Moving on Up is the seventh overall single from British band M People, and the second single from their second album, Elegant Slumming (1993). Written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard and produced by M People, it was released on 13 September 1993.
The song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, and was the biggest selling M People single. The song also became a Top 40 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Dance chart.
Video Moving On Up (M People song)
Background
Previous single "One Night in Heaven" had garnered the band a massive-selling summer hit single with both sustained radio airplay and critical acclaim. As another precursor to the highly anticipated album Elegant Slumming, they would release another classic song with a feel good, radio-friendly vibe.
Maps Moving On Up (M People song)
Composition
"Moving on Up" is an uptempo dance-pop and house song with elements of disco, and follows in the footstep of previous single "One Night in Heaven" although this time with much more a sassier, angry edge. It has a harder edge focusing on the end of a relationship from the perspective of a spurned lover. The song was recorded at The Roundhouse Studios in Chalk Farm, London. The backing vocals during the chorus is sung by vocalist Juliet Roberts who was featured prominently on the last single.
The song is made up of fewer, and more simplistic, elements than the last single, but the melody line is guided by the insistently looped infectious moog bassline, subtle rhythm guitar, programmed drumming, and underlying blowy synth effect with high hat synths and a four to the floor thumping house beat. This is embodied by the progressive and euphoric chords and additional chords during the choruses. Finally, Shovell's percussion is more on tambourine and less on bongos.
The middle eight of the song is split between a saxophone break followed by a choral break with the insistent refrain: #"Moving on Up, Moving on Up, Moving on Up, Moving on Up"#. Particular mention goes to the saxophone which provides the songs main instrumental ad lib comes from the saxophone played quietly throughout and then predominantly during the instrumental break and throughout.
The song is set in the time signature of common time with a faster tempo of 124 beats per minute and is written in the key of C minor. Its start of with a keyboard intro on prominent first keyboard chord structure to move into a joint first and second keyboard (strings) intro looping the same structure leading into Heather vocals.
Lyrically, the song is written from a female perspective towards a useless lover who has let her down again "this time you've gone too far" and is written with the perspective of breaking out of a relationship that clearly no longer works. Throughout there is a sax riff reminiscent of Motown classic "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations.
Critical reception
Billboard wrote about the song: "Sometimes you can believe the hype. One of the top dance bands overseas right now gets a long-deserved shot at U.S. stardom with a finger-wavin', no-nonsense jam. Lead by the oh-so-charismatic Heather Small, band deftly blends state-of-the-charts club trends with a reverence for classic Motown and R&B sounds. After one spin, you'll be humming the chorus for a week, which is the mark of a true smash."
Music & Media wrote: "The '90s will be type-cast as the age of retro, both in rock and in dance. These people restore Funky Town as the capital of good old disco. A floor filler annex airplay hit is born!"
Chart performance
"Moving on Up" became the third consecutive M People single chart in the Top 10 and then climb higher. It entered the chart at number four following the strongest ever one week sale for the band to date in excess of 118,000 copies. In the second week the single was then to climb once more to the highest chart position of any M People single, to number two, selling a further 121,000 copies.
In its fourth week, when the parent album Elegant Slumming was released shifting 39,000 copies to chart and peak at number two this still had very little effect on the single sales as it remained at number five for two weeks. This provided M People with a top five single and album for one week for the very first time, which would happen when the fourth single "Renaissance" was released the following February (in 1994).
The single spent a total of five weeks in the top 10, selling a total of over 550,000 copies.
"Moving on Up" proved to be M People's biggest hit worldwide, but just reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart. The single was also a success in Switzerland, Sweden and Netherlands. It also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the United States in 1994. It is also M People's only single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 34.
Airplay
"Moving on Up" was serviced to radio five weeks before physical release on 9 August 1993, while "One Night in Heaven" was still being very heavily rotated on United Kingdom Radio, spending its second month in the Top 15. After the first week on airplay, the single landed on #61, being played over three hundred times on United Kingdom Radio.
In a direct switch as soon as station played "Moving on Up" more and "One Night in Heaven" less causing the single to glide from #61, #32 to #21 to soar to #9, and then to #5 in the week of physical release. Once again, most independent local radio stations BBC Radio 2 and particularly Radio 1, were major supporters to the song, and had quickly added the song to their A-Lists.
It stayed in the Airplay top ten for a total of seven weeks and then took a further eleven weeks to leave the Airplay Top 75. So after a grand total of 22 weeks, it was still being heavily played when its successor, the slower "Don't Look Any Further" was released to radio. This meant that since May 1993, M People had at least one single continually in the Airplay chart until that December (seven months).
Music video
The video was filmed in at a studio in Shepperton, London on 7 August 1993, and sees the band performing on stage within a club/bar scene. Heather starts the video in the first shot as she enters and walks down the steps in an elegant black dress and wearing sparkly jewellery. As the video progresses, it becomes clear that a literal interpretation of the song is being played out as the packed bar is visited by a couple, whose relationship is on the rocks.
Heather walks through the club of dancing people singing and looking directly at the camera, while Paul Heard plays the bass guitar, Shovell on drums and Mike Pickering on the sax in the background. Before the first verse is finished, the couple are already seen arguing and remonstrating with each other and then, by the end of the chorus, the male part of the couple has already been pulled away and is seen dancing with another girl much to the annoyance of his girlfriend who looks on.
By the bridge of the second verse, the girlfriend has clearly had enough and pulls him off the other girl and they are arguing seems more pronounced. He then ignores her and still persists with dancing with the other girl.
The video is inter cut with particularly striking shots; there are white shirted twins who watch the unfolding events from the bar throughout, and the barman and barmaid who continually flirt across the bar. During the choral middle eight, a stroked black cat, is first seen being stroked, and is seen walking along the bar and then when the camera cuts away, a Frenchman's closer inspection while on an old fashioned phone, looks though his monacle to see that the black cat has turned white. Additionally, while he is on the phone, a lizard is seen moving across the dialler.
By the final chorus, the girlfriend returns, cup of water in hand, and turns him round from talking with that other girl and pours the water on his head, looks satisfied and he looks shocked. The music then plays out with the final shot of the continually dancing crowd.
Live performances
When performed live, "Moving on Up" proves itself to be the biggest crowd pleaser, and since the Bizarre Fruit Tour in 1994, has always the final song of the set and the encore. It's a time for the band to really get in the funky dance groove and turn the song into a highly soaring, hands in the air anthem.
All the members of the band get a chance to shine, with the backing vocalists having their section, Shovell gets a chance to wonder around the stage armed with a tambourine, Paul Heard and Paul Birchall on the first and second keyboards, but particularly outstanding is the sax solo performed by Snake Davis in the outro, as he has almost ninety seconds to ad lib his way through a jazzy, soulful breakdown solo while the audience clap until the end.
During the Bizarre Fruit II tour, Summer M Parties and Fresco tour, they performed a longer version of the song providing the audience with a chance to chant the refrain: "Moving" six times, before the final chorus.
Remixes
The first two tracks on the CD single were the radio edit and album version. M People themselves created a dub of the original radio edit as the third track, which was the only time this was done on one of their singles. Finally, the fourth track was an actual remix by the American House Music DJ Roger Sanchez on the uplifting 'Roger S. Gospel Revival mix'.
A further mix of the single appeared on the Elegantly American (EP) - the 'MK Movin' Mix'.
Artwork
On United Kingdom and European versions of the single, the cover appeared with three quarters of the cover featuring a side profile of lead singer Heather Small, looking serious to hint that she's moving away. The bottom quarter of the single has a purple banner all the way across with the title written on it. On other versions of the single, the colour of this banner was red, yellow or blue.
Compilations/soundtracks
"Moving on Up" featured on many compilations including Now That's What I Call Music! 27, Telstar's Hits 93: Volume 4 in the United Kingdom, and many other across the globe. The single has also been featured in many films, including the British blockbuster The Full Monty, The Next Karate Kid and the American comedy The First Wives Club.
In February 1998, the song was featured in an episode of Top Gear, during the reviews of the Citroën Xantia, Vauxhall Vectra, Peugeot 406, Subaru Legacy and the Volkswagen Passat, with an voice over by presenter Jeremy Clarkson.
Track listings
- CD single / 12" maxi -- Promo
- "Moving on Up" (M People master edit) -- 3:34
- "Moving on Up" (M People dub) -- 4:35
- CD maxi
- "Moving on Up" (M People master edit) -- 3:34
- "Moving on Up" (M People master mix) -- 5:29
- "Moving on Up" (M People dub) -- 4:35
- "Moving on Up" (Roger S. gospel revival mix) -- 5:55
- 12" maxi
- "Moving on Up" (M People master mix)
- "Moving on Up" (M People dub)
- "Moving on Up" (Roger S. gospel revival mix)
- "Moving on Up" (Roger S. moving mix)
Other versions
Moving on Up was also a dance hit for Belgian singer Roselle in 1995.
Chart performance
Chart successions
References
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
- Music video by M People performing Moving On Up.You Tube, 1993, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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