Lift Me Up (Geri Halliwell song)

"Lift Me Up"
Single by Geri Halliwell
from the album Schizophonic
B-side
Released1 November 1999 (1999-11-01)
Length3:53
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Absolute
Geri Halliwell singles chronology
"Mi Chico Latino"
(1999) 		"Lift Me Up"
(1999) 		"Bag It Up"
(2000)
Music video
"Lift Me Up" on YouTube

"Lift Me Up" is a song by English singer Geri Halliwell for her debut solo album, Schizophonic (1999). It was written by Halliwell, Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson, whilst produced by the latter two, who are known collectively as Absolute. "Lift Me Up" was released as the album's third single on 1 November 1999 by EMI Records. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, winning the chart battle against fellow Spice Girls member Emma Bunton's "What I Am" by 30,000 copies. To promote the single, Halliwell performed the song on Top of the Pops, Pepsi Chart, Musica Si and National Lottery.

Critical reception

The Daily Vault's Christopher Thelen stated that tracks like "Lift Me Up" "make it clearly known to the listener that Halliwell is serious about this career move, and that she has the talent and the pipes to deliver the goods."[1] Dotmusic's Andy Strickland said, "Geri takes a deep breath and delivers a smokers' octave, husky drawl that is pleasant, nice, lovely - all those words they hate you using in English lessons at school".[2] David Stubbs from NME described it as an "astoundingly nondescript pop song".[3]

Chart performance

During the song's release week, it faced strong competition with Tin Tin Out's collaboration with previous Spice Girls group mate Emma Bunton's debut, "What I Am". Halliwell criticised record company executives for allegedly exploiting fans by encouraging the head-to-head race.[4] "Lift Me Up" ultimately reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 13 November 1999,[5] selling 140,000 copies in its first week, 30,000 more copies than "What I Am".[6] Its total sales are 346,000 copies in the United Kingdom,[7] and the single enjoyed a fifteen-week run in the UK chart.

Music video

The music video for "Lift Me Up" was directed by Howard Greenhalgh and filmed in October 1999 in Málaga. The beautiful twilight shots of Geri driving through the sprawling Malaga countryside create a mood that perfectly complements the whimsical string-synth melody snaking through the song. The plot involves Geri happening across a posse of aliens who are trying to repair their ship by befriending. Before helping them on their way, she takes them to the car wash for a water fight and back to a motel room to show them the latest music videos from herself (including "Mi Chico Latino"). Geri drives to the store then the aliens steal cash from the cash register and they went out, a police car with a police officer was seen chasing after them but they disappear. At night, Geri bade farewell to the aliens before returning to their home in outer space. Up in the sky, the spaceship is gone leaving her name's signature at the bottom end as their remembrance.

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Silver 346,000[27]

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 1 November 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 EMI [29]
New Zealand 25 November 1999 CD [30]
Australia 14 February 2000 [31]

References

  1. ^ Thelen, Christopher (27 August 1999). "Schizophonic – Geri Halliwell". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  2. ^ "dotmusic - Review -". 7 October 2000. Archived from the original on 7 October 2000.
  3. ^ Stubbs, David. "This Week's Singles October 30 1999". NME. Archived from the original on 5 October 2000. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Geri attacks chart battle". BBC. 1 November 1999.
  5. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 640. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ^ ""Lift Me Up" lifts Geri up to number 1". 25 November 2004. Archived from the original on 25 November 2004.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Copsey, Rob (29 June 2017). "The ultimate Official Spice Girls solo chart: all their singles ranked by sales". Official Charts. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  8. ^ Lift Me Up (UK CD1 liner notes). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 1999. CDEMS 554, 7243 8 87918 2 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Lift Me Up (European & Australian CD single liner notes). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 1999. 7243 8 87950 2 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Lift Me Up (UK CD2 liner notes). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 1999. CDEM 554, 7243 8 87919 0 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Lift Me Up (UK cassette single sleeve). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 1999. TCEM 554, 7243 8 87918 4 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Lift Me Up (Italian 12-inch single sleeve). Geri Halliwell. EMI Records. 1999. 8 87919 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ "ariaNET The Singles Chart! Top 100 Singles - Week Commencing 6th March 2000". ARIA. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  14. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Lift Me Up" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Oficiální Česká Hitparáda – Pro týden" (in Czech). IFPI ČR. Archived from the original on 3 March 2000. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 47. 20 November 1999. p. 19. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  17. ^ "Geri Halliwell: Lift Me Up" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Lift Me Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 20 (Vikuna 25.11. – 2.12. 1999 48. Vika)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 3 December 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Lift Me Up". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  21. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Lift Me Up" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  22. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Lift Me Up". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  24. ^ "Geri Halliwell – Lift Me Up". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  25. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  26. ^ "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. London, England: United Business Media. 22 January 2000. p. 27.
  27. ^ Copsey, Rob (29 June 2017). "The ultimate Official Spice Girls solo singles chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  28. ^ "British single certifications – Geri Halliwel – Lift Me Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  29. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 1 November, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 30 October 1999. p. 33. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  30. ^ "New Releases". EMI Virgin New Zealand. Archived from the original on 27 November 1999. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  31. ^ "Geri Halliwell". EMI Music Australia. Archived from the original on 9 July 2000. Retrieved 3 August 2023.