"Get Up" is a song by American recording artist Ciara. Released on July 25, 2006, the song serves as the first single from the original soundtrack to the film Step Up (2006), as well as the lead single for her second album, Ciara: The Evolution. It features American rapper Chamillionaire. The song was written by the singer and rapper with her mentor Jazze Pha, who produced the song. The song is a hip-hop number, accompanied by R&B and dance-pop sounds, while integrating a mild crunk beat. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who compared it to her previous work, namely "1, 2 Step".

"Get Up" peaked in the top ten in the New Zealand and the United States, becoming her seventh top ten hit. It was later certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song's accompanying music video, which takes place in a club surrounded by a cityscape, makes use of several visual effects including CGI animation and Unilux strobes. Ciara performed the song a number of times, including at the 2006 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and on the second season of So You Think You Can Dance.

Background and composition [link]

	"Get Up" noicon A sample of "Get Up," said to be in a "moderate hip-hop groove," reminiscent of "1, 2 Step".
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In an interview with MTV News, Ciara confirmed that she wrote and produced the song with mentor and previous collaborator Jazze Pha, and would be included on the soundtrack to the film, Step Up, starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan.^[1] The song was sent for urban airplay on June 26, 2006, and mainstream airplay on August 21.^[2][3] It was released for digital download and vinyl single on July 25, 2006.^[4] The song was released as a CD single in several international markets on September 11, 2006.^[5]

"Get Up", described to be in a moderate hip-hop groove, is a R&B song with a length of three minutes and seventeen seconds, with inclinations toward dance-pop.^[6] Set in common time, it is written in the key of C minor. Ciara's vocals span from the low note of E♭₃ to C₅ It carries a minimalist crunk beat, accompanied by Ciara's signature "shimmering vocals."^[7] Baz Dresinger of Blender noted similarities between the song and "1, 2 Step".^[8] Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian said the song "winks" at Kraftwerk's "Tour de France".^[9]

Critical reception [link]

Andy Kellman of Allmusic and Bill Lamb of About.com noted the song as one of the top tracks on Ciara: The Evolution.^[6] Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly called the song a "catchy, blipping track."^[10] Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music UK said that songs such as "Get Up", "That's Right" and "Like A Boy," "revive the minimalist crunk grind which helped her debut sell three million copies."^[7] Tammy La Gorce, an editorial reviewer for Amazon.com said that the "Chamillionaire-pumped" song was a "a play-it-loud club number, full of hip-hop heat."^[11] Although he said the song lacked "emotional impact" and that it "cries out for bass," Matt Cibula of PopMatters said the track was "bidding far to be the big dance hit from this album," calling Chamillionaire's rap "nifty."^[12]

Chart performance [link]

After garnering strong airplay, prior to its release, "Get Up" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at ninety-three. After it was released for digital download, it debuted at number three on the Hot Digital Songs chart, and reached its peak of number seven on the Hot 100.^[13] Later, it also peaked at number seven on the Hot 100 Airplay, and at thirteen on the Pop 100. The song became Ciara's fourth top ten hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[13] "Get Up" was later certified Gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting shipments of 500,000 copies. On the New Zealand Singles Chart, the song entered at number nine and peaked at number five the following week.^[14] The week of October 8, 2006, "Get Up" opened at number seventeen on the Swiss Singles Chart, where it peaked.^[15] The song's success in Europe resulted in its peak of eighty-six on the European Hot 100.^[16] On the Austrian Singles Chart, it debuted at number seventy-two, later peaking at number fifty-nine during the week of October 20, 2006.^[17] "Get Up" peaked at number twenty-nine on the German Singles Chart, spending seven weeks on the chart.^[18] The song managed to reach number 187 on the UK Singles Chart.^[19]

Music video [link]

The music video for the song was filmed on June 30, 2006 in Los Angeles, California, directed by Joseph Kahn.^[1] It features several special effects, which include the effects of macro lenses on real bodies, intermediate CGI bodies, and 2-D wipes and morphs.^[1] The video follows Ciara as she goes clubbing. The clip begins with the singer waking up at midnight, in a black, reflective apartment, as she is dressed in black and proceeds to leave through the building's fire escape.^[1] When she arrives outside, the windows of the building brighten and fade, and the moon, stars, and lamp posts create a strobe effect. White reflectors on the street sweep around Ciara and she is surrounded by dancers, many of whom are from the film, as they ascend a dark staircase and enter the club.^[1] When everyone arrives on the roof, Ciara meets up with Chamillionaire for his verse, and thereafter Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan, the stars of Step Up, make appearances in dance sequences. The lights of the cityscape begin to pulse to the music, and rain falls on the crowd. Unilux strobes are used to highlight the rain.^[1]

The video ends with the camera pulling out of the sequence, with the flashing lights on the cityscape making up the flashing lights of Ciara's alarm clock from the beginning of the video. Henry Adaso of About.com gave the video three and a half out of five stars, stating that even though the song was a summer hit, when up against the recently released "Déjà Vu" video, Adaso said, "While Ciara gives Beyoncé a run for her money, the dance moves are unoriginal."^[20]

Live performances [link]

The singer performed the song on several occasions. She performed the song on the second season finale of So You Think You Can Dance.^[21] She later appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to perform the song on December 5, 2006,^[22] as well as the 2006 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,^[23] the 2006 St. Lucia Jazz Festival,^[24] and MTV Goes Gold: New Year's Eve 2007.^[25]

Credits and personnel [link]

• Songwriting – Ciara Harris, Phalon Alexander, Hakeem Seriki
• Production – Jazze Pha
• Mixing – Leslie Brathwaite
• Keyboards – Cedric Williams

Source^[26]

Formats and track listings [link]

Charts and certifications [link]

References [link]