Jacob's Ladder (Huey Lewis and the News song)
Encyclopedia
"Jacob's Ladder" is a 1986 song, written by Bruce Hornsby
and his brother John Hornsby, that was recorded by Huey Lewis and the News
and became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1987.
Set in Birmingham, Alabama
, the song marries the Biblical
image of Jacob's Ladder
to someone who rejects proselytizing
evangelist
s, and is instead struggling to get through life one day at a time:
The song was given by Hornsby to his friend Lewis, and it appeared on the group's September 1986 album Fore!
. It was the third single released from the album, and topped the Billboard Hot 100
chart for a week in March 1987.
A music video was filmed, of the band performing the song in a live concert.
Bruce Hornsby later recorded his own rendition of the song, characteristically a little less pop, to appear on his 1988 album, Scenes from the Southside
. It became part of his concert repertoire as well; a live bluegrass-influenced version (very different from the version on Scenes from the Southside) appears on the 2006 album Intersections (1985–2005), which Hornsby performed with his brother John
.
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby is an American singer, pianist, accordion player, and songwriter. Known for the spontaneity and creativity of his live performances, Hornsby draws frequently from classical, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Motown, rock, blues, and jam band musical traditions with his songwriting and...
and his brother John Hornsby, that was recorded by Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
and became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1987.
Set in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, the song marries the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
image of Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder (Bible)
Jacob's Ladder is a ladder to heaven, described in the Book of Genesis, that the biblical patriarch Jacob dreams about during his flight from his brother Esau.-Source:...
to someone who rejects proselytizing
Proselytism
Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. The word proselytize is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix προσ- and the verb ἔρχομαι in the form of προσήλυτος...
evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
s, and is instead struggling to get through life one day at a time:
- Step by step, one by one, higher and higher
- Step by step, rung by rung, climbing Jacob's ladder.
The song was given by Hornsby to his friend Lewis, and it appeared on the group's September 1986 album Fore!
Fore!
Fore! is the fourth album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released in 1986 . The album hit number one on the Billboard 200 album chart and contained five top-ten Billboard Hot 100 singles, including the number-one hits: "Stuck with You" and "Jacob's Ladder."- Album cover :The wall...
. It was the third single released from the album, and topped the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart for a week in March 1987.
A music video was filmed, of the band performing the song in a live concert.
Bruce Hornsby later recorded his own rendition of the song, characteristically a little less pop, to appear on his 1988 album, Scenes from the Southside
Scenes from the Southside
Scenes from the Southside is the second album by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. The single "The Valley Road" was Hornsby's third Top 10 U.S. hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, and also his first number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart...
. It became part of his concert repertoire as well; a live bluegrass-influenced version (very different from the version on Scenes from the Southside) appears on the 2006 album Intersections (1985–2005), which Hornsby performed with his brother John
John Hornsby
John Hornsby is an American composer, musician and actor. He is a brother of musician and composer Bruce Hornsby, and the two have collaborated often....
.
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Charts | 48 |
| Canadian Singles Charts | 16 |
| German Singles Chart | 65 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 50 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |