High Wire (song)

{{distinguish|Highwire (song)}} {{Infobox song | name = High Wire | cover = Men_at Work-High_Wire.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Men at Work | album = Cargo | B-side = I Like To (Live) | released = November 1983 | recorded = 1982 | studio = | venue = | genre = Pop<ref name="AllMusic">{{AllMusic |class=album |id= mw0000194853 |title= Men At Work - ''Cargo'' (1983) Review |last= Erlewine|first= Stephen Thomas|access-date= February 2, 2024}}</ref> | length = 3:02 | label = Columbia | writer = Colin Hay | producer = Peter McLan | prev_title = It's a Mistake | prev_year = 1983 | next_title = Everything I Need | next_year = 1985 }}

"'''High Wire'''" is a song by the Australian group Men at Work.<ref name="McF">{{cite encyclopedia|last=McFarlane |first=Ian |authorlink=Ian McFarlane |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop |title=Encyclopedia entry for 'Men at Work' |url=http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=482 |accessdate=29 March 2010 |year=1999 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=St Leonards, NSW |isbn=1-86508-072-1 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030513171104/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=482 |archivedate=13 May 2003 }}</ref> The song was written by Men at Work singer/guitarist Colin Hay<ref name="High Wire">{{cite web|publisher=Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) |title="High Wire" at APRA search engine |url=http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=High%20Wire |accessdate=29 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910205335/http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=High%20Wire |archivedate=10 September 2012 }}</ref> and the recording was produced by Peter McIan. It was released in November 1983 as the fourth and final single from their album ''Cargo''.

The song reached No. 89 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart and No. 23 on the US Rock Tracks chart.<ref name="Kent">{{cite book | title = Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 | last = Kent | first = David | author-link = David Kent (historian) | publisher = Australian Chart Book Ltd | location = St Ives, NSW | year = 1993 | isbn = 0-646-11917-6 }} NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.</ref><ref name="BillS">{{cite web | url = {{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p4894/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} | title = Men at Work - Billboard Singles | publisher = AllMusic. Rovi Corporation | accessdate = 29 March 2010 }}</ref> AllMusic's Stephen Erlewine described it as a tight pop song.<ref name="AllMusic"/>

==Track listing==

=== 7" International version === # "High Wire" (Colin Hay) – 3:02 # "I'd Like To" (Live) (Ron Strykert)

=== 12" Australian version === # "High Wire" (Colin Hay)<ref name="High Wire"/> – 3:02 # "Fallin' Down" (Live) (Jerry Speiser, Johnathan Rees)<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) |title="Fallin' Down" at APRA search engine |url=http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=Fallin%27%20Down |accessdate=29 March 2010 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> # "I'd Like To" (Live) (Ron Strykert)<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) |title="I'd Like To" at APRA search engine |url=http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=I%27d%Like%20To |accessdate=29 March 2010 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Personnel== '''Men at Work members''' *Greg Ham – keyboards, saxophone, backing vocal *Colin Hay – guitar, lead vocal *John Rees – bass, backing vocal *Jerry Speiser – drums, backing vocal *Ron Strykert – guitar, backing vocal

'''Production details''' *Producer – Peter McLan *Engineers – Peter McLan, Paul Ray **Assistant Engineer – David Price

'''Art work''' *Photography – Greg Noakes *Artwork – Ron Strykert

==Chart positions== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Chart (1983) ! Peak<br>position |- | Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>{{cite book|first=David|last=Kent|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=Illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book Ltd|location=St Ives, NSW|year=1993|page=198|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|89 |- | U.S. Top Rock Tracks (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/men-at-work/chart-history/rtt/ |title=Men at Work Chart History: Mainstream Rock Songs |magazine=Billboard |date=June 3, 1983 |accessdate=May 7, 2020}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|23 |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:1982 songs Category:1983 singles Category:Men at Work songs Category:Songs written by Colin Hay