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"Up, Up and Away" redirects here. For other uses, see Up, up, and away.
"Up, Up and Away"
Song by The 5th Dimension
from the album Up, Up and Away (album)
Released May, 1967
Format Vinyl
Recorded April 1966-March 11, 1967
Language English
Label Soul City
Writer Jimmy Webb
Producer Marc Gordon,
Willie Hutch,
Johnny Rivers,
Rob Santos
Cover versions
You can listen to the song below:
The Fifth Dimension - Up, Up And Away Lyrics
Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon
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
The world's a nicer place in 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.....
Also recorded by Nancy Sinatra, The Johnny Mann Singers, Mrs. Miller, The Impressions and others.
Up, Up and Away (album) track listing
1. "Up, Up and Away" (Jimmy Webb) – 2:45
2. "Another Day, Another Heartache" (Steve Barri, P.F. Sloan) – 2:37
3. "Which Way to Nowhere" (Webb) – 3:08
4. "California My Way" (Willie Hutch) – 2:56
5. "Misty Roses" (Tim Hardin) – 2:46
6. "Go Where You Wanna Go" (John Phillips) – 2:22
7. "Never Gonna Be the Same" (Webb) – 2:26
8. "Pattern People" (Webb) – 3:02
9. "Rosecrans Blvd." (Webb) – 2:54
10. "Learn How to Fly" (Hutch) – 3:01
11. "Poor Side of Town" (Lou Adler, Johnny Rivers) – 3:21
12. "I'll Be Loving You Forever" (W.M. Hutchinson) – 3:11
13. "Train Keep on Movin'" (Hutch) – 2:47
14. "Too Poor to Die" (Marc Gordon, Hutchinson) – 1:53
Up, Up and Away (album) track listing
"Up, Up and Away"
(1) Another Day, Another Heartache
(2)
Background
"Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by The 5th Dimension, that became a major pop hit, reaching #7 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and sold well in Canada. The single peaked at #9 on Billboard's Easy Listening Top 40.
A canonical example of sunshine pop, themed around images of hot air ballooning, it cleaned up at the Grammy Awards of 1968, winning for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Other Pop/Rock&Roll/ Contemporary Awards or Instrumental, and the big prizes of Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Al Casey was the guitarist on this recording, as was fellow "Wrecking Crew" drummer Hal Blaine.
In the United Kingdom, it was the Johnny Mann Singers' cover version that became the Top 10 hit, reaching No. 6 in August 1967. This version hit the US "Bubbling Under The Top 100" survey, as well as the Easy Listening chart.
Diana Ross & The Supremes recorded a version of the song in 1967 for their album Reflections.
The Impressions released their version on their 1968 album We're a Winner.
Mrs. Miller sang a cover version in 1968 on her LP record Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing. She has been known for her renditions of popular songs and singing out of tune.
Another cover version can be found on Kidsongs video and DVD called "Cars, Boats, Trains and Planes".
[edit] Cultural references
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (March 2009)
* The 5th Dimension recording was used in the film Born on the Fourth of July.
* Fred Norris of The Howard Stern Show uses a sitar-only cover of this song when discussing or introducing a guest of South Asian heritage.
* In various forms, this song was used as an advertising jingle by two defunct airlines: Trans World Airlines in the U.S., and Trans Australia Airlines.
* Brian W. Aldiss refers to the song in his short science-fiction story "Near Earth Object".
* Is used in the episode "9 Lives" of the television show Psych.
* This song is used as Alan Harper's ringtone on Two and a Half Men.
* Homer Simpson sings a parody of this song in an episode of The Simpsons where Homer thinks he has won a free motor boat from the Springfield police.
* Lyrics of this song occur in The Prodigy's song, Hotride
* A version of the song is sung by Madge in Series 3 Episode 4 of Benidorm, when Madge is spiked with drugs and joins the Karaoke competition. It ends with her jumping off the stage whilst singing the line "Up Up and Away".
* Dr. Octagon refers to the lyrics in the song "Blue Flowers Revisited" on the album Dr. Octagonecologyst.
About the Group: The 5th Dimension
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the band. For other uses, see Fifth Dimension (disambiguation).
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)
The 5th Dimension
Origin Los Angeles, California
Genres R&B, pop, soul, Sunshine pop
Years active 1966–present
(until 1975 in original incarnation)
Labels Soul City, Imperial, Bell Records, Arista, ABC Records, Motown
Former members
Marilyn McCoo
Billy Davis, Jr.
Florence LaRue
Lamonte McLemore
Ron Townson
See: Membership section for detailed listing
The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire also includes pop, R&B, soul, and jazz.
The 5th Dimension was 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.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Career
* 2 Membership
* 3 Discography
o 3.1 Singles
o 3.2 Albums
o 3.3 DVD
* 4 References
* 5 External links
Career
In the early 1960s, Lamonte McLemore and Marilyn McCoo, a former beauty pageant winner, got together with two other friends from Los Angeles, Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, to form a group called the Hi-Fis. In 1963, they sang at local clubs while taking lessons from a vocal coach. In 1964, they came to the attention of Ray Charles, who took them on tour with him the following year. He produced a single by the group, "Lonesome Mood", a jazz-type song that gained local attention. However, internal disagreements caused Butler and Elston to go their own way, eventually leading to their organizing the Friends of Distinction.
Lamonte sought to form another group and started looking for members to join him and McCoo. One was Florence LaRue, who had received training as a youngster in singing, dancing, and violin, and who also won the talent portion, as McCoo had the year prior, at Miss Bronze California. About the same time she was approached to join the group, Lamonte recruited an old friend of his, Ron Townson, who at age six had started singing in choirs and gospel groups in his hometown of St. Louis. His grandmother fostered his career by arranging for private voice and acting lessons as he grew up. In his teens, he toured with Dorothy Dandridge and Nat King Cole, joined the Wings Over Jordan Gospel Singers for a while, and also played a small part in the film Porgy and Bess. He demonstrated his considerable skill as a classical artist by placing third in the Metropolitan Opera auditions held in St. Louis. After finishing high school, he worked his way through Lincoln University by conducting the school and church choir. After graduating, he organized his own 25-member gospel choir.
Lamonte's cousin, Billy Davis, Jr., started singing in gospel choirs at an early age. He later saved enough money to buy a cocktail lounge in St. Louis, which he used as a base for experimenting with various musical groups. When he was asked to join his cousin's new group, he immediately said yes.
The members began rehearsing in early 1966 and took the name of the Versatiles. They auditioned for Marc Gordon, who headed Motown's Los Angeles office. Although their demo tape was rejected by Motown, he agreed to manage them and brought them to the attention of Johnny Rivers, who had just started his own label, Soul City Records. Their first Soul City single, "I'll Be Lovin' You Forever", was a flop, but a cover of the Mamas & the Papas' "Go Where You Wanna Go" climbed into the top 20 on both R&B and pop stations.
Budding young songwriter Jimmy Webb supplied the group with their breakthrough hit, "Up, Up and Away", a top 10 hit in mid-1967, which won five Grammy Awards. The following year, the group scored major hit singles with Laura Nyro's "Stoned Soul Picnic" (U.S. #3) and "Sweet Blindness" (U.S. #13) and received a gold record for their album Stoned Soul Picnic, which also included the Ashford & Simpson-written "California Soul". In 1969, they had two number one singles: "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" from the musical Hair and the Nyro composition "Wedding Bell Blues", with a U.S. #20 cover of Neil Sedaka's "Workin' On A Groovy Thing" in-between. Later hits included "One Less Bell to Answer" (U.S. #2) (1970), "Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes" (U.S. #19), "Never My Love" (U.S. #12) (1971), "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" (U.S. #8), and "If I Could Reach You" (U.S. #10) (1972).
In 1975, McCoo and Davis, who married in 1969, left the group to do both collective and individual projects. They went on to have success singing as a duo after leaving the group in 1975, including "Your Love" and the chart topper "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)". McCoo also served a stint as the host of the TV show Solid Gold. The remaining trio carried on with new members, and nearly had a hit in 1976 with the LaRue-sung "Love Hangover"; however, Motown issued Diana Ross' own version shortly after the 5th Dimension's hit the charts, and hers soared to the top of the charts. Strangely enough, the group signed with Motown not long after, releasing two albums in 1978. R&B singer Lou Courtney was in the group briefly between 1978 and 1979, Joyce Wright joined in 1979, and Phyllis Battle joined in 1988. The original quintet reunited in 1990 for a tour. Townson briefly left the group to try a solo career, but soon returned, as the group resigned itself to the nostalgia circuit. In 1995, the quintet of LaRue, Townson, McLemore, Battle, and Greg Walker recorded a new album, In the House, for Click Records. In 1998, Willie Williams replaced Townson, who died in 2001 due to diabetes-related kidney failure. Battle departed in 2002, to be replaced by Van Jewell. McLemore retired from the group in March 2006. McCoo and Davis continue to tour separately as their own act.
As of April 2009[update], the group is actively touring as "Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension", led by LaRue with Willie Williams, Leonard Tucker, Patrice Morris, and Floyd Smith.[1]
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.[2] The group also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame, inducted on March 18, 2010.[3]
[edit] Membership
* Marilyn McCoo (born 30 September 1943, Jersey City, New Jersey)
* Florence LaRue (born 4 February 1944, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
* Billy Davis, Jr. (born 26 June 1938, St. Louis, Missouri)
* Lamonte McLemore (born 17 September 1939, St. Louis, Missouri [1])
* Ronald L. "Ron" Townson (born 20 January 1933, St. Louis, Missouri - died 2 August 2001, of kidney failure, Las Vegas, Nevada)
McCoo and Davis left the group in November 1975. Since then, other members have included:
* Eloise Laws (Marilyn replacement) 1975–1975,
* Danny Beard (Billy replacement) 1975–1978,
* Marjorie Barnes (Marilyn replacement) 1976–1977,
* Terri Bryant (Marilyn replacement) 1978–1979,
* Mic Bell (Ron replacement) 1978–1979,
* Lou Courtney (Billy replacement) 1978–1979,
* Pat Bass (Marilyn replacement) 1979,
* Tanya Boyd (Marilyn replacement) 1979,
* Joyce Wright Pierce (Marilyn replacement) 1979–1986 and 1987,
* Michael Procter (Billy replacement) 1979–1988,
* Estrelita (Marilyn replacement) 1986,
* Phyllis Battle (Marilyn replacement) 1988–2001,
* Eugene Barry-Hill (Billy replacement) 1989–1992,
* Greg Walker (Billy replacement) 1993–2006,
* Willie Williams (Ron replacement) 1998–present,
* Van Jewell (Marilyn replacement) 2002,2005,
* Julie Delgado (Marilyn replacement) 2002–2005,
* Jamila Ajibade (Marilyn replacement) 2005–2006 and 2007–2008
* Leonard Tucker (Billy replacement) 2006–present,
* Valerie Davis (Marilyn replacement) 2006–2007,
* Jennifer Leigh Warren (Marilyn replacement) 2007,
* Gwyn Foxx (Marilyn replacement) December 2007,
* Michael Mishaw (Lamonte replacement) 2006–2008,
* Patrice Morris (Marilyn replacement) 2008–present,
* Floyd Smith (Lamonte replacement) 2009–present
Discography
Singles
US charts are from Billboard magazine. Canadian charts are taken from the weekly surveys of CHUM in Toronto.
Year Song US US AC US R&B CAN UK B-side Album
1966 "Go Where You Wanna Go" 16 - - 9 - "Too Poor to Die" Up, Up and Away
1967 "Another Day, Another Heartache" 45 - - - - "Rosecrans Blvd."
"Up, Up and Away" 7 9 - 18 - "Which Way to Nowhere"
"Paper Cup" 34 - - 17 - "Poor Side of Town" The Magic Garden
1968 "Carpet Man" 29 - - 3 - "The Magic Garden"
"Stoned Soul Picnic" 3 - 2 5 - "The Sailboat Song" Stoned Soul Picnic
"Sweet Blindness" 13 - 45 15 - "Bobbie's Blues (Who Do You Think Of?)"
"California Soul" 25 - 49 - - "It'll Never Be the Same Again"
1969 "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" 1 1 6 1 11 "Don'tcha Hear Me Callin' to Ya?" The Age of Aquarius
"Workin' On a Groovy Thing" 20 9 15 17 - "Broken Wing Bird"
"Wedding Bell Blues" 1 1 23 3 16 "Lovin' Stew"
"Blowing Away" 21 7 - 24 - "Skinny Man"
1970 "A Change is Gonna Come/People Got to Be Free" 60 - - - - "The Declaration" Portrait
"The Declaration" 64 35 - - - B-side of above
"The Girls' Song" 43 6 - - - "It'll Never Be the Same Again" The Magic Garden
"Puppet Man" 24 31 - - - "A Love Like Ours" Portrait
"Save the Country" 27 10 - 24 - "Dimension 5"
"On the Beach (In the Summertime)" 54 12 - - - "This Is Your Life"
"One Less Bell to Answer" 2 1 4 3 - "Feelin' Alright?" Portrait
1971 "Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes" 19 6 - 28 - "The Singer" Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes
"Light Sings" 44 12 - - - "Viva! (Viva Tirado)"
"Never My Love" (live) 12 1 45 21 - "A Love Like Ours" Live!!
"Together Let's Find Love" (live) 37 8 22 - - "I Just Wanta Be Your Friend"
1972 "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" 8 2 28 5 - "The River Witch" Individually & Collectively
"If I Could Reach You" 10 1 - 13 - "Tomorrow Belongs to the Children"
1973 "Living Together, Growing Together" 32 5 - - - "What Do I Need to Be Me" Living Together, Growing Together
"Everything's Been Changed" 70 18 - - - "There Never Was a Day" Living Together, Growing Together
"Ashes to Ashes" 52 7 54 - - "The Singer" Living Together, Growing Together
"Flashback" 82 30 75 - - "Diggin' for a Livin'"
1975 "No Love In the Room" 105 11 - - - "I Don't Know How to Look for Love" Soul & Inspiration
1976 "Love Hangover" 80 - 39 - - "Will You Be There"
Albums
* Up, Up and Away (1967) - US #8
* The Magic Garden (1967) - US #105
* Stoned Soul Picnic (1968) - US #21
* The Age of Aquarius (1969) - US #2
* Portrait (1970) - US #20
* The 5th Dimension/Greatest Hits (1970) - US #5
* The July 5th Album (1970) - US #63
* Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes (1971) - US #17
* Reflections (1971) - US #112
* The 5th Dimension/Live!! (1971) - US #32
* Individually & Collectively (1972) - US #58
* Greatest Hits On Earth (1972) - US #14
* Living Together, Growing Together (1973) - US #108
* Soul & Inspiration (1974)
* Earthbound (1975) - US #136
* Star Dancing (1978)
* High On Sunshine (1978)
* The Very Best Of 5th Dimension (1982)
* In the House (1995)
* Live! Plus Rare Studio Recordings (2001) - Original title was Home Cookin (1976)
* Fantasy (2004) - Original title was The 5th Dimension Now (1984)
DVD
* 2003: The 5th Dimension Travelling Sunshine Show with Dionne Warwick, Merle Haggard, and The Carpenters[4]
References
1. ^ "Florence LaRue & The 5th Dimension A Brief Biography". http://thefifthdimension.org/biography.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
2. ^ "The 5th Dimension - Inductees - The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation". Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation. http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/fifth_dimension.html. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
3. ^ "St. Louis Walk of Fame - The 5th Dimension". St. Louis Walk of Fame. http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/The5thDimension.html. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
4. ^ VIEW DVD Listing
* The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock & Soul (Revised edition) - Irwin Stambler ©1989 St. Martin's Press, New York
* All Music Guide to Soul (article by Steve Huey) ©2003 Backbeat Books San Francisco
External links
* Current Official Site
* Album Review of The Magic Garden
* The 5th Dimension at Allmusic
* The 5th Dimension Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
* The 5th Dimension at Wenig-LaMonica Associates
* Ultimate Band List page
* The 5th Dimension Traveling Sunshine Show (1971)
