"Tightrope" is the opening track to ''

A New World Record ''A New World Record'' is the sixth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in October 1976 on United Artists Records in the U.S., and on 19 November 1976 on Jet Records in the United Kingdom. ''A New World Record'' mar ...

'' by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Recorded in 1976 at Musicland,

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, the song features a dramatic orchestral opening before transforming into an upbeat rock song. Although never released as a single, the song was a fan favorite and was performed live at every ELO concert including the Zoom tour in 2001. It had been remastered in 2000 and included on the box set '' Flashback'' It is the opening number of set four on the 2016 Alone in the Universe tour. When inducting ELO into the Rock and Hall of Fame,

Dhani Harrison Dhani Harrison (; born 1 August 1978) is an English musician, composer and singer-songwriter. He is the only child of George and Olivia Harrison. Dhani debuted as a professional musician assisting in recording his father's final album, ''Brainw ...

made several references to the song, saying "Someone had actually thrown me down a line, and my life was changed."

Sampled

Samples from "Tightrope" have been featured in various forms in many rap songs, by artists including

Army of the Pharaohs AOTP logo ''(as seen on In Death Reborn)'' Army of the Pharaohs (most commonly abbreviated as AOTP or A.O.T.P.) is an American underground hip hop collective originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks founder ...

, The Game,

Chief Kamachi The JuJu Mob (originally credited as ''Chief Kamachi & The JuJu Mob'') is a four-member underground hip hop group originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was founded in 2004.Matt Jost, Chief Kamachi & the JuJu Mob :: Black Candles ...

, I-20, and various European rappers like French Rap Group

Fonky Family Fonky Family () or La Fonky Family (often shortened to La Fonky, or La FF), is a French hip hop band from Marseille, consisting of four rappers, Le Rat Luciano, , and Sat, producer , DJ Djel, dancer Blaze, singer Karima, Flex (fetus) Nand ...

(the track 'Dans la legende' from the Art de Rue album),

Sinik Thomas Gérard Idir (; born 26 June 1980), better known by his stage name Sinik, is a French-language rap artist. He is also known as Malsain, L'assassin and S.I.N.I.K.. His father is Algerian while his mother is French. In 2001, he founded hi ...

('Réglement extérieur'), Dutch group Lost Rebels ('Revolutie' from the album ''Revolutie''), Croatian rapgroup Tram 11 ( 'Jedno' from the album ''

Vrućina gradskog asfalta ''Vrućina gradskog asfalta'' is the second studio album by the Croatian hip hop duo, Tram 11. The album was released on December 19, 2000. Guest appearances on the album feature Prva Petorka, Ivana Husar, XL, Ink, Bolesna Braća (aka Sick Rhym ...

''), Italian and Dutch synth group

Koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

('Mind Machine' from the album ''From the Dawn of Time''), the German rapper Sido ('Goldjunge' from the album ''Ich''), as well as the Albanian rapper

Noizy Rigels Rajku (; born 27 September 1986), known professionally as Noizy, is an Albanian rapper. Life and career 1986–2010: Early life and career beginnings Rigels Rajku was born on 27 September 1986 into a multi-religious Albanian family ...

('Ak' from the album ''Most Wanted'').

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tightrope (Electric Light Orchestra Song) 1976 songs Electric Light Orchestra songs Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne Songs written by Jeff Lynne