Last week Sunday’s God Quote in the form of Pete Townshend’s song “Let My Love Open the Door” got me thinking of other popular songs that have been misinterpreted. Often, this can happen when the artist is singing about love. Maybe the missed message happens because we are so inundated with songs of the boy-lusting-after-girl variety (and vice versa) which use the word “love” to describe what clearly isn’t love. Or even the prevalence of genuine songs of love between lovers. Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that we have one word in English for that emotion that we can feel towards a lover, a child, a friend, a parent, a dog, a parakeet, coffee, chocolate, pizza, or whatever – Love!

I’m quite sure that Steve Winwood, in writing “Higher Love”, was not describing a love for pizza. Take a look at the lyrics to this extremely dance-able and soulful song and you tell me: Lover’s love song or something else entirely?

This tune can be found on Winwood’s classic R&B/pop/rock album from 1986, Back in the High Life.

Higher Love

Think about it, there must be higher love
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above
Without it, life is a 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
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
Bring me a higher love
Where’s that higher love I keep thinking of?

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…Oh 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

Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love
Where’s that higher love I keep thinking of?

Written by Steve Winwood, Will Jennings • Copyright © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

https://youtu.be/5bcSoHoJh0c