"Get Up (A Cowboys Anthem)" is a song by American recording pop artist
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
. It was written by Clarkson and Ryan Williams, and co-written and produced by
Josh Abraham
Josh Abraham is an American record producer, songwriter, and music executive. He has worked with artists including P!nk, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Shakira, Weezer, Linkin Park, Velvet Revolver, Carly Rae Jepsen, Adam Lambert, Alk ...
and Oligee.
It was originally released on August 13, 2012, as a free recording by
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
as part of their Pepsi NFL Anthems, an advertisement campaign with the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
to promote the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
football team. It was re-released on October 2, 2012, by
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
.
Background, composition and release
"Get Up (A Cowboys Anthem)" is a
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
song with a length of 3:46 (3 minutes and 46 seconds) with
synthpop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
influences, which Clarkson developed upon the release of her album ''
Stronger'' (2011) on songs such as "
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson and the title song from her fifth studio album, '' Stronger'' (2011). Originally titled as "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)", the song served as the album's ...
" and "
Dark Side". The song has sampled crowd cheering sounds that can be heard within its dance beats.
Clarkson, a native of
Dallas–Fort Worth,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and a fan of the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
football team, immediately wrote it the very same night she was invited by
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
and the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
. She remarked: "Everyone knows that I am a huge Cowboys fan, and having the chance to be a part of the Pepsi NFL Anthems program and create a custom song for the team and city of Dallas overall was an honor."
She co-wrote it with music producers
Josh Abraham
Josh Abraham is an American record producer, songwriter, and music executive. He has worked with artists including P!nk, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Shakira, Weezer, Linkin Park, Velvet Revolver, Carly Rae Jepsen, Adam Lambert, Alk ...
and Oligee,
whom she had collaborated with previously on songs such as "
Hello
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...
", "Alone", "You Can't Win" and "You Love Me".
Clarkson revealed on an interview with ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' that the
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (sometimes initialized as DCC, and officially nicknamed "America's Sweethearts") are the National Football League cheerleading squad representing the Dallas Cowboys team.
History 1960s
During a game between the C ...
inspired her in the writing sessions; she remarked: "The thing that inspired me the most was everybody knows the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders just as much as the Cowboys. So I wrote the verses from a cheer perspective. The anthem is in the chorus where everybody can sing along and have a good time. I am pretty pumped. I am glad it came to me so quickly. That doesn't really happen that fast, normally."
The song was first released by Pepsi and the NFL on August 14, 2012 as a free digital download until February 2013.
It was re-released on October 2, 2012, by
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
.
Critical reception
"Get Up (A Cowboys Anthem)" was met with positive reviews. Katherine St. Asaph of ''Popdust'' remarked: "It’s pretty straightforward: the gloss-rock of ''
All I Ever Wanted'' or ''
Stronger'', a chorus all about getting up and shouting about it, and
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
references everywhere. It’s like
Usher's "
Scream
Scream may refer to:
*Screaming, a loud vocalization
Amusement rides
* Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany
* Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England
* Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
" if it were about legit screaming, not sexual screaming."
Amy Sciarretto of ''PopCrush'' wrote: "The tune should amp up quarterback
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American sportscaster and former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Eastern Illino ...
enough to complete his passes on the money. When she sings "Only Texas has it all," we believe her."
Bradley Stern of ''MuuMuse'' remarked: "It's essentially the fun-loving companion to "
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson and the title song from her fifth studio album, '' Stronger'' (2011). Originally titled as "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)", the song served as the album's ...
", and maybe a bit of "Alone." If you just ignore all the cringe lyrics about lone stars and Texas and all the crowd noises (close your eyes and imagine that Kelly's in ''
The Wild Wild West
''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels w ...
'' learning to lasso or something), it’s actually an amazing anthem."
Track listing
*Digital download
# "Get Up (A Cowboys Anthem)" – 3:46
Charts
Release history
References
External links
*
{{authority control
2012 songs
Dallas Cowboys
Dance-pop songs
Football songs and chants
Kelly Clarkson songs
PepsiCo advertising campaigns
Songs about Texas
Songs written by Kelly Clarkson
Songs written by Oliver Goldstein
Songs written by Josh Abraham
Sporting songs