page_title: Head Up High (Oh Land song)
section_title: Composition and lyrics
hierarchical_section_title: Head Up High (Oh Land song) / Composition and lyrics
caption_attribution_description: English: American band MS MR at the Austin City Limits music festival in October 2013.
context_page_description: "Head Up High" is a song by Danish singer-songwriter Oh Land, taken from her fourth studio album Earth Sick. It was released as the album's lead single on 14 October 2014 through Tusk or Tooth Records. The single was written and produced solely by Oh Land. In order to record both the song and the parent album, the singer relied on donations from fans to a PledgeMusic campaign she created. Described as a dance-pop recording, "Head Up High" originated as a song written for a close friend of Oh Land who was having relationship issues.
  Noted as a standout track on Earth Sick, "Head Up High" received praise from music critics. Other reviewers noted that the single was interesting and uplifting. An accompanying music video for the track was released onto her Vevo account in October 2014. It was directed by Duncan Winecoff and features Oh Land dancing and singing in a dark studio. A live performance of "Head Up High" was also uploaded onto her Vevo account in March 2015.
context_section_description: "Head Up High" was solely written and produced Oh Land. Tore Nissen, who served as a co-producer on Earth Sick, also co-mastered, co-mixed, and played instruments on the track. Rolling Stone's Kory Grow described its genre as dance-pop and noted the "reedy synths" in the production. In order to achieve the sound heard in "Head Up High", Oh Land used "sound samples from [her] everyday life" and "mixed [them] with string quartet recordings" that were created at her Copenhagen residence. Jason Lipshutz, a writer for Billboard, commented that this effect helped make "an altogether spellbinding effort". Michael Cragg from The Guardian described it as "effortlessly featherlight, symphonic pop with a warm heart".
  After learning that a close friend of hers was dealing with issues in her romantic life, Oh Land took it upon herself to write a song that had the power to liberate the friend. However, she forgot about the track until that friend reminded the singer of it nearly an entire year later. Oh Land completed recording the song and decided to include it on Earth Sick. Acknowledging the clichés in the pre-chorus, Michael Cragg remarked that they "somehow sound enriching". The lyrics feature encouraging and helpful mantras: "No heavy rain's going to hold me down any more". The chorus consists of the phrase "high up" sung repeatedly.
caption: MS MR was one of five artists who created a remix of "Head Up High" for the subsequent remix EP.
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