Most High (song)

"Most High"
Single by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
from the album Walking into Clarksdale
B-side
  • "The Window"
  • "Upon a Golden Horse"
Released30 March 1998 (1998-03-30)
StudioAbbey Road (London, England)
GenreHard rock
Length5:36
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jimmy Page
  • Robert Plant
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant singles chronology
"Gallows Pole"
(1994) 		"Most High"
(1998) 		"Shining in the Light"
(1998)

"Most High" is a song by English rock duo Jimmy Page and Robert Plant from their only studio album, Walking into Clarksdale (1998). The song features a keyboard overdub by Tim Whelan of Transglobal Underground, played in a quarter-tone to mimic Moroccan trance.[1]

Release and reception

[edit]

Issued as a single in the United Kingdom and the United States on 30 March 1998,[2][3] "Most High" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 88 on the Australian Singles Chart.[4][5][6] In 1999, the song won Page and Plant the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.[7]

B-side "The Window" was one of two known original songs from the sessions to not make the album, the other being "Whiskey from the Glass", included as a bonus on some editions of the album.[8]

Music video

[edit]

The music video for "Most High" was directed by Italian-Canadian photographer and director Floria Sigismondi.[9][10] It was included as a bonus feature on the DVD release of No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded. The video, featuring visual references to the religious themes of the song's lyrics, depicts Jimmy Page and Robert Plant as prisoners in a numbered cell block, with other cells holding a series of mutated creatures practicing dark magic.[11]

Track listings

[edit]

All tracks are written by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Charlie Jones, and Michael Lee except where noted

UK, Australasian, and Japanese CD single[12][13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Most High" 4:25
2."Upon a Golden Horse" 3:57
3."The Window"
  • Page
  • Plant
  • Jones
  • Lee
  • Phil Andrews
6:05
UK 7-inch single and European CD single[14][15]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Most High" 4:25
2."The Window"
  • Page
  • Plant
  • Jones
  • Lee
  • Andrews
6:05

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the Walking into Clarksdale album booklet.[16]

Studio

Personnel

  • Jimmy Page – writing, guitar, production
  • Robert Plant – writing, vocals, production
  • Charlie Jones – writing, bass
  • Michael Lee – writing, drums
  • Ed Shearmur – string pad, programming
  • Tim Whelan – Oriental keyboard
  • Steve Albini – recording, mixing
  • Paul Hicks – studio assistant

Charts

[edit]

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 30 March 1998
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Mercury [2]
United States Radio Atlantic [3]
Japan 29 April 1998 CD Mercury [22]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Page, Jimmy (2020). Jimmy Page: The Anthology. Guildford, Surrey, England: Genesis Publications. p. 350. ISBN 978-1-905662-61-6. OCLC 1203144576.
  2. ^ a b Stratton, Sally (16 May 1998). "Page and Plant Adopt Single Minded Approach to Radio". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 20. p. 7. The album's first single, Most High, was released on March 30...
  3. ^ a b Christman, Ed (18 April 1998). "Page, Plant Keep 'Walking'". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 16. p. 85. The label was planning to take ['Most High'] to radio April 6 but went a week earlier...
  4. ^ a b "Jimmy Page Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 10 May 1998". ARIA. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2017 – via Imgur. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
  7. ^ "41st Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. 28 November 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  8. ^ Thompson, Dave (1 September 2014). Robert Plant: The Voice That Sailed the Zeppelin. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-61713-615-3. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  9. ^ Sigismondi, Floria (1998). Redemption. Michael Mischler, Robert Klanten. Berlin: Die Gestalten Verlag. ISBN 3-931126-18-8. OCLC 40800385.
  10. ^ Vecchi, Elena (8 February 2020). "Floria Sigismondi, tra shock e realtà". Metal Hammer (in Italian). Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  11. ^ Page & Plant - Most High, archived from the original on 17 August 2021, retrieved 17 August 2021
  12. ^ Most High (UK & Australasian CD single liner notes). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. 568 751-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Most High (Japanese CD single liner notes). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. PHCR-8431.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Most High (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. 568 752-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Most High (European CD single liner notes). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. 568 750-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Walking into Clarksdale (UK CD album booklet). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. 558 025-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3552." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3574." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 17. 25 April 1998. p. 10.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  21. ^ "The Year in Music 1998". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. 26 December 1998. p. YE-84.
  22. ^ "モスト・ハイ | ジミー・ペイジ" [Most High | Jimmy Page] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
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