Most High (song)

"Most High" is a song by English rock duo Jimmy Page and Robert Plant from their only studio album, Walking into Clarksdale (1998). The song features a keyboard overdub by Tim Whelan of Transglobal Underground, played in a quarter-tone to mimic Moroccan trance.^[1]

"Most High"
Single by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
from the album Walking into Clarksdale
B-side	"The Window" "Upon a Golden Horse"
Released	30 March 1998 (1998-03-30)
Studio	Abbey Road (London, England)
Genre	Hard rock
Length	5:36
Label	Mercury Atlantic (North America)
Songwriter(s)	Jimmy Page Robert Plant Charlie Jones Michael Lee
Producer(s)	Jimmy Page Robert Plant
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant singles chronology
"Gallows Pole" (1994) "Most High" (1998) "Shining in the Light" (1998)

Release and reception

Issued as a single in the United Kingdom and the United States on 30 March 1998,^[2][3] "Most High" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 88 on the Australian Singles Chart.^[4][5][6] In 1999, the song won Page and Plant the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.^[7]

B-side "The Window" was one of two known original songs from the sessions to not make the album, the other being "Whiskey from the Glass", included as a bonus on some editions of the album.^[8]

Music video

The music video for "Most High" was directed by Italian-Canadian photographer and director Floria Sigismondi.^[9][10] It was included as a bonus feature on the DVD release of No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded. The video, featuring visual references to the religious themes of the song's lyrics, depicts Jimmy Page and Robert Plant as prisoners in a numbered cell block, with other cells holding a series of mutated creatures practicing dark magic.^[11]

Track listings

UK, Australasian, and Japanese CD single^[12][13]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Most High"		4:25
2.	"Upon a Golden Horse"		3:57
3.	"The Window"	Page Plant Jones Lee Phil Andrews	6:05

All tracks are written by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Charlie Jones, and Michael Lee except where noted

UK 7-inch single and European CD single^[14][15]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Most High"		4:25
2.	"The Window"	Page Plant Jones Lee Andrews	6:05

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Walking into Clarksdale album booklet.^[16]

Studio

• Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Abbey Road Studios (London, England)

Personnel

• Jimmy Page – writing, guitar, production
• Robert Plant – writing, vocals, production
• Charlie Jones – writing, bass
• Michael Lee – writing, drums
• Ed Shearmur – string pad, programming
• Tim Whelan – Oriental keyboard
• Steve Albini – recording, mixing
• Paul Hicks – studio assistant

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[6] 88 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] 58 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[18] 8 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[19] 87 Scotland (OCC)[20] 19 UK Singles (OCC)[5] 26 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[4] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[21] 29

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	30 March 1998	7-inch vinyl CD	Mercury	[2]
United States		Radio	Atlantic	[3]
Japan	29 April 1998	CD	Mercury	[22]

References

1. Page, Jimmy (2020). Jimmy Page: The Anthology. Guildford, Surrey, England: Genesis Publications. p. 350. ISBN 978-1-905662-61-6. OCLC 1203144576.
2. Stratton, Sally (16 May 1998). "Page and Plant Adopt Single Minded Approach to Radio". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 20. p. 7. The album's first single, Most High, was released on March 30...
3. Christman, Ed (18 April 1998). "Page, Plant Keep 'Walking'". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 16. p. 85. The label was planning to take ['Most High'] to radio April 6 but went a week earlier...
4. "Jimmy Page Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
5. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
6. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 10 May 1998". ARIA. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2017 – via Imgur. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
7. "41st Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. 28 November 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
8. Thompson, Dave (1 September 2014). Robert Plant: The Voice That Sailed the Zeppelin. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-61713-615-3. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
9. Sigismondi, Floria (1998). Redemption. Michael Mischler, Robert Klanten. Berlin: Die Gestalten Verlag. ISBN 3-931126-18-8. OCLC 40800385.
10. Vecchi, Elena (8 February 2020). "Floria Sigismondi, tra shock e realtà". Metal Hammer (in Italian). Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
11. Page & Plant - Most High, archived from the original on 17 August 2021, retrieved 17 August 2021
12. Most High (UK & Australasian CD single liner notes). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. 568 751-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
13. Most High (Japanese CD single liner notes). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. PHCR-8431.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
14. Most High (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. 568 752-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. Most High (European CD single liner notes). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. 568 750-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
16. Walking into Clarksdale (UK CD album booklet). Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Mercury Records. 1998. 558 025-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
17. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3552." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
18. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3574." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
19. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 17. 25 April 1998. p. 10.
20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
21. "The Year in Music 1998". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. 26 December 1998. p. YE-84.
22. "モスト・ハイ | ジミー・ペイジ" [Most High | Jimmy Page] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.