"Higher Ground" is a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

song written by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

which first appeared on his 1973 album ''

Innervisions ''Innervisions'' is the sixteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, released on August 3, 1973, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. A landmark recording of Wonder's "classic period", the album has bee ...

''. The song reached number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 1 on the US

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. Wonder wrote and recorded the song in a three-hour burst of creativity in May 1973. The album version of the song contains an extra verse and runs 30 seconds longer than the single version. The unique wah-wah

clavinet The Clavinet is an electrically amplified clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds by a rubber pad striking a point on a tens ...

sound in the song was achieved with a Mu-Tron III envelope filter pedal. The bass line is provided by a

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 201 ...

and using

overdubs Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...

, Wonder played all instruments on the track, including drums and percussion. The song was released in the UK but achieved only modest success, reaching number 29 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top ...

Subject

The song lyrics address the issue of

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

. Wonder commented, when interviewed by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'':

I would like to believe in reincarnation. I would like to believe that there is another life. I think that sometimes your consciousness can happen on this earth a second time around. For me, I wrote "Higher Ground" even before the accident. But something must have been telling me that something was going to happen to make me aware of a lot of things and to get myself together. This is like my second chance for life, to do something or to do more, and to value the fact that I am alive.

According to ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', the lyrics are about "people who are moving ahead in love and in all phases of life."

Critical reception

In its contemporary review, ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said the song "is further evidence of onder'sinner genius." In 2004, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

'' ranked the song number 261 on its list of the

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

, was re-ranked at number 265 in 2010, and re-ranked at number 113 in 2021, adding: "'Higher Ground' was recorded just before Wonder was involved in a near-fatal accident in August 1973 that left him in a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

. Early in Wonder's recovery, his road manager sang the song's melody into the singer's ear; Wonder responded by moving his fingers with the music." According to

Acclaimed Music Acclaimed Music is a website created by Henrik Franzon, a statistician from Stockholm, Sweden in September 2001. Franzon has statistically aggregated hundreds of published lists that rank songs and albums into aggregated rankings by year, decade ...

, it is the 575th most celebrated song in popular music history.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Red Hot Chili Peppers version

The

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer stat ...

band

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, fu ...

released a cover as the first single from their fourth studio album '' Mother's Milk.'' It has been featured in films, TV shows and video games, including '' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie'', ''

Beavis and Butthead ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, a ...

'', '' Center Stage'', ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart t ...

'', '' Walking Tall'', '' The Longest Yard'', '' The Karate Kid'', ''

The Change-Up ''The Change-Up'' is a 2011 American fantasy romantic comedy film produced and directed by David Dobkin and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman as Mitch Planko and Dave Lockwood, two best fri ...

'', ''

Rocksmith ''Rocksmith'' is a music video game produced by Ubisoft, released in October 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms in North America. ''Rocksmith'' was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 during September 2012 in Australian and Euro ...

'' and ''

Guitar Hero Live ''Guitar Hero Live'' is a 2015 Music video game, music rhythm game, rhythm video game developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision. It is the seventh main installment in the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was released ...

''. A remixed version by the

X-Ecutioners The X-Ecutioners are a group of American hip hop DJs/turntablists from New York City, New York. The group formed in 1989 and currently consists of three DJs, including Total Eclipse, DJ Boogie Blind, DJ Precision. Original members of the grou ...

was featured in the video game ''

SSX 3 ''SSX 3'' is a snowboarding video game developed by EA Vancouver and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label. The game was originally released on October 20, 2003, for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. It was later port ...

'' while a cover version appeared in ''

Guitar Hero ''Guitar Hero'' is a series of music rhythm game video games first released in November 2005, in which players use a guitar-shaped game controller to simulate playing primarily lead, bass guitar, and rhythm guitar across numerous songs. P ...

''. FX used the song to promote '' The Ultimate Fighter: Live'' and it also serves as the show's theme song. As part of the "Year of a Million Dreams" Celebration, Space Mountain at Disneyland in Anaheim, California was transformed into Rockin' Space Mountain. The song was used as its soundtrack for 16 weeks, from January 3, 2007, to April 26, 2007. In 2000 British magazine ''

Total Guitar ''Total Guitar'' is a monthly music magazine based in Bath, the United Kingdom, that has been in circulation since 1994. The magazine is owned by Future plc, who publish many other magazines ranging from drums and video games to technology mag ...

'' named it the second greatest cover ever. Red Hot Chili Peppers performed the song with other musicians as part of the all-star jam during the band's induction into the 2012

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, established in 1983 and located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, is dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential musicians, bands, producers, and others that have in some ...

. The music video for this version was directed by Drew Carolan and Bill Stobaugh, and was nominated for Breakthrough Video at the

1990 MTV Video Music Awards The 1990 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 6, 1990, honoring the best music videos from June 2, 1989, to June 1, 1990. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. This year saw the elimination of ...

Track listing

;US Cassette single (1989) #"Higher Ground" #"Nobody Weird Like Me" ;7" single (1989) #"Higher Ground" #" Fight Like a Brave" ;UK CD single #"Higher Ground" #"Higher Ground" (Munchkin Mix) #"Millionaires Against Hunger" #"Mommy Where's Daddy?" ;12" UK promo (1989) #"Higher Ground" #"Higher Ground" (Munchkin Mix) #"Higher Ground" (Bert Bevans Remix) ;12" US promo (1989) #"Higher Ground" (12" Vocal) #"Higher Ground" (Politician Mix) #"Higher Ground" (Dub Mix) ;Australian 7" single (1989) S-2346EMI USA #"Higher Ground" - 3:12 #"Punk Rock Classic" - 1:37 ;UK 7" single (1989) #"Higher Ground" #"Millionaires Against Hunger" ;UK 12" 3D Punch Out Pepper single (1990) #"Higher Ground" #"Higher Ground" (Munchkin Mix) #"Politician" (Mini Rap) #"Higher Ground" (Bert Bevans Mix) ;UK 12" gatefold sleeve pop up single (1990) #"Higher Ground" #"Fight Like a Brave" #"Out in L.A." ;UK 12" limited edition picture disc single (1990) #"Higher Ground" #"Higher Ground" (Daddy-O Mix) #"Fight Like a Brave" ;UK CD Reissue-single (1990) CDMT-88EMI USA #"Higher Ground" (album) - 3:22 #"Fight Like a Brave" (album) - 3:47 #"Behind the Sun" (album) - 4:40 #"Out in L.A." (album) - 1:58 ;France CD promo single (1992) SPCD1608EMI France #"Higher Ground" (Daddy-O Mix) - 5:15 #"Millionaires Against Hunger" - 3:11 #"

Castles A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

" (Live) - 3:17

Personnel

Red Hot Chili Peppers *

Anthony Kiedis Anthony Kiedis ( ; born November 1, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is a founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis and his fellow band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fa ...

– lead vocals *

John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...

– guitar,

talk box A talk box (also spelled talkbox and talk-box) is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the sou ...

, backing vocals *

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, ...

– bass, backing vocals *

Chad Smith Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the h ...

– drums, tambourine Additional personnel * Vicki Calhoun – backing vocals * Wag – backing vocals * Randy Ruff – backing vocals * Aklia Chinn – backing vocals * Jack Sherman – backing vocals * Joel Virgel Viergel – backing vocals * Iris Parker – backing vocals * Julie Ritter – backing vocals * Gretchen Seager – backing vocals * Laure Spinosa – backing vocals * Sir Babs – backing vocals * Merill Ward – backing vocals * Bruno Deron – backing vocals * Kristen Vigard – backing vocals

Chart performance

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higher Ground (Song) 1973 singles 1973 songs 1989 singles Cashbox number-one singles EMI America Records singles Etta James songs Funk songs Motown singles Red Hot Chili Peppers songs Songs written by Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder songs Tamla Records singles Song recordings produced by Stevie Wonder