Walking on a Thin Line (song)
Encyclopedia
"Walking on a Thin Line" is a song performed by Huey Lewis and the News
, released as the fifth and final single from the album, Sports, in 1984.
soldiers and veterans, and their thoughts as they were in the midst of the war.
In live performances, Lewis would often dedicate the song to the casualties of the war in Vietnam, as well as the veterans. During some live performances, ESPN
personality Chris Berman, who is a fan of the band, has shown up as a surprise guest, singing the song with the band. Berman, who met the band at an ESPN tenth anniversary party, when describing football
highlights on NFL Live
, will sometimes reference the chorus to the song.
said that the song was "annoying", and added that, "wherein Lewis even sings "desperation" just like Men at Work
's Colin Hay
. The tune's a semistomper but is saddled with some repellent lines about a Vietnam serviceman–"I'm the boy next door/The one you find so easy to ignore/Is that what I was fighting for?"–that equate military service with Getting the Girl." Steve Morse of The Boston Globe
thought that it was one of the band's more "serious" songs. Morse also thought that it was an "unusual piece" and that it was a "funky ode to Vietnam veterans". Robert Draper of the Austin Chronicle
said that it showed that Lewis could show "signs of awareness." The Arizona Daily Star
said that the song showed the band's "modest abilities for rockin' out." Robert Christgau
was not a fan of the song, joking, "when are Vietnam Veterans Against the War putting together their compilation album?" Stephanie Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic calls the song one of the songs on the album that has "memorable hooks, driven home with economical precision by a tight bar band, who are given just enough polish to make them sound like superstars."
,, the only single from the album not to reach the top ten on the Billboard charts. The song was a top 20 hit on the Top Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number 16. The single was released in Australia, where it reached number 70.
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
, released as the fifth and final single from the album, Sports, in 1984.
History
The song, which is considered one of the band's more "serious" songs, was written by Andre Pessis and Kevin Wells. The Sacramento Bee thought the song was about a veteran's post-war stress. However, the song is really about Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
soldiers and veterans, and their thoughts as they were in the midst of the war.
In live performances, Lewis would often dedicate the song to the casualties of the war in Vietnam, as well as the veterans. During some live performances, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
personality Chris Berman, who is a fan of the band, has shown up as a surprise guest, singing the song with the band. Berman, who met the band at an ESPN tenth anniversary party, when describing football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
highlights on NFL Live
NFL Live
NFL Live is a National Football League studio show, currently airing Monday through Friday at 4:00 p.m and 12:30 a.m ET on the ESPN cable network. Formerly known as NFL 2Night, the program is the only NFL-related studio program to air during the week...
, will sometimes reference the chorus to the song.
Reception
Reception for the song was very mixed. Christopher Connelly of Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said that the song was "annoying", and added that, "wherein Lewis even sings "desperation" just like Men at Work
Men at Work
Men at Work are an Australian rock band who achieved international success in the 1980s. They are the only Australian artists to have a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United States . They achieved the same distinction of a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United Kingdom...
's Colin Hay
Colin Hay
Colin James Hay is a Scottish-Australian musician, who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist.- Early life and Men at Work :...
. The tune's a semistomper but is saddled with some repellent lines about a Vietnam serviceman–"I'm the boy next door/The one you find so easy to ignore/Is that what I was fighting for?"–that equate military service with Getting the Girl." Steve Morse of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
thought that it was one of the band's more "serious" songs. Morse also thought that it was an "unusual piece" and that it was a "funky ode to Vietnam veterans". Robert Draper of the Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
said that it showed that Lewis could show "signs of awareness." The Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Daily Star
The Arizona Daily Star is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. The paper was purchased by Pulitzer in 1971; Lee Enterprises bought Pulitzer in 2005....
said that the song showed the band's "modest abilities for rockin' out." Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
was not a fan of the song, joking, "when are Vietnam Veterans Against the War putting together their compilation album?" Stephanie Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic calls the song one of the songs on the album that has "memorable hooks, driven home with economical precision by a tight bar band, who are given just enough polish to make them sound like superstars."
Chart performance
In the United States, the song was the last single released from the album, Sports. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
,, the only single from the album not to reach the top ten on the Billboard charts. The song was a top 20 hit on the Top Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number 16. The single was released in Australia, where it reached number 70.
Charts
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 70 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks | 16 |