Look Up

words & music by Chris Barton

sometimes it seems this world
spins the wrong way
facing the music
gets harder every day
I still remember
when we all stood together
sisters and brothers
we promised forever

look up from way down low
look up and say hello
to the sun in the sky
the clouds drifting by
to the birds on a wing as they fly
look up

what can I say
when you won’t share my view
because you believe
that what you think is true?
will we ever meet
again on common ground
or have we lost our way
never to be found?

look up from way down low
look up and say hello
to the sun in the sky
the clouds drifting by
to the birds on a wing as they fly
look up

(Instrumental)

look up from way down low
look up and say hello
to the sun that we share
the stars everywhere
as the world spins us ‘round
will you dare?
look up

Reviews

Oh, Chris:  I’m choked up listening to this. It is exactly what I (and those in this world) need. Thank you and Doug for once again creating a song that transcends and makes me see that there IS reason to hope. I don’t know how you do it, but I’m grateful that you do. —Amy

Very nice tune! On point lyrics with the thoughts that are on all our minds – production, arrangement, Doug’s voice:), your voice, power ballad chord changes, soaring guitar lead.  You’ve got it all going there. Having the lyrics scroll by is good.  I haven’t been doing much of that, but it’s a good idea and helps imprint the message. —Myron

LOOK UP –  Beautiful and poignant! With a reminder to purposely choose to believe in Hope, no matter the circumstances..LOOK UP… Makes me think of the song ROOM IN THIS WORLD!  It has become a predecessor! Love ya!! —Susie W.

You and Doug have something very special that you are gifting to the world —A friend

Such amazing voices and a song full of hope and encouragement! Thank you for sharing! —John K.

Another amazing song! ❤️ —Dennis F.

Thank you for this. First of all, it’s lovely with both your voices. It’s also very appropriate for these days. I need the reminder to look up because I really don’t know whether I will ever be on the same page as some family and friends again. —Katie C.

2025 Notes

One thing I love about my music buddy Chris Barton’s creations—and her entire approach to life for that matter—is her lighthearted and unstoppably positive outlook on things. Not that she’s been without her share of trials and let downs and losses, mind you. But even her sad songs always seem to have a positive spin or a warm welcome woven into the lyrics and the melody—unlike some of mine! That’s why I want to keep her close by, and why I always want to say yes when she has a new song to collaborate on. (And we were so happy that Dan Leonhardt could join us on this one, too.)

We hope this song will help keep you from focusing on the things that are troubling you right now, the future that seems darker than you thought it would, or the world that just doesn’t seem to spin in the right direction… Look up, sisters and brothers, “to the sun that we share, the stars everywhere. As the world spins us round, will you dare? Look up!”

Music Notes

Collaboration is a lot of fun, and I love to do it when possible. It can really enliven a musical project. But it can also add significantly to the time, effort and cost required to do it. On this one, I got to be in on the ground floor, right from the song’s conception, as Chris wrote it in the middle of the night in her Indianapolis home studio, and I first got to hear it the very next morning! But then we had to:

• Settle on a song arrangement (go back and forth on tempo, character, key changes, etc., where the solo and duet passages should occur, etc.
• Record basic tracks for Dan to play along to, including a demo vocal part to show Dan how it lay in the track as a whole
• Write out a chord chart, record rough rhythm track mixes, export MIDI piano track and send all this to Dan at Away with Words (via our online project repository), and hope he could find the time he needed to create and record the guitar parts during his busiest season of the year (he and Chris are both still working at demanding day jobs)
• Write out duet and background vocal parts and create special mixes for Chris to practice and record to and send them to her in Indiana
• Record multiple takes of Chris’s lead/duet vocal part and her background part, thanks to Blake Lamirand at The Engine Room Recording Company in BroadRipple Village, Indianapolis, and upload those to our online project repository (and in a huge departure from the norm, I actually had to wait on Chris for once, while she got over a throat infection!)
• Receive Dan’s guitar parts (thank you, Dan!) and place his tracks in the project
• Receive Chris’s vocal parts and place her tracks in the project
• Finish writing and recording the rest of the instrumental parts
• Do several test mixes, sending them to Chris and Dan for feedback
• Create the final mix and master here in my Hawkswood studio
• THEN all the things that go into distributing the song, like finding, editing and uploading images, writing descriptions, creating a lyric video for YouTube, submitting final mixes to CD Baby, and waiting…

After all these communications and efforts from three different musicians in four different studios spread out over 4,000 miles, you always hope you’re going to feel like it’s all been worth it 😉 and I’m happy to say that’s definitely how it turned out this time! ❤️ We’re all very excited to bring this song to you at the start of what promises to be a challenging year ahead.