| "Take Me Higher" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyDiana Ross | ||||
| from the album Take Me Higher | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | August 5, 1995 | |||
| Genre | Dance-pop | |||
| Length | 4:13 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Narada Michael Walden | |||
| Diana Ross singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Take Me Higher"onYouTube | ||||
"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.[1] 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.
Larry Flick from Billboard 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."[3] The Daily Vault's Mark Millan called it "a fine dance number that Ross revels in".[4] 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."[5] Pan-European magazine Music & Media remarked that here, "La Ross shifts to a higher gear, the pop dance speed."[6]
A reviewer from Music Week rated it three out of five, describing is as "a slight affair".[7] Music Week editor Alan Jones deemed it "a fairly innocuous affair – pleasant, undemanding and vaguely anthemic in its regular mix".[8] 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'."[9] In an 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."[10] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update declared it as a "soaring anxious wailer".[11]
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]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Take Me Higher.[14]
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] | 61 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[16] | 13 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100 Tipparade)[17] | 7 |
| Scotland (OCC)[18] | 35 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[19] | 32 |
| UK Dance (OCC)[20] | 4 |
| USBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[21] | 14 |
| USDance Club Songs (Billboard)[22] | 1 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[23] | 77 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | August 5, 1995 |
|
Motown | [citation needed] |
| United Kingdom | August 21, 1995 |
|
EMI United Kingdom | [24] |
| Japan | October 18, 1995 | CD | EMI | [25] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
