Songfacts®:

• "Risin' Above The Need" is a philosophical reflection on addiction and materialism, emphasizing the resilience of the human spirit in overcoming challenges. It encapsulates the journey of battling personal demons and societal pressures, ultimately striving for self-empowerment and transcendence.
• In a 2024 interview with Mojo magazine, The The mainman Matt Johnson was asked whether his own life reflected the addictive tendencies he describes in the song. "It's periodic," he replied candidly. "At the moment, I'm in a very good phase. I'm not drinking, and I'm meditating and exercising, but I know that side of me can rise to the surface quite easily if I let it."
  
  Johnson paused, as if weighing his words, before adding, "So it's pretty autobiographical, some of that. But at the same time, the 'rising above the need' is the positive element of it. I go for long periods without drinking - I stopped for seven years once, and I sometimes do a year. It's really important to me to be able to do that. But there's a side to me that's always there, lurking in the background."
• "Risin' Above The Need" is the eighth track on Ensoulment, The The's seventh album and their first in 25 years. The album charted impressively across multiple countries, peaking at #19 in the UK - the band's best placement since Dusk reached #2 in 1993.
• The song forms part of a double A-side single alongside "Where Do We Go When We Die?," released digitally on November 6, 2024, and as a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl on December 13, 2024. The single holds special significance for Johnson as it features previously unpublished artwork by his late brother, Andrew - also known as Andy Dog - who passed away from brain cancer in 2016. Andy Dog contributed significantly to the visual identity of The The throughout their history.