"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by

Duke Reid Arthur "Duke" Reid CD (21 July 1915 – 1 January 1975) was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner. He ran one of the most popular sound systems of the 1950s called Reid's Sound System, whilst Duke himself was known as The Troja ...

and performed by the Jamaican group

the Paragons The Paragons were a ska and rocksteady vocal group from Kingston, Jamaica, initially active in the 1960s. Their most famous track was " The Tide Is High", written by band member John Holt. Career The Paragons were originally Garth "Tyrone" E ...

, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover version by the American band Blondie became a US and UK number one hit. The song topped 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 ...

again in 2002 with a version by the British girl group

Atomic Kitten Atomic Kitten is an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose current members are Liz McClarnon, Jenny Frost and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart ...

, while Canadian rapper

Kardinal Offishall Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's " hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the countr ...

had a minor hit with his interpretation in 2008.

The Paragons version

"The Tide Is High" was written by John Holt and originally recorded by the Paragons (the rocksteady vocal trio of which he was a member), and accompanied by Tommy McCook and the Supersonic Band. It was produced by

and released as a 7-inch single on Reid's Treasure Isle and Trojan labels and as the B-side of the single "Only a Smile". The song features the violin of "White Rum" Raymond, and was popular in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

as well as in the UK when a

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

version by

U-Roy Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...

was released in 1971. Both tracks from the single were included on the 1970 collection ''On the Beach''.

Track list

#"Only a Smile" #"The Tide Is High" – 2:53

Blondie version

"The Tide Is High" was covered by the American new wave band Blondie in 1980, in a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

style that included horns and strings. It was released as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, ''

Autoamerican ''Autoamerican'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Blondie. It was released in November 1980 and reached in the UK charts, in the US, and in Australia. Background The album was a radical departure for the band, with the openin ...

'' (1980), giving Blondie their third number one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and their fifth in the UK (where it became Blondie's last British number one for 18 years, until "

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

" in February 1999). The track also reached number one in Canada and New Zealand, and was a Top 5 hit on many European charts as well as in countries including Australia and South Africa. The B-side was "Susie and Jeffrey", which appeared as a bonus track on the original 1980 cassette edition of the ''Autoamerican'' album, and was also included on

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

-Capitol's re-issue of ''Autoamerican'' in 2001.

Versions

Official remixes of the Blondie version have been issued twice; first by

Coldcut Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...

in 1988 on the Blondie/Debbie Harry remix compilation ''

Once More into the Bleach ''Once More into the Bleach'' is a remix album released in December 1988 by the band Blondie and Debbie Harry. The 13-track compilation contains remixes of Blondie songs and material from Harry's solo career. It was the first compilation to inclu ...

'', and the second time in 1995 by Pete Arden and Vinny Vero on the album '' Remixed Remade Remodeled: The Remix Project'' (UK edition: '' Beautiful: The Remix Album''). Blondie re-recorded the song for the 2014 compilation album ''Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux''. The compilation was part of a 2-disc set called ''Blondie 4(0) Ever'', which included their tenth studio album '' Ghosts of Download'', and marked the 40th anniversary of the band's formation.

Accolades

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Track listings

7" #"The Tide Is High" (7" Edit) – 3:54 #"Suzy & Jeffrey" – 4:09 US 7" (Chrysalis Classics Re-Issue) #"The Tide Is High" (7" Edit) – 3:54 #" Rapture" – 4:59 US 7" (promo only) #"The Tide Is High" (7" Edit) – 3:54 #"The Tide Is High" (7" Edit) – 3:54 US 7" (Collectables Record Corp. COL 6115) #"The Tide Is High" #" Heart of Glass"

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Papa Dee version

In 1996,

Papa Dee David Christopher Daniel Wahlgren (born 13 July 1966), better known by the stage name Papa Dee, is a Swedish rapper. His most commercially successful track is his version of the Cat Stevens song "The First Cut Is the Deepest". Music career Wa ...

covered the song on his album ''The Journey''. It was released on both CD single and CD maxi formats.

Track listings

CD single #"The Tide Is High (On The Beach - Original Version)" – 3:43 #"The Tide Is High (Radio Version 1996)" – 3:40 CD maxi #"The Tide Is High (On The Beach - Original Version)" – 3:43 #"The Tide Is High (5 Gramme Remix)" – 5:17 #"The Tide Is High (Extended Version)" – 5:51 #"Great Money Spender"" – 4:08

Charts

Atomic Kitten version

British girl group

covered "The Tide Is High" and released it as the second single from their second studio album, '' Feels So Good'' (2002), on 26 August 2002. Their version of the song also added a new

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

co-written by Howard Barrett, Tyrone Evans and the song's producers

Bill Padley Bill Padley (born March 1961) is a Scottish award-winning record producer and songwriter. He, along with Jem Godfrey, won an Ivor Novello Award on 25 May 2006, for the Christmas number 1 record and best selling single of 2005, "That's My Goal ...

and Jem Godfrey, hence the subtitle "Get the Feeling". The song was regularly played on Radio Disney in the United States from 2002 to 2004 and again in 2021. It was used during the opening credits of ''

The Lizzie McGuire Movie ''The Lizzie McGuire Movie'' is a 2003 American teen comedy film directed by Jim Fall. The film serves as the finale of the Disney Channel television series of the same name, and was the first theatrical film based on a Disney Channel series. ...

'' and was also used for a TV commercial featuring Japanese beer company Asahi Breweries. This was the group's third and final UK number one single. This version of "The Tide Is High" was selected by ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' writer David Cheal as one of his "Top five awful cover versions" in 2002, describing it as "a ghastly, sickly confection that has none of the wistfulness or soulfulness of either Blondie's version or the Paragons' original". The group performed the track for the first time ever with the original line-up for their 2012 reformation on ''

The Big Reunion ''The Big Reunion'' is a British reality-documentary series that began airing on ITV2 on 31 January 2013. The show featured chart-topping bands who were big in the UK pop music scene between the 1990s and early 2000s, and the programme followed ...

'', with

Kerry Katona Kerry Jayne Elizabeth Katona (born 6 September 1980) is a British media personality and singer. She was a member of girl group Atomic Kitten from 1998 until her first departure in 2001 and again from 2012 until her second departure in 2017. ...

performing

Jenny Frost Jennifer Frost (born 22 February 1978) is an English singer, television presenter and model. She was a member of girl group Precious before replacing Kerry Katona in the group Atomic Kitten from 2001 until they disbanded in April 2004. Frost ...

's vocals.

Chart performance

Atomic Kitten's version of the song proved successful on the charts, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide. It spent three weeks at number one in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(selling 145,000 copies in the first week; it was eventually certified Platinum and has sold over 600,000 copies), and is the group's third and final UK number one. The track also topped the charts in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and was a Top 5 hit in many other countries, including Australia,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

amongst others.

Music video

The music video is Atomic Kitten's most famous due to band member

Natasha Hamilton Natasha Maria Hamilton (born 17 July 1982) is an English singer and a member of girl group Atomic Kitten. Hamilton has so far released 19 singles and three studio albums with the band including three number one singles, their biggest being the 2 ...

being heavily pregnant at the time. The video begins with the group walking in front of a flashing rainbow. Whenever the chorus of the song is heard, a dance accompanies it. Hamilton,

Liz McClarnon Elizabeth Margaret McClarnon (born 10 April 1981) is an English pop singer, songwriter, dancer, television presenter and actress. She is the longest serving member of the girl group Atomic Kitten, with whom she has scored three number-one single ...

and

choreographed a simplistic dance that they would also perform during live shows. Four men are seen dancing alongside the women with slightly different moves. A sign that reads "Atomic" can be seen flashing throughout the video (and on clips on the "behind the scenes" version showing one girl dancing and three girls dancing). Each group member has a different set for their solo. McClarnon is next to a silver tree, with a purple background and a repeating pattern of the same tree that she is dancing beside. Frost is next to a car while Hamilton is seen in a pink-coloured room with "number 1" signs. At the song's bridge, the three women are seen dancing near fluorescent purple lights.

Spanish version

Atomic Kitten also recorded a Spanish version of the single, titled "Ser tu pasión". It was released in Colombia, Mexico and Spain, but failed to chart. However, the song promoted Atomic Kitten's second studio album '' Feels So Good'' in Mexico, and as a result, the album peaked at number 69 on the charts there; it was also included on the Spanish version of Atomic Kitten's ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' album.

Track listings

UK CD1 (blue) #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (radio mix) – 3:26 #"Album Medley" – 5:10 #"

Dancing in the Street "Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

" – 3:39 #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (video) – 3:26 UK CD2 (red) #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (radio mix) – 3:26 #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (Groove Brothers 12-inch remix) – 5:35 #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (

Lasgo Lasgo were a Belgian electronic music group. The group formed in 1999 was composed of Evi Goffin, David Vervoort, Peter Luts, and Dave McCullen). Peter Luts confirmed on Belgian radio in 2008 that Evi Goffin was not returning to the band, after ...

Remix) – 5:40 UK cassette single #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (radio mix) – 3:26 #"Album Medley" – 5:10 #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (Groove Brothers edit) – 3:20 European CD single #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (radio mix) – 3:26 #"Album Medley" – 5:10 Australian CD single #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (radio mix) – 3:26 #" It's OK!" (Almighty Mix) – 6:32 #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (Groove Brothers edit) – 3:20 #"The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" (Groove Brothers 12-inch) – 5:34 #"

Whole Again "Whole Again" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten for their debut studio album, '' Right Now'' (2000). It was co-written by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, along ...

" (M*A*S*H Master Mix) – 7:15

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the ''Feels So Good'' album booklet. Studios *Recorded and mixed at Wise Buddah Music Studios (London, England) *Mastered at Sony Music Studios (London, England) Personnel * John Holt – writing *Tyrone Evans – writing *Howard Barrett – writing *

– writing, all instruments, programming, production, arrangement * Jem Godfrey – writing, all instruments, programming, production, arrangement *

Carrie Grant Caroline Vanessa Grant, (''née'' Gray, born 17 August 1965) is an English vocal coach, television presenter and session singer. Career Grant is known for her work on the television talent contests ''Fame Academy'', '' Comic Relief Does Fame A ...

– additional vocal production *John Davis – mastering *Chris Potter – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Kardinal Offishall version

"Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" is a 2008 version of the song, performed by Canadian rapper

(featuring

Keri Hilson Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and actress. She was born and raised in Decatur, Georgia and spent most of her youth working with producer Anthony Dent as a songwriter and background vocalist for ...

). Produced by Supa Dups, the song – a percussive, dancehall-infused hip hop update – was released in September 2008 as the fourth single from Offishall's fourth album '' Not 4 Sale''. It was released on iTunes on 14 October 2008. In March 2010, the single was certified Gold by the

CRIA A ''cria'' (pronounced ) is a juvenile llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. Etymology The term comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, ''crya'' (pronounced ), was coined by British sailors who explored C ...

. In Canada, a version featured Rihanna was released on 12 October 2008 and peaked at number 38. In Latin America a version featured

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...

was released in November.

Music video

The

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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

premiered on 24 October 2008 at

Yahoo! Music Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds o ...

. It was directed by Gil Green, with

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...

making a cameo appearance. The song "Nina" is featured at the end of the video.

Track list

*Digital download / 12-inch maxi-single #"Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" (featuring

) – 3:40 #"Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" (featuring

) oto Blanco Club Mix– 6:55 *Canadian CD single #"Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" (featuring Rihanna) – 3:44 *Latin America CD single #"Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" (featuring

) – 3:39 *Remixes *"Numba 1 (Tide Is High) (Dutty South Remix)" (featuring

David Banner Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ba ...

, Alfamega, Lindo P, Darryl Riley, and

Yummy Bingham Elizabeth T. Wyce "Yummy" Bingham (born January 7, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. Biography Bingham was born on January 7, 1986, to R&B producer Dinky Bingham and Patricia Wyce. She was put into her grandparents care in South Jama ...

) *"Numba 1 (Tide Is High) (Dutty Remix)" (featuring

Barrington Levy Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. Career Levy was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. He formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Bl ...

, Busta Rhymes, Lindo P, Darryl Riley, and Yummy Bingham)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

External links

Classic Tracks: Blondie's "The Tide Is High"
(article on how the remake was created) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tide Is High, The 1967 songs 1967 debut singles 1978 singles 1980 singles 1981 singles 1996 singles 2002 singles 2008 singles Atomic Kitten songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Billie Piper songs Blondie (band) songs Cashbox number-one singles Chrysalis Records singles Geffen Records singles Innocent Records singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Kardinal Offishall songs Keri Hilson songs Music videos directed by Gil Green Music videos directed by Jake Nava Nicole Scherzinger songs Number-one singles in New Zealand Rihanna songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Mike Chapman Songs written by John Holt (singer) UK Singles Chart number-one singles Virgin Records singles Warner Music Group singles Number-one singles in Scotland

The Paragons version

Track list

Blondie version

Versions

Accolades

Track listings

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Papa Dee version

Track listings

Charts

Atomic Kitten version

Chart performance

Music video

Spanish version

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Kardinal Offishall version

Music video

Track list

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Certifications

See also

References

External links