Higher Ground (Jennifer Rush song)

"Higher Ground"
Single by Jennifer Rush
from the album Wings of Desire[1]
Released	1989[2]
Format	Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single[3]
Recorded	1989
Genre	Electronic, Pop/Synthpop[3]
Length	4:20[3]
Label	CBS Records[2]
Writer(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)

"Higher Ground" is a song recorded by Jennifer Rush for 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 Canada and France.

Jennifer Rush version

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

European 7" single

1. "Higher Ground" – 4:20
2. "Angel" – 4:39

European 12" single

1. "Higher Ground" (Extended Version) – 6:31
2. "Angel" – 4:39
3. "Higher Ground" (Single Version) – 4:20

UK 7" 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

Chart (1989–90)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8]	30
Germany (Official German Charts)[9]	54
UK Singles Chart[10]	98

Mario Pelchat and Celine Dion version

"Plus haut que moi"
Single by Mario Pelchat and Celine Dion
from the album Pelchat and On ne change pas
Released	1993
Format	Radio single
Genre	Pop
Length	4:18
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Eddy Marnay, Ken Cummings, Mark Blatt
Producer(s)	Aldo Nova, Tino Izzo
Celine Dion singles chronology "When I Fall in Love" (1993) "Plus haut que moi" (1993) "The Power of Love" (1993)

On 4 February 1993, Mario Pelchat released his album titled Pelchat. It included a duet with Celine Dion on "Plus haut que moi," a French-language cover of Jennifer Rush's 1989 song, "Higher Ground." French words were written by Eddy Marnay and the song was produced by Aldo Nova and Tino Izzo.^[11]

Pelchat's album won Félix Awards for Pop Album of the Year in 1993. It was also nominated for the Félix Award for Best Selling Album of the Year and Juno Award for Best Selling Francophone Album in 1994. "Plus haut que moi" was released as a promotional single in Canada in 1993 and in France in 1994. Dion included it on the L'intégrale edition of her greatest hits compilation On ne change pas in 2005.^[12] In 1993, she went on to cover another of Rush's singles, "The Power of Love" for her The Colour of My Love album.

Formats and track listings

Canadian/French promotional CD single

1. "Plus haut que moi" – 4:18

References

1. "Wings Of Desire". Jenniferrush.com.
2. "Higher Ground (master)". Discogs.
3. "Higher Ground". Discogs.
4. 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. "Austriancharts.at – Jennifer Rush – Higher Ground" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
9. "Offiziellecharts.de – Jennifer Rush – Higher Ground". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
10. "The Official Charts Company - Higher Ground (Jennifer Rush song)". The Official Charts Company. 18 January 2015.
11. Pelchat (Media notes). Mario Pelchat. Columbia Records. 4 February 1993.
12. Glatzer, Jenna (2005). Céline Dion: For Keeps. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0-7407-5559-5.