"High" is a song by English rock band

the Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

, released as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from their ninth album '' Wish'' on 16 March 1992. The track received mostly positive reviews and was commercially successful, reaching number one on the US ''

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 adverti ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart, number six on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

, and number eight 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 ...

. It charted the highest in Portugal, where it peaked at number two, and in

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologic ...

, reaching number five in Australia and number four in New Zealand; it is the band's highest-charting single in both countries.

Critical reception

An article published by ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' ranked "High" as the 11th-best Cure song, calling its lyrics "dexterous and playful" and describing the song in its entirety as a "lovable thing".

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 ...

of ''

'' also gave the song a positive review, calling it "subtle but infectious". Conversely, Michael Gallucci of ''

Diffuser Diffuser may refer to: Aerodynamics * Diffuser (automotive), a shaped section of a car's underbody which improves the car's aerodynamic properties * Part of a jet engine air intake, especially when operated at supersonic speeds * The channel bet ...

'' described the song as "kinda blah".

Track listings

7-inch single :A. "High" – 3:34 :B. "This Twilight Garden" – 4:43 12-inch single :A1. "High" (Higher Mix) :B1. "This Twilight Garden" :B2. "Play" Maxi-CD # "High" (single mix) # "This Twilight Garden" # "Play" # "High" (Higher Remix) US CD single # "High" (single mix) – 3:34 # "Open" – 6:51

Personnel

* Robert Smith – vocals, 6-string bass, keyboards * Simon Gallup – bass *

Porl Thompson Pearl Thompson (born 8 November 1957 as Paul Stephen ThompsonChris Gerrard (2021)The Cure FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Most Heartbreakingly Excellent Rock Band the World Has Ever Known. Backbeat, ISBN 9781493053988, p. 155) is an E ...

– guitar *

Boris Williams Boris Peter Bransby Williams (born 24 April 1957) is a French-born English drummer best known for his extensive work with the Cure (1984–1994). Biography Born in Versailles, France, he had previously worked with various artists, including ...

– drums *

Perry Bamonte Perry Archangelo Bamonte (born 3 September 1960) is an English musician best known as a member of the rock band The Cure from 1990 to 2005, and again since 2022. Biography Born in London, England, Bamonte became a guitar tech for The Cure in ...

– 6-string bass, keyboard * Mark Saunders – remixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:High (The Cure Song) 1992 singles 1992 songs The Cure songs Fiction Records singles Song recordings produced by David M. Allen Songs written by Boris Williams Songs written by Perry Bamonte Songs written by Porl Thompson Songs written by Robert Smith (musician) Songs written by Simon Gallup