"Wise Up" by Amy Grant

Song#:  2423
Date:  08/17/1985
Debut:  86
Peak:  66
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Pop, Contemporary Christian



Pop Bits:  Grant's decision to expand her appeal from the CCM market into the pop mainstream began to pay off when the single "Find a Way" became her first Pop Top 30 entry (#29). The song increased her fan base who then helped her album, Unguarded, go platinum. This other upbeat track from the LP would be issued out as its second single. It would get on the Pop chart, but it just couldn't do as well as "Find a Way." However, it would be a #2 winner on the Christian chart while reaching #34 at AC.

ReduxReview:  Like "Find a Way," this song wasn't overtly Christian in its lyrics and that gave the song a chance to get played on mainstream radio. Unfortunately, it just didn't catch on as well as "Find a Way." Indeed the funky little tune isn't quite as catchy, but it was a quality track from an album that had a couple of other good choices for singles.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  The third single from the album was the mid-tempo track "Everywhere I Go." It didn't make the Pop chart, but it did get to #4 Christian and #28 AC. It was written by Michigan-born singer/songwriter Mary Lee Kortes. The song would help her get work with other artists, but it would take until 1997 before Kortes would become an artist in her own right. Her band Mary Lee's Corvette would put out a self-titled EP that got some good critical attention. Two years later, a full-length album called True Lovers of Adventure would be released. More critical praise followed, but the album did not break through to the masses. The band's unexpected third album was the one that really garnered a lot of attention. An NYC club organized a series of shows where local bands would perform classic albums. Kortes and her band decided to participate and chose to perform Bob Dylan's 1975 #1 Blood on the Tracks in its entirety. It was a one-off gig and Kortes decided to record the show and perhaps burn some copies to sell at her shows. Word of the performance and the recording began to spread and soon she was inundated with requests for a copy. Bar None Records stepped in and issued a formal release of the CD in 2002. It was well received by critics, Dylan fans, and even Dylan himself who liked the performance enough to feature a song from the CD on his website and asked Kortes and her band to open a few of his shows.

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