Released 1 March 1991 Recorded January 1991 Length 4:46 | Format CD, 7" Genre Rock | |
"Highwire" is an anti-war song by The Rolling Stones featured on their 1991 live album Flashpoint.
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Highwire" is one of the rare examples of the Stones taking on political issues - in this case, the fall-out from Persian Gulf War. On the song, Jagger said at the time of its release, "It's not about the war. It's about how it started." Richards continued, saying, "This is not about the war. It's about how you build up some shaky dictator. You can't build them up, 'cause then you've got to slam them down."
The song's lyrics deconstructed the build-up to the war, and criticized the politics behind it:
"Highwire" was released as Flashpoint's first single on 1 March 1991. It reached #29 in the UK, #57 in the US, #28 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. An accompanying video directed by Julien Temple was released and depicted the Stones in an industrial set performing the song.