Polly Brown – Up in a Puff of Smoke

Very heavily influenced by The Supremes. Polly Brown sounds like Diana Ross. I can’t believe that Motown did not offer her a contract. I also hear a little bit of Disco starting to creep in. The song reached #16 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart on March 15, 1975.

From Wikipedia,

The songwriting/production team of Gerry Shury and Ron Roker had admired Brown’s voice from her Pickettywitch recordings. Shury, who had arranged Brown’s 1972 self-titled album release, described her as a cross “between Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick”. In 1974, Shury and Roker had Brown record the neo-Motown number “Up in a Puff of Smoke”. In the same session Brown, with Roker as co-vocalist, recorded a cover of the ABBA song “Honey, Honey“, which was released under the name Sweet Dreams.

“Up in a Puff of Smoke” proved to be a UK Top 40 shortfall although it did spend five weeks in the Top 50, peaking at #43.  However, the track became a hit in several English speaking countries: Australia (#22),  Canada (#11),  New Zealand (#13), and the US (#16).

Up in a Puff of Smoke

Going up, going up
Going up, up, up
Going up, going up
Going up, up, up

Going up, going up
Going up, up, up
Going up, going up, oh

Like a bubble
Headed for trouble
Wind is blowing
In the wrong direction
I was headed into danger
Too much in love to see

I pledged my trust in him
Believed in everything
Just had me on a string
And then he let me blow away

And now it’s going
Up, up, up in a puff of smoke
It ain’t no joke the way
He broke my heart
Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke
And I’m all choked up inside
To see my dreams just
Turn into ashes and all my
Hopes go up in a puff of smoke

Going up, going up
Going up, up, up
Going up, going up, oh

I aspire, took me higher than
A rocket on it’s way to Heaven
Couldn’t see those dangers coming
Cause I was flying blind

It hurt me deep inside
And broke my foolish pride
That my sweet talking guy
Was only talking lies

And now it’s going
Up, up, up in a puff of smoke
It ain’t no joke the way
He broke my heart
Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke
And I’m all choked up inside
To see my dreams just
Turn into ashes and all my
Hopes go up in a puff of smoke

He took me higher than a kite
Then dropped me like a light
Going up, up, up, up, up, up ,up
Thought I had a chance
But let me set you down
Going up, up, up, up, up, up ,up

Ooh, ooh, yeah
Going up, up, up, up, up, up ,up

Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke
Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke
Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Going up, up, up in a puff of smoke

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Gerry Shury / Phillip Swern / Ron Roker