Writers: Steve Winwood and Will Jennings
Producers: Russ Titelman and Steve Winwood
Recorded: Early 1986 in New York and London
Released: July 1986
| Players: | Steve Winwood–vocals, synthesizers David Frank–synthesizer horns Philippe Saisse–synthesizer bass Eddie Martinez–guitar Nile Rodgers–guitar John Robinson–drums Jimmy Bralower–drum machine Carole Steele–congas Andrew Thomas–synthesizer Chaka Khan–backing vocals |
| Album: | Back In The High Life (Island, 1986) |
“Higher Love,” which was Steve Winwood's first Number One single, began as a simple keyboard melody. “I knew that one was pretty good,” Winwood later said.
“Higher Love” reached Number 13 on the U.K. pop chart.
For the song's lyrics, the former members of the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith collaborated with Will Jennings, who had also worked with Winwood on the 1980 hit “While You See A Chance.” Jennings remembers that Winwood “had demo tracks worked up on the tune” but no title, which the lyricist subsequently provided.
Russ Titelman, who co-produced the Back In The High Life album with Winwood, said the combination of personalities was responsible for making “Higher Love” such a dynamic track. “Both of us were ecstatic after Chaka (Khan) did her fireworks on 'Higher Love,' but the real capper there came when her drummer, John Robinson, sat down and began to add the acoustic drums to the track…John's phenomenal sticking and timbale-style tom-tom playing at the close of 'Higher Love' were so hot we decided to take that portion of the track and move it up to begin the record.' “
In addition to launching Winwood towards a commercial pinnacle in his career, “Higher Love” also helped Winwood snare two Grammy Awards, the coveted record of the year and best male rock vocal performance.
The Back In The High Life album–which found Winwood recording with other musicians after doing mostly one-man projects on its immediate predecessors–has been Winwood's most successful, reaching Number Three on the Billboard 200 and Number Eight in the U.K.
The album has been certified triple platinum.