Higher Ground (Jennifer Rush song)

"Higher Ground" is a song by American singer Jennifer Rush from her 1989 album, Wings of Desire. It was written by Ken Cummings and Mark Blatt and produced by Phil Ramone. "Higher Ground" was released as the first single from Wings of Desire in December 1989. Later, the song was recorded in French by Mario Pelchat and Celine Dion for Pelchat's 1993 album. This version was released as a promotional single in Quebec.

"Higher Ground"
Single by Jennifer Rush
from the album Wings of Desire[1]
Released1989[2]
Recorded1989
Genre
Length4:20[3]
LabelCBS[2]
Songwriter(s)
  • Ken Cummings
  • Mark Blatt[3]
Producer(s)Phil Ramone[3]
Jennifer Rush singles chronology
"Till I Loved You"
(1989)
"Higher Ground"
(1989)
"Wings of Desire"
(1990)

Background and release

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The song is a panegyric in which Rush praises her partner for loving her and explains that should (s)he ever need assistance, she will be "standing on higher ground" and will look after him.[4]

Released as the first single from Wings of Desire, "Higher Ground" peaked at number 30 in Austria, number 54 in Germany and number 98 in the United Kingdom. To promote the single, a music video was released which features Rush singing and dancing.[5]

Rush performed the song on Peter's Popshow.[6] According to the liner notes of her next album, The Power of Jennifer Rush, she explained that after that performance she slipped off the stage and broke her leg; despite honoring most of her tour dates, this caused a considerable delay in recording The Power of Jennifer Rush, and was the reason that album was issued as a compilation album rather than a studio album.[4] The song also appears on Jennifer Rush: The Hit Box (2002), The Power of Love: The Complete Video Collection (2004), Hit Collection and Stronghold – The Collector's Hit Box.[7]

Formats and track listings

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European 7-inch single
  1. "Higher Ground" – 4:20
  2. "Angel" – 4:39
European 12-inch single
  1. "Higher Ground" (extended version) – 6:31
  2. "Angel" – 4:39
  3. "Higher Ground" (single version) – 4:20
UK 7-inch single
  1. "Higher Ground" (7" version) – 4:20
  2. "The Power of Love" – 4:20
UK CD single
  1. "Higher Ground" (7" version) – 4:20
  2. "Higher Ground" (extended version) – 6:31
  3. "The Power of Love" – 4:20

Charts

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Chart (1989–1990) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 27
UK Singles Chart[9] 98
West Germany (GfK)[10] 54

Mario Pelchat and Celine Dion version

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"Plus haut que moi"
 
Promotional single by Mario Pelchat and Celine Dion
from the album Pelchat
ReleasedSeptember 1993 (1993-09)
GenrePop
Length4:18
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Aldo Nova
Audio video
"Plus haut que moi" on YouTube

In 1993, "Higher Ground" was covered in French by Canadian singers, Mario Pelchat and Celine Dion. It was titled "Plus haut que moi" (meaning "higher than me"), with words written by Eddy Marnay and production handled by Aldo Nova. "Plus haut que moi" was released as a promotional single and reached number six on the airplay chart in Quebec.

Background and release

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Canadian singer Mario Pelchat released his fifth studio album, Pelchat in February 1993. It reached number three on the albums chart in Quebec and was certified 2× platinum in Canada. The album included "Plus haut que moi", a duet with Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released as the third promotional single in Quebec in September 1993.[11] In 1995, the promotional single was also released in France. In 2005, Dion included "Plus haut que moi" on the l'intégrale edition of her greatest hits album, On ne change pas.[12]

Commercial performance

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"Plus haut que moi" entered the airplay chart in Quebec on September 11, 1993.[13] It peaked at number six and stayed on the chart for 19 weeks.[14]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Plus haut que moi"
Chart (1993) Peak
position
Quebec Airplay (ADISQ)[14] 6

References

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  1. ^ "Wings Of Desire". Jenniferrush.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Higher Ground (master)". Discogs.
  3. ^ a b c d "Higher Ground". Discogs.
  4. ^ a b The Power of Jennifer Rush (Media notes). CBS Records. 1991.
  5. ^ "Jennifer Rush - Higher Ground (Official Video)". YouTube.
  6. ^ "Jennifer Rush - Higher Ground - Peters Popshow - 1989". YouTube.
  7. ^ "Higher Ground - Jennifer Rush - Listen, Appearances, Song Review - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  8. ^ "Jennifer Rush – Higher Ground" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  9. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Higher Ground (Jennifer Rush song)". The Official Charts Company. January 18, 2015.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jennifer Rush – Higher Ground" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  11. ^ "Mario Pelchat duo with Celine Dion - Plus haut que moi". Discogs. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  12. ^ "On ne change pas (l'intégrale edition) by Céline Dion". Apple Music. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  13. ^ "Palmarès de la chanson francophone au Québec" (in French). Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Compilation des succès par ordre alphabétique d'interprètes" (PDF) (in French). Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
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