John Hakin’s Up is undoubtedly a song that connects a little more notably the further along it moves. Beginning with a simple and fairly optimistic soundscape – a piano-led progression, a jazz-style, quick-paced chord presentation – the song moves into its quietly vocal-driven groove with a certain shyness at first. As things progress, the beat shows itself to be a little more creatively inclined than the average offering, leaning back and forth between synth-pop and hip hop. More than this though – the lyrics begin to pour endless personal truths and even vulnerabilities into the mix, effectively taking the experience somewhere else entirely, and introducing an artist with an undeniably open and genuine way with writing.
Never understood why everything I do was so insulting to everyone around me…
The very concept of Up is one designed to inspire – the verses in the song talk about the downs in life, yet the hook subtly but surely resolves those references and difficulties, by repeatedly stating the fact that the central character is now forever going up and never down. The more closely you listen, the more all of this starts to make sense and reach out in a personal, relatable way throughout the song. In addition, the hopeful and colourful energy of the soundscape and the melody really helps create a clever contrast with any turmoil detailed in the verses – the song in full leaves a sense of possibility and motivation lingering in the room. A job well done, in more ways than one.
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