500 Miles High
| "500 Miles High" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Chick Corea and Return to Forever | |
| from the album Light as a Feather | |
| Released | 1973 |
| Format | LP record |
| Recorded | October 1972 |
| Studio | IBC Studios, London |
| Genre | Jazz fusion |
| Length | 9:06 |
| Label | Polydor |
| Composer(s) | Chick Corea |
| Lyricist(s) | Neville Potter |
| Producer(s) | Chick Corea |
"500 Miles High" is a jazz fusion song by Chick Corea and Return to Forever. Composed by Corea with lyrics by Neville Potter, it was recorded in 1972 for the group's second album, Light as a Feather, which was released in 1973. Brazilian singer Flora Purim provides the vocal and the piece became her signature song and a jazz standard.
"500 Miles High" is one of three pieces on Light as a Feather which feature vocals by Purim. At over nine minutes in length, it is largely an instrumental and contains three verses. The song opens with a brief electric piano intro by Corea, then Purim sings the opening verse:
Someday you'look into her eyes
Then there'll be no goodbyes
And yesterday will have gone
You'll find yourself in another space
500 miles high
Although the song has sometimes been connected to drug culture, Potter's lyrics express romantic love. After solos by the band members, Purim returns to the verses and concludes with a scat-style coda.
Critic Michael G. Nastos referred to the song as "beautiful", but wrote that it "unfortunately became a hippie drug anthem." He also wrote of the album Light as a Feather that "From a historical perspective, this is the most important effort of Corea's career". Tom Moon wrote of the song's "...ethereal lyrics well matched to the sounds." Hernan M. Campbell wrote that the song is "...overwhelmed with explosive and spontaneous musicianship." He also wrote about the influence of Miles Davis on the band, and how the album Light as a Feather had diverged from the pattern set by other jazz fusion artists who had been similarly influenced. Campbell further wrote that the album as a whole is an "undeniable classic", and that it is "evidence that Return To Forever are, and will always be, recognized as one of the most distinguished acts in their respective genre."
Ron Drotos writes of the rubato style with which the song starts, before shifting to a "medium Latin" tempo: "Rubato playing is an extremely important part of jazz piano playing, particularly when you're accompanying vocalists, yet many pianists don't really learn to do this well. Corea's playing here is a good introduction to the style, but remember that he's able to play fast keyboard fills because vocalist Flora Purim is an accomplished professional and won't get confused by anything he plays."
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Wikipedia