‘Rise Up’ still hits hard enough to draw tears

Released in 2015, Andra Day’s “Rise Up” is still a powerful song. Expertly designed to draw tears from an audience, this music video, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, tells a tale of a woman who cares for her quadriplegic husband from the moment she wakes up until the end of the day.

As the song progresses the listener realizes the song could easily be about either partner as they each struggle to stay positive and live normal lives. In a live recording,

“‘Rise Up’ is just a song about any type of relationship. It’s actually really about how I look at everyone as we are all brothers and sisters and we are all a working body together. So ‘Rise Up’ is really about saying one piece isn’t bigger than another and when this part is struggling I’m gonna help you, I’m gonna lift you up, I’ll be there. If you’re going through pain I’ll go through the pain with you. If you’re celebrating I’ll celebrate with you. So it’s just sort of saying ’I will rise up for you.’”