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

"The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)" is a song by British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in 1982 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 (He-La-Hu)"
Single by Heaven 17
from the album Penthouse and Pavement
B-side"Honeymoon in New York"
Released12 February 1982[1]
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" 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 number 41 on the Record Business Top 100 Singles chart.[3] In New Zealand it reached number 20.[4]

Critical reception

Upon 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."[5] Sunie of Record Mirror noted: "It doesn't quite match the magnificent "Penthouse and Pavement" single but it's pretty fab nonetheless."[6]

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".[7] 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".[8]

Track listing
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

Heaven 17

Additional personnel

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

Other

  • Jill Mumford - artwork

Charts
Chart (1982) Peak
position
New Zealand Singles Chart[4] 20

References
  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 Magazine.
  3. "Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Record Business. Vol. 4, no. 49. 8 March 1982. p. 6. Retrieved 21 March 2023 – via World Radio History.
  4. Steffen Hung. "charts.nz - Heaven 17 - The Height Of The Fighting (He-La-Hu!)". Charts.nz. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  5. Starr, Red (18 February 1982). "Singles". Smash Hits.
  6. Sunie (13 February 1982). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 9.
  7. Dan LeRoy. "Penthouse and Pavement - Heaven 17 | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  8. "Heaven 17: Penthouse and Pavement". PopMatters. 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
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