How the Vikings adopted ‘Higher’ by Creed as the anthem of this season

Dane Mizutani, Pioneer Press
·5 min read

The loud speakers blared once the Saints’ Hail Mary pass attempt fell harmlessly to the turf. The song choice was obvious for anybody who has been paying attention.

As the Vikings celebrated their fifth straight win last weekend, defeating New Orleans at home, the power vocals of the rock band Creed echoed throughout U.S. Bank Stadium.

The vibes were immaculate with the late 1990’s smash hit “Higher” serving as the soundtrack of the moment. Then the audio strategically cut out with the song approaching its chorus.

Naturally, a large portion of the 66,933 fans in attendance took over for lead singer Scott Stapp, shouting every word in unison.

Can you take me higher?
To a place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To a place with golden streets

“That was awesome,” Vikings center Garrett Bradbury said. “The whole crowd was singing it.”

How did this happen? How did a 24-year-old song somehow become synonymous with the Vikings?

It started about a month and a half ago when the Vikings played it before a win over the Bears in Chicago. Usually, linebacker Brian Asamoah is the keeper of the aux cord, meaning he’s in charge of getting the Vikings hyped up before they take the field.

“I embrace it,” Asamoah said. “I’ve been the DJ everywhere I’ve gone.”

Though he has a number of curated playlists designed for pregame, Asamoah isn’t too proud to take requests. He knows it comes with the territory of being the DJ in the locker room. Thus, Asamoah obliged when Bradbury asked him to play Creed, even if he had no idea who the rock band was at the time.

“I played it and everybody was turning up,” Asamoah said. “We ran out there and won the game and never looked back.”

The first reference to Creed came from franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins after the Vikings beat the Bears. He went out of his way to mention that “Higher” was playing in the locker room before the game. He joked that it might have made the difference.

“We thought we’d mix up the genre a little bit,” Cousins said. “Get some Creed in there. It was Garrett who made sure it happened. It was well received.”

It picked up some steam the following week as the Vikings played it again before a Monday night win over the 49ers at home. The recognizable guitar chords hit pregame while Cousins was getting his ankles taped, with Bradbury doing some bodywork alongside him to get loose.

“He goes, ‘I’ve got to go enjoy this with the boys.’ ” Cousins said of Bradbury. “He gets up and goes in the locker room.”

The song continued to play while a group of players gathered for their weekly prayer before the game. As they went to turn off the music, veteran safety Harrison Smith offered a counterpoint regarding the song and its chorus.

Can you take me higher?
To a place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To a place with golden streets

“He said, ‘Guys, this is the prayer,’ ” Cousins said with a laugh. “I thought, ‘That’s pretty good.’ ”

Not everybody on the Vikings was privy to the rock band before it organically became a part of this season.

“The only Creed I knew was the boxing movie,” star receiver Justin Jefferson said. “I did not know about no Creed until Kirk started playing it in the locker room.”

It was a similar reaction from journeyman quarterback Josh Dobbs after he arrived from Arizona at the trade deadline He remembers hearing it before the Vikings played the Falcons in Atlanta

“I was in the locker room before the game and somebody’s like, “Turn on Creed!’ ” Dobbs said. “Obviously, it’s a little bit different than the typical locker room pregame.”

He proved to be a quick study. After leading the Vikings to an improbable win that day in Atlanta, Dobbs posted a hilarious video on TikTok to thank the fan base for the warm welcome. The backing track? None other than Creed.

“I had to get up to speed on it all,” Dobbs said. “I’m taking it and running with it.”

So are the Vikings as a whole.

“It’s kind of becoming an anthem,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “It gets us ready to go. It’s funny how that works. All the guys get amped when they hear it.”

It’s only right that Cousins has remained a part of the narrative despite suffering a torn Achilles tendon that will force him to miss the rest of the season. Ask anybody in the locker room and they will immediately credit Cousins with starting the movement. Fittingly, he was spotted at TCO Performance Center this week, wheeling around on his scooter, wearing a shirt with an image of the rock band plastered on the back.

There’s absolutely no doubt the Vikings will blast Creed before they play the Broncos on Sunday night in Denver. They are a perfect 5-0 since “Higher” made its way into the locker room about a month and a half ago. It’s become an unspoken thing at this point.

“It’s every game now,” Asamoah said. “They look at me like, ‘You know what to do.’ ”

He pushes play, and 1 minute, 14 seconds later, the chorus plays.

Can you take me higher?
To a place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To a place with golden streets

“I didn’t even know the words like a month ago when we first started playing it,” left tackle Christian Darrisaw said. “Now I do. We’re embracing it. We know before we all go out there on that field, we’re going to listen to some Creed.”

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