"Pack Up" is the second single by British recording artist Eliza Doolittle, taken from her debut album, Eliza Doolittle. It was released on 5 July 2010. The song lyrics contain the title of the 1915 song "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag". The music contains elements of the 1963 ska song "Wash Your Troubles Away" by Prince Buster. Lloyd Wade sings the main hook with Doolittle. The single was Doolittle's debut in most European countries.

"Pack Up"
Single by Eliza Doolittle
from the album Eliza Doolittle
B-side
Released5 July 2010
GenrePop
Length3:11
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
  • Tim Woodcock
  • Eliza Sophie Caird
  • Felix Powell
  • George Asaf
  • Matt Prime
Producer(s)Matt Prime
Eliza singles chronology
"Skinny Genes"
(2010)
"Pack Up"
(2010)
"Rollerblades"
(2010)
Music video
Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up on YouTube

Critical reception

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The song received positive reviews, with the song being praised for its lyrics and its catchiness. Nick Levine of Digital Spy commended the song: "Quirky? You betcha, but the result is also a lovely summery pop song - just one of many lovely summery pop songs on Doolittle's upcoming album."[1]

Chart performance

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"Pack Up" debuted on the Irish Singles Chart at number 15 on 9 July 2010, marking Doolittle's first top 40 hit in Ireland. The following week the single rose a single place to number 14 and later peaked at number 6.

The single also debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 11 July 2010 at number 12, beating previous single's "Skinny Genes" peak of number 22, the next week it climbed to number 8 making it her first Top 10 hit. On the third week in the UK Singles Chart, the single rose to number 5.

It was also used on Hollyoaks in 2010 as shown as a tribute video to Steph Cunningham.

Music video

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The music video was shot in Jamaica.[2] It starts with the singer being ejected from a passing truck, apparently inside a suitcase, and then catching a bus. Doolittle then travels to different places in a Jamaican town by bus and motorbike. Towards the end of the video Doolittle appears, dancing to a dance band piano, drum and bass combo, in a lively crowd at a local dance hall. The video ends with her sitting in a dinghy, near the beach, after throwing a suitcase (containing a transistor radio) into the sea (an interpretation of the lyric "pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and bury them beneath the sea").

In the video the Lloyd Wade "pack up" main hook line appears to be voiced first by an elderly keeper of a drapers' shop and later by the bass player of the dance band.

Track listings

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Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Pack Up"3:11
2."I'll Be Your Pillow"2:38
3."Skinny Genes" (Unplugged)3:05

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Platinum 600,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release information

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Country Release date Format
United Kingdom 5 July 2010 Digital download
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  • In early 2011, the song has featured on British television in the advertisement for Kinder Surprise.[27] The song is also used in a Brazilian soap opera called Insensato Coração and it is included on the soap opera's soundtrack.
  • It was featured on the season 2 premiere of "Mob Wives".
  • It was also played in the background of Cher Lloyd's audition on The X Factor UK in 2010.
  • It was also used in the closing credits to the last live edition of ITV's coverage of the 2010 Tour de France.

References

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  1. ^ Nick Levine (5 July 2010). "Eliza Doolittle: 'Pack Up'". Digital Spy. bbc.co.uk.
  2. ^ "Vegetarian StarEliza Doolittle Meets Tasty Jerk While Filming "Pack Up" in Jamaica".
  3. ^ "Issue 1085" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  5. ^ "Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up" (in Dutch). Ultratop.
  6. ^ "Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  7. ^ "Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up" (in French). Ultratop.
  8. ^ "Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up". Tracklisten.
  9. ^ "Hits of the World: European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Vol. 122, no. 31. 7 August 2010. p. 47.
  10. ^ "Eliza Doolittle: Pack Up" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  11. ^ "Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  12. ^ German Airplay Chart, Retrieved 3 June 2011
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pack Up". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up". Top Digital Download.
  15. ^ "Earone Airplay - Settimana #37 dal 10/09/2010 al 16/09/2010" (in Italian). Earone.
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 2010" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  17. ^ "Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  19. ^ "Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up". Swiss Singles Chart.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  21. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2010" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  22. ^ "Earone Top 100 of the year 2010" (in Italian). Earone.
  23. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2010". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2010" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  25. ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2010". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  26. ^ "British single certifications – Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  27. ^ Video on YouTube
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