High Enough – Damn Yankees | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#3) & Mainstream Rock (#2); 1991
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
For a brief time in the early 1990’s, Damn Yankees was one of rock’s powerhouse groups; an understandable feat given the talents of its members. There was Ted Nugent, who’d cut his chart teeth with the Amboy Dukes’ Journey To The Center Of Your Mind in 1968.
Joining Ted were bassist/vocalist Jack Blades from Night Ranger, guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw from Styx, and drummer Michael Cartellone. When a friend asked Ted what he and Tommy Shaw sounded like together, Detroit native Nugent told him they sounded “like a bunch of Damn Yankees.”
By chance, Ted’s in-process solo album was also called “Damn Yankee,” and so the title became the name. Damn Yankee’s self-titled debut appeared in 1991, and quickly launched Coming Of Age to #1 on the mainstream rock list.
Come Again reached #5, then High Enough peaked at #3 and crossed over to #3 on the pop chart, where – at 29 weeks – it had the longest run of 1991.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Ron Nevison
- Tommy Shephard
Lyrics Written by:
- Tommy Shaw
- Jack Blades
- Ted Nugent
Awards:
- The music video for “High Enough” won the award for Best Group Video at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).