Up, Up and Away (song)

This article is about the 1967 song first recorded by the 5th Dimension. For other songs, see Up, Up and Away.

1967 single by the 5th Dimension

"Up, Up and Away"

Single by the 5th Dimension
from the album  Up, Up and Away
B-side| "Which Way to Nowhere"
Released| May 1967
Recorded| February 22, 1967
Studio| Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre|

* Psychedelic pop
* sunshine pop
* easy listening

Length| 2:40
Label| Soul City
Songwriter(s)| Jimmy Webb
Producer(s)| Johnny Rivers and Marc Gordon
The 5th Dimension singles chronology
| "Another Day, Another Heartache"
(1967)  | "Up, Up and Away"
(1967)  | "Paper Cup"
(1967)

|
|

"Up, Up and Away"

The 5th Dimension's "Up, Up and Away" from Up, Up and Away

* * *

Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded (as "Up–Up and Away") by US soul-pop act the 5th Dimension with backing from members of The Wrecking Crew.[1] Their original version reached no. 7 on Billboard's Hot 100 in July 1967 and no. 9 on its Easy Listening chart,[2] and number one in both Canada and Australia. In 1999, Webb's song placed 43 on BMI's "Top 100 Songs of the Century".[3]

A canonical example of sunshine pop, themed around images of hot air ballooning, it cleaned up at the 10th Annual Grammy Awards in 1968, winning for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, Best Performance by a Vocal Group, Best Performance by a Chorus and Best Contemporary Song. In 2003, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[4]

## Personnel

[edit]

The musical backing was dominated by members of The Wrecking Crew,[5] including trumpeter Tony Terran.[citation needed]

According to the AFM contract sheet, the following musicians laid down the initial instrumental track on February 22, 1967:[6]

* Hal Blaine (drums)
* Larry Knechtel (keyboards)
* Gayle Levant (harp)
* Joe Osborn (bass)
* Johnny Rivers (guitar)
* Tommy Tedesco (guitar)
* Jimmy Webb (piano)

Two other session players featuring prominently in the final mix were Al Casey (acoustic guitar) and Bud Shank (piccolo).[7]

## Chart history

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (1967)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (Kent Music Report)  | 1
Canada RPM Top Singles[8] | 1
New Zealand (Listener)[9] | 9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[10] | 7
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 9
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[11] | 4

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1967)  | Rank

|

Canada [12] | 66
US Billboard Hot 100[13] | 48
US Cash Box [14] | 57

## Notable cover versions

[edit]

* In the United Kingdom the 5th Dimension single failed to chart. Released first, a version by US vocal act the Johnny Mann Singers reached no. 6 in August 1967, and in 1968 won a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Chorus.[15]
* Frank Ifield released a cover version on EMI (UK) Columbia label as a 1967 A-side single (released on July 7, 1967).[16]

## Usage in media

[edit]

* For a time, Dionne Warwick's song "I'll Never Love This Way Again" preceded reports about people with HIV/AIDS on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show.[17] These later became "condom updates", preceded by "Up, Up and Away".[18]
* The song was adapted, with new lyrics, as an advertising jingle for Trans World Airlines, which then used "Up, Up, and Away — TWA" as its slogan.[19] It was also adapted into a jingle in Australia for the now defunct Trans Australia Airlines in the 1970s.[20][21][22]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Holton, John (August 13, 2023). "Song Lyric Sunday: The Fifth Dimension, "Up-Up And Away"". The Sound of One Hand Typing. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 91.
3. ^ "BMI Announces Top 100 Songs of the Century". Broadcast Music, Inc. December 13, 1999. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
4. ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com.
5. ^ Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 978-1-250-03046-7.
6. ^ "Up Up And Away AFM Contract" (PDF). The Wrecking Crew. American Federation of Musicians. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
7. ^ Webb, Jimmy (songwriter) (July 31, 2023). The Musical Genius of 'Wichita Lineman': A One-on-One with Jimmy Webb (Videotape). New York, NY. Event occurs at 43:45. Retrieved August 1, 2023 - via YouTube.
8. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. July 22, 1967. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
9. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz.
10. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 \- ISBN 0-89820-089-X
11. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, July 29, 1967".
12. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1967".
13. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1967/Top 100 Songs of 1967". www.musicoutfitters.com.
14. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1967". tropicalglen.com.
15. ^ "1967 GRAMMY WINNERS". www.grammy.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
16. ^ "Frank Ifield - Up-Up and Away".
17. ^ Remnick, David (December 16, 1990). "Day of the Dittohead". The Washington Post. p. C1.
18. ^ Grossberger, Lewis (December 16, 1990). "The Rush Hours". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
19. ^ Jones, Dylan (2019). The Wichita Lineman: Searching in the Sun for the World's Greatest Unfinished Song. Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571353422.
20. ^ "TAA 1971 advertisement on Youtube". YouTube. 16 March 2021.
21. ^ "TAA 1972 advertisement on Youtube". YouTube. April 2011.
22. ^ "TAA 1975 advertisement on Youtube". YouTube. 21 August 2011.

## External links

[edit]

* Guitar Tabs & Lyrics
* Images of 1967 Single

* v
* t
* e

Jimmy Webb

Original albums|

* Jim Webb Sings Jim Webb (1968)
* Words and Music (1970)
* And So: On (1971)
* Letters (1972)
* Land's End (1974)
* El Mirage (1977)
* Angel Heart (1982)
* Suspending Disbelief (1993)
* Ten Easy Pieces (1996)
* Twilight of the Renegades (2005)
* Live and at Large (2007)
* Just Across the River (2010)
* Still Within the Sound of My Voice (2013)
* SlipCover (2019)

Collaborative albums|

* Up, Up, and Away (1966)
* The Magic Garden (1967)
* Rewind (1967)
* A Tramp Shining (1968)
* The Yard Went On Forever (1968)
* Sunshower (1969)
* The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb (1972)
* Reunion: The Songs of Jimmy Webb (1974)
* Earthbound (1975)
* Live at the Royal Festival Hall (1977)
* Watermark (1977)
* Breakwater Cat (1980)
* The Last Unicorn (1983)
* The Animals' Christmas (1986)
* Light Years (1988)
* Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind (1989)
* Only One Life: The Songs of Jimmy Webb (2003)
* This Kind of Love (2008)
* Cottonwood Farm (2009)
* Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb: In Session (2012)

Compilation albums|

* Tribute to Burt Bacharach and Jim Webb (1972)
* And Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain... (1998)
* Archive (1994)
* Reunited with Jimmy Webb 1974–1988 (1999)
* Tunesmith: The Songs of Jimmy Webb (2003)
* The Moon's a Harsh Mistress: Jimmy Webb in the Seventies (2004)
* Archive & Live (2005)

Songs|

* "All I Know"
* "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"
* "Didn't We"
* "Galveston"
* "The Girls' Song"
* "Highwayman"
* "Honey Come Back"
* "MacArthur Park"
* "Still Within the Sound of My Voice"
* "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress"
* "Up, Up and Away"
* "Where's the Playground Susie"
* "Wichita Lineman"
* "Worst That Could Happen"

Related articles|

* Jimmy Webb discography

* v
* t
* e

The 5th Dimension

* Marilyn McCoo
* Billy Davis Jr.
* Florence LaRue
* Lamonte McLemore
* Ronald Townson

Studio albums|

* Up, Up and Away
* The Magic Garden
* Stoned Soul Picnic
* The Age of Aquarius
* Portrait
* Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes
* Reflections
* Individually & Collectively
* Living Together, Growing Together
* Soul & Inspiration
* Earthbound

Singles|

* "Go Where You Wanna Go"
* "Up, Up and Away"
* "Stoned Soul Picnic"
* "Sweet Blindness"
* "California Soul"
* "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)"
* "Workin' On a Groovy Thing"
* "Wedding Bell Blues"
* "Blowing Away"
* "A Change Is Gonna Come/People Got to Be Free"
* "The Girls' Song"
* "Puppet Man"
* "Save the Country"
* "On the Beach (In the Summertime)"
* "One Less Bell to Answer"
* "Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes"
* "Light Sings"
* "Never My Love (Live)"
* "Together Let's Find Love"
* "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All"
* "If I Could Reach You"
* "Living Together, Growing Together"
* "Everything's Been Changed"
* "Ashes to Ashes"
* "No Love in the Room"
* "Love Hangover"

Related topics|

* The Friends of Distinction
* Marc Gordon
* Solid Gold

Awards for "Up, Up and Away"

* v
* t
* e

Grammy Award for Record of the Year

1950s|

* "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (1958)
* "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959)

1960s|

* "Theme from A Summer Place" – Percy Faith (1960)
* "Moon River" – Henry Mancini (1961)
* "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" – Tony Bennett (1962)
* "Days of Wine and Roses" – Henry Mancini (1963)
* "The Girl from Ipanema" – Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz (1964)
* "A Taste of Honey" – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1965)
* "Strangers in the Night" – Frank Sinatra (1966)
* "Up, Up and Away" – The 5th Dimension (1967)
* "Mrs. Robinson" – Simon & Garfunkel (1968)
* "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension (1969)

1970s|

* "Bridge over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel (1970)
* "It's Too Late" – Carole King (1971)
* "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack (1972)
* "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Roberta Flack (1973)
* "I Honestly Love You" – Olivia Newton-John (1974)
* "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille (1975)
* "This Masquerade" – George Benson (1976)
* "Hotel California" – Eagles (1977)
* "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (1978)
* "What a Fool Believes" – The Doobie Brothers (1979)

1980s|

* "Sailing" – Christopher Cross (1980)
* "Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes (1981)
* "Rosanna" – Toto (1982)
* "Beat It" – Michael Jackson (1983)
* "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Tina Turner (1984)
* "We Are the World" – USA for Africa (1985)
* "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood (1986)
* "Graceland" – Paul Simon (1987)
* "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (1988)
* "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Bette Midler (1989)

1990s|

* "Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins (1990)
* "Unforgettable" – Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole (1991)
* "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton (1992)
* "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston (1993)
* "All I Wanna Do" – Sheryl Crow (1994)
* "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (1995)
* "Change the World" – Eric Clapton (1996)
* "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin (1997)
* "My Heart Will Go On" – Celine Dion (1998)
* "Smooth" – Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)

2000s|

* "Beautiful Day" – U2 (2000)
* "Walk On" – U2 (2001)
* "Don't Know Why" – Norah Jones (2002)
* "Clocks" – Coldplay (2003)
* "Here We Go Again" – Ray Charles & Norah Jones (2004)
* "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" – Green Day (2005)
* "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Dixie Chicks (2006)
* "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (2007)
* "Please Read the Letter" – Alison Krauss & Robert Plant (2008)
* "Use Somebody" – Kings of Leon (2009)

2010s|

* "Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum (2010)
* "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (2011)
* "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra (2012)
* "Get Lucky" – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers (2013)
* "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – Sam Smith (2014)
* "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2015)
* "Hello" – Adele (2016)
* "24K Magic" – Bruno Mars (2017)
* "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2018)
* "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish (2019)

2020s|

* "Everything I Wanted" – Billie Eilish (2020)
* "Leave the Door Open" – Silk Sonic (2021)
* "About Damn Time" by Lizzo (2022)
* "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Grammy Award for Song of the Year

1950s|

* "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (songwriter) (1958)
* "The Battle of New Orleans" – Jimmy Driftwood (songwriter) (1959)

1960s|

* "Theme of Exodus" – Ernest Gold (songwriter) (1960)
* "Moon River" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1961)
* "What Kind of Fool Am I?" – Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley (songwriters) (1962)
* "Days of Wine and Roses" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1963)
* "Hello, Dolly!" – Jerry Herman (songwriter) (1964)
* "The Shadow of Your Smile" – Paul Francis Webster & Johnny Mandel (songwriters) (1965)
* "Michelle" – John Lennon & Paul McCartney (songwriters) (1966)
* "Up, Up, and Away" – Jimmy Webb (songwriter) (1967)
* "Little Green Apples" – Bobby Russell (songwriter) (1968)
* "Games People Play" – Joe South (songwriter) (1969)

1970s|

* "Bridge over Troubled Water" – Paul Simon (songwriter) (1970)
* "You've Got a Friend" – Carole King (songwriter) (1971)
* "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Ewan MacColl (songwriter) (1972)
* "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox (songwriters) (1973)
* "The Way We Were" – Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Marvin Hamlisch (songwriters) (1974)
* "Send In the Clowns" – Stephen Sondheim (songwriter) (1975)
* "I Write the Songs" – Bruce Johnston (songwriter) (1976)
* "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" – Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams (songwriters) / "You Light Up My Life" – Joe Brooks (songwriter) (1977)
* "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (songwriter) (1978)
* "What a Fool Believes" – Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald (songwriters) (1979)

1980s|

* "Sailing" – Christopher Cross (songwriter) (1980)
* "Bette Davis Eyes" – Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon (songwriters) (1981)
* "Always on My Mind" – Johnny Christopher, Mark James & Wayne Carson (songwriters) (1982)
* "Every Breath You Take" – Sting (songwriter) (1983)
* "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Graham Lyle & Terry Britten (songwriters) (1984)
* "We Are the World" – Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) (1985)
* "That's What Friends Are For" – Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager (songwriters) (1986)
* "Somewhere Out There" – James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (songwriters) (1987)
* "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (songwriter) (1988)
* "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Larry Henley & Jeff Silbar (songwriters) (1989)

1990s|

* "From a Distance" – Julie Gold (songwriter) (1990)
* "Unforgettable" – Irving Gordon (songwriter) (1991)
* "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1992)
* "A Whole New World" – Alan Menken & Tim Rice (songwriters) (1993)
* "Streets of Philadelphia" – Bruce Springsteen (songwriter) (1994)
* "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (songwriter) (1995)
* "Change the World" – Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick & Tommy Sims (songwriters) (1996)
* "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin & John Leventhal (songwriters) (1997)
* "My Heart Will Go On" – James Horner & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1998)
* "Smooth" – Itaal Shur & Rob Thomas (songwriters) (1999)

2000s|

* "Beautiful Day" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2000)
* "Fallin'" – Alicia Keys (songwriter) (2001)
* "Don't Know Why" – Jesse Harris (songwriter) (2002)
* "Dance with My Father" – Richard Marx & Luther Vandross (songwriters) (2003)
* "Daughters" – John Mayer (songwriter) (2004)
* "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2005)
* "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Emily Burns Erwin, Martha Maguire, Natalie Maines Pasdar & Dan Wilson (songwriters) (2006)
* "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (songwriter) (2007)
* "Viva la Vida" – Guy Berryman, Jonathan Buckland, William Champion & Christopher Martin (songwriters) (2008)
* "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart (songwriters) (2009)

2010s|

* "Need You Now" – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott (songwriters) (2010)
* "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth (songwriters) (2011)
* "We Are Young" – Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess (songwriters) (2012)
* "Royals" – Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor (songwriters) (2013)
* "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith (songwriters) (2014)
* "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge (songwriters) (2015)
* "Hello" – Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin (songwriters) (2016)
* "That's What I Like" – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip (songwriters) (2017)
* "This Is America" – Donald Glover, Ludwig Göransson & Jeffery Lamar Williams (songwriters) (2018)
* "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2019)

2020s|

* "I Can't Breathe" – Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas (songwriters) (2020)
* "Leave the Door Open" – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters) (2021)
* "Just Like That" – Bonnie Raitt (songwriter) (2022)
* "What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2023)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template