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(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson

Piano chords, voicings & structure breakdown · 19 steps · 3 unique chords · 1960s

IntroStep 1 of 19

D

LeftD2, A2RightA3, D4, F♯4
C4D2A2A3D4F♯4
Left hand Right hand Middle C (C4)

No source cited for this step

Harmonic Analysis & Structure

Overview

Key: D major · Chords used: 3 · Sections: 10

Form: Intro → A Section → B Section → A Section → B Section → C Section → A Section → B Section → Interlude → B Section

Where these chords come from: a chord chart of this song written by a musician and shared on the iReal Pro forums, archived in the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). It's one musician's reading of the song, not a transcription checked against the recording. This page shows that chart as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Intro

  • D – G/D – Em7/D – D
    I – IV⁶₄ – ii⁴₂ – I

A Section 1

  • D – G/D – Em7/D (×2)
    I – IV⁶₄ – ii⁴₂
  • D
    I

B Section 1

  • D – G/D – Em7/D (×2)
    I – IV⁶₄ – ii⁴₂
  • D
    I

A Section 2

Same chords as A Section 1.

B Section 2

Same chords as B Section 1.

C Section

  • D – G/D – Em7/D (×2)
    I – IV⁶₄ – ii⁴₂

A Section 3

Same chords as A Section 1.

B Section 3

Same chords as B Section 1.

Interlude

  • D – G/D – Em7/D (×2)
    I – IV⁶₄ – ii⁴₂
  • D
    I

B Section 4

Same chords as B Section 1.

Chord vocabulary

ChordRoman numeralRoleHeard in
DIHome chord (tonic)Intro, A Section, B Section, C Section, Interlude
G/DIV⁶₄In the keyIntro, A Section, B Section, C Section, Interlude
Em7/Dii⁴₂In the keyIntro, A Section, B Section, C Section, Interlude

Sources & accuracy

  • Chords: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “Higher And Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me)” (credited “Jackie Wilson (Jackson, Miner, Smith)”, style Soul) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts.
  • Section names: from the chart's own markings: section names written on the chart (Intro, Verse, Chorus…) are kept, and rehearsal letters are shown as “A Section”, “B Section” and so on (the B of an AABA song is called the Bridge).
  • Cross-check: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “Higher And Higher” (credited “Wilson Jackie”, style Pop) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 100%).
  • Chord charts are often written in a key that suits a particular singer or band, so this may not be the key of the original recording.
  • The chart's D.S./D.C./coda jumps have been written out in playing order.
  • Verified: two community charts of this song, posted in different forum threads, agree on its harmony. They're still charts, not transcriptions checked against the recording.
  • Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.

Sources & Accuracy

Every chord on this page comes from the community chart listed first below. Piano voicings are our arrangement of the reported chord symbols, not a note-for-note transcription.

  • Chords from a chart a musician wrote and shared on the iReal Pro forums (archived in the ChoCo research dataset); may be in a different key from the recording, and not checked against it.

    Community chord chart “Higher And Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me)” (credited “Jackie Wilson (Jackson, Miner, Smith)”, style Soul) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts.

  • Chords from a chart a musician wrote and shared on the iReal Pro forums (archived in the ChoCo research dataset); may be in a different key from the recording, and not checked against it.

    Community chord chart “Higher And Higher” (credited “Wilson Jackie”, style Pop) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 100%).

All Piano Voicings

#SectionChordLeft handRight handSources
1IntroDD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
2IntroG/DD2B3, D4, G4—
3IntroEm7/DD2B3, D4, E4, G4—
4IntroDD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
5A Section 1, part 1 (×2)DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
6A Section 1, part 1 (×2)G/DD2B3, D4, G4—
7A Section 1, part 1 (×2)Em7/DD2B3, D4, E4, G4—
8A Section 1, part 2DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
9B Section 1, part 1 (×2)DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
10B Section 1, part 1 (×2)G/DD2B3, D4, G4—
11B Section 1, part 1 (×2)Em7/DD2B3, D4, E4, G4—
12B Section 1, part 2DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
13C Section (×2)DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
14C Section (×2)G/DD2B3, D4, G4—
15C Section (×2)Em7/DD2B3, D4, E4, G4—
16Interlude, part 1 (×2)DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
17Interlude, part 1 (×2)G/DD2B3, D4, G4—
18Interlude, part 1 (×2)Em7/DD2B3, D4, E4, G4—
19Interlude, part 2DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—