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Higher Ground (John Denver album)

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Higher Ground
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 26, 1988 (AUS); September 29, 1988 (US)
GenreCountry, pop
Length41:35
LabelWindstar
ProducerJohn Denver, Roger Nichols
John Denver chronology
One World
(1986)
Higher Ground
(1988)
Earth Songs
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Higher Ground is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Denver. Released in September 1988, it was his first studio album on the Windstar label. It was recorded at Denver's private studio in Snowmass, Colorado, with the exception of "For You" and the didjeridu part in "Sing Australia." These were recorded in Sydney. The album shares its title with Denver's television movie "Higher Ground", which uses the album's title song as its opening theme.

Two charting singles were released from the LP, "For You," a Top 40 hit in Australia, and "Country Girl in Paris," a minor hit in the U.S. The album also includes a cover of Guy Clark's song "Homegrown Tomatoes," a 1981 US Country hit.

Track listing

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All tracks composed by John Denver; except where indicated

Side one

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  1. "Higher Ground" (Denver, Lee Holdridge, Joe Henry)
  2. "Homegrown Tomatoes" (Guy Clark)
  3. "Whispering Jesse"
  4. "Never a Doubt"
  5. "Deal with the Ladies"
  6. "Sing Australia"

Side two

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  1. "A Country Girl in Paris"
  2. "For You"
  3. "All This Joy" (Denver, Glen D. Hardin)
  4. "Falling Leaves (The Refugees)"
  5. "Bread & Roses" (Mimi Fariña, Jim Oppenheim)
  6. "Alaska & Me"

Chart performance

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Album

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Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australian (ARIA Charts)[2] 5
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 49

Singles

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Year Single Peak positions
US Country AUS
[2]
1988 "Country Girl in Paris" 96
"For You" 21

Certification

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[3] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

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  • John Denver – guitar, vocals
  • Daryl Burgess - drums
  • James Burton – guitar
  • Glen Hardin – piano
  • Jim Horn - saxophone, flute, recorder
  • Richard Mellick – piano on "For You"
  • Jerry Scheff – bass
  • Lee Holdridge – string arrangements
  • Danny Wheatman – mandolin, fiddle, harmonica
  • Christy O'Leary – uilleann pipes
  • Arthur Lazenby – banjo
  • Alf Clausen – string arrangements
  • Strings Plus – orchestra
  • Jim McGillveray – percussion
  • Charlie McMahon – didjeridu

References

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  1. ^ Higher Ground at AllMusic
  2. ^ a b "australian-charts.com - John Denver - Higher Ground". australian-charts.com. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  3. ^ "John Denver ARIA chart history, received in December 2024". ARIA. Retrieved December 13, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.