Album: Innervisions
Year: 1973
. . .
The lead single from what has turned out to be my favorite Stevie Wonder album, Innervisions, is all wrapped up in one of the weirder chapters in Stevie Wonder’s life: it was the last song he recorded before he was involved in an automobile accident that left him in a coma for four days, and apparently what revived him was hearing “Higher Ground.” Naturally, with stories like this, there are differing accounts: one has the rhythm track being played for him; another has it that a guy named Ira Tucker — either his publicist or a gospel singer (maybe both!) — sang it to him.
And while the whole thing might be apocryphal, it’s a believable story, because “Higher Ground” is definitely a song that could revive someone from a coma; a hard-edged piece of funky boogie dominated by a burbling clavinet and Stevie’s philosophical lyrics.
People keep on learnin’
Soldiers keep on warnin’
World keep on turnin’
‘Cause it won’t be too long
Powers keep on lyin’, yeah
While your people keep on dyin’
World keep on turnin’
‘Cause it won’t be too long
Oh, no
As you can imagine, the otherworldly sound of “Higher Ground” jumped out of my AM radio that summer, the first Stevie Wonder song I well and truly loved, and I had pretty much every word of the verses memorized — especially the constant “world . . . keep on turning” — though not so much the choruses, in which Stevie doubled up on the languid phrasing, telling us all about how happy he was to be reincarnated. As you do.
I’m so darn glad he let me try it again
Because my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin
I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then
Going to keep on trying
‘Til I reach my highest ground
One of the sly things about “Higher Ground” is that Stevie never actually sings the phrase “higher ground,” instead opting to let us know that he’s already there and aiming for the very summit, which he then doubles down upon during the outro, where Stevie Wonder the drummer — yup, “Higher Ground” was yet another song that was all Stevie — started to dig himself out of the boogie groove and Stevie Wonder the producer adds handclaps(!) while Stevie Wonder the overdubbed singer starts riffing.
Whooo!
‘Til I reach my highest ground
No one’s going to bring me down
Oh no
‘Til I reach my highest groundDon’t you let nobody bring you down (They’ll sho ’nuff try)
God is gonna show you highest ground
He’s the only friend you’ll have around
‘Cause the rest of the world will bring you down
Interestingly enough, the last half that that last verse isn’t even heard in the song, the as the last thing that’s truly audible at the fade is “God is gonna show you highest ground” and that’s only if you’re really listening. In any event, “Higher Ground” was yet another massive hit for Wonder, even if it failed to top the charts like both of its immediate predecessors, “You Are The Sunshine of My Life” and “Superstition,” it still made it to #4 pop and #1 R&B. That said, I’m not sure that “Higher Ground” is quite as iconic as of some of the other singles of this period; maybe because it was defiled by a plodding metal-ish cover by the dread Red Hot Chili Peppers.
“Higher Ground”
“Higher Ground” live on German TV, 1974
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