Higher (Creed song)

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"Higher"
Creed Higher Single.jpg
Single by Creed
from the album Human Clay
ReleasedAugust 24, 1999 (1999-08-24)
Recorded1999
Genre
Length
  • 5:16 (album version)
  • 4:44 (radio edit)
LabelWind-up
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Kurzweg
Creed singles chronology
"One"
(1998) 		"Higher"
(1999) 		"What If"
(2000)
Music video
"Higher" on YouTube

"Higher" is a song by American rock band Creed. It was released on August 24, 1999, as the lead single from their second studio album, Human Clay. The song became the bands breakthrough hit as it was their first song to reach the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at number seven in July of 2000. It spent a total of 57 weeks upon the survey, the longest stay for any Creed song on the Hot 100. "Higher" also became the band's second chart-topping hit on rock radio as it topped both the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, for a then-record of 17 weeks.

Writing and recording[]

According to an interview with Loudwire, in an episode of "Wikipedia: Fact Or Fiction", Mark Tremonti revealed that the song was a culmination of improvising live onstage. During their earliest shows, vocalist Scott Stapp would placate the audience by goading his bandmates to come up with a song live on the spot. Scott was the first to begin playing the drum set piece, with Mark later entering the chord progression associated with the song. After reviewing the tapes of the show, as they had always recorded their performances for later review, they decided that the song was worth working out in the studio.[3]

Lyrics and music[]

Vocalist Scott Stapp and long-time friend Steven Harang wrote the song about the power of lucid dreaming.[4] In another episode of Loudwire's "Wikipedia: Fact Or Fiction?" Stapp stated that the inspiration for the song came from a recurring dream that he had. In the endlessly present nightmare, Stapp would be hunted down and killed by an unknown assailant brandishing a firearm. Once he took up studying lucid dreaming, he was able to escape the gunman, and subsequently wrote the song as a memento towards the dream.[5]

Music video[]

The video begins with the band sitting backstage before heading out to perform the song in front of an audience on stage. The video features slow motion and pause scenes of the band and the crowd along with Stapp hanging in mid-air with his arms out while wearing his signature leather pants. At then end of the video the camera pans back to the band backstage as they are seen once again walking to the stage to perform as they did at the beginning of the video, leaving the viewer to wonder if the original live performance was a dream or not. Director Ramaa Mosley, who also directed the video for "What's This Life For", recalls coming up with the idea after listening to the song with the record label. The first idea she had was of an epic performance that is later questioned to have ever happened. It was the only idea she pitched for the video.[6]

The music video was shot in Orlando, Florida and was a "creative struggle" according to Mosley, as Creed had only a short time to shoot the video before they went on tour in Japan. Over 300 extras were used in the video as members of the audience as well as the people seen with the band backstage. For the pause scenes Mosley had the band and the audience freeze while the camera rotated around them, and also used multiple cameras set up around the band that were then joined together with hovering objects added later in post production. Cables were also used for the scenes where Stapp is hovering over the audience. For the final scene, a 360 degree photography spin technique is used, a relatively new technique at the time, which required an array of cameras and sophisticated software to interpolate the still images into what appears to be one continuous shot of Stapp and the band backstage before heading off to play on stage.[6]

Stapp himself has stated that he is embarrassed by the video and that it has not aged well. During a 2017 interview with GQ, Stapp said in regard to the video that "Sometimes I cringe when I see it. Like, 'What was I thinking? Look at those pants.'"[7]

Release and reception[]

Released as the lead single to the bands sophomore album, Human Clay, "Higher" would prove to be Creed's major breakthrough hit when it peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the issue dated July 22, 2000. It spent a total of 57 weeks upon the survey, which is the longest stay for any Creed song on the Hot 100, and finished on the Hot 100 year end chart for 2000 at number 11. Furthermore, it topped both the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock tallies in the process, which gave the band their fifth consecutive chart-topping hit on rock radio. "Higher" remained in the top spot on the Mainstream Rock chart for a then-record of 17 weeks until it was surpassed by 3 Doors Down's song "Loser". The song would finish at number 4 on both the Mainstream and Modern Rock year end charts for 2000. It also charted in the top five on the Adult Top 40 chart. Internationally the song topped the UK Rock and Metal (OCC) chart for four weeks in early 2000, and also peaked at number two on the Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM) chart.

"Higher" placed at number 95 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" in 2009.[8] It also won the Song of the Year award at the 2000 My VH1 Music Awards.[9]

Appearance in media[]

  • "Higher" appeared in the films The Skulls and 22 Jump Street.[10] The song had also appeared in some of the official trailers for Titan A.E..[11]
  • The book The Ishbane Conspiracy mentions the song.
  • The song was released as downloadable content for the music video game Rock Band 2.
  • In the film Neighbors, the fraternity boys of Delta Psi sang the first sentence from the chorus during the meeting after reciting their version of Sigma Nu's creed.

Higher EP[]

Higher
EP by
Creed
Released1999
GenrePost-grunge
Length20:42
LabelWind-up, Epic
ProducerJohn Kurzweg
Creed chronology
Human Clay
(1999) 		Higher
(1999) 		Weathered
(2001)

All tracks are written by Scott Stapp except "Roadhouse Blues" by Jim Morrison.

No.TitleLength
1."Higher"5:18
2."To Whom It May Concern"5:10
3."Roadhouse Blues" (The Doors cover; live at Woodstock 1999)5:52
4."What's This Life For" (Acoustic version)4:22
Total length:20:42

Charts[]

See also[]

  • List of Billboard Mainstream Rock number-one songs of the 1990s
  • List of Billboard number-one alternative singles of the 1990s

References[]

  1. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  2. ^ "Ranking Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit from Worst to Best". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  3. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h5VvBpxuQc
  4. ^ Edwards, Gavin (September 2000), "Sea of Fire", Spin, archived from the original on September 28, 2007
  5. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNTO2orJs3I
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Wiser, Carl (November 23, 2015). "Ramaa Mosley". www.songfacts.com. Songfacts. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Magary, Drew (April 10, 2017). "The Scott Stapp Resurrection Tour Has Begun". www.gq.com. GQ. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "spreadit.org". Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  9. ^ "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 2000" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 8 no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 43. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  10. ^ Leas, Ryan (June 30, 2014). "The Best Soundtrack Moments Of June 2014: 22 Jump Street, Rectify, The Leftovers, & More". Stereogum. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  11. ^ Mendelson, Scott (February 16, 2016). "Terrific New 'Alice Through The Looking Glass' TV Spot Will Give You Pink Eye". Forbes. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  12. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Creed – Higher". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9986." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Creed – Higher" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Creed – Higher" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  17. ^ "Creed: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  18. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "Creed Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Creed Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Creed Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  22. ^ "Creed Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  23. ^ "Creed Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  24. ^ "RPM 1999 Top 50 Rock Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  25. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Rock Songs of 1999" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 7 no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 35. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  26. ^ "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 1999" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 7 no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 36. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  27. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 2000". Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  28. ^ "Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2000" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 8 no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 48. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  29. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Rock Songs of 2000" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 8 no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 33. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  30. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2000" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 8 no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 54. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  31. ^ "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 2000" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 8 no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 38. Retrieved March 28, 2021.

External links[]

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