Hang You Up

Album: When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes (2011)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Hang You Up" was the second single from Yellowcard's 2011 album When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes, following "For You, and Your Denial." In the song, frontman Ryan Key is trying to get over his ex. He keeps taking her picture down, only to hang it back up again.
  • Yellowcard took a break between 2008-'10 because their record company was in turmoil and the band members needed some time to figure out their personal lives. They finally reformed on August 1, 2010 with bass player Peter Mosely being replaced by Sean O'Donnell of Reeve Oliver. Vocalist Ryan Key told CMU the album was inspired by "the fight I still have in me." He explained: "I took two years away from Yellowcard to sort of refocus my entire life. When it came time to write for the record, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of fighting to get our band back where we wanted it to be. I think there is an overall theme of moving forward and living in the present."
  • The band enlisted director Chris Marrs Piliero to direct the comedic music video, which contrasts the somber tone of the lyrics. "The song is a little bit heavy," Key told MTV News, "and I think we all wanted to make sure with the video we weren't taking ourselves too seriously and making it some emotional piece of a video."

    In the clip, Key is so preoccupied with singing his song that he's a nuisance to everyone who crosses his path. While ignoring customers at his job at a fast-food joint, Key spots his ex and jumps out of the drive-through window to pursue her.

    "I had to jump out of a drive-through window about 30 times," Key recalled. "It was really challenging. Those windows are small! The first time I did it, they were going to put all this padding down for me. I was like, 'Guys, it's like three feet. I got it.'"

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