"Word Up!" is a funk and R&B song originally recorded by American funk band Cameo in 1986. It was released as the first single from their thirteenth album of the same name. The song was written by band members Larry Blackmon and Tomi Jenkins. Its frequent airing on American dance, R&B, and contemporary hit radio, as well as its MTV music video (in which LeVar Burton appears as a police detective trying to arrest the band), helped the single become the band's best known hit.
"Word Up!" was Cameo's first US Top 40 hit, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B chart[4] and one week at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles chart.
In the United Kingdom, "Word Up" spent ten weeks in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number three on September 21, 1986 – for the week ending date September 27, 1986.
"Word Up" is a saying that was popular in New York and other urban areas in the US that acted as an affirmation of what was said, kind of a hipper "you bet." Cameo developed a character around the saying and wrote the lyrics about what he would say. They called the character "Vicious" and had him take out his frustrations on rappers who delve into psychodrama when they should be creating music you can dance to: "Give us music, we can that, we need to dance. We don't need that type of psychological romance."
Lyrics:
[Intro]
Oh!
[Verse 1]
Yo, pretty ladies around the world
Got a weird thing to show you
So tell all the boys and girls
Tell yo brother, yo sister
And yo momma too
'Cause we're about to throw down
And you'll know just what to do
Wave your hands in the air
Like you don't care
Glide by the people as they start to look and stare
Do your dance, do your dance
Do your dance quick, mama
Come on baby, tell me, what's the word?
[Chorus]
Oh, word up!
Everybody say when you hear their call
You've got to get it underway
Word up! It's the code word
No matter where you say it
You'll know that you'll be heard
[Verse 2]
Now all you sucker DJs
Who think you're fly
There's got to be a reason
And we know the reason why
You try to put on those airs and act real cool
But you've got to realize
That you're acting like fools
Give us music, we can use it
We need to dance
We don't have the time
For psychological romance
No romance, no romance
No romance for me, mama
Come on baby, tell me what's the word
[Chorus]
Oh, word up!
Everybody say when you hear their call
You've got to get it underway
[Interlude/Outro]
Dial "L" for low...
Come on, all you people say...
W-O-R-D up - W-O-R-D up
