Wonder's single "Fingertips" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963, at the age of 13, making him the youngest artist ever to top the chart. Wonder's critical success was at its peak in the 1970s. His "classic period" began in 1972 with the releases of Music of My Mind and Talking Book, the latter featuring "Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner Clavinet keyboard. His works Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976) all won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, making him the tied-record holder for the most Album of the Year wins, with three. He is also the only artist to have won the award with three consecutive album releases. Wonder began his "commercial period" in the 1980s; he achieved his biggest hits and highest level of fame, had increased album sales, charity participation, high-profile collaborations (including Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson), political impact, and television appearances. Wonder has continued to remain active in music and political causes.
Wonder is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 100 million records worldwide. He has won 25 Grammy Awards (the most by a solo artist) and one Academy Award (Best Original Song, for the 1984 film The Woman in Red). Wonder has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday in the U.S. In 2009, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and in 2014, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, on May 13, 1950, the third of five children born to Lula Mae Hardaway, and the second of Hardaway's two children with Calvin Judkins. He was born six weeks premature which, along with the oxygen-rich atmosphere in the hospital incubator, resulted in retinopathy of prematurity, a condition in which the growth of the eyes is aborted and causes the retinas to detach, so he became blind.
Too High
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do, do, do-do, do, do-do
Do-do, do-do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
Do, do, do, do, do-do, do
Do-do, do-do, do-do
I'm too high
But I ain't touched the sky
I'm too high
I'm too high
But I ain't touched the sky
She's a girl in a dream
She sees a four-eyed cartoon monster on the TV screen
She takes another puff and says, "It's a crazy scene"
That red is green
And she's a tangerine
I'm too high
I'm too high
But I ain't left the ground
I'm too high
I'm too high
I hope I never ever come down
She's the girl in her life
But her world's a superficial paradise
She had a chance to make it big more than once or twice
But no dice
She wasn't very nice
Ooh
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
Do, do, do-do, do, do-do
Do, do, do, do, do, do
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
Do, do, do-do, do, do-do
Do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do
I'm too high
I'm too high
I can't ever touch the sky
I'm too high
I'm so high
I feel like I'm about to die
She's a girl of the past
I guess that I got to her at last
A did you hear the news about the girl today
She passed away
What did her friend say
They said she's too high
Too high
Can't hang around anyway
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
Do, do, do-do, do, do-do
Do, do, do
Do, do, do, do
In this song, Stevie Wonder explores the state of being high through two different perspectives. The first verse describes a woman who is smoking and experiencing a hallucination where colors are distorted and she sees a cartoon monster with four eyes on the TV screen. The second verse chronicles the story of a woman who was given opportunities to succeed but failed due to her unpleasant personality. The chorus "I'm too high, but I ain't touched the sky" suggests that while the characters feel elevated, they are not achieving a higher or transcendent state of being. In the final verse, it is revealed that the girl mentioned in the second verse has apparently passed away due to her drug use, leading her friends to declare that she was "too high" and couldn't handle it.
The song’s simple melody and straightforward lyrics capture the feelings of being high and show how mind-altering substances can make a dreamlike world seem more real than reality. The lyrics are evocative, with phrases like "That red is green and she's a tangerine" creating strange, surrealistic images. It’s a deep commentary on drugs and their consequences, as well as society’s obsession with success, fame, and fortune.
Line by Line Meaning
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
This is just an instrumental part of the song that doesn't carry any lyrics with it. It is the musical interlude.
Do, do, do-do, do, do-do
This is also an instrumental part of the song where the singer just hums along with the music. It does not carry any lyrics.
Do-do, do-do, do, do
This is the similar musical interlude as before with a slight variation in the tune.
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
Yet another instrumental break in the song with the same tune as before.
Do, do, do, do, do-do, do
This is similar to the previous line but with an additional melody added to it.
Do-do, do-do, do-do
The line repeats with the same music and melody as before.
I'm too high
The singer is feeling high because of drugs or some other intoxicating substance, and it is affecting his perception of reality.
I'm too high
The singer repeats the previous line to emphasize that he is indeed feeling too high.
But I ain't touched the sky
Although the singer is feeling high, he has not reached the peak of his highness yet.
I'm too high
The singer continues to repeat the same phrase to convey how high he feels.
I'm too high
The singer repeats the phrase yet again because he wants the listener to know that he can't stress enough how high he feels.
But I ain't touched the sky
The singer repeats this line to remind us that he has not yet lost touch with reality completely and he is still conscious of his surroundings.
She's a girl in a dream
The singer is now referring to a girl who is also high and is experiencing a dream-like state.
She sees a four-eyed cartoon monster on the TV screen
The girl is hallucinating and seeing a monster on the TV screen which has four eyes.
She takes another puff and says, "It's a crazy scene"
The girl continues to smoke more drugs and says that this entire experience is highly surreal and bizarre.
That red is green
The girl is now confusing colors and is claiming that red appears to be green to her.
And she's a tangerine
As a continuation of the previous line, the girl feels like she has transformed into a tangerine because of her high state.
I'm too high
The singer is repeating his earlier refrain because he is still too high.
I'm too high
The singer wants to emphasize that he continues to feel very high.
But I ain't left the ground
Despite feeling high, the singer is not levitating or completely detached from reality.
I'm too high
The singer is still too high.
I'm too high
The singer repeats this line to emphasize that he is feeling very high.
I hope I never ever come down
The singer is not ready to come back to reality yet and wants to stay high for as long as possible.
She's the girl in her life
This time, the singer is referring to the same girl mentioned earlier in the song.
But her world's a superficial paradise
The girl's life is being portrayed as a superficial paradise which may not be as perfect as it seems.
She had a chance to make it big more than once or twice
She was presented with opportunities to succeed but she failed to make the most of them.
But no dice
She attempted to grab the chance, but it didn't work out.
She wasn't very nice
The girl is being portrayed as someone who was not very kind or courteous.
Ooh
This is just another instrumental break in the song without any lyrics.
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
The same tune is being repeated, which serves as another instrumental interlude.
Do, do, do-do, do, do-do
This line is instrumental and does not carry any lyrics.
Do, do, do, do, do, do
Another instrumental interlude in the song with a slightly different tune.
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
This line is a repetition of a previous line, serving as another instrumental interlude.
Do, do, do-do, do, do-do
This is yet another instrumental interlude in the song and does not carry any lyrics.
Do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do
This is the longest instrumental break in the song.
I'm too high
The singer is still feeling high, repeating the same lyrics earlier in the song.
I'm too high
The singer wants to emphasize that he is indeed too high.
I can't ever touch the sky
While he is still high, the singer feels like he will never truly reach the sky or his full potential.
I'm too high
As he continues with his drug-induced state, the singer repeats the same lyrics to express his feelings of highness.
I'm so high
The singer is feeling even higher than before and wants to convey that to the listener.
I feel like I'm about to die
The singer is so high that he feels like he might die and is scared of the intensity of this experience.
She's a girl of the past
The girl is no longer alive and is now part of the singer's past.
I guess I got to her at last
The singer is assuming that he finally had some sort of impact on the girl before her death.
A did you hear the news about the girl today
People are talking about the girl and her death.
She passed away
The girl has died.
What did her friend say
The question was posed to inquire about what the girl's friends might have said regarding her death.
They said she's too high
The girl might have passed away because she was also high, and it might have caused some health complications.
Too high
The repetition emphasizes that the girl's highness might have led to her passing.
Can't hang around anyway
In the end, the girl is not around anymore and has passed away, highlighting the dangers of drug use.
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
The song concludes with another repetition of the instrumental interlude.
Do, do, do-do, do, do-do
This instrumental interlude ends the song with the same tune as before, leaving the listeners to reflect on the lyrics.
Do, do, do, do, do, do
This instrumental interlude leads to the end of the song and the fading of the music.
Do-do, do, do, do, do-do
The song ends with a repetition of the instrumental interlude, perfectly bringing the song to a close.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stevie Wonder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cheryl Rowland Hall
on Isn't She Lovely
Dedicated to my lovely daughter, Amy Kathleen Rawson, the lovely child who helped mom to grow up!