"High Times" is a song by British

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

- acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, '' Travelling Without Moving'' (1996). Released on 1 December 1997, the song peaked at number 20 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and reached the top 10 on both the American and Canadian dance charts.

Background

The song was written by Jason Kay. The song begins with the quote "You don't need a name in bright lights, you're a rock star. In some tinfoil, with a glass pipe, is your guitar." This refers to

crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be smoked. Crack offers a short, intense high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment'' calls ...

. Cocaine and many other drugs are referenced in the song, all in a negative light, but it is jet lag that is the main reference during the chorus: "Last night, turned to daylight, and a minute became a day", a desynchronosis that is often caused when travelling around the world during the tours. The radio edit of the song is widely ridiculed among fan circles for its poor editing. There are some abrupt cuts in the song, and some words are cut out in an odd manner, such as the word "this" from the "This twisted, crystal kingdom" line. The Radio Edit was featured on the group's greatest hits compilation, High Times: Singles 1992-2006. Some releases of ''Travelling Without Moving'' include a version of the song without the sample "Last Night Changed It All" as sung by Esther Williams and written by Joe Wheeler.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote, "If you're a fan Jamiroquai's recent

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

hits, ya ain't heard nothin' yet. "High Times" shows the band at its funky best. The track jiggles with a classic

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

sound, juiced with enough electronic flavor to keep it from sounding quaint. Frontman Jay Kay has perfected his

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

inflections while also honing an individual style that demands to be heard in a live setting."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "High Times" is filmed like a documentary with an inexpensive digital camera by the band manager of the band during the Latin American tour. In the video, the group is shown landing in a city airport, happy and excited. The remainder of the video shows candid scenes of Jamiroquai laughing at jokes, television, and having general fun. Chilean fans appreciated this music video for lead singer Jay Kay's cultural jacket throughout the video. The last few seconds were censored in some countries due to the usage of cannabis.

Track listing

* UK CD single # "High Times (Radio Edit)" – 4:08 # "High Times (Bionic Supachronic Mix)" – 8:38 # "High Times (Doobie Dub)" – 6:46 # "High Times (Album Version)" – 5:57 * UK 12" single # "High Times (Bionic Supachronic Mix)" – 8:38 # "High Times (Jamiroquai Mix)" – 4:00 # "High Times (Doobie Dub)" – 6:46 # "High Times (Jamiroquai Dub)" – 5:30

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1996 songs 1997 singles Jamiroquai songs Songs about drugs Songs written by Jason Kay Songs written by Stuart Zender Songs written by Toby Smith S2 Records singles