Lift Me Up

Unjustly vilified as a lightweight synth-pop relic that belonged squarely in the 1980s, the prosaically-named Howard Jones did manage to move beyond the strictures of that rather belittling stereotype in the 1990s and beyond, and in the process, adopting a more mature approach to music-making. The first fruits of this newfound sensibility was neatly encapsulated in 1992’s ‘In the Running’, a firm fan favourite which was not given its proper due by the charts. The artistic essence of ‘In the Running’ was a sea change from the MIDI patches and Casio polyphonic tones of yore, instead relying on studied, yet easy-flowing piano chords (brilliantly displaying Jones’s underrated pianistic skills), judiciously placed organic instrumentation, and a more thoughtful, considered lyrical focus. Check out the lead single, the surging ‘Lift Me Up’, with its triumphant (real) horn charts, skilful piano arpeggios, and a video clip that slyly splices the unassuming Jones amongst ancient footage of old-time entertainers from the 1930s and 1940s.