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The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)

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"The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)"
Single by Heaven 17
from the album Penthouse and Pavement
B-side"Honeymoon in New York"
Released12 February 1982
Length2:55
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh, Glenn Gregory
Producer(s)Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh
Heaven 17 singles chronology
"Penthouse and Pavement"
(1981) 		"The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)"
(1982) 		"Let Me Go"
(1982)

"The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)" is a song by British synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 12 February 1982[1] as the fifth and final single from their debut album, Penthouse and Pavement. It was written by Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory, and produced by Ware and Marsh.

"The Height of the Fighting" was remixed for its release as a single, with more aggressive drums plus brass both missing from the album track. The added horn section was performed by Beggar and Co.[2] The song failed to make a chart appearance in the UK Singles Chart, but did reach the unnumbered 'bubbling under' section for three consecutive weeks, which would have been equivalent to a position between 76 and 100 at a time when the main charts covered the top 75.[3][4][5]

Critical reception

[edit]

Upon its release, Red Starr of Smash Hits considered the single a "pointless rehash of an album track in a truly dreadful cover". They added: "The sooner BEF give up this dead-end synthetic funk and turn their talents back to writing classic stuff like "Dreams of Leaving" and "Radio WXJL" from Travelogue the better."[6] Sunie of Record Mirror noted: "It doesn't quite match the magnificent "Penthouse and Pavement" single but it's pretty fab nonetheless."[7]

In a retrospective review of the album, Dan LeRoy of AllMusic considered the song one of the "standout combinations of witty lyrics and whiplash electro-grooves".[8] Tim O'Neil of PopMatters commented that the song "acts as both a satire of gung-ho militarism and a rallying cry for anti-capitalist insurgency".[9]

Track listing

[edit]
7" single (UK release)
  1. "The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)" - 2:55
  2. "Honeymoon in New York" - 2:12
7" single (European release)
  1. "The Height of the Fighting" - 2:59
  2. "Penthouse and Pavement" - 6:23
7" single (New Zealand release)
  1. "Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)" - 2:55
  2. "He-La-Lu" - 2:58
  3. "Honeymoon in New York" - 2:12
12" single
  1. "Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)" - 2:55
  2. "He-La-Lu" - 2:58
  3. "Honeymoon in New York" - 2:12

Personnel

[edit]

Heaven 17

Additional personnel

  • Nick Patrick - assistant producer, engineer
  • BilBo - mastering

Other

  • Jill Mumford - artwork

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1982) Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 20
UK Top 100 Singles (Record Business)[11] 41

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Simon Hills, ed. (6 February 1982). "News: Heaven 17 get Beggared". Record Mirror. p. 3. ISSN 0144-5804.
  2. ^ Rimmer, Dave (18 February 1982). "Heaven can wait". Smash Hits.
  3. ^ "Chartfile: UK Singles - Bubbling Under". Record Mirror. 27 February 1982. p. 27. ISSN 0144-5804.
  4. ^ "Chartfile: UK Singles - Bubbling Under". Record Mirror. 6 March 1982. p. 27. ISSN 0144-5804.
  5. ^ "Charts: Top UK Singles - Bubbling Under". Record Mirror. 13 March 1982. p. 35. ISSN 0144-5804.
  6. ^ Starr, Red (18 February 1982). "Singles". Smash Hits.
  7. ^ Sunie (13 February 1982). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 9.
  8. ^ Dan LeRoy. "Penthouse and Pavement - Heaven 17 | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  9. ^ "Heaven 17: Penthouse and Pavement". PopMatters. 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  10. ^ "Heaven 17 – The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu!)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Top 100 Singles". Record Business. Vol. 4, no. 49. 8 March 1982. p. 6. ISSN 0144-0691.
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