Word Up! (song)

Single infobox
Name = Word Up!


Artist = Cameo
from Album = Word Up!
B-side = "Urban Warrior"
Released = 1986
Format = 7" single, 12" single
Recorded = 1986
Genre = Funk, R&B| Length = 4:20
Label = Atlanta Artists Records
Chart position = * #6 (U.S. Billboard Hot 100)
* #1 (U.S. Hot R&B Songs)
Reviews =
Last single = "She's Strange" (1984)
This single = "Word Up"
(1986)
Next single = "Candy" (1986) |

"Word Up!" is a funk/R&B song originally written and recorded by Cameo. Due to its heavy play on American pop and R&B radio, as well as music video play on MTV, the single became the band's most well-known hit. From the album of the same name, "Word Up!" was Cameo's first top-forty U.S. hit, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. It also spent three weeks at number one on the U.S. Hot Black Singles chart and reached number three in the UK.

Melanie B version

Single infobox
Name = Word Up!

---

Artist = Melanie B
from Album = Austin Powers 2: Original Soundtrack
B-side = "Sophisticated Lady"
Released = June 28, 1999
Format = CD
Recorded = 1999
Genre = Pop| Length = 3:25 (Radio Edit)
5:23 (Full Length Version)
Producer = Timbaland
Label = Virgin
Last single = "I Want You Back" (1998)
This single = "Word Up"
(1999)
Next single = "Tell Me" (2000) |"Word Up!" was a single from Melanie Brown (better known as Melanie B and at the time known as Melanie G) and a cover of Cameo's hit. It was released on June 28, 1999. It peaked at #14 at UK Singles Chart. The single was also on the "" soundtrack. "Word Up!" sold about 77,000 copies in the UK, which was the lowest selling Spice Girls-related single of the 1990s. It was her second top 40 U.S hit thanks to Strong Airplay peaking at #34

Melanie B chart performance

Melanie B track listing

UK CD
(VSCDT1735; Released: 28 June, 1999)

# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25
# "Sophisticated Lady" - 2:44
# "Word Up" (Tim's Dance Mix) - 5:32
# "Word Up" (Video)

UK 12" Vinyl
(VST1735; Released: 1999)

"Side A"
# "Word Up" (Full Version) - 5:29
# "Sophisticated Lady" - 2:44"Side B"
# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25

UK CD Promo
(VSCDJ1735; Released: 1999)

# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25

UK CDr Promo
(Released: 1999)

# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25

UK CDr Promo
(Released: 1999)

# "Word Up" (Pop Edit) - 3:38
# "Word Up" (Single Edit) - 3:25
# "Word Up" (Full Length Version) - 5:21

UK CDr Promo
(Released: 1999)

# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25
# "Sophisticated Lady" - 2:44
# "Word Up" (Tim's Dance Mix) - 5:32
# "Word Up" (Single Version) - 3:55
# "Word Up" (Full Length Version) - 5:21

UK 7" Vinyl Promo
(VSLH1735; Released: 1999)

"Side A"
# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25"Side B"
# "Word Up" (Tim's Dance Mix) - 5:32

EUR CD
(VSCDE1735; Released: 28 June, 1999)

# "Word Up" (Single Version) - 3:55
# "Sophisticated Lady" - 2:44

US CD Promo
(PRO-CD-9852; Released: 1999)

# "Word Up" (Album Version) - 3:40

US CDr Promo
(Released: 1999)

# "Word Up" (LP Version) - 3:40

US CDr Promo
(Released: 1999)

# "Word Up" (Full Version) - 5:21

US CDr Promo
(Released: 1999)

# "Word Up" (Pop Edit) - 3:38
# "Word Up" (UK Short Edit) - 3:38
# "Word Up" (UK Short Intro) - 3:55
# "Word Up" (UK Short Outro) - 3:55

AUS CD
(8960540; Released: 28 June, 1999)

# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25
# "Sophisticated Lady" - 2:44
# "Word Up" (Tim's Dance Mix) - 5:32
# "Word Up" (Video)

ESP CDr Promo
(Released: 1999)

# "Word Up" (Single Edit) - 3:55

JAP CD
(VJCP-12126; Released; 16 June, 1999)

# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25
# "Sophisticated Lady" - 2:44
# "Word Up" (Tim's Dance Mix) - 5:32
# "Word Up" (Video)

ZAF CD
(CDVIS(WS)145; Released: 28 June, 1999)

# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25
# "Sophisticated Lady" - 2:44
# "Word Up" (Tim's Dance Mix) - 5:32
# "Word Up" (Video)

TWN CD
(8960540; Released: 28 June, 1999)

# "Word Up" (Radio Edit) - 3:25
# "Sophisticated Lady" - 2:44
# "Word Up" (Tim's Dance Mix) - 5:32
# "Word Up" (Video)

Korn version

Infobox Single
Name = Word Up!


Artist = Korn
from Album =
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
Released = November 16, 2004
Format = 7", CD
Recorded = 2004
Genre = Funk rock
Length = 2:53
Label = Epic Records
Producer = Jonathan Davis, Korn, and Toby Wright
Last single = "Everything I've Known"
(2003)
This single = "Word Up"
(2004)
Next single = "Another Brick in the Wall, Pts. 1-3"
(2004) |

"Word Up!" by American rock band Korn is a cover of the song by R&B group, Cameo. "Word Up!" was the first track featured on Korn's 2004 retrospective album, "Greatest Hits, Volume 1", and was one of two new tracks along with Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" that was exclusive to the album (the "Word Up!" CD single also featured a live performance of the latter). It was released as the album's first single in July 2004, and received heavy airplay on rock radio at its time of release, peaking in the top twenty of both "Billboard" charts, [Cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=121196&model.vnuAlbumId=828526|title=Artist Chart History|accessdate=2008-05-03|publisher=Billboard] whilst making a respectable impression on the mainstream charts of other countries, including Australia (where it debuted at number 28), [Cite web|url=http://australian-charts.com/search.asp?cat=a&search=Korn|title=Australian Charts Archive|accessdate=2008-05-03] and Germany (number 46). [Cite web|url=http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Korn/?type=longplay|title=German Charts Archive|accessdate=2008-04-22] It is the only Korn single to be sent out to Top 40 radio stations, notably receiving airplay on New York City's Z-100, the largest Top 40 station in the U.S. Lead singer Jonathan Davis has said of the band's decision to include the song on their greatest hits, "We've been doing 'Word Up' for years as a sound-check song - not the full version, just messing around with the riff" [http://v4.korn-locker.com/modules.php?name=Lyrics&file=show&album=7&lyric=0701] .The music video for the song directed by Antti Jokinen featured the band's faces digitally edited onto dogs' in a club scene with women dancing topless. Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch was unhappy with this decision, citing it as one of his reasons for leaving the band. [Cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1497313/20050222/korn.jhtml|title=Brian 'Head' Welch Leaves Korn, Citing Moral Objections To Band's Music|date=2005-02-22|accessdate=2007-05-03|publisher=MTV News] (The digital effects are similar to Basement Jaxx's "Where's Your Head At?" video where peoples' faces were digitally edited onto monkeys' faces.)

Korn chart performance

Korn track listing

#"Word Up!" – 2:54
#"Word Up!" (Atticus Clark remix) – 3:54
#"Word Up!" (Damizza Ree mix) – 6:36
#"Word Up!" (radio edit) – 2:54
#"Another Brick in the Wall" (live) – 8:21
#"Word Up!" video (multimedia)

Trivia

* The video for Cameo's version of the song is noteworthy for a cameo appearance by Levar Burton as a police detective.

* The Cameo version of the song is also featured on adverts for season 2 of the show "Everybody Hates Chris", on the UK TV channel Paramount Comedy 1 in August 2007.

* Korn's cover version was used in a 2006 and 2007 promotional advertisement for HBO's series "Entourage" in the United Kingdom on ITV2.

Additional cover versions

* covered by Finnish humppa band Eläkeläiset on their 2006 album Humppasirkus.
* covered by Cochino for the soundtrack of Party Monster.
* covered by the Scottish rock band Gun, which reached #8 in the UK.
* covered by the band The BossHoss in 2005 for the album "Internashville Urban Hymns".
* covered by Country-soul singer Willis did a cover (on her 2004 single "Take You High") that was featured on the Season Seven "" episode "Post Mortem", with trace analyst Hodges dancing to the music.
* The song is also featured in the Euromix version of the popular arcade game "Dance Dance Revoloution".
* covered by Yonder Mountain String Band in their live performance at the Melkweg in Amsterdam on March 20, 2007 (available on archive.org).
* covered by Keller Williams in a medley following his infamous "Freaker by the Speaker"
* covered by Australian group Taxiride for the "Musical Challenge" segment of the Andrew Denton Breakfast Show on Australian radio station Triple M in the early 2000s. It was one of many cover versions that was later released on a compilation CD of that segment's highlights.

References