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Hey, Hey, Rise Up!

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"Hey, Hey, Rise Up!"
Single by Pink Floyd featuring Andriy Khlyvnyuk of BoomBox
B-side"A Great Day for Freedom 2022"
Released8 April 2022 (2022-04-08)
RecordedLate February & 30 March 2022
Genre
Length3:27
LabelPink Floyd Records
Rhino (Europe)
Columbia/Sony Music (worldwide)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)David Gilmour
Pink Floyd singles chronology
"Louder than Words"
(2014) 		"Hey, Hey, Rise Up!"
(2022)
Music video
"Hey Hey Rise Up" on YouTube

"Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" (also written "Hey Hey Rise Up") is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on digital platforms on 8 April 2022. It is based on a 1914 Ukrainian anthem, "Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow", and features vocals in Ukrainian by Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the Ukrainian band BoomBox.

"Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" is the first piece of music recorded by Pink Floyd since "Louder than Words" in 2014.[2][3] The guitarist, David Gilmour, was inspired to record it in support of Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion. Pink Floyd also released a music video, directed by Mat Whitecross, with images of life struggling amidst warfare. The single was released on CD and vinyl on 15 July 2022, alongside a new version of Pink Floyd's 1994 song "A Great Day for Freedom".[4] All proceeds go to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund.

Background

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Andriy Khlyvnyuk, seen in 2015

In February 2022, the Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk, who had abandoned a US tour by his band BoomBox to serve in the Ukrainian military in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February,[5] recorded an a capella version of the first verse of the Ukrainian anthem "Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow" (Ukrainian: Ой у лузі червона калина). The anthem was written by Stepan Charnetskii in 1914 to commemorate the Sich Riflemen. Khlyvnyuk, wearing fatigues and carrying an automatic rifle, videoed his performance in Sophia Square in Kyiv, with the Bell Tower of Saint Sophia Cathedral in the background, and posted it on Instagram on 27 February.[5][6][7][8]

David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, seen in 2015

The Pink Floyd guitarist, David Gilmour, was shown the Instagram post by the Ukrainian artist Janina Pedan,[9] who is married to his son Charlie,[10] and was inspired to record something in support of Ukraine in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.[11] He contacted Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and suggested they collaborate.[5] Pink Floyd had been inactive for several years, and Gilmour had said several times that the band would not reunite;[5] however, the war encouraged him to release the track as Pink Floyd as it was a "big platform" and it was "vitally" important to raise awareness about the war. He said: "It's a really difficult and frustrating thing to see this extraordinarily crazy, unjust attack by a major power on an independent, peaceful, democratic nation."[11]

Khlyvnyuk, while recovering in hospital from a shrapnel wound sustained in defence of Ukraine, gave Gilmour his blessing to use his vocals.[12] Gilmour wrote extra music, including a guitar solo.[5] Gilmour had previously been backed by BoomBox—without Khlyvnyuk—in 2015, at Koko, London, in support of the Belarus Free Theatre.[13]

Pink Floyd had already removed music from streaming services in Russia and Belarus. Their work with Roger Waters remained, leading to speculation that Waters had blocked its removal; Gilmour said only that "I was disappointed ... Read into that what you will."[14] Gilmour said the song was a "one-off for charity" and that Pink Floyd had no plans to reform.[15]

Recording

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The Veryovka Ukrainian Folk Choir in 2018

"Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" was recorded on 30 March 2022 at Gilmour's home[6] by Gilmour and Mason with Guy Pratt, bassist with Pink Floyd since 1987, and keyboardist Nitin Sawhney. It was Sawhney's first work with Pink Floyd. Gala Wright, the daughter of late Pink Floyd keyboardist and founding member Richard Wright, was also present during the recording.[5]

The song—whose title comes from the last line of "Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow", which some translations give as "Hey, hey, rise up and rejoice"[16]—opens with a sample from another recording of Charnetskii's anthem, by the Veryovka Ukrainian Folk Choir.[9][17]

Music video

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Gilmour's 1952 Fender Esquire, nicknamed "the Workmate", used on the song and in the video

The music video was directed by Mat Whitecross, also on 30 March, on a set designed by Pedan.[6][16] In the video, the band play while Khlyvnyuk's Sophia Square video is projected behind them. The performance is intercut with scenes of war damage, survivors and refugees in Ukraine.[8] Mason's drums are decorated with reproductions of a painting by Maria Primachenko, a Ukrainian artist, several of whose works were destroyed in a fire caused by Russian shelling during the invasion.[5][18]

Cover art

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The single's artwork depicts a band logotype (in the style of Gerald Scarfe's lettering for The Wall) patterned after the Ukrainian flag alongside a sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine, in a 2019 painting by Cuban artist Yosan Leon.[16][19] The choice of flower also references a remark from a Ukrainian woman who was seen handing sunflower seeds to Russian soldiers in the early days of the invasion, telling them to carry the seeds in their pockets so that sunflowers will grow from their dead bodies.[20][21]

Release

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"Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" was released on digital platforms and streaming services on 8 April 2022. It was Pink Floyd's first newly recorded material since the 2014 song "Louder Than Words".[2] A physical version of the single on both CD and vinyl was released on 15 July 2022, which included a newly reworked version of "A Great Day for Freedom" as a b-side.[4] Proceeds from "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" go to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund.[8]

Reception

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The journalist Mark Savage of BBC News praised the song, saying that it was "built around a spine-tingling refrain" by Khlyvnyuk.[22] Khlyvnyuk said the song was "fabulous" and thanked Pink Floyd for their efforts.[5] Some fans felt that it was improper for the group to release music as Pink Floyd without the keyboardist Richard Wright, who died in 2008, or the bassist and songwriter Roger Waters, who left in 1985. The Classic Rock journalist Fraser Lewry disagreed, writing: "When thousands have been killed and millions have fled their homes, moaning about the absence of a band member [Waters] who left 37 years ago is churlish at best. At worst, it's contemptuous of the suffering."[23]

Waters was critical of the song, saying it "lacked humanity" and constituted a "content-less waving of the blue and yellow flag" rather than an explicit call for the war to end.[24] He said Russia's invasion of Ukraine was "probably the most provoked invasion ever" and refused to "see Russia from the current Russo-phobic perspective".[25]

Commercial performance

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Based on downloads and sales in its first two days, the single appeared on the midweek UK Singles Chart at number 5.[26] It debuted at number 49 on the final chart.[27]

Personnel

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Technical

  • Produced by David Gilmour
  • Assisted by Damon Iddins

Artwork

  • "The Sunflower Look" by Yosan Leon – front cover painting
  • Steve Knee / Blade Design Ltd – artwork design

Charts

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Pink Floyd – Hey Hey Rise Up Review". CULT FOLLOWING. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b NextMosh Staff (7 April 2022). "Pink Floyd (Gilmour/Mason) new song "Hey Hey Rise Up"". NextMosh. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  3. ^ Tonight at midnight, Pink Floyd will release their first recording since 2014's Louder Than Words. 'Hey Hey Rise Up'
  4. ^ a b "Pink Floyd announce physical release of Ukraine benefit single 'Hey Hey Rise Up', their first song in 25 years". NME. 24 June 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Petridis, Alexis (7 April 2022). "'This is a crazy, unjust attack': Pink Floyd re-form to support Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Willman, Chris (7 April 2022). "Pink Floyd to Release First Newly Conceived Single as a Band Since 1994, Borrowing Ukrainian Singer's Lead Vocal". Variety. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Khlyvnyuk performing "Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow"". Instagram. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b c "Pink Floyd reunite to release new song 'Hey Hey, Rise Up' for Ukraine". EuroNews. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b Grow, Kory (8 April 2022). "David Gilmour: Why I'm Bringing Back Pink Floyd After 28 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  10. ^ Rainbird, Ashleigh (7 April 2022). "Pink Floyd to release group's first new music for 28 years to support Ukraine". mirror. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  11. ^ a b Weber, Peter (8 April 2022). "Listen to Pink Floyd's Ukraine charity single 'Hey Hey Rise Up,' the band's 1st new music since 1994". The Week. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  12. ^ Ahmed, Saaed (7 April 2022). "How (members of) Pink Floyd reunited to record a song for Ukraine". NPR.org. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Hey Hey Rise Up". pinkfloyd.com. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  14. ^ Petridis, Alexis (7 April 2022). "'This is a crazy, unjust attack': Pink Floyd re-form to support Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  15. ^ "David Gilmour: Why I'm Bringing Back Pink Floyd After 28 Years". Rolling Stone. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  16. ^ a b c "Hey Hey Rise Up". Retrieved 7 April 2022 – via Instagram.
  17. ^ Хор імені Г. Верьовки – Ой, у лузі червона калина (G. Veryovka Choir – Oh, red viburnum in the meadow) on YouTube.
  18. ^ Giorgobiani, Natia (28 February 2022). "A museum with unique works by Maria Primachenko burned down near Kiev". www.perild.com.
  19. ^ "La mirada del girasol Yosan Leon". Artelista. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  20. ^ Sinclair, Paul (8 April 2022). "Listen to Pink Floyd's new single for Ukraine". SuperDeluxeEdition. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  21. ^ "You are cursed"; Ukraine woman's confrontation with Russian soldier goes viral [details], Sami Khan, 25 February 2022, International Business Times : Twitter video and translation of the confrontation between the Ukrainian woman and the Russian soldier.
  22. ^ Savage, Mark (8 April 2022). "Pink Floyd reunite for Ukraine protest song". BBC News. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  23. ^ Lewry, Fraser (8 April 2022). "Pink Floyd's new single: the internet has reacted, and not all of it is good". Classic Rock. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  24. ^ "Roger Waters Questioned in Depth About Ukraine, Russia, Israel, U.S." Pressenza. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  25. ^ Willman, Chris (7 February 2023). "Roger Waters Is 'Antisemitic to Rotten Core,' Says Former Pink Floyd Lyricist Polly Samson — and Her Husband, David Gilmour, Emphatically Agrees". Variety. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  26. ^ Brandle, Lars (11 April 2022). "Pink Floyd's 'Rise Up' Heading For U.K. Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  28. ^ "Pink Floyd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  29. ^ "Pink Floyd feat. Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox – Hey Hey Rise Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Pink Floyd Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  31. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of August 10, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  33. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  34. ^ "Pink Floyd feat. Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox – Hey Hey Rise Up". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  35. ^ "Ukraine Airplay Chart for 2022-05-13." TopHit. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  36. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  38. ^ "Pink Floyd Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  39. ^ "Pink Floyd Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  40. ^ "Pink Floyd Chart History: World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  41. ^ "Single Top 100 – eladási darabszám alapján – 2022" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
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