"Hook Me Up" is a song by Australian musical duo

the Veronicas The Veronicas is an Australian pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso. In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled '' The Secret Life of...'', which peak ...

for their second album of the same name (2007). Produced by

Greg Wells Greg Wells is a Canadian musician, record producer, songwriter and audio engineer. Wells has songs on over 130 million albums sold. He has worked with John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ariana Grande, Jazmine Sullivan, Kid Cudi, Adele, Rufus Wai ...

and Engineered by Drew Pearson, it was released as the album's lead single on 18 August 2007 as a digital download. The down-

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

song, is a change in direction from the

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

sound from their previous album, '' The Secret Life Of...'' (2005). It was written by the Veronicas' twin sisters,

Jessica Origliasso Jessica Origliasso (born 25 December 1984) is an Australian singer-songwriter and producer. She and her twin sister formed the pop band The Veronicas. Biography 1984–2003: Early life and career beginnings Jessica Louise Origliasso was born ...

and

Lisa Origliasso Lisa Marie Huffman (née Origliasso; born 25 December 1984) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Albany Creek, Queensland, Lisa and her identical twin sister, Jessica Origliasso, performed in show business at a young age. Ori ...

, together with

Shelly Peiken Shelly Meg Peiken is an American songwriter who is best known for co-writing the US No. 1 hits " What a Girl Wants" and " Come On Over Baby" by Christina Aguilera the US No. 2 hit "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks, "Almost Doesn't Count" by Brandy, and ...

and Wells. The central theme of "Hook Me Up" is about escaping reality and the stresses of life. The recording was well received by critics who praised the song for its "dance-floor friendly" sound. It was commercially successful, peaking at number-one on the Australian ARIA Singles Charts, giving the Veronicas their first number-one single. The accompanying music video portrays Jessica and Lisa in a boarding school rebellion. "Hook Me Up" was performed at the 2008 Australia Day Live Concert as well as on the

Hook Me Up ''Hook Me Up'' is the second studio album by Australian duo the Veronicas, which was released on 3 November 2007 (see 2007 in music) by Sire Records. It debuted on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart at number two and has since been certifie ...

and Revenge Is Sweeter tours, in 2007 and 2009, respectively. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2008 The 22nd annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) took place on 19 October 2008. The nominees for all categories were announced on 10 September, while the winners of ...

, it was nominated for highest-selling single.

Background and composition

"Hook Me Up" was written by

' twin sisters, Jessica and

together with

and

– Wells also produced the track. The composition was influenced by the

of underground bands in Los Angeles, whose sound the Veronicas were keen to incorporate into their own music. Jessica explained the lyrical content and central theme behind "Hook Me Up": "It's about being tired with where you're at in life and wanting to get away and out for just a little bit of time-whether it's in a relationship or in life. I guess we went through that a little bit when things started getting full on with us. It went from one extreme, where no one knew who we were, to the complete opposite". "Hook Me Up" is a down-

electropop-

song that is set in common time. It is written in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

of G minor and moves at a moderate 134 beats per minute. "Hook Me Up" begins with electronic synths and electronic pop beats, then progresses into a down-tempo techno beat with synth washes played by guitars, synthesiser keyboards, and synthesised drums. "Hook Me Up" samples elements of " Tainted Love" by

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their plat ...

Reception

Ben Norman from About.com called "Hook Me Up" "quite fun" with a "serious drive to the dance floor". Similarly, Alex Lai from

Contactmusic.com Contactmusic.com is an online magazine of cultural criticism based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, and ...

commented on the "sexy" and "sassy" track, saying that it, and the album's fourth single "

Take Me on the Floor "Take Me on the Floor" is a song by the Veronicas from their second album, ''Hook Me Up''. It was released as the fourth single from the album in Australia as a digital download on 27 July 2008. In the US Warner Bros. hosted a poll for fans to v ...

", "could fill dance floors", but he noted that the latter made for "stale listening". David James Young, from

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

, felt it was the best song on the album, "the best thing about this song is how damn infectious it is, thus making it an excellent pop song with top harmonies and a synth hook". Andrew Tijs from CitySearch Brisbane stated that it "has the kind of breathless, carnivorous sexuality that

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

still keeps trying to convince us she has", but it wasn't "the sexual awakening that most have been waiting for hemto have". For its lyrics, Evan Sawdey from

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

said "Hook Me Up" "sacrifice lyrical clarity for the sake of a good hook". In Australia, "Hook Me Up" debuted at number five on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. It spent seven weeks on the charts before reaching number-one on 18 November, where it stayed for one week and became their first ever number-one single. It was certified platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA), denoting 70,000 copies shipped in Australia. Upon its release it became the second most added track on Australian radio. On the ARIA end of year charts "Hook Me Up" ranked number twenty two. "Hook Me Up" was nominated for "Highest Selling Single" at the

Music video

Background

The Veronicas pushed for a school revolt storyline to the music video's director Scott Speer, after a concept which would "sex up isa and Jessica was first presented to them. The Veronicas explained the concept of the music video to the ''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...

'':

We explained to him what the song was about and he said, "So, breaking out ... what about a boarding school?" We love any movies to do with boarding schools – '' Cruel Intentions'', '' The Craft''. We were like "Yes, yes!" and we all brainstormed from there ..We really had to push. A lot ..We had a lot of control over making the music on this record and we wrote "Hook Me Up" so we would have the best idea of what the video would be. So it was "Use our ideas. They're free" ..Because the song is so different from the first record, we wanted to make a video that was young and fun that kids could relate to. The video idea that was first proposed really was not for a young market. It was a lot older.

Synopsis

The music video is based on a boarding school revolt. The video starts off with flash images of the exterior of an old school building. It then cuts to two separate lines of male and female students, the latter being led by Lisa and Jessica, marching down a school corridor. They were led by a teacher with a whip in her hand while being watched on surveillance cameras. The scene then shifts to the male students walking past a sign that says "no girls beyond this point". The first verse then begins and the students are marching into a classroom and sit at individual tables. When the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

begins, Lisa and Jessica are standing on a stage in front of their band performing for rows of still students who stare back blankly. When the second verse begins the students are in the classroom while guards patrol its perimeter and the teacher hits a blackboard with a pointing stick. During the second chorus Lisa and Jessica get their band members together in a toilet to start their rebellion at the school. When the bridge starts smash cuts are shown of them taking over the school's PA system, and the students getting up from their chairs in the classrooms and throwing objects at a teacher standing in front of a blackboard. The video ends with everyone running down stairs out of the school, with Jessica and Lisa leading the way. The scenes are inter cut to scenes of Lisa and Jessica holding each other. They are dressed in tartan skirts with the former wearing a black cardigan and an open collared shirt, and the latter a black blazer and a shirt with a tartan patterned skinny tie. Both the cardigan and blazer have a striped crest with a pink "V" in the middle.

Live performances

One of the first live performances of "Hook Me Up" was at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007, held on 21 October. Clothed in costumes similar to the music video, Lisa and Jessica appeared from a

yellow school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus ...

. During the performance Lisa and Jessica sang vocals, while the latter also played the

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

, with their band, as opposed to using synthesised instruments in the original recording. At the end of the performance, two streamer cannons on opposite ends of the stage, shot out pink streamers. The duo promoted the track on Australian television, including '' Today'' and '' Rove Live''. They also performed the song at the 2008

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...

Live Concert in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, ''

Australia's Funniest Home Videos ''Australia's Funniest Home Videos'' (''AFHV'', also known as ''Funniest Home Videos'' or simply ''The Video Show'', originally ''Graham Kennedy's Funniest Home Video Show'' in its first season and ''Australia's Funniest Home Video Show'' until ...

'', ''Take 40 Live Lounge'', and on '' Video Hits'' in 2009. "Hook Me Up" was added to the set lists of both the

and Revenge Is Sweeter tours in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

Track listing

iTunes single # "Hook Me Up" – 2:57 CD single # "Hook Me Up" – 2:57 # "Everything" – 3:20 # "Insomnia" – 3:28

Personnel

* Songwriting –

Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

– Greg Wells * Instruments and programming – Greg Wells, Fabien Waltmann, Sven Martin * Recording – Drew Pearson *

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

– Josh Alexander * Lead and background vocals – Jessica Origliasso, Lisa Origliasso * Mixing – Greg Wells

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hook Me Up (Song) 2007 singles Synth-pop songs Music videos directed by Scott Speer Number-one singles in Australia Songs written by Greg Wells Songs written by Shelly Peiken Songs written by Jessica Origliasso Songs written by Lisa Origliasso The Veronicas songs Song recordings produced by Greg Wells 2007 songs Sire Records singles