"Hush Hush
" is a song performed by the Pussycat Dolls, included on the first edition of their second studio album Doll Domination
(2008). Written by Quiz & Larossi, Andreas Romdhane, Josef Larossi, Ina Wroldsen, Nicole Scherzinger, the song was originally a slow ballad, but was remade into an uptempo, disco-inspired dance song sampling parts of Gloria Gaynor's 1978 hit "I Will Survive", and retitled "Hush Hush; Hush Hush
". The new dance version was later released as a the sixth and final single from the reworked version of the Dolls' second album, Doll Domination 2.0
. Lead and background vocals for both versions of the song are performed solely by lead singer Nicole Scherzinger.
|
HUSH HUSH TICKETS
|
Hush Hush; Hush Hush
In 2009
Ron Fair and
Dave Aude produced a remix of the song now titled "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" for Scherzinger to perform on the
World Domination Tour. The new version features additional vocals sampled from
Gloria Gaynor's world wide smash hit "
I Will Survive". Radio stations informally refer to the song as the "Up-tempo Remix" or "Hush Hush (I Will Survive)" and sometimes incorrectly just as "Hush Hush". It is now an up-tempo disco dance song with a faster beat and has a different instrument set to the original ballad version.
It was released as the sixth single from
Doll Domination
on May 12, 2009 worldwide through digital download outlets and later on July 13, 2009 in the UK as a CD single accompanied by the ballad version and Dave Aude Dance Club Edit. The song has had limited success managing to reach just top 15 in
Ireland and
Australia, top 20 in the
UK, number 41 in
Canada and just 73 in the
United States. The single was not promoted due to the group being on tour at its time of release. See
release history to see which versions of album the remix appears on.
Single release and controversy
"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" was sent to mainstream radio as the final release from
Doll Domination
. The "Hush Hush" (the ballad version) serves as the
b-side and was released to some radio stations in the US on May 12, 2009 as well as digital download outlets. It was released as a CD Single on July 13, 2009 exclusively in the UK and Europe. Amazon revealed the single promotional cover-art on 20 April 2009, which listed the single as "Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger".
[1] The emphasis on Nicole Scherzinger as the featured artist caused controversy, as "
Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" also emphasized her as a featured singer. It sparked rumors that Nicole Scherzinger was leaving the group to continue her solo career, despite well below average sales for the singles from her 2007 shelved solo album release "Her Name Is Nicole". This also led to internal strife within the group as the other members were unhappy with the overemphasis on Scherzinger.
[2] The tension surfaced onstage while the group opened for
Britney Spears on their tour in
Glendale, Arizona.
Melody Thornton, on the verge of tears, addressed the crowd saying, "Thank you guys for supporting me, even though I'm not featured" and encouraging the audience to follow their dreams and to "never let anyone stomp on them, ever".
After her outburst, she was high-fived by
Jessica Sutta, indicating more of the Dolls were upset by the tagging and the over-emphasis on Scherzinger.
[3] [4]
Music Video
thumb
The music video for the
up-tempo version
was filmed over two days on May 5 and 6 with director Rich Lee (Fergie's "Clumsy").
[5] It featured cameo appearances by celebrity blogger
Perez Hilton and former VIP Pussycat Doll
Carmen Electra, who used to sing lead vocals with the Dolls during their
burlesque performances. The video was made available for fans in
North America to view on the Dolls official youtube channel
Doll Domination TV
on May 27, 2009 and premiered a week later in the UK on
4 Music. The video was added to the
Itunes Store on June 4, 2009 and reached a peak of #3 on the Top Music Videos chart.
The music video starts off with
Nicole Scherzinger in a bathtub singing the first verse. As the song progresses, she gets up and leaves the bathroom. As she goes through the door, there is a brief pause and the up-tempo chorus begins. When the chorus starts, she and the other
Pussycat Dolls dance and sing in a hallway with regular, sideways, and upside down stairways.
Kimberly Wyatt is seen wearing makeup similar to
KISS members
Paul Stanley and
Ace Frehley. In the second verse, Scherzinger starts singing in a club with the other Dolls dancing in roller skates. In this part, product placement can be seen; the laptop is sponsored by
HP and Pussycat Doll
Jessica Sutta is serving
Campari. Before the second refrain, Nicole Scherzinger enters a room where
Ashley Roberts and
Kimberly Wyatt swing on low hanging ceiling chandeliers. When the second refrain begins, she enters a new disco room where the other Dolls are dancing without roller skates. This scene includes close-ups of Perez Hilton and Carmen Electra. At the bridge, the video fades out of a large mirror ball and fades into a closeup of Scherzinger singing lyrics from the song "
I Will Survive" by
Gloria Gaynor in front of the mirror ball. To match the Disco theme of the video, Nicole Scherzinger is styled to look like a very young
Diana Ross. During this part, the whole doll house in which the different rooms are set is seen and the other Dolls have solo dance scenes. When the famous "I Will Survive" string part begins, violinists can be seen playing in the mirror ball room and the Dolls excluding Nicole Scherzinger have solo dance parts again. After that all of the Pussycat Dolls are dancing with male partners in the room with the mirror ball. At the end, Nicole Scherzinger is finishing the song singing "Baby, Hush hush" in the mirror ball room. It closes with a large shot which reveals the video to have taken place in a dollhouse with all dancers and Dolls in the lowest disco room.
Critical reception
;The song
Digital Spy commented that the song "it lacks the feisty R&B edge that made the likes of 'Don't Cha' and 'When I Grow Up' so effective. Instead 'Hush Hush; Hush Hush' is a dated faux-disco mess that's been injected with a ghoulish sample from Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' in a desperate bid to add some gusto. The result may give a few hen parties reason to hoot, but it rivals
Sugababes' '
Girls' in the cringe stakes and has succeeded in eroding much of the group's hard-earned credibility." (2 out of 5 stars)
[6]
;The Video
Reviewer Melinda Newman decries the overemphasis of lead singer Nicole Scherzinger, writing "There's not even the remotest hint that there are other people in the group...until more than a minute in when she passes through a door onto a multi-level staircase and the other Dolls are dancing as the song morphs from a ballad to dance number (this is a change from the original version of the song that remains a ballad throughout. If they hadn't changed it, the other PCD members would have had absolutely nothing to do)...We can only imagine that if the cameras had kept rolling, we may have seen Scherzinger whisked away in a limo while the other Dolls were asked to make sure they returned all their costumes and shoes, and were possibly expected to help break down the set."
[7] The
Daily Mail
writes, "the rest of the group are barely seen in the video with Nicole as the star of the show."
[8]
Track listings
;CD single
[9]
#"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" — 4:12
#"Hush Hush" — 4:09
;Promo CD
[10]
#"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" (
Dave Aude Extended Remix) — 5:23
#"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" — 4:12
#"Hush Hush" — 4:09
;Promo CD 2
#Hush Hush; Hush Hush (Single Version) — 4:09
#Hush Hush; Hush Hush (I Will Survive - Mash Up Version) — 4:12
#Hush Hush — 3:48
;US digital single
#Hush Hush; Hush Hush — 4:12
;European download single
[11]
#Hush Hush; Hush Hush — 4:12
#Hush Hush; Hush Hush (video) — 4:19
Charts
| Chart (2008)
| Peak position
|
| Russian Airplay Chart [12]
| 1 a
|
| Chart (2009)
| Peak position
|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart [13] [14]
| 10
|
| Australian Urban Chart [15]
| 2
|
Belgian Singles Chart [
] | 6
|
Canadian Hot 100[
] | 41
|
| Danish Singles Chart [16]
| 38
|
| Greek Airplay Chart [17]
| 38
|
| Irish Singles Chart [18]
| 13
|
| Israel Singles Chart [19]
| 11
|
| Turkey Top 20 Chart [20]
| 2
|
Swiss Singles Chart [
] | 41
|
UK Singles Chart [
] | 17
|
| U.S. Billboard
Hot 100 [21]
| 73
|
U.S. Billboard
Hot Dance Club Play
| 1
|
U.S. Billboard
Pop Songs
| 29
|
|
;Certifications
| Country
| Certification
| Sales
|
| Australia
| Gold [22]
| 35,000+
|
|
a The original ballad version charted in 2008 based on the airplay in Russia only. The single was never officially released in that territory.
|- style="text-align: center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"|Preceded by
"Give You Everything" by Erika Jayne
|width="40%" style="text-align: center;" rowspan="1"|
U.S.
Billboard (magazine)'''
August 15, 2009
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"| Succeeded by
|-
Release history
| Version of Song
| Included on:
|
| standard edition
| international deluxe/ collectors edition
| Doll Domination 2.0
| Doll Domination: The Mini Collection
| 2009 reissue
| UK deluxe edition
| Doll Domination 3.0
|
"Hush Hush" (ballad)
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| No
| No
| Yes
| Yes
|
"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" (up-tempo remix)
| No
| No
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| Yes
|
| Region
| Date
| Format
| Label
|
| North America [23]
| May 12, 2009
| Limited radio airplay
| A&M, Interscope
|
| Australia [24]
| Full radio airplay, digital download
| Interscope
|
| United Kingdom
| May 26, 2009
| Polydor, Interscope
|
| North America [25]
| A&M, Interscope
|
| United Kingdom
| July 13, 2009 [26]
| CD Single
| Polydor
|
References
- Amazon List Hush Hush; Hush Hush
- Pussycat Dolls Fight, Danity Kane Split: Bad Week for Girl Groups. Rolling Stone. 2009-4-27.
- The Pussycat Dolls catfight: Does this mean Nicole Scherzinger will finally go solo?. ''Entertainment Weekly''. Apr 27, 2009
- Pussycat Dolls' Melody Thornton Sounds Off Onstage In Phoenix. ''MTV''. Apr 27 2009
- Pussycat Dolls & Lady GaGa Go Down Under
- Digispy: Review of "Hush Hush; Hush Hush"
- "Review: Pussycat Dolls' new video for "Hush Hush"".(2009-5-27) ''HitFix''. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- "Lewis Hamilton's girl Nicole Scherzinger gets in a lather for new Pussycat Dolls video". (2009-5-27). The ''Daily Mail''. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- Discogs: PCD ft. Nicole Scherzinger - Hush Hush; Hush Hush (Promo)
- eBay: PCD - Hush Hush; Hush Hush (Promo Remixes)
- UK Itunes; Hush Hush; Hush Hush single
- Russian Airplay Chart
- ARIA Charts - Week Commencing: 22 June 2009
- The Pussycat Dolls and Nicole Scherzinger - Hush Hush Hush Hush - Music Charts
- Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles Chart - Australian Record Industry Assocation
- Denmark Singles Chart
- More Charts - Greek Airplay (Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: Top 40 Music Station ::: Promo Releases)
- >> IRMA << Irish Charts - Singles, Albums & Compilations >>
- Israeli Official Singles Chart
- Turkey Top 20 Chart
- Pop Songs
- http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2009Singles.htm
- iTunes Store - The Pussycat Dolls - Hush Hush; Hush Hush - Single - Hush Hush; Hush Hush
- iTunes Store - The Pussycat Dolls - Hush Hush; Hush Hush - Single - Hush Hush; Hush Hush
- ®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: CHR/Top 40
- New Releases - UK Forthcoming Albums (Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: Top 40 Music Station ::: Promo Releases)