UP WITH PEOPLE. BtVS Intertext/Allusion.
Up
With People was a musical touring group founded in 1965 with the intent of
performing inspiring music that would counter the "sex, drugs, and rock and
roll," anti-establishment message of the 1960s. Incorporated in 1968 as a
not-for-profit organization, Up With People grew to include multiple traveling
casts; by 2000, there were five casts with almost 700 members touring throughout
the world. Participants in Up With People paid a fee in exchange for a role in
the production, which could include performing or technical assistance.
In 2000, Up With People went out of business as a result of mounting debts. It was reconceived in 2004 as WorldSmart Leadership, a non-musical program offering college credit for leadership training.
Up With People is most easily identified by its theme song:
Up! Up! with people!
You meet 'em wherever you go!
Up! Up! with people!
They're the best kind of folks we know.
If more people were for people,
All people ev'rywhere,
There'd be a lot less people to worry about,
And a lot more people who care!
There is one clear allusion to Up With People in "Somnambulist," a Season One episode of Angel. Penn, a vampire sired by Angel, is in Los Angeles on a killing spree. Angel Investigations is on the case. Penn has come to the AI office and has Cordelia trapped. Angel comes in:
PENN: Well. Look who’s back from his ‘Up With People’ meeting.
ANGEL: (to Cordelia) Give me a stake.
The phrase "up with people" is also found in "The Zeppo," from Season Three of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Since it is not given as a direct allusion to the musical group, the intent for using the phrase is unknown; however, the phrase creates additional comedy for those viewers familiar with the clean living, religious themes of Up With People.
Xander and Faith are hiding from the demon in Faith’s motel room.
XANDER: You think Demon Mama followed us?
FAITH: No, we’re cool. The bitch dislocated my shoulder, though.
FAITH: Hold me. (she uses his body for leverage) That’s better. She got me really wound up. A fight like that and … no kill … I’m about ready to pop.
XANDER: Really? Pop?!
FAITH: You up for it?
XANDER: Oh, I’m up. I’m suddenly very up. It’s just … I’ve never been up with people before.
FAITH: Just relax … And take your pants off.
Additional information on Up With People can be found at: http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=up%20with%20people