Song · Steve Winwood
“Higher Love” by Steve Winwood
From the album Back in the High Life (1986)
“Higher Love” by Steve Winwood appears on 16 radio countdowns from 10 stations between 1986 and 2026. It was first released in 1986 on the album Back in the High Life. Its best result is #32 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #90 alternative song of 1986.
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Video from YouTube (SteveWinwoodVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Higher Love" kicked off Back in the High Life, Steve Winwood's fourth solo album, in 1986, and it's the sound of a veteran rediscovering his swagger. Winwood wrote it with Will Jennings and produced it with Russ Titelman, and the track gleams: Nile Rodgers' guitar chops and slinks, David Frank's keyboards pulse, Tom Lord-Alge's mix is pure mid-decade sheen, and Chaka Khan's backing vocals lift the chorus so high that she ended up in the video too.
It gave Winwood his first number one on the Hot 100, sat on top of the Album Rock Tracks chart for four weeks, went to number one in Canada and won two Grammys, Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. At 13 in Britain, it was his biggest solo hit there.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 32 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986 | 90 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 646 | Big 100 | BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2019 | 271 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 | 1025 |
| 2020 | 416 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) | 1025 |
| 2020 | 1211 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2021 | 604 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2021 | 1039 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) | 1043 |
| 2022 | 718 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) | 1043 |
| 2022 | 447 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) | 1025 |
| 2022 | 225 | WMGK | WMGK Philly 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2022 | 305 | 99.1 PLR | 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2023 | 766 | 101.5 WPDH | WPDH Top 1015 (2023) | 1015 |
| 2024 | 945 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) | 1043 |
| 2024 | 474 | WMGK | WMGK Philly 500 (2024) | 500 |
| 2025 | 990 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) | 1043 |
| 2026 | 365 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s | 498 |
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