The Only Way Is Up

Infobox Single
Name = The Only Way Is Up


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Artist = Yazz and the Plastic Population
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Released = Start date|1988|7
Format = 7", 12", CD single, Cassette single
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Genre = Dance,Funk
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Writer = George Jackson, Johnny Henderson
Producer = Coldcut
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This single = "The Only Way Is Up"
(1988)
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Misc = "The Only Way Is Up" is a chart-topping single by Yazz and the Plastic Population.

Written by George Jackson and Johnny Henderson, the song was originally released as the title track to the 1982 album by soul singer Otis Clay.

The Yazz version was produced by Jonathan Moore and Matt Black (better known as dance duo Coldcut who had worked with Yazz on their hit single "Doctorin' the House"). Released as a single in July 1988, "The Only Way Is Up" became an instant smash, spending five weeks at #1 in the UK, and ultimately became the biggest selling single of the year. In the United States, however, it fared less well peaking at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did reach #2 on the Billboard dance chart. The song's opening horn blast is a sample from Sharon Redd's 1982 dance classic "Beat the Street".

During her Kylie Minogue sang a line from the song as an introduction to I Should Be So Lucky.

A remix of the song was used in the 2008 Malta parliament elections by the Malta Labour Party (MLP) in their electoral campaign with a slight modification of the lyrics: 'The only way is up, Labour'. A Labour spokesperson said the song was chosen to reflect the positive attitude of Labour, and will blend in perfectly with message they are passing on. While there is no indication whether this remix was made with respect to copyright laws, the song was distributed freely on the internet through the party's website.

It was also used in the heyday of the multi-level marketing company National Safety Associates as an audience rouser and intro to recruitment meetings held in the UK and elsewhere in the 1990s

Chart performance

References