"The High Road" is a song by American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

duo

Broken Bells Broken Bells is an American indie rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton (better known as Danger Mouse) and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, ...

from their self-titled debut album (2010). Written by James Mercer and

Danger Mouse Danger Mouse may refer (or appear in) to: * ''Danger Mouse'' (1981 TV series), a 1981 British animated television series * ''Danger Mouse'' (2015 TV series), a 2015 reboot of the British animated television series * Danger Mouse (musician) (born ...

, and produced by the latter, the song was released as the album's lead single on December 22, 2009. On March 9, 2010, the song was the

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Single of the Week, where it was offered for free for one week. The music video for the song was directed by

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 ''Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's son ...

Critical reception

"The High Road" was well received by music critics, who praised the lyrics and song's production. Heather Phares of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

stated the song "melds slick electronic percussion and a searching, minor-key melody into something that echoes the duo's previous work without rehashing it." Shingai of

idobi Radio idobi Radio is one of the USA’s top modern rock Internet radio stations focusing on new pop punk and alternative music. The station broadcasts over the Internet via its website, app, iTunes and SHOUTcast. Established in 1999, idobi features ...

wrote that "'The High Road' serves as a great introduction or the album with soothing multi-layered vocals and beautiful lyrics weaving in and out of hypnotizing drum beats, synths and various other instruments."

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

' Anthony Lombardi observed, "When Mercer and Burton are on point ..it works, and works well: opener and lead single, 'The High Road', proves the perfect vantage point, its minor-key melody, noodly synths and clapping percussion providing an ample bed for the soaring, swelling chorus."

Commercial performance

"The High Road" peaked at number ten on the ''

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chart, becoming the duo's highest-peaking single to date on the chart. The single also made an appearance on ''Billboard''s

Hot Rock Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alternati ...

where it peaked at number fifteen. It reached number sixty on the

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and number seventy-five on the

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in Canada, where it was certified gold by

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Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Joss Stone version

In 2012, English singer and songwriter

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

covered the song for her sixth album, ''

The Soul Sessions Vol. 2 ''The Soul Sessions Vol. 2'' is the sixth studio album by English singer and songwriter Joss Stone, released on 20 July 2012 by S-Curve Records and her own label, Stone'd Records. A follow-up to Stone's debut studio album, '' The Soul Sessions' ...

''. A lyric video premiered on July 3, 2012, while the official music video, directed by Brian Savelson, debuted on September 13.

Development and production

Stone told ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' that while they were considering tracks for the album, Steve Greenberg played "The High Road" for her. "I thought it sounded good. I'd never heard the song before this and thought I'd give it a try, with a bit of a twist!" In an interview with ''

'' magazine, she said, "I think 'High Road' is quite a different one for me. It's still soul but it's got a darker tone to it, certainly in the beginning of the song."

Critical reception

Stone's version received positive reviews from music critics, who compared it to her 2003 cover of

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums with ...

' song "

Fell in Love with a Girl "Fell in Love with a Girl" is a song by the American garage rock band the White Stripes, written and produced by Jack White for the band's third studio album, ''White Blood Cells'' (2001). Released as the album's second single in February 2002, ...

". Christina Lee of

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opined that Stone "delivers a robust, impassioned take on the first-ever Broken Bells single". Hal Horowitz of ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' stated, "Like her revelatory reading of the White Stripes' 'Fell in Love with a Girl' from the first set, Stone brings her throaty R&B to the Broken Bells' 'The High Road' in one of this album's finest performances." ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

''s Hermione Hoby described the song as a "bombastic cover".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

praised the choice and the song's production, writing that Stone "refashioned he Broken Bells' songto sound old, thereby occupying the same space as Joss' White Stripes ' Fell in Love with a Boy' cover did on the first '' Soul Sessions''. This is the song to prove that Stone isn't living in the past but rather she's seeing the future through a retro prism that turns everything into something that feels classic."

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''

''. *

– lead vocals, backing vocals, production * Raymond Angry – B3, piano * Chris Gehringer – mastering * Steve Greenberg – production * Steve Greenwell – engineering, mixing, production * Pete Iannacone – bass *

Ernie Isley Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley. Biography Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers for ...

– guitars * Lowell Reynolds – assistant engineering * Tony Royster, Jr. – drums * Ted Tuthill – assistant engineering *

Betty Wright Bessie Regina Norris (December 21, 1953 – May 10, 2020), better known by her stage name Betty Wright, was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist. Beginning her professional career in the late 1960s as a teena ...

– backing vocals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:High Road 2009 songs Broken Bells songs Columbia Records singles 2009 debut singles Joss Stone songs Song recordings produced by Danger Mouse (musician) Songs written by James Mercer (musician) Songs written by Danger Mouse (musician)