It was accompanied by a B-side entitled "Crashing Down"; originally recorded by the Nolans in 1982, and written by Benjamin Findon, Robert Puzey and Mike Myers, and produced by Jewels & Store. The Saturdays previously collaborated with Ina Wroldsen for their debut single "If This Is Love", as well as on six other tracks chosen for the album. Future singles including Ego, also came from collaboration with Ina Wroldsen and Rhys Barker. The song is upbeat and, has prominent pop and electropop genre characteristics. It contains lyrical influences from feelings of feminism and self-confidence in a personal relationship with your lover.
"Up" received mainly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. On 19 October 2008 it debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart with sales of 26,593 in its first week of release. It became the group's second consecutive top ten hit in the United Kingdom and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry. It was The Saturdays' best-selling single at that time, with sales of over 311,000 copies in the United Kingdom alone. The single became the group's first chart hit in Ireland where it peaked at number eleven, it also reached number 15 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart.
"Up" was accompanied by a music video that was directed by Harvey B. Brown and released on 2 September 2008. The video features the group performing dance routines in their signature-coloured dress code and jumping from large pillars. The Saturdays performed the song as part of their setlist for their tour, The Work Tour. It was also performed by the group on various television programmes, including: Kids Choice Awards, Sound and Everybody Loves Lil' Chris.
Up
The Saturdays Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to impress you
It's easier just to breathe when I'm not trying so hard to please you
Cause I found my self thinking
About all our issues
Wondering if I love you or am I here because I need you
Get struck straight between the eyes
In this confusion
And now I'm trying to find which way that I should go
So wake on up to the sound of a new day
Looking in the mirror never made you feel okay
And I know you can't, heal me like I need you too
So c'mon love, you know that I want you
And everything looks better when I know that you want me too
And I'm sure I'm free when I'm in love with you
Now I'm back on my feet again
Trying to remember
If there's a way to care for you that doesn't end in my surrender
And I get caught on these loose ends
But they're not the issue
And I get in lots of trouble when the thought that I could stumble makes me run away from you
And I, I see this happen all the time
Get struck straight between the eyes
In this confusion
And now I'm trying to find which way that I should go
So wake on up to the sound of a new day
Looking in the mirror never made you feel okay
And I know you can't, heal me like I need you too
So c'mon love, you know that I want you
And everything looks better when I know that you want me too
And I'm sure I'm free when I'm in love with you
Strange how life feels the way you want it to
Every moment a chance for me to choose you
So wake on up
Wake on up
Wake on up to the sound of a new day
Looking in the mirror never made you feel okay
And I know you can't, heal me like I need you too
So c'mon love, you know that I want you
And everything looks better when I know that you want me too
And I'm sure I'm free when I'm in love with you
So strange how life feels the way you want it to
Every moment a chance for me to choose you
The Saturdays' song "Up" is a powerful ballad about the internal conflict of being in love with someone who may not reciprocate the same level of love. The song expresses the idea of surrendering to love and the fear of getting hurt. The lyrics express a struggle to impress and please someone, which is making the singer's life difficult. They are questioning their feelings toward their partner, wondering if they love them or are with them because they need them. The chorus of the song is an anthem that many people can relate to: "And everything looks better when I know that you want me too, And I'm sure I'm free when I'm in love with you."
The song speaks about how the singer is trying to find a way to care for their partner without losing themselves in the process. However, they still get caught up in their own issues, which causes them to run away from the one they love. There is also an element of self-discovery in the lyrics, as the singer tries to find their own path and figure out which way to go. There is a sense of liberation at the end of the song when they realize that life feels the way they want it to be with their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
I think I've spent my whole life
I've been trying to impress you for so long
Trying to impress you
I've been trying really hard to please you
It's easier just to breathe when I'm not trying so hard to please you
It's easier for me to relax when I'm not constantly trying to please you
Cause I found my self thinking
I've been questioning my feelings
About all our issues
About all the problems we have
Wondering if I love you or am I here because I need you
I'm not sure if I love you or if I'm just here because I need you
And I, I see this happen all the time
I see this happening a lot
Get struck straight between the eyes
Get hit hard with confusion
In this confusion
I'm feeling really confused
And now I'm trying to find which way that I should go
I'm trying to figure out what to do next
So wake on up to the sound of a new day
Wake up and start fresh
Looking in the mirror never made you feel okay
You're not happy with yourself
And I know you can't, heal me like I need you too
I know you can't fix me
So c'mon love, you know that I want you
I want you to be with me
And everything looks better when I know that you want me too
I feel better when I know you want me too
And I'm sure I'm free when I'm in love with you
I feel free when I'm in love with you
Now I'm back on my feet again
I'm feeling better now
Trying to remember
Trying to recall something
If there's a way to care for you that doesn't end in my surrender
If there's a way I can care for you without giving up everything
And I get caught on these loose ends
I get stuck on these details
But they're not the issue
But they're not what's important
And I get in lots of trouble when the thought that I could stumble makes me run away from you
I tend to run away when I think I might mess up
Strange how life feels the way you want it to
It's strange when things actually work out the way you want them to
Every moment a chance for me to choose you
I have a chance to choose you in every moment
So wake on up
Wake up and start fresh
Wake on up to the sound of a new day
Wake up and start fresh
So strange how life feels the way you want it to
It's strange when things actually work out the way you want them to
Every moment a chance for me to choose you
I have a chance to choose you in every moment
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Samuel Liu
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ED-eh9dm
I never realised how under rated the Saturdays were🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
@Daisy-ic7gr
IKR❤️
@latrolettteeeeeee
BITCH THEY SOLD MILLIONS OF RECORDS. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT ?
@Daisy-ic7gr
They never got the appreciation I think they deserved for their amazing songs like this. Truly amazing❤️
@keithmarshall45
👍
@autumn-georgiamoore1275
10 years later and I'm still in love with it
@Daisy-ic7gr
Same❤️
@stephthestar90
Same! It reminds me of my first year at university. I now work in that same university
@neonflairone293
the way this song is musically and lyrically brilliant and is very much overlooked and underrated. I’m fascinated. rediscovering it after almost 15 years.
@Aerboi98
This song STILL slays!!!! Nothing but love for The Saturdays forever!