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Take Me Higher (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other songs of this title, see Take Me Higher (disambiguation).

"Take Me Higher"
Single by Diana Ross
from the album Take Me Higher
B-side
  • "Let Somebody Know"
  • "Too Many Nights"
ReleasedAugust 5, 1995
Genre
Length4:13
LabelMotown
Songwriters
ProducerNarada Michael Walden
Diana Ross singles chronology
"Chain Reaction '93"
(1993) 		"Take Me Higher"
(1995) 		"Gone"
(1995)
Music video
"Take Me Higher" on YouTube

"Take Me Higher" is a song by American singer Diana Ross, released on August 5, 1995, by Motown Records as the first single from her 21st album of the same name (1995). Co-written and produced by Narada Michael Walden featuring additional credits from Mike Mani, it became Ross' fifth number-one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in the US.[4] In Europe, it entered the top forty in Scotland and the UK, but was an even bigger hit on the UK Dance Chart, peaking at number four.

Critical reception

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Larry Flick from Billboard magazine described the song as a "swirling retro disco ditty that inspires a wonderfully loose and playful performance", and complimented its chorus as "instantly infectious and brimming with warm optimism."[2] Gil L. Robertson IV from Cash Box stated that "Lady Ross is in fine form with a confident vocal delivery, while her music backdrop is a throwback to the glory days of disco."[5] The Daily Vault's Mark Millan called it "a fine dance number that Ross revels in".[6] Quincy McCoy from the Gavin Report noted that it "kicks up a happy feeling of nostalgia along with keeping a contemporary feel that brings a smile to your feet."[7] Pan-European magazine Music & Media remarked that here, "La Ross shifts to a higher gear, the pop dance speed."[1]

A reviewer from Music Week rated it three out of five, describing is as "a slight affair".[8] Music Week editor Alan Jones deemed it "a fairly innocuous affair – pleasant, undemanding and vaguely anthemic in its regular mix".[9] Rupert Howe from NME said, "Needless to say Ms Ross' attempts to cut it on a hip-thrusting house track at an age when most women are claiming their bus passes proves to be no 'Chain Reaction'."[3] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update declared it as a "soaring anxious wailer" in his weekly dance column.[10] In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue felt that the singer's vocals "are strong and confident in the verses, but a little weaker in the chorus", adding that "she's joined by backing singers to help lift her higher."[11]

Music video

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The single's accompanying music video featured scenes of Ross in a cocktail dress on stage, while dancers execute a choreography and the band plays the song, intercut with footage of Ross on the beach.[12] It received solid airplay on American television network BET.[13]

Track listings

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  • CD single, UK (1995)
  1. "Take Me Higher" – 4:21
  2. "Let Somebody Know" – 4:57
  3. "Too Many Nights" – 4:36
  • CD maxi, US (1995)
  1. "Take Me Higher" (12-inch mix) – 7:25
  2. "Take Me Higher" (dub mix) – 9:34
  3. "Take Me Higher" (a capella) – 3:44
  4. "Take Me Higher" (LP version) – 4:13
  5. "Take Me Higher" (radio edit) – 4:02
  6. "Take Me Higher" (instrumental) – 4:11

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Take Me Higher.[14]

  • Patti Austin – background vocals
  • Angela Bofill – background vocals
  • Sally Jo Dakota – writing
  • Nikita Germaine – background vocals, writing
  • Allen Gregorie – mix engineering
  • Sandy Griffith – background vocals
  • Kevin Hedge – mixing
  • Tony Lindsay – background vocals
  • Mike Mani – associate production
  • Timmy Regisford – mixing
  • Diana Ross – lead vocals
  • Narada Michael Walden – production, writing

Charts

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Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States August 5, 1995
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Motown [citation needed]
United Kingdom August 21, 1995
  • CD
  • cassette
 EMI United Kingdom [28]
United States September 12, 1995
Motown [29]
Australia October 16, 1995 CD EMI [30]
Japan October 18, 1995 [31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 36. September 9, 1995. p. 6. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Flick, Larry (September 16, 1995). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 47. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Howe, Rupert (August 26, 1995). "Singles". NME. p. 40. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 222.
  5. ^ Robertson IV, Gil L. (September 23, 1995). "Pop Singles: Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 7. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  6. ^ Millan, Mark (August 6, 2010). "Take Me Higher – Diana Ross". The Daily Vault. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  7. ^ McCoy, Quincy (September 1, 1995). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 2070. p. 54. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  8. ^ "Reviews: Singles". Music Week. August 12, 1995. p. 15.
  9. ^ Jones, Alan (August 5, 1995). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 29. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Hamilton, James (September 2, 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 11. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "Review: "Take Me Higher" by Diana Ross (CD, 1995)". Pop Rescue. October 23, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  12. ^ DianaRossVEVO Take Me Higher
  13. ^ "Take Me Higher (1995)". Dianarossproject.wordpress.com. July 29, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Take Me Higher (Media notes). Diana Ross. Motown Records. 1995.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 36. September 9, 1995. p. 9. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  16. ^ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 41. October 14, 1995. p. 29. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  17. ^ "Diana Ross – Take Me Higher" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  18. ^ "Diana Ross – Take Me Higher" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 3/9/1995 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  20. ^ "Diana Ross Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  21. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart on 3/9/1995 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  22. ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  23. ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  24. ^ "Diana Ross Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  25. ^ "Hot Dance Music: Maxi-Singles Sales" (PDF). Billboard. September 23, 1995. p. 33. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  26. ^ "The RM Club Chart of the Year 95" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). December 23, 1995. p. 10. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  27. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Dance Music Club Play Singles". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 51. December 23, 1995. p. YE-42.
  28. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. August 19, 1995. p. 31.
  29. ^ "Selected New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1111. September 8, 1995. pp. 71, 76.
  30. ^ "New Releases – Product Available from : 16/10/95: Singles". The ARIA Report. No. 296. October 15, 1995. p. 20.
  31. ^ "思い出にかわるまで | ダイアナ・ロス" [Until Memories | Diana Ross] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
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