Born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Havens moved to Greenwich Village in 1961 in time to get in on the folk boom then taking place. Havens had a distinctive style as a folksinger, appearing in such clubs as the Cafe Wha? His guitar set to an open tuning, he would strum while barring chords with his thumb, using it essentially as percussion while singing rhythmically in a gruff voice for a mesmerizing effect. Havens was signed to Douglas Records in 1965 and recorded two albums that gained him a local following. In 1967, the Verve division of MGM Records formed a folk section (Verve Forecast) and signed Havens and other folk-based performers. The result was Havens's third album, Mixed Bag. It wasn't until 1968 and the Something Else Again album, however, that Havens began to hit the charts -- actually, Havens's fourth, third, and second albums charted that year, in that order. In 1969 came the double album Richard P. Havens 1983. Havens' career benefited enormously from his appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and his subsequent featured role in the movie and album made from the concert in 1970. His first album after that exposure, Alarm Clock, made the Top 30 and produced a Top 20 single in "Here Comes the Sun." These recordings were Havens's commercial high-water mark, but by this time he had become an international touring success. By the end of the '70s, he had abandoned recording and turned entirely to live work.
Havens came back to records with a flurry of releases in 1987: a new album, Simple Things; an album of Bob Dylan and Beatles covers; and a compilation. In 1991, Havens signed his first major-label deal in 15 years when he moved to Sony Music and released Now.
On April 22, 2013, Havens died of a heart attack at home in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was 72.
Discography
* A Richie Havens Record (1965)
* Electric Havens (1966)
* Mixed Bag (February 1967)
* Something Else Again (1968)
* Richard P. Havens, 1983 (1969)
* Stonehenge (1970)
* Alarm Clock (1971)
* The Great Blind Degree (1971)
* Richie Havens On Stage (1972)
* Portfolio (1973)
* Mixed Bag II (January 1975)
* The End of the Beginning (1976)
* Mirage (1977)
* Connections (1980)
* Common Ground (1983)
* Simple Things (1987)
* Sings Beatles and Dylan (1987)
* Live at the Cellar Door (1990)
* Now (1991)
* Cuts to the Chase (1994)
* Time (1999)
* Wishing Well (April 2002)
* Grace of the Sun (2004)
Guest appearances
* Please Don't Touch by Steve Hackett (1978)
* Starlight Express Music and Songs from (1987)
* OVO by Peter Gabriel (2000) (Soundtrack to the Millennium Dome Show)
* "Freedom" on The Best of The Jammy's Volume One w/ The Mutaytor
* "The Long Road" (Duet with Cliff Eberhardt) on Cliff's 1990 album "The Long Road")
Tightrope
Richie Havens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One side's ice and one is fire
It's a circus game
With you and me
I'm up on the tightrope
One side's hate and one is hope
But the top hat on my head
And the wire seems to be
The only place for me
A comedy of errors
And I'm falling
Like a rubber neck giraffe
You look into my past
Well, maybe you're just
Too blind to see
I'm up in the spotlight
Ohh, does it feel right?
Ohh, altitude
Seems to get to me
I'm up on the tight wire
Flanked by life and the funeral pyre
Putting on a show
For you to see
Like a rubber neck giraffe
You look into my past
Well, maybe you're just
Too blind to see
I'm up in the spotlight
Ohh, does it feel right?
Ohh, the altitude
Really gets to get to me
I'm up on the tight wire
Flanked by life and the funeral pyre
Putting on a show
For you to see
The lyrics of Richie Havens's song "Tightrope" paint a vivid picture of someone up on a tightrope, balancing between two opposing forces - ice and fire, hate and hope, life and the funeral pyre. The singer sees the tightrope as the only place for them, as they put on a circus game for the audience to see. Despite the tension and the high stakes, they seem to revel in the spotlight, the altitude adding to the thrill of the performance.
The metaphor of the tightrope can be interpreted in many ways, but one theme that stands out is the struggle to find balance in life. The ice and fire, hate and hope, represent conflicting emotions and forces that we all have to navigate at some point. The circus game can be seen as a representation of life itself, with its ups and downs, its triumphs and failures. The singer's top hat and the spotlight they're in could symbolize the masks we wear and the roles we play, in an attempt to please others or to hide our true selves.
Overall, the lyrics of "Tightrope" are a reflection on the human condition, on the constant struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, to balance conflicting emotions and forces, and to put on a show for others to see.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm up on the tight wire
I'm in a precarious position where any misstep could lead to disastrous results.
One side's ice and one is fire
One side of my situation is extremely dangerous and the other is extremely volatile.
It's a circus game
The situation I'm in is chaotic and unpredictable like a circus act.
With you and me
The situation involves both myself and one other person.
One side's hate and one is hope
One side of my situation is filled with animosity and the other is filled with optimism.
But the top hat on my head
Despite the danger and volatility of my situation, I maintain a facade of elegance and confidence.
Is all you see
Others are only able to see the surface level appearance of my situation, not the danger that lies beneath.
And the wire seems to be
Regardless of the danger, the tightrope is the only option available to me.
The only place for me
There are no safety nets or alternate paths for me to take; I must walk the tightrope.
A comedy of errors
My situation is laughable in its absurdity and irony.
And I'm falling
Despite my best efforts, I am still failing and falling off the tightrope.
Like a rubber neck giraffe
I am vulnerable and exposed, much like a giraffe craning its neck to survey its surroundings.
You look into my past
You are curious about my background and history.
Well, maybe you're just
It's possible that you are simply
Too blind to see
Not able to understand the true nature of my situation.
I'm up in the spotlight
My situation has put me on display for others to witness and judge.
Ohh, does it feel right?
I am questioning whether it is a good thing to be so exposed and vulnerable.
Ohh, altitude
The height of my situation is taking a physical and emotional toll on me.
Seems to get to me
I am struggling to handle the stress and pressure of my predicament.
Flanked by life and the funeral pyre
I am balancing between my desire to keep living and a seemingly inevitable death.
Putting on a show
I am pretending to be in control and confident while others watch me walk the tightrope.
For you to see
I am putting on this facade to maintain the illusion of control in front of others.
Contributed by Jeremiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Midnight North
So great!
Nathan Parks
Absolutely amazing cover y'all! Gotta love Leon, the Master of Space and Time!!
Rusty Roberts
Fantastic, as usual.
jargin2
Really cool cover
Hans Paap
Is there a place to download this?
amber Nurse
👌👍
JoHo
But, but, but......wait, what was that parade at the beginning?? What were those images? Who were those people? What year was that? WTF?