Polly was a great singer and still is. I know my dear friend the late Gerry Shury and I had great times recording and writing for this remarkable talented Performer.
Ron has a wikipedia page, the real deal. Generous to post a comment of high praise for Polly on this video. His comment should be pinned. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Roker
Ron .. thku for sharing your post …im in awe but more so have great appreciation for people like you who have great musical talent and dedication ..thku so much for giving so many people including myself so much pleasure listening to such joyful uplifting songs
HIGH ENERGY!!! This was one of my Twin sister Eva & My FAVORITE songs!!!! My Sister Eva & I used to CLEAR dance Floors & Skating Floors When this song Played!!! When Eva & I teamed up NO ONE could match up to us!!!!! My Mother was a Nurse at the Maine Medical Center & Eva & I worked For the City of Portland Maine as well. Eva Was a Police Dispatcher & I was a Paramedic!!! My Mother had a woman who worked at the Medical Center & had 2 Beautiful little Twin Girls and we fell in LOVE with them!!!! One weekend my Mother's friend and her little Daughters saw my family at the Maine Mall!!! The Mall had a Christmas Show and Dance Exhibition. The Mall had Christmas trees & Other Christmas Amenities on display as well . There was My Mother, My Aunt Rose, My Girlfriend Debbie who was an EMT II, My Sisters Eva Caroline, & me. We were Roller Skating & Dance Champions. We went in the Mall and Hung out staying low key!!! There was AWESOME music being played and People were dancing with their Children!!! The event was televised by the Portland News Media. My family was fooling around with dance moves!!! This Song Started and my sisters Eva & Caroline got WOUND UP!!! Then my Girlfriend Debbie SCREAMED in delight!!! I am very NERVOUS & HIGH ENERGY!!! And When I SCREAMED "DETONATE" Everyone went into "SHOCK"!!! They KNEW what was NEXT!!!! Eva`, Caroline, Debbie & Me, got on the dance floor and my Mother "SCREAMED", " LEVEL THE BUILDING" "NO PRISONERS"!! And All HELL BROKE LOOSE then"!!! I TOTALLY LOST my Mind & we DESTROYED The Dance Floor and everyone else there!!! A News Reporter There then said, " Ladies & Gentlemen!! The New England Roller Skating Champion "SUPERBIRDS"!!! Then the Mall "SHOOK"!!! from CHEERING & APPLAUSE we received from Everyone!!!! My Mother & My Aunt Rose Held us with TEARS in their EYES!!!! My Mother's Friend and her Children came up to us in "SHOCK" & crying she then said to my Mother, " Was that REALLY your CHILDREN"!!! My Daughters & I were having a "HEART ATTACK" watching your Children Bring the HOUSE DOWN"!!! They deeply Hugged & kissed us all!!! Me and Eva Held the 2 Girls and Kissed them!!! My Mother told her Friend , My Children have been dancing since they were Babies!!! My Children are also Roller Skating Champions!!! Our ENERGY & INTENSITY comes from my Son Allie!!!! When he gets UPSET or EXCITED!!! he has the ENERGY of an Atomic Power PLANT!!!! He has SO MUCH Energy!! I CAN"T CONTROL him!!! Only Eva & Debbie can Handle him!!!! My Aunt Rose then Said These Kids are SO SPECIAL in the way they LOVE Each Other"!!! I LOVE them like my own Children!!!!
Liked Polly, both as part of Pickettywitch and here, on her own. Lovely, and a great voice. When released in the US in 1975, some DJ's were fooled and thought this was the latest Diana Ross track. Maybe not, but you can hear why.
WOW! I never knew there was a 'promo film' (aka 'music video' old phrase) for this song!! This really gave me goosebumps while I was watching! Thanks for uploading this! [:-D]
Really enjoyed this fine effort from Polly, she can be really very proud, she's on fire! Charted at No.43 in the UK but it really should have achieved Top 10, it's that good! It's a mystery why it never happened
Thanks. Always loved this upbeat catchy tune. Remember hearing it on the radio for the first time around 1974, and thinking "wow..this is really good" but I thought it was Diana Ross's voice!
Love that song, I bought it when I was like 14 years out here in San Antonio Texas I used to play this for my cousins and they were like where did you hear that on American bandstand
Polly was the original lead singer with the group Pickettywitch who had several UK Top 40 hits in the early 70s. This was her 1st solo release. Despite lots of radio airplay and an appearance on Top Of The Pops the record stalled at No44 on the UK charts in Aug/Sept 1974. A few months later in early 1975 she would find greater success in the US where the record reached 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Polly also performed as one half of the duo Sweet Dreams who had a UK top 10 hit with a disco version of ABBA's Honey Honey. Controversially Polly used the name Sara Leone and appeared in "black face" when performing the song on TV. The Top of the Pops producer refused to let her appear in black face on the show. Polly's singing style was heavily influenced by Diana Ross & Dionne Warwick and her records were often mistaken as being by the two US stars. In 1976 she participated in the TV special "A Song For Europe" the annual search for the British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, both as a solo artist and with Sweet Dreams. Both were unsuccessful losing to Brotherhood Of Man who went on to win Eurovision that year.
I thought it got to no.43. Ultimately, it got no higher because it did not sell enough copies. Pop buyers may have had limited choices if they were stuck for cash.
Two things Up Up was not Polly's first solo release as I bought all her records and remember she had about 4 or 5 solo singles on the PYE label before she signed with GTO. She has the distinction of being the first artist release on GTO I seem to recall GT2 (I guess they skipped GT1 as being unlucky maybe) and I believe that was You're My Number One which came out a year before Up, Up... Regarding Brotherhood of Man, I've still not forgiven them all these years later as in my book Do You Believe in Love at First Sight would have been a shoe-in. Oh well let it be (or was that the Beatles 🤔)
Going up, going up Going up, up, up Going up, going up Going up, up, up Going up, going up Going up, up, up Going up, going up Up There like a bubble Head for trouble Wind is blowing in the wrong direction I was headed Into danger Too much in love to see I placed my trust in him Believed in everything But he just had me on a string And then let me float away And I was going Up, up, up in a puff of smoke And it ain't no joke The way you broke my heart Going up, up, up In a puff of smoke And I'm all choked up inside To see my dreams just turn into ashes And all my hopes going up In a puff of smoke (Going up, going up Going up, up, up Going up, going up Up) I aspire Took me higher In a rocket on its way to heaven Couldn't see those Dangers coming 'Cause I was flying blind It hurt me deep inside And broke my foolish pride That my sweet talking guy Was only talking lies And I was going Up, up, up in a puff of smoke And it ain't no joke The way you broke my heart Going up, up, up In a puff of smoke And I'm all choked up inside To see my dreams just turn into ashes And all my hopes going up In a puff of smoke He took me higher than a kite Then dropped me like a light (Going up, up, up, up, up, up, up) Thought I had a chance But he left me, set me down (Going up, up, up, up, up, up, up) Ooh, ooh, ooh Yeah, eh, eh, eh (Going up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up...) Up, up, up in a puff of smoke Ooh, yeah, yeah, eh, eh Up, up, up in a puff of smoke Ooh, yeah, yeah, eh, eh
In 1975 I was 14 and saw Polly perform this song on American Bandstand and It made such an impression on me that I remember it to this day. My memory isn’t perfect because I remember her wearing a big afro wig….but it turns out it was just her Curley hair.
Polly Brown: A white and sexy Diana Ross sound-alike on this song. And a tune that's about as catchy as anything Diana Ross ever did. What a rare treat. (And that's coming from a really big Diana Ross fan.)
When I heard this I thought it was Jean Terrell of the Supremes. Even her movements (hands and finger pose at the beginning) and arched shoulders are very Jeanish! She said she was influenced by "The Supremes" (with Jean) and also by Diana Ross. Her similarity to Jean in vocals and inflections and movements is no coincidence.
I thought it was Jean Terrell (formerly of The Supremes 1970 - 1973) that sang it. Polly almost like Nina Blackwood in the music promo video (former MTV VJ August 1981 till September 1986).
The greatest thrill I get from my years in music is to learn that people liked my work and the artistes too who recorded any of my songs so thank you all for your very kind words. Ron Roker
What a brilliant film clip of a magnificent song, although some long shots would have been really great as she had some very sexy moves!! Amazing woman and song!! XX...even after all these years.
If Diana Ross and Dolly Parton were the same person, she probably would have recorded a song like this. And I concur that the song is very Motown-ish, an up tempo melody for lyrics with a sad message.
