"Tightrope" is a song by Australian rapper, Illy. Written by Mark Landon and Alasdair Murray[1] and produced by the former under his stage name, M-Phazes[2] the song was first released in March 2014 through Illy's record label, ONETWO[3] as the fourth single from Illy's fourth studio album, Cinematic (2013).
| "Tightrope" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Illy featuring Scarlett Stevens | ||||
| from the album Cinematic | ||||
| Released | 21 March 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2013 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:53 (Album version) 3:37 (Single version) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mark Landon, Alasdair Murray | |||
| Producer(s) | M-Phazes | |||
| Illy singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Tightrope" was well received by fans[4] and was also singled out as one of the strongest tracks on Cinematic in Navarone Farrell's review of the album for The AU Review.[5]
Background and release
editWhilst recording material for his fourth studio album, Cinematic (2013), Illy collaborated with a variety of artists including the Hilltop Hoods, Daniel Merriweather and Ahren Stringer of The Amity Afflcition among others. When asked about the album's material Illy responded, "It’s the most ambitious work I’ve done and these are the biggest risks I’ve taken, but I believe they’re the strongest songs I’ve written".[4]
"Tightrope" was eventually released as the follow-up to the album's third single, "Youngbloods" in March 2014.[3] While the album version of the song features guest vocals by Kristina Miltiadou[6][7][8] the single version features vocals by Scarlett Stevens.[3] The album version was released to radio and also used in the song's accompanying music video. When speaking about the single, Illy commented, "Tightrope has been going off on the tour. It’s good to have a single that can also be a track that goes down really well in a live performance".[4]
Music video
editThe song's accompanying music video runs for approximately three minutes and thirty-seven seconds. The video centres on Illy who is seen rowing a boat across a lake. As he continues to do so however, he is followed and subsequently shot at by a woman, causing his boat to sink and sending him into the water.[9]
Track listing
edit- Digital download
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tightrope" | 3:37 |
Chart performance
edit"Tightrope" debuted at number thirty-nine on the Australian ARIA singles chart and after re-entering the chart twice, eventually reached its peak position of number eighteen during its ninth week on the chart, thereby becoming Illy's first top twenty hit and one of his top hits to date.[1] The song was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments in excess of 70,000 copies.
Charts
edit| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[10] | 18 |
| Australian Urban (ARIA)[11] | 3 |
| Australian Artist Singles Chart (ARIA)[12] | 6 |
| Australian Digital Tracks Chart (ARIA)[13] | 19 |
Year-end chart
edit| Chart (2014) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[14] | 69 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[15] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Steffen Hung. "australian-charts.com - Illy feat. Scarlett Stevens - Tightrope". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ "Illy – Tightrope (song)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ a b c "iTunes - Music - Tightrope (feat. Scarlett Stevens) - Single by Illy". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- ^ a b c Mitch Rodd. "Illy's tightrope leads to town". Sunraysia Daily. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Cinematic review". The AU Review. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ Hayes, Joshua (21 January 2014). "Illy". X-press Magazine. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ Kelly, Nic. ""I don't know, is that too deep?" asked Illy as we talked about his new album Cinematic". Project U. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - Cinematic by Illy". iTunes Music Store. Apple. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ VMusic. "Watch Illy's watery demise in new vid for 'Tightrope'". VMusic. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Illy – Tightrope". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
- ^ ARIA. "ARIA Urban Chart". ariacharts.com.au. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ ARIA. "ARIA Australian Artists". ariacharts.com.au. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ ARIA. "ARIA Digital Chart". ariacharts.com.au. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2014". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 August 2022.