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"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their debut studio album "Lungs". It was released as the album's third single on 21 June 2009, by Island and Moshi Moshi Records. The song was written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, produced by Epworth and mixed by Cenzo Townshend. The song contains elements of "House Jam" by Gang Gang Dance. It has been remixed by numerous artists, including Jamie T, whose remix appears on the single's CD and digital releases.
"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's third most successful single to date, behind "Spectrum", which peaked at number one, and "You've Got the Love", which reached number five.
"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" features Florence Welch's voice overdubbed with so many harmonies she sounds like a massed choir of one. She confessed to The Independent: "The guy who mixed it nearly had a nervous breakdown."
The song was co-written by Welch together with Paul Epworth who also produced the song which was recorded by Mark Rankin. The track features Tom 'Moth' Monger on harp and Robert Ackroyd on guitar. During the verses, the song features some of the melody and lyrics (e.g. "How quickly the glamour fades") from Gang Gang Dance's song "House Jam".
Florence described her inspiration behind the song:
"I'd written all these dark songs, and the label suggested we should have something that was a bit more upbeat. In the process of trying to do that, I realised maybe I was sacrificing something. So I had a really upbeat piano and drums, but the lyrics that came out were 'This is the gift/It comes with a price/ Who is the lamb/And who is the knife?' The rabbit heart is a reference to fear. I'm so afraid of what's about to happen. Of being in the spotlight."
As part of the single's promotion, the band performed the song on The Jonathan Ross Show as well as in BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. The single was also performed at numerous festivals across the United Kingdom throughout 2009, including Glastonbury, Electric Picnic, Brighton, T in the Park, Bestival and Reading, among others.
The song was also featured as BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe's "Single of the Week".
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