High as a Kite

"High as a Kite"
Single by Weezer
Album	Weezer (The Black Album)
Released	February 21, 2019
Recorded	2018
Length	3:48
Label	Crush Music/Atlantic Records
Writer(s)	Rivers Cuomo/Josh Alexander
Producer(s)	Dave Sitek
Status	officially released
Live debut	March 14, 2019
Weezer singles chronology
"Zombie Bastards" (2018) "High as a Kite" (2019) "Living in L.A." (2019)
Weezer (The Black Album) track listing
"Zombie Bastards" (2) "High as a Kite" (3) "Living in L.A." (4)
This song is part of the "High as a Kite" lineage of songs "When We Were Young" (2012-2013) "My Guitar"[citation needed] (2012-2013) "High as a Kite" (2019)

"High As A Kite" is the third track and third single from The Black Album. It was released on February 21, 2019 alongside "Living in L.A.".

Appearances

• Weezer (The Black Album) (2019)
• Alone XIII: The Pacific Daydream Black Years (2021)

Background

The title "High as a Kite" was previously used in a version of the Black Album song "Living in L.A.", which used the phrase in its original chorus. The current iteration of "High as a Kite" was demoed in February 2018 with the original chorus using the lyrics "high in the sky", with the song being demoed with it's near final lyrics potentially less than 3 days later. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Rivers said that the song was about his mixed feelings with escapism, and that it reminded him of the song "Surf Wax America" in that respect. The song's verse was re-appropriated from "When We Were Young", a song originally intended for Everything Will Be Alright in the End. According to music journalist Scott Heisel, the bass chord progression was changed prior to release.

"High as a Kite" was surprise released alongside "Living in L.A.", on February 21, 2019 and was debuted live on February 26, 2019 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Music video

The music video was directed by Nathan Presley and parodies the children's television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It was released alongside the single on February 21. The title Mister Rivers' Neighborhood was later appropriated for Cuomo's Discord server of the same name.

Lyrics

I think I'm going parasailing
Miles above, it’s so serene
I'm letting go of all the troubles
That I've seen, that I’ve seen
Way up here, no one can touch me
I'm drifting like a lost balloon
I'm out of reach, I won't be coming down
Any time soon, any time soon

I'm high as a kite
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
Flying like a beautiful bird
I’m high as a kite
Don’t you think they'd know what I’m worth?
Why I gotta come down to earth?

I feel no pain, I feel no pleasure
I only want to disappear
So let me play this game for children
And vanish in to the atmosphere

I'm high as a kite
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
Flying like a beautiful bird
I’m high as a kite
Don’t you think they'd know what I’m worth?
Why I gotta come down to earth?

When I'm high
And I'm giving up the nightmare chase, oh woah woah
And all I wanna do is blow my mind, oh woah woah
All I wanna do is blow my mind
I can fly up to the stratosphere
High above the cirrus clouds
Where I am one with the universe

I'm high as a kite
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
Flying like a beautiful bird
I’m high
Don’t you think they'd know what I’m worth?
Why I gotta come down to earth?
When I'm high

I think I'm going parasailing
Miles above, it’s so serene
Letting go of all the troubles
That I've seen, that I’ve seen
Way up here, no one can touch me
Drifting like a lost balloon
I'm out of reach, I won't be coming down
Any time soon, soon

'Cause I'm high as a kite
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
I’m high as a kite
Don’t you think they'd know what I’m worth?
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
When I'm high

I feel no pain, I feel no pleasure
I only want to disappear
So let us play this game for children
Vanishing into thin air

'Cause I'm high as a kite
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
I’m high as a kite
Don’t you think they'd know what I’m worth?
Why I gotta come down to earth?
When I'm high

Counting star beams in the stratosphere
High above the cirrus clouds
Where I am one with the universe

When I'm high as a kite
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
Don't you think they'd know what I'm worth?
I’m high as a kite
Don’t you think they'd know what I’m worth?
Why I gotta come down to earth?
When I'm high
High
When I'm high

Known recordings

about this table

Performer(s)	Title	Filename	Date of recording	Recording location	Length	Appeared on	Notes
For previous demos, see "When We Were Young."
Rivers Cuomo		high_2018_2_25_12_1_29.mp3	February 25, 2018		0:36	Alone XIII: The Pacific Daydream Black Years
Rivers Cuomo	High as a Kite	High As A Kite   1 @85 +5 AZ   13.mp3			1:30	Alone XIII: The Pacific Daydream Black Years
Rivers Cuomo	High as a Kite	High As A Kite    1 @86 +5 AZ    13.mp3			1:51	Alone XIII: The Pacific Daydream Black Years
Rivers Cuomo	High as a Kite	- High As A Kite   2 BBBvsAS @ 104.mp3.mp3
Rivers Cuomo	High as a Kite	High as a Kite AZ    3 second verse @85 +5.mp3			2:22	Alone XIII: The Pacific Daydream Black Years
Rivers Cuomo	High as a Kite	High as a Kite AZ    4 verse chords @86 +5.mp3			2:11	Alone XIII: The Pacific Daydream Black Years
Rivers Cuomo	High as a Kite	High as a Kite AZ    5 vocals @86 +5 25 bars.mp3			1:09	Alone XIII: The Pacific Daydream Black Years
Rivers Cuomo	High as a Kite	High As a Kite with Young verse @87 +5 dictadroid7_2018_5_25_13_42_3.mp3	May 25, 2018		2:58	Alone XIII: The Pacific Daydream Black Years
Rivers Cuomo	High as a Kite	High as a Kite   6 new verse @86 +5.mp3
Rivers Cuomo	High as a Kite	High as a Kite   10 prod @85 +5.mp3
Rivers Cuomo(?)	High as a Kite	High As A Kite Chrs 1.mp3
Rivers Cuomo(?)	High as a Kite	High As A Kite Chrs 2.mp3
Rivers Cuomo(?)	High as a Kite	KITE PRODUCTION REF 1.mp3
Rivers Cuomo(?)	High as a Kite	KITE PRODUCTION REF 2 WITH FUZZIES.mp3
Weezer(?)	High as a Kite	Kite Matty Ref 1 LIM.mp3
Weezer(?)	High as a Kite	Kite Matty Ref 4 LIM.mp3
Weezer(?)	High as a Kite	Kite Matty Ref 8 (fromRef6) LIM.mp3
Weezer(?)	High as a Kite	Kite Matty Ref 11 (newchrd) LIM.mp3
Weezer(?)	High as a Kite	Kite Matty Ref 20 LIM.mp3
Weezer	High as a Kite	HIGH AS A KITE INSTRUMENTAL 102318.mp3	October 23, 2018	United Recording, Los Angeles, CA Federal Prism Studios, Los Angeles, CA			Instrumental
Weezer	High as a Kite		2018	United Recording, Los Angeles, CA Federal Prism Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:48	Weezer (The Black Album)

See also

• List of Weezer songs
• List of Rivers Cuomo songs