Higher Love by Steve Winwood Lyrics Meaning – Exploring the Ascent for a Deeper Connection
Lyrics
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above
Without it, life is wasted time
Look inside your heart, I’ll look inside mine
Things look so bad everywhere
In this whole world, what is fair?
We walk blind and we try to see
Falling behind in what could be
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love (oh oh)
Bring me a higher love
Where’s that higher love I keep thinking of?
Worlds are turning and we’re just hanging on
Facing our fear and standing out there alone
A yearning, and it’s real to me
There must be someone who’s feeling for me
Things look so bad everywhere
In this whole world, what is fair?
We walk blind and we try to see
Falling behind in what could be
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love (oh oh)
Bring me a higher love
Where’s that higher love I keep thinking of?
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love (oh oh)
Bring be a higher love
I could rise above on a higher love
I will wait for it
I’m not too late for it
Until then, I’ll sing my song
To cheer the night along (bring it)
I could light the night up with my soul on fire
I could make the sun shine from pure desire
Let me feel that love come over me
Let me feel how strong it could be
Oh oh oh
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love (oh oh)
Bring me a higher love
Where’s that higher love I keep thinking of?
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love, oh oh (bring me)
Bring me a higher love (oh oh)
Bring me a higher love (oh oh)
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love (oh oh)
I said, bring me
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love (oh oh oh)
Bring me a higher love (whoa whoa whoa)
(Bring me higher love) bring me a higher love, oh oh
(Bring me higher love) bring me a higher love (bring it on)
There’s that love, bring me higher love
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love (I said bring)
Bring me a higher love (oh yeah)
Bring me higher love
Bring me a higher love (higher, high, higher)
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Amidst the cacophony of 80s pop and rock, Steve Winwood carved out a niche where solemnity and aspiration could harmoniously coexist with upbeat rhythms. His 1986 hit ‘Higher Love’ beckons listeners on a journey towards something quintessentially human – a yearning for spiritual and emotional elevation. Beyond the glossy production and the synthesized optimism that earmarks the era, ‘Higher Love’ remains an anthem for the soul-searchers and the meaning-makers.
What we uncover when we peel back the layers of this carefully crafted song is more than just a chart-topping tune; it is a philosophical inquiry set to a driving beat. ‘Higher Love’ asks its audience to consider a love that transcends, to embrace a quest not so much for a perfect relationship, but for a form of love that lifts us beyond the mundanity of our daily existence.
Ascension Promised in The Power of Rhythm
The infectious beat and the seamless blend of guitar riffs with synthesizers is not just a hallmark of a time period; they act as carriers for the message. In ‘Higher Love’, the vitality of the music promises the ascension that the lyrics implore. Winwood doesn’t just want you to listen to his plea for a higher love – he wants you to feel it in your bones, to be moved by the beat that aligns with the heartbeat of his message.
The attention to the musical arrangement ensures that the optimistic pursuit of a higher love is not lost in preachiness, but instead, is felt as an inherent possibility, a danceable dream that weaves through every crescendo and quietly asserts itself in the quieter verses.
The Cry for Equanimity in a Fractured World
The eighties bore witness to an era of both excess and uncertainty, where social and economic frictions often headlined the evening news. ‘Higher Love’ taps into the zeitgeist, addressing the global craving for fairness and hope. The lyrics pose a rhetorical question about the nature of justice in a ‘whole world’ that appears so ‘bad everywhere’ – a universal appeal that feels as pertinent today as it did decades ago.
Winwood, in this way, acts as a mirror to society’s own questions, channeling the collective confusion and hope into a memorable melody, and transforms it into a soulful call to action.
An Ode to the Ephemeral in ‘Where’s That Higher Love I Keep Thinking of?’
Arguably, the hook of the song is not just a rhetoric but an echo of the human condition’s deepest sentiments. The repeating line ‘Where’s that higher love I keep thinking of’ serves as both a personal meditation and a communal chant. It gives voice to the intangible, the spiritual longing for something more – an antidote to the ennui of modern life.
With its hypnotic repetition, the chorus morphs into a modern mantra, reinforcing a belief in the existence of an elusive, yet all-important, intangible essence. It is an ode to the ephemeral that promises lasting impact.
Surfacing the Subtext – Humanity’s Hidden Quest for Transcendence
Beneath the veneer of synth-pop and the commercial sheen, ‘Higher Love’ harbors a hidden meaning that’s less about romantic love and more about an intrinsic, almost divine connection. It suggests a love that’s not limited to the physical or emotional planes, but one that could elevate human experience to a higher plane of existence.
Winwood, through clever lyrical storytelling, encourages the discovery of this higher love within ourselves. The journey, he implies, starts in the heart, with introspection serving as the guide to uncovering the boundless potential nestled in the stars above.
The Undeniable Power of Memorable Lines
‘I could light the night up with my soul on fire, I could make the sun shine from pure desire.’ These lines do more than just paint a vivid picture; they encapsulate the transformative power that this higher love possesses. The imagery is radiant, suggesting an inner light and passion that’s powerful enough to change the very nature of our environment.
Each melodically rich verse brings with it a sense of defiance against the dark, against the mundane, and the invitation to become keepers of the light – to not just seek but to embody that higher love.
