Wise Up (Amy Grant song)
Encyclopedia
"Wise Up" is a 1985 single by Christian music
singer Amy Grant
. It was released as the third single from her Unguarded
album. The song reached The Billboard 100, as well as the Adult Contemporary and Christian music
charts in the United States.
"Wise Up" is an uptempo, inspirational song with a rock
sound, featuring heavy percussion
and guitar
s. The song provides the Unguarded
album with its title in the lyric "better use your head to guard your heart". That lyric essentially summarizes the song's central theme.
was "Find a Way
", a song that not only went No. 1 on the Christian music
chart, but also gave Grant her first-ever hit on pop
radio (making it the first Contemporary Christian music
song to chart on pop radio as well). "Wise Up" and the single that came before it, "Everywhere I Go", capitalized on Grant's newfound mainstream success and were released to both Christian and mainstream pop radio.
Grant had previewed the song on the 1984 "Straight Ahead Tour" while the song was still being developed. Its album version was substantially different. During the 1988-89 Lead Me On Tour, Grant performed an updated rendition of "Wise Up" as a regular part of her set list. Since then, the artist has frequently included the song with an updated arrangement in her concerts, including a deep bass version on the "Heart in Motion Tour" and an acoustic rendering with a vintage slide guitar on the "House of Love Tour." The song was also given a "Big Beats" dance remix, which featured, among other things, additional sound effects and Grant repeating the phrase "Pack 'em up, move 'em out".
The music video was released on Grant's Find a Way VHS. That release, along with Grant's Old-Fashioned Christmas TV special and VHS release, are among the only available footage from the Unguarded tour. The music video has not yet been released to DVD, but it can be viewed on YouTube.
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
singer Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
. It was released as the third single from her Unguarded
Unguarded
Unguarded is the ninth album by Christian music singer Amy Grant, released in 1985 on A&M Records. It is Amy's first album released by A&M....
album. The song reached The Billboard 100, as well as the Adult Contemporary and Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
charts in the United States.
"Wise Up" is an uptempo, inspirational song with a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
sound, featuring heavy percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s. The song provides the Unguarded
Unguarded
Unguarded is the ninth album by Christian music singer Amy Grant, released in 1985 on A&M Records. It is Amy's first album released by A&M....
album with its title in the lyric "better use your head to guard your heart". That lyric essentially summarizes the song's central theme.
Background
The lead single off of UnguardedUnguarded
Unguarded is the ninth album by Christian music singer Amy Grant, released in 1985 on A&M Records. It is Amy's first album released by A&M....
was "Find a Way
Find a Way
"Find a Way" is a 1985 single by Christian music singer Amy Grant. It was released as the first single from her Unguarded album. Also, "Find A Way" was Grant's first major single release, as it was issued in secular outlets by A&M Records along with the album...
", a song that not only went No. 1 on the Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
chart, but also gave Grant her first-ever hit on pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
radio (making it the first Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
song to chart on pop radio as well). "Wise Up" and the single that came before it, "Everywhere I Go", capitalized on Grant's newfound mainstream success and were released to both Christian and mainstream pop radio.
Grant had previewed the song on the 1984 "Straight Ahead Tour" while the song was still being developed. Its album version was substantially different. During the 1988-89 Lead Me On Tour, Grant performed an updated rendition of "Wise Up" as a regular part of her set list. Since then, the artist has frequently included the song with an updated arrangement in her concerts, including a deep bass version on the "Heart in Motion Tour" and an acoustic rendering with a vintage slide guitar on the "House of Love Tour." The song was also given a "Big Beats" dance remix, which featured, among other things, additional sound effects and Grant repeating the phrase "Pack 'em up, move 'em out".
Chart performance
"Wise Up" performed very well on Christian radio, landing the No. 2 spot on the Christian music charts in the U.S. On mainstream radio, "Wise Up" didn't rise as high as "Find a Way", but performed slightly better than the previous single, "Everywhere I Go". The single peaked at No. 66 on The Billboard Hot 100 and No. 34 on the Adult Contemporary chart.Music video
Grant released a music video for the song, composed of footage from her successful Unguarded tour. In the video, Grant dons the famous leopard skin jacket that is pictured on the cover of Unguarded. Because of the jacket's appearance on the album cover and the music video, as well as Grant's tendency to wear it on television appearances, in concert, and on the Grammy Awards telecast, the jacket became a signature emblem for Grant during the 1980s.The music video was released on Grant's Find a Way VHS. That release, along with Grant's Old-Fashioned Christmas TV special and VHS release, are among the only available footage from the Unguarded tour. The music video has not yet been released to DVD, but it can be viewed on YouTube.
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Christian | 2 |
| Adult Contemporary | 34 |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 66 |