"Up We Go" is a song recorded by Canadian
electropop artist
Lights
Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision.
Light or Lights may also refer to:
Illumination
* Light bulb
* Traffic light
Arts and entertainment Music
* Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian singer-son ...
for her third studio album, ''
Little Machines'' (2014). Written by Lights in collaboration with songwriter-producer
Tawgs Salter
Thomas "Tawgs" Salter is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer and recording engineer. His extensive body of musical work includes a vast array of artists ranging from Josh Groban, Lights and Lenka to Chantal Kreviazuk, Fefe Dobson, Dear ...
, the song was released July 22, 2014 via LIGHTS Music as the lead single from the album.
In the United States, it was released to
modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
radio through
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
on September 9, 2014.
The song has enjoyed commercial success - it reached number 31 on the ''Billboard''
Canadian Hot 100 and the top ten on multiple airplay formats, and was certified Gold by
Music Canada in January 2015 - and was also met with positive reviews from contemporary music critics, being described as "impossibly catchy."
[
]
Composition
"Up We Go" is a synthpop song that combines Lights' signature electro-influenced pop production style with "lush" guitars. Jeff Benjamin of ''fuse'' described the style as a compromise between the lighter synth
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s of her debut and the grittier electropop territory explored on ''Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
''. Lyrically, the song is an anthem about persevering through difficult times, with the chorus assuring the listener that "''from down this low / It's only up we go''".
Critical reception
The song received mostly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. In his "Song of the Day" spotlight featuring "Up We Go", Jeff Benjamin of ''fuse'' praised Lights for " ixingclever lyrics... with inspiring lyrics about persevering and looking forward to the brighter day" and was also complimentary of the shift in her sound.[ Also praising the lighter musical approach, Greg Moskovitch of '']Music Feeds
''Music Feeds'' is a free bi-weekly digital music and lifestyle magazine ( street press) established in 2008 and based in Sydney, Australia. It is distributed electronically every second Tuesday, with additional material posted on the website ...
'' wrote that " e punchy, synth-pop production provides a soaring and glittering soundbed for Poxleitner’s motivational lyrics, which lead into an anthemic, impossibly catchy chorus." British music blog ''Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for ''NME'', ''The Guardian'', '' Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael Cr ...
'' rated the song 8/10 and felt the song had the potential to elevate Lights's career to the next level: "Canadian electronic pop expert Lights hasn't yet enjoyed the UK success she deserves... which is a shame, because if this excellent first track from her new album 'Little Machines' is anything to go by she's about to scale new heights."
Chart performance
"Up We Go" debuted at number 84 on the ''Billboard'' Canadian Hot 100 for the chart dated August 9, 2014. On the chart dated November 8, 2014, "Up We Go" reached a new peak of number 31, becoming her second highest-charting single yet, behind "Drive My Soul
"Drive My Soul" is the debut single by Canadian singer-songwriter Lights from her debut self-titled EP. It was released as the EP's lead single on March 11, 2008, in Canada and July 24, 2008, in the United States. The song reached number 18 on th ...
", which peaked at number 18. It debuted at number 42 on Canada CHR/Top 40
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
on the chart issued September 13, 2014, as well as number 47 on Canada Hot AC
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
and number 43 on Canada AC
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
the following week. The song has since peaked in the top 10 on the former two, and the top 5 on the latter.
Music video
The official music video for "Up We Go" was directed by Alon Isocianu and premiered on Lights's VEVO
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...
channel on September 3, 2014. The one shot video features the singer in an elevator, with various background events and characters appearing as the doors open to new locations.
Other appearances
The song "Up We Go" also features in the soundtrack and ingame songs of EA's The Sims 4. The song has been remixed to be sung in the Sims language Simlish
Track listings
Digital download
# "Up We Go" - 2:51
Digital download — Borgeous Remix
# "Up We Go" - 4:41
Digital download — Borgeous Remix (UK)
# "Up We Go" - 4:41
# "Up We Go" - 4:41
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from ''Little Machines'' liner notes.
*Lights
Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision.
Light or Lights may also refer to:
Illumination
* Light bulb
* Traffic light
Arts and entertainment Music
* Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian singer-son ...
— vocals, synths, guitar, bass, drum programming, writing
* Drew Pearson — additional synths, guitar, bass, drum programming, production, engineering
* Thomas "Tawgs" Salter — additional synths, guitar, bass, production, writing
* Jason "Human Kebab" Parsons — additional programming
* Maurie Kaufmann — drums
*Adam Weaver — synths
*Spike Stent
Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sh ...
— mixing
*João Carvalho — mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Lights
2014 songs
2014 singles
Lights (musician) songs
Songs written by Tawgs Salter
Warner Records singles
Songs written by Lights (musician)