

Higher - Single
The Naked and Famous
2016
2016
[Intro]
Higher, high, high, high...
[Verse 1]
Like we understood
Made with adrenaline...
Higher
The Naked and Famous
[Intro]
Higher, high, high, high...
[Verse 1]
Like we understood
Made with adrenaline
Seeping out through the skin
Like only lovers could
Here's where we begin
Time is the medicine
To heal these needs that only raise our voices
[Chorus]
Higher, higher
Tonight we raise the dead
Tonight we bury this in fire, fire
Under the shape of years
And the weight that brought us here
[Verse 2]
But we can separate
To form these hearts in stone
Rewrite this pain we own
Caught here in the wake
Nothing but genuine
Built on a skeleton
Of fractured parts
That only raise our voices
[Chorus]
Higher, higher
Tonight we raise the dead
Tonight we bury this in fire, fire
Under the shape of years
And the weight that brought us here
[Bridge]
Better believe the sea of changes
And put these battered bones to rest
Nothing invisible or nameless
Leave no reason to confess (confess)
[Chorus]
Higher, higher
Tonight we raise the dead
Tonight we bury this in fire, fire
Under the shape of years
And the weight...
Higher, higher (Higher, higher, higher)
Tonight we raise the dead
Tonight we bury this in fire, fire
Under the shape of years
And the weight that brought us here
[Outro]
Better believe the sea of changes
And put these battered bones to rest
Nothing invisible or nameless
Leave no reason to confess
And raise our voices
Higher, higher
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Released as the first single from the group's third album Simple Forms, the song is a synth-laden, power charged anthem with a shout-along chorus they have made their trademark.
The band revealed in interviews at the time of its release that the song (along with remainder of the album) was in jeopardy of not being made, due to strain on the band stemming from the breakdown of an eight-year relationship between band co-founders Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers. In the face of the possibility of the band splitting up as a result, they instead channeled their heartbreak and emotions into the music itself. Said Xayalith to Consequence of Sound:
There's pain and passion behind this art. Pop techniques are all about maximum impact. And it's not like this is an album of bangers but it's the most immediate thing we've ever done."
The song's lyrics echo this statement, dealing with such themes as redemption, owning pain and learning from the experience it provides, and using this experience to better yourself and foster a heightened sense of being.