arya Senboutaraj (one half of the directing duo Rainbows & Vampires) directed an animated black and white video featuring the "Pet Shop Boys Electro Mix Edit" of the song. You can watch it here or here.

Covers

• Elvis Costello and The Attractions (ft. the TKO Horns) on the album Every Man Has a Woman (1984); the song was featured as a bonus track on Rykodisk's 1995 re-issue of Costello's 1983 album Punch the Clock
• We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It (aka Fuzzbox) (1989)
• The Picketts on the album The Wicked Picketts^[2] (1985)
• Miss Tila covered this song on her EP Welcome to the Darkside.

Charts

References