Songfacts®:

• In this song, Hootie & the Blowfish seem to be taking a swipe at President Donald Trump, starting with the opening lines:
  
  Once there was a thankless leader blinded by a golden ring
  Now there's no more peaceful gatherings
  
  The band, though says it doesn't have a political motivation - it's all about turning up the love to drown out negativity. "At one point in the lyrical development the band had a deep discussion over concern the song might be perceived as a political statement, but no significant changes were made as a result," drummer Jim Sonefeld told Songfacts.
• Released in October 2019, this was included on Imperfect Circle, the first Hootie & the Blowfish album since Looking For Lucky in 2005. After a 10-year hiatus, the band returned to action in 2018 with their Group Therapy tour, then got to work on the album, which they recorded in Nashville.
  
  With a reggae vibe and horn section, "Turn It Up" is a musical departure for the band. The horn players came up from South Carolina to record it.
• Mark Bryan, guitarist for the band, conceived the original idea for this song. "During pre-production for the Imperfect Circle album, he played us a demo version and I immediately fell in love with the idea," Sonefeld said. "All four band members and producer Jeff Trott made significant contributions, musically and lyrically, before the final version was finished."
• Sheryl Crow sang backup on this track. She and producer Jeff Trott are longtime associates; some of her hits he worked on include "If It Makes You Happy" and "Everyday Is a Winding Road."
• In 2020, Walshy Fire of Major Lazer created a remix of the song that was included on a digital re-release of the album along with Hootie's cover of the R.E.M. song "Losing My Religion."