10 Best Songs That Feature The Word ‘Up’ In The Title

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The word “up” has found its way into some great rock, pop, soul, and funk songs, usually bringing with it some sense of motion, hope, frustration, or pure energy. This list moves from Paul McCartney, Average White Band, and Diane Birch to Squeeze, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, The Foundations, The 5th Dimension, and Heart. Some of these songs lift you up, some demand that somebody else step up, and a few simply rock like hell. Either way, there is a lot of great music packed into one very small word.

# 10 – Coming Up – Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney’s “Coming Up” opens his 1980 album McCartney II, a record on which he once again handled the instruments himself and followed his own instincts in the studio. The studio version is funky, strange, playful, and filled with the sped-up vocal and production tricks that made the album sound unlike anything Wings had been doing. In the United States, however, it was the live version recorded by Wings in Glasgow in December 1979 that became the number-one hit. McCartney has always had an incredible ability to make experimentation sound catchy, and “Coming Up” is a perfect example. It is weird enough to surprise you and simple enough to stay in your head all day.

Read More: Top 10 Paul McCartney Solo Songs

# 9 – Pick Up The Pieces – Average White Band

Average White Band’s “Pick Up the Pieces” is one of the great funk instrumentals of the 1970s. Released on the Scottish band’s 1974 album AWB and produced by Arif Mardin, the track is built around a razor-sharp guitar groove and one of those horn lines you recognize almost immediately. There are barely any lyrics beyond the shouted title, but the band never needed more because the groove does all the talking. “Pick Up the Pieces” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975 and became the group’s signature record. More than fifty years later, it still sounds tight, cool, and impossible to sit still through.

Read More: Top 10 Average White Band Songs

# 8 – Rise Up – Diane Birch

We return here to one of our favorite artists, Diane Birch, because we are always looking for a reason to introduce more people to her music. “Rise Up” appeared on her 2009 debut album Bible Belt, a record steeped in soul, gospel, classic pop, and the warm sounds of the 1970s without ever feeling like imitation. Birch wrote the song and played keyboards, while the album drew on a killer group of musicians that included Lenny Kaye, George Porter Jr., Adam Blackstone, Cindy Blackman, and Stanton Moore. There is real fire in the way Birch mixes gospel feeling with a message about finding your own path instead of living by somebody else’s rules. If you have never spent time with Bible Belt, this is a pretty good reason to start.

Read More: Top 10 Diane Birch Songs

# 7 – Up The Junction – Squeeze

Squeeze’s “Up the Junction” is one of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook’s greatest storytelling songs. Released in 1979 on Cool for Cats, the track follows a relationship from its hopeful beginning through parenthood, drinking, separation, and regret without ever using a conventional chorus. Difford’s lyrics pack an entire life into a few minutes while Tilbrook’s melody keeps the story moving with deceptive ease. The single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and became one of Squeeze’s defining records. It is funny, sad, sharply observed, and very British in the best possible way.

Read More: 10 Essential Squeeze Songs

# 6 – Up Around The Bend – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Up Around the Bend” comes charging out of the gate on one of John Fogerty’s most instantly recognizable guitar riffs. Written and produced by Fogerty, the song was released as a single in 1970 with “Run Through the Jungle” on the other side and later appeared on Cosmo’s Factory. The record reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, another huge hit during CCR’s incredible run at the turn of the decade. Everything about it feels like forward motion, from the opening guitar to Fogerty’s vocal and Doug Clifford’s driving beat. This is the kind of record that can make an ordinary drive feel like the beginning of something better.

Read More: Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Best Song On Each Studio Album

# 5 – Get Up – Van Halen

This is definitely one of my favorite Van Halen songs from the Sammy Hagar period, and it is one of the most ferocious tunes the band ever recorded. “Get Up” appeared on 5150 in 1986, the first Van Halen album with Hagar on lead vocals, and the entire band sounds absolutely on fire. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar attack and Alex Van Halen’s drumming are relentless, while Michael Anthony’s much-underrated backing vocals make that chorus explode behind Sammy. There is almost no breathing room in the song, which is exactly what makes it so much fun. Turn this one up and try sitting still.

Read More: 10 Best Van Halen Songs With Sammy Hagar

# 4 – Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones opened Tattoo You in 1981 with a song that sounded instantly built for stadiums. “Start Me Up” had begun life years earlier during the band’s late-1970s sessions before being reshaped into the hard-driving version everybody knows, with The Glimmer Twins producing and Chris Kimsey serving as associate producer and engineer. Keith Richards’ opening riff is pure Stones, while Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman lock into a groove that gives Mick Jagger all the room he needs to swagger through the song. The single reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the band’s biggest late-career anthems. There are very few opening guitar riffs that can identify a song this quickly.

Read More: Complete List Of Rolling Stones Band Members

# 3 – Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations

The Foundations’ “Build Me Up Buttercup” is one of those records that sounds cheerful even while the singer is complaining about being let down over and over again. Written by Mike d’Abo and Tony Macaulay and released in 1968, the song featured Colin Young on lead vocals and became a huge international hit. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two in the UK, powered by a chorus that almost everybody seems to know whether they remember the title or not. The contrast between the upbeat arrangement and the frustration in the lyric is exactly what gives the record its charm. Some pop songs simply refuse to wear out, and this is one of them.

Read More: 10 Best Rock And Pop Songs About Finding Love

# 2 – Up, Up And Away – The 5th Dimension

Jimmy Webb’s “Up, Up and Away” launched The 5th Dimension into the mainstream in 1967 with one of the most unmistakably optimistic records of the decade. The song appeared on the group’s debut album and reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 1968 Grammy Awards, the recording won Record of the Year while Webb’s composition won Song of the Year, with the song collecting additional awards as well. The group’s harmonies make the whole thing feel weightless, exactly as that balloon imagery suggests. Few records capture the bright side of late-1960s pop this completely.

Read More: Top 10 Fifth Dimension Songs

# 1 – Even It Up – Heart

Heart’s “Even It Up” closes this list with Ann Wilson sounding like she has absolutely had enough. Written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis, the song appeared on Bebe le Strange in 1980 and was produced by Mike Flicker. Nancy Wilson, Howard Leese, Steve Fossen, and Michael DeRosier drive the track hard behind Ann, while the Tower of Power horn section gives the record an extra punch that separates it from almost anything else in Heart’s catalog. The lyric is a demand for some balance in a relationship, but Ann sings it like a warning rather than a polite request. That combination of muscle, soul, and attitude makes “Even It Up” a great way to finish this list.

Read More: 10 Most Rocking Heart Songs

Updated September 15, 2026

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