"Tightrope" is a song by American singer

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...

, released on February 11, 2010 as the first official single from her debut studio album ''

The ArchAndroid ''The ArchAndroid'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, released on May 18, 2010, by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records, and Atlantic Records. Production for the album took place at Wondaland Studios i ...

''. On ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', the single earned the coveted "Best New Music" tag and an immediate 9/10 rating on February 11. The companion song, "

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

", debuted on February 12 via Monáe's official website. The official remix, titled "Tightrope (Wondamix)", features rappers

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with record producer Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainm ...

and

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, record producer and Music education, music educator. Born and raised in Chicago, he gained mainstream recognition for his gue ...

. The solo version of the song without Big Boi is also featured in the video game ''

Just Dance 3 ''Just Dance 3'' is a 2011 dance rhythm game released on the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 with Kinect and Move support respectively for the latter two. It is part of the '' Just Dance'' video game series published by Ubisoft originally on the ...

''. It was featured during the end credits for ''

Happy Feet Two ''Happy Feet Two'' is a 2011 animated jukebox musical comedy film directed, produced and co-written by George Miller. It is the sequel to the 2006 film ''Happy Feet''. Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hugo Weaving, Magda Szubanski and Anthony LaPagli ...

'', in a version that uses some singing from one of the characters and also features a new verse from American child actor and rapper

Lil' P-Nut Benjamin Christopher Flores Jr. (born July 24, 2002), also known as BNJII (formerly known as Lil’ P-Nut), is an American rapper & actor. In music, he is known for his song "You Might Be the One". In acting, Flores starred as Louie Preston on t ...

which replaced Big Boi's verse. The song also featured in the third-season finale of teen drama '' 90210''.

Concept

Speaking in May 2010 to UK urban writer Pete Lewis, deputy editor of ''

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as ''NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a r ...

'', Monáe discussed the background to the song: "'Tightrope' is basically dealing with how in life it's important to keep your balance and not get too high or low about things during the time when you're either being praised or being criticised. Which is something that, as artists, Big Boi and I could both relate to, because there are so many peaks and dips along the journey of just being an artist on the road to success. So we both felt it was important to kinda help those everyday working people who are constantly dealing with life's obstacles, by giving them like a tutorial on how to deal with issues face-on."

Composition

"Tightrope" features futuristic, space themes; however, it has also been described to feature "serious old-school entertainer bona fides". ''

'' note that the tracks sped up alien backing vocals are the only thing that keep the theme of sci-fi and of the future. The song has also been compared to singer

Amerie Amerie Mi Marie Rogers Nicholson (born January 12, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and writer. She has released four studio albums to date: '' All I Have'' (2002), ''Touch'' (2005), '' Because I Love It'' (2007), '' In Love & W ...

's track "

1 Thing "1 Thing" is a song by American singer Amerie from her second studio album, ''Touch'' (2005). Written by Amerie and Rich Harrison and produced by the latter, the song is influenced by go-go rhythms and prominently samples the Meters' 1970 funk ...

", and Monáe was likened to

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

for her vocals on the track. ''Pitchfork'' went on to explain "But when the chorus hits, she switches up into a classic soul-singer wail, the type of immediate retro yowl that keeps

Sharon Jones Sharon Lafaye Jones (May 4, 1956 – November 18, 2016) was an American soul and funk singer. She was the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a soul and funk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Jones experienced breakthrough success ...

in fancy shoes. And after Big Boi struts on in and rhymes 'NASDAQ' with 'ass crack', she ups the ante, rhyming 'alligators' with 'rattlesnakers,' 'another flavor,' and 'Terminator.' It's just a star performance all around, and God knows we need those lately."

Music video

Monáe released the video on March 31, 2010. The music video was directed by director Wendy Morgan. In the music video she portrays an inpatient that possesses the power to walk through walls and later she catches the "crazy/dancing feet" with her friends. Monáe talked about the video, saying, "'Tightrope' takes place at the Palace of the Dogs. A lot of the greats were admitted into this place, like Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix. We wanted to keep it raw and funky—just having it in an insane asylum made it that much cooler to me." The video references experimental filmmaker

Maya Deren Maya Deren (; born Eleonora Derenkovskaya; ; Meshes of the Afternoon''.

Live performances

Monáe performed the song on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'' on May 18, 2010, ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

'' on May 26, ''

Lopez Tonight ''Lopez Tonight'' is an American late-night television talk show that was hosted by the comedian George Lopez. The hour-long program premiered on November 9, 2009, on cable network TBS. Lopez was the first Mexican-American to host a late-ni ...

'' on May 27, ''

Last Call with Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with '' ...

'' on May 28, and on ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'' on September 28. In the UK, the song was the "Single of the Week" on

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(i.e. released as a free download) for 7 days (beginning July 13, 2010) to promote the release of her album, '' The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)''. On June 25, 2011, she performed "Tightrope" along with other songs at

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

Accolades

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

'' named "Tightrope" the eighth best single of 2010 in its year-end list.Staff (December 7, 2010)
Rolling Stone's Best Singles of 2010
''

''. Retrieved 7 December 2010. ''

SPIN Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' ranked the song at #9 on its The 20 Best Songs of 2010, and ''

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, ...

'' placed it at #2 on its The 60 Best Songs of 2010. ''Pitchfork'' ranked it number 10 on its year-end list. ''

Spinner Spinner may refer to: Technology * Spinner (aeronautics), the aerodynamic cone at the hub of an aircraft propeller * Spinner (cell culture), laboratory equipment for cultivating plant or mammalian cells * Spinner (computing), a graphical widget in ...

'' named it #38 on its best songs of 2010. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' named the music video for "Tightrope" #1 on its 50 Best Music Video of 2010. In January 2011, ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

''s

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

annual critics' poll ranked "Tightrope" at number 2 to find the best music of 2010, behind

CeeLo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway-Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green or simply Cee-Lo), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Green came to initial pr ...

's " Forget You". The song was also featured in the

Chevrolet Cruze The Chevrolet Cruze is a compact car produced by General Motors from 2008 through 2023. It was designated as a globally developed, designed, and manufactured four-door compact sedan, complemented by a five-door hatchback body variant from 2011, ...

Canadian commercial to promote the new vehicle and in the American retail chain

Kmart Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...

”Back to School commercial in 2011. It was featured on the unranked list of ''TIMES ALL-TIME 100 Songs.

Track listings

Solo version single *Tightrope (the solo version) Wondamix single *Tightrope (Wondamix) (feat.

and

) Digital remix EP *Tightrope (Robbie Rivera's Juicy mix) *Tightrope (Robbie Rivera's Juicy Big Room dub) *Tightrope (Robbie Rivera's radio mix) *Tightrope (Goodwill & Hook 'N' Sling remix) *Tightrope (Paul Harris vocal remix) *Tightrope (Paul Harris dub) *Tightrope (10 Rapid instrumental) *Tightrope (Wondamix) (feat.

and

) *Tightrope (acapella) (feat. Big Boi)

Cover versions

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sa ...

and

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. His music combined New Orleans blues, jazz, R&B, soul and funk. Active as a session mus ...

recorded the song for Miller's 2012 album ''

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

'' *A cover version of the song was included on British singer

Marcus Collins Marcus Collins (born 15 May 1988) is an English singer who was a finalist on the eighth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2011. He was mentored by Take That frontman Gary Barlow, who continued to work with him on his debut album. The self-titled ...

' 2012 self-titled debut album. *At a 2014 event by ''

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 advertis ...

'', Scottish synthpop band

Chvrches Chvrches (stylised CHVRCHΞS and pronounced "Churches") are a Scottish synth-pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriv ...

performed a cover of the song. *

Majesty Rose Majesty Rochelle York (born February 29, 1992), better known as Majesty Rose, is an American singer and songwriter. After placing ninth place on the thirteenth season of ''American Idol'', she released the EP, ''Bloom'', in 2016, and the standa ...

performed this song during the top 13 week on season 13 of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

''. *This song was also covered in the ''

Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...

'' final season second episode "

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada. United St ...

" by The Warblers and new character Jane Hayward, played by

Samantha Marie Ware Samantha Marie Ware (born September 3, 1991), also known by her singer stage name Sameya, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Jane Hayward (Glee), Jane Hayward in the Glee (season 6), sixth season of ''Glee (TV se ...

. *Tyanna Jones covered the song on ''

''. *Nadjah Nicole sang in the Blind Auditions from '' The Voice'', turning three chairs and ultimately opting to join Team Blake (Shelton). *On the March 20, 2017, episode of '' The Voice'', Team Alicia (Keys) members Anatalia Villaranda of

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

, and Melissa "Missy" Robertson of

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, performed an arrangement of the song in a Battle round. Although coach

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music, country singer, songwriter and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin (Blake Shelton song), Austin" from his Blake Shelton (album), self ...

preferred Robertson's performance, Keys ultimately agreed with the preference of coaches

Adam Levine Adam Noah Levine ( ; born March 18, 1979) is an American musician who is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and sole continuous member of the pop rock band Maroon 5. Levine began his musical career in 1994 with the band Kara's Flowers, for ...

and

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani Shelton ( ; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani rose to fame as a member and lead vocalist of the band No Doubt, whose hit singles include " Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs", an ...

and named Villaranda the winner of the Battle, advancing her to the Knockout round. Soon after, Robertson was eliminated when Levine, Stefani, and Shelton all opted not to steal her onto any of their teams.

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

Janelle Monáe's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tightrope (Janelle Monae Song) 2010 songs 2010 singles Bad Boy Records singles Big Boi songs Janelle Monáe songs Songs written by Janelle Monáe Songs written by Big Boi