Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder song)

"Higher Ground"
Cover for the 7" single in Germany.[1]
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Innervisions
B-side"Too High"
ReleasedJuly 1973
RecordedMay 12, 1973
GenreFunk[2][3][4]
Length3:42 (album version)
3:10 (single version)
LabelTamla
Songwriter(s)Stevie Wonder
Producer(s)Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life"
(1973) 		"Higher Ground"
(1973) 		"Living for the City"
(1973)
Official audio
"Higher Ground" on YouTube

"Higher Ground" is a song written by Stevie Wonder which first appeared on his 1973 album Innervisions. The song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the US Hot R&B Singles chart.[5] Wonder wrote and recorded the song in a three-hour burst of creativity in May 1973.[6] The album version of the song contains an extra verse and runs 30 seconds longer than the single version. The unique wah-wah clavinet sound in the song was achieved with a Mu-Tron III envelope filter pedal.[7] The bass line is provided by a Moog synthesizer and using overdubs, 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.

  1. ^ "Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground". 45cat.com.
  2. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time : 24 – Stevie Wonder, 'Innervisons'". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  3. ^ Big Gigantic (September 20, 2016). "The 30 Best Funk Songs Ever". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  4. ^ Bradley, Larry (November 4, 2014). "The 1970s: Stevie Wonder - "Higher Ground". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
  5. ^ Joel Whitburn (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 635.
  6. ^ "Power in the Darkness". Micasamm.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  7. ^ Dregni, Michael (January 11, 2016). "Mike Beigel: Resurrection of the Mu-Tron III". vintageguitar.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.