‘Higher Love’ is a 1986 song by English singer Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, Back in the High Life (1986). It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood. The background vocals were performed by Chaka Khan, who also appeared in the music video. ‘Higher Love’ was Winwood's first Billboard Hot 100 number-one song, topping the chart for one week beginning 30 August 1986. ‘Higher Love’ also spent four weeks atop the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and earned two Grammy Awards, for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. It also peaked at number 13 in the United Kingdom, Winwood's highest charting solo entry there, and reached number one in Canada for a week.
Steve Winwood played many of the instruments on Back In The High Life and wrote the music for the songs, but for this and many other songs on the album, Will Jennings wrote the lyrics. Jennings is a very successful songwriter who also collaborated with Winwood on the albums Arc Of A Diver and Talking Back To The Night, and went on to write ‘My Heart Will Go On’ with James Horner for the movie Titanic. Jennings said in an interview: "I was born in East Texas and my mother and father's families were from Arkansas and the generations before were from the Deep South. My father's father was a Methodist preacher, a circuit rider, in Arkansas. My earliest memories are of the music in church and of my aunts and uncles singing the beautiful old hymns. 'Higher Love' is a generation past that, when things were not so much taken for granted, so that one has to plea, 'Bring me a higher love,' and the lines are all trying to explain why there must be higher love. A modern hymn, you might call it."
This was Winwood's first US #1 single, either as a solo artist or with a group. He was 38 when it topped the chart on August 30, 1986, but he had already been making music for more than two decades. As a teenager, his crystalline voice and songwriting talents led the Spencer Davis Group to two hit singles in 1967: ‘Gimme Some Lovin'’ and ‘I'm A Man.’ From there, he veered away from pop with the highly acclaimed groups Traffic and Blind Faith, but honed a more radio-friendly sound with his solo recordings, which started in 1977 with his self-titled album. He got on the airwaves with his singles ‘While You See a Chance’ (1980) and ‘Valerie,’ but ‘Higher Love’ was his breakthrough solo hit. He went to the top again in 1988 with ‘Roll With It.’
The music video for the song was Winwood's first. It uses the shorter single version and was shot in June 1986 by directors Peter Kagan and Paula Greif. Kagan and Greif shot an almost identical video for Duran Duran's ‘Notorious’ in November of that year; coincidentally, both videos were nominated for several awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards though neither won. Chaka Khan appears in the video, as does Nile Rodgers, who plays guitar with the backing band.
Label – Island
Songwriters – Steve Winwood, Will Jennings
Producers – Russ Titelman, Steve Winwood
SONG LYRICS
[Intro][Verse 1: Steve Winwood]
Think about it, there must be higher love
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above
Without it, life is wasted time
Look inside your heart, I'll look inside mine
[Pre-Chorus]
Things look so bad everywhere
In this whole world, what is fair?
We walk blind and we try to see
Falling behind in what could be
[Chorus]
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love, ohoh
Bring me a higher love
Where's that higher love I keep thinking of?
[Verse 2]
Worlds are turning, and we're just hanging on
Facing our fear and standing out there alone
A yearning and it's real to me
There must be someone who's feeling for me
[Pre-Chorus]
Things look so bad everywhere
In this whole world, what is fair?
We walk blind and we try to see
Falling behind in what could be
[Chorus]
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love, ohoh
Bring me a higher love
Where's that higher love I keep thinking of?
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love, ohoh
Bring me a higher love
I could rise above on a higher love
[Bridge 1]
I will wait for it
I'm not too late for it
Until then, I'll sing my song
To cheer the night along
Bring it
[Organ Solo 1]
[Bridge 2]
I could light the night up with my soul on fire
I could make the sun shine from pure desire
Let me feel that love come over me
Let me feel how strong it could be
[Organ Solo 2]
Oh
[Chorus]
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love, ohoh
Bring me a higher love
Where's that higher love I keep thinking of?
[Outro: Chaka Khan & (Steve Winwood)]
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love, ohoh (bring me)
Bring me a higher love, (ohoh)
Bring me a higher love, (ohoh, bring me higher)
Bring me a higher love (Bring it)
Bring me a higher love (Oh, I said bring it)
Bring me a higher love (Awww!)
Bring me a higher love (Oh-oh-oh, bring me higher love)
Bring me a higher love, ohoh (Bring me higher love)
Bring me a higher love (Bring it on, higher love)
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love (oh yes)
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love