"Tightrope" is the opening track to ''

A New World Record ''A New World Record'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released on 15 October 1976, by United Artists Records in the United States and on 19 November 1976, by Jet Records in the United K ...

'' by

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangement ...

(ELO). Recorded in 1976 at Musicland,

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, 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 and American musician, composer and singer-songwriter. He is the only child of George Harrison, lead guitarist of the Beatles, and Olivia Harrison. Dhani debuted as a professional musician ass ...

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 Vi ...

, 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 I20, I 20 or I-20 may refer to: * Interstate 20, a highway in the southeastern United States * I-20 (form), a United States government document that provides supporting information for the issuance of a student visa or change of status * I-20 (rap ...

, 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 Pone, DJ Djel, dancer Blaze, singer Karima, Flex (fetus) ...

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

Sinik Thomas Gérard Idir (; born 26 June 1980), better known by his stage name Sinik (sometimes spelled as S.I.N.I.K.), is a French-language rapper. He is also known as Malsain ("Unhealthy") and L'assassin ("The Murderer"). His father is Algerian wh ...

('Règlement 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 Rhy ...

''), Italian and Dutch synth group Koto ('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 singer, rapper and music producer. He is one of the most famous and successful artists in the Albanian music industry and has gained a large following due to h ...

('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