You Take Me Up

"You Take Me Up"
Single by Thompson Twins
from the album Into the Gap
B-side
  • "Passion Planet"
  • "Down Tools"
  • "Leopard Ray"
Released19 March 1984 (1984-03-19)[1]
Length3:55
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, Joe Leeway
Producer(s)Alex Sadkin, Tom Bailey
Thompson Twins singles chronology
"Doctor! Doctor!"
(1984) 		"You Take Me Up"
(1984) 		"Sister of Mercy"
(1984)
Official video
" You Take Me Up" on YouTube

"You Take Me Up" is a song by British pop group Thompson Twins, released as the third single from their fourth studio album, Into the Gap (1984), on 19 March 1984. It was written by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway and prominently features the harmonica and a melodica solo. In addition to the regular 7-inch and multiple 12-inch releases, Arista Records also released four different shaped picture discs for the single, three of which were part of a jigsaw.

The single peaked at number two in the United Kingdom, making it their highest-charting song, and spent 11 weeks on the chart. It was the UK's 57th-highest-selling single of 1984 and was certifified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) the same year. In the United States, the single spent nine weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 44 in October 1984. The promotional music video for this single was directed by Dieter Trattmann.[2]

"Passion Planet"

The B-side of the single is a non-album track entitled "Passion Planet". This song became especially popular in Los Angeles, receiving "heavy" rotation on several radio stations (e.g., KROQ-FM) which preferred it instead of "You Take Me Up". It became one of the top songs of 1984 in Los Angeles.[3]

Track listings

7-inch single[4][5]

A. "You Take Me Up" – 3:55
B. "Passion Planet" – 3:42

UK 12-inch single[6]

A1. "You Take Me Up" (Machines Take Me Over) – 7:33
A2. "Down Tools" – 4:18
B1. "Leopard Ray" – 3:50
B2. "Passion Planet" – 3:05

UK limited-edition 12-inch single[7]

A1. "You Take Me Up" (High Plains Mixer) – 8:30
B1. "You Take Me Up" (instrumental) – 6:20
B2. "Passion Planet" – 3:44

Australian cassette single[8]

A1. "You Take Me Up / Machines Take Me Over" – 8:26
A2. "Down Tools" – 3:25
B1. "You Take Me Up" (U.S. dance mix) – 8:30
B2. "Passion Planet" – 3:44

Personnel

Thompson Twins

  • Tom Bailey – writing, vocals, synthesizer, contrabass, harmonica, melodica, drum programming
  • Alannah Currie – writing, percussion, marimba, xylophone, backing vocals, lyrics
  • Joe Leeway – writing, congas, Prophet V, backing vocals

Other

  • Produced by Alex Sadkin with Tom Bailey
  • Recorded and mixed by Phil Thornalley
  • Photography – Paul Cox
  • Artwork/Design – Satori (Andie Airfix)
  • Art Direction – Alannah and Nic Marchant

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 17 March 1984. p. 14.
  2. ^ Weiss, Paulette (1985). The Rock Video Book. J. Messner. ISBN 9780671553401.
  3. ^ "KROQ-FM Top Songs for 1984". Old KROQ and KMET Jingles and Tapes. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  4. ^ You Take Me Up (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Thompson Twins. Arista Records. 1984. TWINS 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ You Take Me Up (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Thompson Twins. Arista Records. 1984. AS1-9244.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ You Take Me Up (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Thompson Twins. Arista Records. 1984. TWINS 124.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ You Take Me Up (UK limited 12-inch single vinyl disc). Thompson Twins. Arista Records. 1984. TWINS 224.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ You Take Me Up (Australian cassette single cassette notes). Thompson Twins. Arista Records. 1984. C 14069, X 14069.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9520." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  11. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 1, no. 7. 14 May 1984. p. 8.
  12. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You Take Me Up". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Thompson Twins – You Take Me Up" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Thompson Twins – You Take Me Up". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  15. ^ "The Thompson Twins: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 6 October 1984. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Thompson Twins – You Take Me Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Top 100 Singles". Music Week. 26 January 1985. p. 37.
  19. ^ "British single certifications – Thompson Twins – You Take Me Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 June 2022.