About
Robbie Williams performed High Hopes as part of the 2014 Swings Both Ways Live Tour, presenting the Frank Sinatra song as one of the show’s centrepieces for audience participation and theatrical staging. The number was included exclusively in this tour and was not recorded for Swings Both Ways.
The arrangement was prepared specifically for the tour’s orchestra and rhythm section, retaining the jaunty, big-band character associated with Sinatra’s version. Williams used the song to create a playful, family-friendly moment within the set, emphasising its uplifting swing feel and call-and-response structure.
A defining feature of the tour’s staging was the inclusion of a local children’s choir at each venue. The group joined Williams on stage for High Hopes, delivering the choral refrains and contributing to the loose, celebratory atmosphere of the performance. Their participation varied slightly between dates, reflecting the local casting for each city.
High Hopes served as one of the more theatrical set pieces of the Swings Both Ways Live Tour, illustrating Williams’s interest in blending classic swing repertoire with community involvement and crowd-pleasing stagecraft. With its one-tour lifespan, it stands as a distinctive live-only moment in his swing-era performances.
Lyrics
There's a lot to be learned, so look around
Just what makes that little old ant
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can't
Move a rubber tree plant
But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
So any time you're feeling blue
This is what you do
Just remember that ant
Oops there goes another
Oops there goes another rubber tree
Oops there goes another rubber tree plant
That's it, come on!
When troubles call, and your back's to the wall
There's a lot to be learned (timber!) that wall could fall
Once there was a silly old ram
He thought he'd punch a hole in a dam
No one could make that ram, scram
He kept butting that dam
'cause he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
So any time you're feelin' bad
'stead of looking sad
Just remember that ram
Oops there goes a billion kilowatt
Oops there goes a billion kilowatt
Oops there goes a billion kilowatt dam
'cause he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
All problems just a toy balloon
They'll be bursted soon
They're just bound to go pop
Oops there goes another problem
Oops there goes another problem
Oops there goes another problem kerplop
Credits
-
Vocalist
Robbie Williams -
Songwriter
Sammy Cahn -
Original Artist
Frank Sinatra