Rihanna Higher Meaning and Review

A Brief Yet Impactful Interlude

Rihanna’s “Higher,” a standout interlude from her 2016 album ANTI, is one of the most emotionally raw and intimate moments in her discography. Clocking in at just under two minutes, it’s a short song with devastating impact. Over a dusty piano loop and soul-stirring strings, Rihanna’s vocals are strained, slurred, and imperfect. That imperfection is precisely what makes the track so powerful. It feels less like a song and more like a voicemail you weren’t supposed to hear, a confession made through the fog of whiskey and regret.

Late-Night Vulnerability and Honesty

The lyrics capture a moment of late-night vulnerability, where liquor lowers inhibitions and raises buried emotions. Rihanna admits, “I know I could be more creative / And come up with poetic lines,” acknowledging her rawness and lack of filter. But her candid declaration, “I love you is the only thing that's in my mind,” lands with unshakable weight. There’s no polish, no elaborate metaphor, just someone reckoning with feelings too heavy to carry alone.

A Deliberate Vocal Choice

Vocally, Rihanna leans into a rasp and pitchiness that some might consider unrefined, but this is clearly a stylistic choice. Her slightly off-key delivery and breathy warbles sound like someone barely holding it together, matching the lyrical desperation of a woman who wants to rekindle a love she’s scared may be fading. She’s not just singing; she’s unraveling. This makes “Higher” one of her most compelling vocal performances. It’s not technically perfect, but it is emotionally devastating.

Dual Meaning of “Higher”

The song’s title, “Higher,” works on multiple levels. She’s elevated by love, pulled to euphoric heights by passion, yet also “higher” in the sense of being under the influence. Her judgment is clouded, her emotions amplified. The imagery of a “full ashtray” and staying up late to “smoke a J” evokes a certain haze of romanticized self-destruction. She doesn’t want to be this version of herself, but it’s the only one that can bring these truths to the surface.

A Moment of Human Vulnerability on ANTI

In the broader context of ANTI, “Higher” functions as a confessional interlude that breaks the emotional tension built up by the rest of the album’s confident and cold exterior. It's a reminder that even the strongest people, even Rihanna, have moments of weakness, longing, and late-night calls they might regret. Few songs capture heartbreak and intoxication with such raw beauty, and “Higher” stands as one of the most affecting cuts from an already daring and vulnerable album.

Listen to Rihanna Higher 

Rihanna Higher Lyrics Meaning Explained

The meaning of Higher by Rihanna is a raw and intimate exploration of vulnerability fueled by intoxication and longing. The song captures a late-night moment where emotions spill over without restraint, revealing a deep need for connection despite past conflicts and regrets. Rather than polished lyricism or grand declarations, Higher offers an honest, stripped-down confession of love and yearning, conveyed through simple but powerful imagery that reflects both emotional and physical highs. It is a heartfelt portrayal of someone caught between nostalgia for what once was and the painful reality of what remains.

Intoxicated Vulnerability

Rihanna opens the song with "This whiskey got me feelin' pretty," immediately establishing the hazy, inebriated emotional state that drives the rest of the song. Alcohol here acts as a truth serum, loosening her composure and opening the gates for unfiltered emotion. Her follow-up, "So pardon if I'm impolite," serves as a gentle apology in advance for the rawness of her feelings. This is not a polished declaration of love; it's unguarded and desperate. With "I just really need your ass with me," she reveals an aching desire for closeness, both emotional and physical. The bluntness of the line shows how the alcohol has removed any filters or decorum. Then comes "I'm sorry 'bout the other night," which hints at a past conflict. This apology is unusually direct for Rihanna, who rarely shows this level of open regret in her music.

Stripped Down Honesty

"And I know I could be more creative / And come up with poetic lines" is a reflective moment where she acknowledges that her confession lacks lyrical finesse. She’s aware of her artistic capabilities but intentionally sets them aside to speak from the heart. This section also reflects what Glass John, one of the song’s co-writers, explained—that the beauty of this song lies in its honesty, not its intricacy. Rihanna then declares, "But I'm turnt up upstairs and I love you / Is the only thing that's in my mind." This is the emotional core of the song. She’s overwhelmed by feeling and intoxication, unable to express anything beyond a simple, unfiltered truth: she loves this person. There’s no metaphor or cleverness, just emotional urgency.

Emotional High and Longing

The chorus begins with "You take me higher, higher than I've ever been, babe," which can be interpreted both emotionally and physically. Love has elevated her to an unmatched emotional peak, but it’s tangled with the literal high of intoxication. Her request, "Just come over, let's pour a drink, babe," is another plea for comfort and escape through familiarity and shared substance use. The repetition in "I hope I ain't calling you too late, too late" amplifies her self-doubt. "Too late" could refer to the time of night, but more hauntingly, it suggests the fear that it might be too late to salvage their relationship.

Clinging to the Past

"You light my fire / Let's stay up late and smoke a J" portrays a bittersweet desire to relive past intimacy. Lighting a fire is a metaphor for reigniting passion, but it also alludes to danger—something once beautiful could burn out or get out of control. The suggestion to "stay up late and smoke a J" shows that she wants to return to the carefree moments they once shared. Then she admits, "I wanna go back to the old way," a confession of nostalgia and regret. It suggests that things were simpler or happier before. But that hope is quickly dashed as she says, "But I'm drunk instead, with a full ashtray / With a little bit too much to say." These final lines visualize her in solitude, surrounded by the remains of her vices, overwhelmed by emotion and unable to clearly communicate it all.

A Beautiful Breakdown

“Higher” is not about reconciliation or resolution. It’s about capturing a moment suspended in intoxicated grief and longing. Rihanna doesn’t try to make herself look strong or in control. Instead, she leans into her vulnerability, painting a picture of a woman who is both defiant and broken. The song’s raw honesty is what makes it resonate. It’s a late-night voicemail, a blurred memory, and a drunken confession all wrapped into a short, striking ballad. Without elaborate metaphors or big vocal runs, “Higher” stands out as one of the most emotionally naked moments on ANTI, proving that sometimes simplicity cuts the deepest.

Rihanna Higher Lyrics

[Verse]

This whiskey got me feelin' pretty

So pardon if I'm impolite

I just really need your ass with me

I'm sorry 'bout the other night

And I know I could be more creative

And come up with poetic lines

But I'm turnt up upstairs and I love you

Is the only thing that's in my mind

[Chorus]

You take me higher, higher than I've ever been, babe

Just come over, let's pour a drink, babe

I hope I ain't calling you too late, too late

You light my fire

Let's stay up late and smoke a J

I wanna go back to the old way

But I'm drunk instead, with a full ashtray

With a little bit too much to say