Rise Up

Album: Heaven :x: Hell (2023)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In 2014, Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley went through a critical health event due to complications from alcohol abuse. This resulted in liver and kidney failure, requiring hospitalization for nearly a month. During this time, Whibley was placed in a medically induced coma to manage withdrawal symptoms. This song, recorded for Sum 41's Heaven :x: Hell album, is about his recovery.

    "'Rise Up' is about me coming out of hospital 10 years ago, and what happened afterwards," said Whibley to NME. "That's something I'll never stop thinking about."

    Whibley said he penned "Rise Up" about "that struggle of finding the faith to continue on and the strength to build yourself back up."
  • "Rise Up" is the second single released from Sum 41's eighth and final studio album, Heaven :x: Hell, following "Landmines." Both songs see Whibley singing about perseverance. "It's that cliché thing where you can do anything you put your mind to," he said. "I really believe in that, but I've also surprised myself. Things can get better if you just work at it."
  • Heaven :x: Hell is a double album. The first disc, "Heaven," throws it back to the band's early pop-punk days, while the second disc, "Hell," unleashes their more recent heavy metal energy.

    "Heaven :x: Hell is an aggressive album," Whibley explained. "There's not really any slow songs on either side of the record. Everything is very energetic. The pop punk stuff is fast and upbeat, while the heavy songs hit hard. There's also some stuff that's heavier than anything we've ever done before."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."