18. June 2025
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Songs Of My Life: Damn Yankees – High Enough

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

With my post about Don’t stop believin’, I already introduced you to a song which is linked to the musical Rock of Ages. On the day on which I am scheduled to have my hundredth show of the musical, I have to come back to it and share a true Song of my Life with you. Here is my posting about High Enough, originally recorded by the US-American band Damn Yankees.

 

High Enough – The Story of The Song

Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, Ted Nugent and Michael Cartellone – the Damn Yankees are truly what you call a supergroup. The rock musicians collaborated in three periods, from 1989 to 1994, from 1998 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2010. The first collaboration was part of a waves of supergroups, like Bad English or Mr. Big. High Enough has been released as part of the first wave of the band. It was the fourth song on their self-titled debut album, which has been released in 1990, the same year as the single. The song is also the most successful single release by the Damn Yankees. The album was a double platinum record. High Enough itself was a golden record, and peaked third in the Billboard Top 100 and also had Top 30 chart positions in Canada and New Zealand.

The Wikipedia site of the song quotes co-lead vocalist Jack Blades with ‘High Enough’ was about how you love someone so much and you just don’t want to scare them away. And it’s like, do I take the next step?. The music video to High Enough is also rather prominent, featuring a drifter couple who did a series of robberies. The story of the music video is rather dramatic. The Damn Yankees had a couple of single hits in the United States. The most prominent songs are likely Don’t Treat On Me and Mister Please, who both made it on the third spot of the US Mainstream Rock Charts. The only chart-topping song by the supergroup, though, is their very first one, Coming of Age, which is also on the Damn Yankees album. The band also released a second studio album, Don’t Treat, in 1992. It was a golden record in the United States.

 

High Enough – My Story of The Song

To me, the song is especially linked to my favorite music, Rock of Ages. It is used in a scene rather in the middle of a second act. The two main characters, Drew and Sherrie, seemed to have busted their dreams. Sherrie came to Los Angeles from Paola, Kansas, to pursue a career as an actress. Instead, she ended up becoming a stripper (or exotic dancer) in the Venus Club, a strip club / gentlemen’s club in the city. Drew always dreamed of a rock career. After running into a manager, he saw that the rock career does not work. Instead, his manager transformed him into a pop boy band member. Being Joshie J of the Streetboyz is not at all what we feels comfortable with. Finally, even though they fell in love to each other, they just did not turn it into a relationship. Instead, Sherrie even was intimate with rock icon Stacee Jaxx.

In the scene in the second act, the two characters happen to run to each other on the street. After some words of disappointment from both sides, they recognize that there are still positive and romantic feelings for each other. Drew had written a song for Sherrie, while Sherrie confesses that she was in love with Drew (which he did not see before). Even though both struggle with the past, they go separate ways. But they are keeping the other one in mind. At that point comes High Enough, which is a rather long duet just between those two characters (who act separately).

 

My Favorite Song of the Musical

If you would have asked me about my favorite song in Rock of Ages, I would have very likely not replied with High Enough. I would have rather picked the party track, Don’t Stop Believin’ or the rocker I Wanna Rock, maybe. However, the more often I see the show, the more, this song is my highlight. I love it, I enjoy and feel the struggle. It is also a song, which feels to work great, even in amateur productions like the amazing Musical Company in Pinneberg near Hamburg. The song puts a solo spotlight on Drew and Sherrie. It is a very emotional part of the musical – but there are also no jokes. The main characters are in focus.

I saw amazing actors playing this role. Luke Walsh, Sam Turrell, Felix Freund on the male side in the U.K. and German tour. On the Sherrie side, I have to pick Jodie Steele and my dear friend Rihannon Chesterman first. But I also loved Gabriella Williams in Great Britain or Julia Taschler, Kim Unger or Stephanie Löblich in the German tour. Or Hannah Völkl in Pinneberg.

 

A Special Day

Today, I am watching my 100th performance of Rock of Ages. I will think about a lot of people who gave me amazing and unforgettable memories. Not just the ones who played Drew and Sherrie on stage. But also other actors like Vas Constanti and Erin Bell, the actors who I saw most often on stage at a Rock of Ages show. I will think about musicians. And I will think about the RoAdies, especially the community in the United Kingdom. Some of them became friends, with a high level of trust from my side. And I will especially enjoy High Enough in the second act. If a song creates so many emotions and memories, it simply has to be a Song of my Life.

Rock of Ages UK Tour – A Personal Farewell and Thanks

The pictures above have been taken from my Rock of Ages Solingen coverage in 2023, featuring Felix Freund and Julia Taschler. The video above, by the way, also features Twinnie Lee Moore, who is now active as a country artist.

 

High Enough – Spotify and Lyrics

Here is High Enough by Damn Yankees on Spotify:

Here is a Broadway cast recording of the musical version:

The original lyrics to the song can be found here.

 

Songs Of My Life Playlist

I created a playlist with all the Songs Of My Life songs so far. It will be updated with very new episode:

 

Rock of Ages (Musical)

Here are all postings related to the musical Rock of Ages:

 

Songs Of My Life

Here are the postings of the personal Songs Of My Life category:

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