They are best-known during the late 1960s and early 1970s for popularizing the hits "Up, Up and Away", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "One Less Bell to Answer", "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All", and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", as well as the eponymous 5th Dimension and The Magic Garden LP recordings.
The five original members were Billy Davis, Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, and Ron Townson. They have recorded for several different labels over their long careers. Their first work appeared on the Soul City label, which was started by Imperial Records/United Artists Records recording artist Johnny Rivers. The group would later record for Bell/Arista Records, ABC Records, and Motown Records.
Some of the songwriters popularized by The 5th Dimension later went on to careers of their own, especially Ashford & Simpson, who wrote "California Soul". The group is also notable for having more success with the songs of Laura Nyro than Nyro did herself, particularly in the cases of "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", and "Save the Country" The group also covered music by well known songwriters such as the song "One Less Bell to Answer", written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. And perhaps best of all, they became great interpreters of the songs and music of Jimmy Webb, who penned their original mega-hit "Up, Up, and Away", including an entire recording of memorable Webb songs called The Magic Garden.
Up-Up And Away
The 5th Dimension Lyrics
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Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon
We could float among the stars together, you and I
For we can fly, we can fly
Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon
We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky
For we can fly, we can fly
Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
Suspended under a twilight canopy
We'll search the clouds for a star to guide us
If by some chance you find yourself loving me
We'll find a cloud to hide us
We'll keep the moon beside us
Love is waiting there in my beautiful balloon
Way up in the air in my beautiful balloon
If you'll hold my hand we'll chase your dream across the sky
For we can, fly we can fly
Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
Balloon
Up, up, and away
The lyrics to The 5th Dimension's "Up-Up And Away" tell the story of a couple's romantic journey through the sky in a hot air balloon. The song is evocative of the joy and wonder of being swept off your feet by someone new and experiencing the world from a new perspective.
The use of the balloon as a metaphor for love and adventure is striking. The verses depict a world that looks much nicer and kinder from above, with the suggestion that love can be found when you're up high and free to explore the skies. The chorus is a joyous refrain of the possibilities that come with taking risks and chasing dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.
The final verse of the song is the most romantic, as the singer declares that love is waiting up in the clouds and that they will chase their dreams together, embarking on a journey that is both exhilarating and unpredictable.
Overall, "Up-Up And Away" is a song that celebrates the power of love to lift us up and make us see the world in a whole new light.
Line by Line Meaning
Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon
I am inviting you to join me on an adventure in my amazing hot air balloon.
We could float among the stars together, you and I
We will enjoy a romantic escapade amongst the starry skies as we journey together.
For we can fly, we can fly
Our balloon has the ability to take us off into the sky and we can soar through the air.
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
I am admiring the beauty and extravagance of our hot air balloon.
The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon
Everything looks and feels better while we are up in the air, inside our magnificent hot air balloon.
It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon
Our surroundings look more beautiful and peaceful when we are soaring through the sky in our balloon.
We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky
We will enjoy singing together and cruising through the silver sky on our amazing hot air balloon ride.
Suspended under a twilight canopy
We will be hanging leisurely under the canopy of the sky as nightfall approaches.
We'll search the clouds for a star to guide us
We'll look for a star in the clouds that can help us navigate and guide us on our journey in the sky.
If by some chance you find yourself loving me
In case you happen to develop feelings for me while we're on this breathtaking journey, this will be a place where we can express and explore our love.
We'll find a cloud to hide us
We will find a secretive spot amongst the clouds where we can be alone and away from prying eyes.
We'll keep the moon beside us
The moon will be our companion and guide as we float through the heavens on our hot air balloon journey.
Love is waiting there in my beautiful balloon
I feel that love is present and waiting for us to discover or experience it while flying in our lovely hot air balloon.
Way up in the air in my beautiful balloon
We will experience love at a higher altitude up in the skies in our gorgeous hot air balloon.
If you'll hold my hand we'll chase your dream across the sky
If you take my hand, we will embark on an adventure to chase, uncover and achieve your dreams within the limitless sky above us.
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
I am repeating my admiration for this incredible hot air balloon and highlighting the joy that it brings to our journey.
Up, up, and away
We're off on our hot air balloon adventure and we're rising higher and higher into the sky.
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jimmy Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@donnakazo7478
My late husband was in Vietnam in 1967 when this song came out, and it meant so much to him, to think about being able to escape the war in a beautiful balloon.
@karlhelm875
this sounds like an airline commercial.
@mikehatalovsky881
@@karlhelm875TWA in the 70s, I believe.
@tanyasimon595
@williamvasquezvasquez9878
Somebody PLEASE invent a time machine and take us all back to the mid to late 60s! Classic 5th Dimension!
@bruce1947
Yes please. Get me out of this hellscape into a better time.
@gregory7113
This song makes me feel lighter than air
@sasskvetch8617
Yep, let's go back to forced conscription to Vietnam, the Cold War, astronomical taxes, rampant racism and sexism, smoking permitted everywhere ๐
@MrKaywyn
Can I come with?
@FoxyChariot
@Bruce lee1947 Yeah y'all aren't minorities I see, I'm good on going back to segregation