Push the Button (Sugababes song)
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"Push the Button" is a song by English girl group the
Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...
, released as the
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
from their fourth studio album ''
Taller in More Ways ''Taller in More Ways'' is the fourth studio album by British girl group Sugababes, released by Island Records on 10 October 2005. It was primarily produced by Dallas Austin and Jony Rockstar, with additional production from Cameron McVey, Xenom ...
'' (2005). Composed by
Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events inv ...
and the Sugababes, it was inspired by an infatuation that group member
Keisha Buchanan Keisha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan (; born 30 September 1984) is an English singer and a founding member of the girl group Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy. With the Sugababes, she had six number one singles and two number on ...
developed with another artist. Musically, "Push the Button" is an
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 ...
and R&B song with various computer effects. The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised its conception and production. Some critics named it one of the best pop singles of the 2000s. "Push the Button" became one of the group's most commercially successful releases. The single peaked at number one in Austria, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and reached the top five across Europe and in Australia. It was nominated for Best British Single at the
2006 Brit Awards Brit Awards 2006 was the 26th show of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 14 February 2006 in Earls Court in London. It attracted 4. ...
.
Matthew Rolston Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, Music video director, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his care ...
directed the song's
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
, which was filmed in
Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...
,
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. It features the Sugababes flirting with three men in a
lift Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...
. The Sugababes performed the single at festivals and events such as
Oxegen 2008 Oxegen '08 was the fifth Oxegen festival to take place, following the dissolution of its predecessor Witnness in 2004. It took place on the weekend of Friday 11 July, Saturday 12 July and Sunday 13 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in Cou ...
and the V Festival 2008. "Push the Button" appears on the soundtrack to ''
It's a Boy Girl Thing ''It's a Boy Girl Thing'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by Nick Hurran and written by Geoff Deane, starring Kevin Zegers and Samaire Armstrong and set in the United States but produced in the United Kingdom. The producers of the film are ...
'' (2006).


Development and concept

Development of "Push the Button" began while the Sugababes travelled to the United States to work on their fourth studio album, ''
Taller in More Ways ''Taller in More Ways'' is the fourth studio album by British girl group Sugababes, released by Island Records on 10 October 2005. It was primarily produced by Dallas Austin and Jony Rockstar, with additional production from Cameron McVey, Xenom ...
'' (2005). American producer and songwriter
Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events inv ...
collaborated with the group during the album's initial stages of development. He visited London to work with them, although the group later travelled to the US and stayed with him at his mansion in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Georgia. Austin wrote five tracks for the album, including "Push the Button", which he composed in collaboration with the Sugababes. According to group member
Heidi Range Heidi India Partakis ( Range; born 23 May 1983) is an English singer, best known as a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She was an original member of girl group Atomic Kitten, although she left the group before they released any materi ...
, the song was "the very last thing" completed for the album. "Push the Button" was conceptualised after group member
Keisha Buchanan Keisha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan (; born 30 September 1984) is an English singer and a founding member of the girl group Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy. With the Sugababes, she had six number one singles and two number on ...
developed an infatuation with another artist who was collaborating with Austin. Buchanan told Jess Cartner-Morley of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' that she made advances towards the man, but he was unaware of her intentions: "I really liked this guy, so I'd be like, there's this good movie coming out, you know, dropping hints. And he'd be like, that movie sounds great, let me know what it's like if you go see it. I knew he liked me too but he just wasn't getting what I was trying to say." Austin advised Buchanan to tell the man to "push that button" or she would eventually move on. In a video on her songwriting experiences posted onto her YouTube channel in July 2020, Buchanan said that Austin teased her relentlessly about her crush after an outing by rapping and playing the keyboard; she then returned his bantering and the song instantly developed from there. She also said that Austin encouraged her to imagine she was speaking directly to her crush for the spoken word middle-8 section, and she improvised her speech from there.
Mutya Buena Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (born 21 May 1985) is an English singer and songwriter who rose to fame as a member of girl group the Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-pl ...
, another member of the Sugababes, clarified Buchanan's encounter with the artist to ''
Hot Press ''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. History ''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' magazine's Jackie Hayden, saying: "We all knew there was something going on between them at the time, but we try to give each other space." She described "Push the Button" as a song "with meaning and real life references", and characterised it as having a "street vibe". Austin produced the song, which was recorded at DARP Studios in Atlanta & Home Recordings, London. "Push the Button" was mixed by Jeremy Wheatley at TwentyOne Studios, London, in collaboration with Richard Edgeler. Rick Shepphard
engineered Engineering is the use of 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 range of more specializ ...
the song.


Composition and lyrics

"Push the Button" is an
uptempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...
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 ...
and R&B song.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's K. Ross Hoffman called it an "electropop club ditty", while Joe Muggs of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' noted that Austin's production combines "raucous" electropop with "slick" American R&B. According to the digital
sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...
published by
Hal Leonard Corporation Hal Leonard LLC (formerly Hal Leonard Corporation) is an American music publishing and distribution company founded in Winona, Minnesota, by Harold "Hal" Edstrom, his brother, Everett "Leonard" Edstrom, and fellow musician Roger Busdicker. Curre ...
, "Push the Button" was composed 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
A-flat major A-flat major (or the key of A-flat) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has four flats. The A-flat major scale is: : Its relative minor is F minor. Its parallel minor, A-flat minor, ...
using
common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
, with a fast-paced tempo of 126
beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...
. The song's
instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...
is composed of drums, keys, a guitar and a bass guitar. The production consists of various computer beats and electronic effects. The song contains an ascending
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
incorporated into 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 ...
, which consists of the lines: "If you're ready for me boy / You'd better push the button and let me know / Before I get the wrong idea and go." Lyrically, the song is about a woman's sexual frustration of being unnoticed by a man. Joe Macare of
Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...
described Buena's delivery of the lyric "my sexy ass" as "carefree", and noted that the lyrics adapt an "idiosyncratic approach" to the English language. Musically, "Push the Button" received comparisons to the sound of pop group
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
.


Release and reception

"Push the Button" was announced as the lead single from ''Taller in More Ways'' in August 2005.
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
released it as a
CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
and digital download on 26 September 2005 with an accompanying
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
titled "Favourite Song", composed by the Sugababes,
Cameron McVey Cameron Andrew McVey (born 11 March 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and music producer. He worked with the bands Massive Attack, Portishead, All Saints, Sugababes/Mutya Keisha Siobhan and his wife Neneh Cherry. He is the father of Ma ...
, and Jony Lipsey. An
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
was released, featuring a DJ Prom remix of the song, and the B-side "Like the Weather", which was written by the Sugababes,
Cathy Dennis Catherine Roseanne Dennis (born 25 March 1969)Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa; , p. 133 is a British singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She was the vocalist for D Mob, which had the su ...
, and
Guy Sigsworth Guy Sigsworth is an English record producer and songwriter. During his career, he has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian, Alanis M ...
. "Push the Button" is included on the Sugababes'
greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
album, '' Overloaded: The Singles Collection''. "Push the Button" received positive reviews from many critics. Linda McGee from
RTÉ.ie RTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)'s online activities, located at the URL https://www.rte.ie/. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely comme ...
commended the song's beat and melody, and named it the album's best track. The song received a similar response from K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic, who noted it as one of the album's highlights, and praised its simplicity and effectiveness. ''The Guardians
Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...
considered the melody as "sweet and addictive as
Smarties Smarties are colour-varied sugar-coated chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé. Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of abou ...
", while
Kitty Empire Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britai ...
of the same publication wrote that the track's "surface simplicity masks a hook that won't let go". Writing for '' Daily Record'', reporter John Dingwall regarded the song as "enormously catchy and retro sounding". A journalist from the ''
Liverpool Daily Post The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013. Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, with the tit ...
'' characterised "Push the Button" as "another edgy stomper" and said that it capitalises on the Sugababes' "streetwise credentials and individual vocal strengths". ''
Observer Music Monthly ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' described the song's lyrics as "perfect pop" and recognised it as one of 2005's best singles. The song is a "ray of melodic sunshine" according to Rafael Behr of ''The Observer'', who lauded its catchiness. ''
Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...
'' critic Harry Rubenstein described "Push the Button" as an "infectious Abba-esque soundscape". Paul Taylor from the ''
Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 201 ...
'' called it one the album's best moments and highlighted Austin's contribution. A writer for
Virgin Media Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...
praised his production of the song, in addition to its chorus, but criticised the Sugababes' performance as "lacklustre".


Commercial performance

"Push the Button" debuted on the
Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...
on 29 September 2005 at number two. The song topped the chart for the next three weeks, and was the group's first number-one single in Ireland. "Push the Button" entered the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
on 2 October 2005 at number one, a position it held for three consecutive weeks. It became the Sugababes' fourth single to reach number one in the UK. During the song's third week on the chart, the Sugababes were simultaneously number one on the UK's singles, albums, and download chart. "Push the Button" has sold 471,000 copies in the UK and is the Sugababes' second highest-selling single there, behind "
About You Now "About You Now" is a song by British girl group Sugababes from their fifth studio album, ''Change'' (2007). Written and produced by Dr. Luke along with Cathy Dennis and Steven Wolf, it was released on 24 September 2007 by Island Records as the ...
". "Push the Button" entered the
Austrian Singles Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
at number one, and remained in the position for five weeks. The song peaked at number two on the
German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
, and was the third most-played British track on German radio in 2005. It was the country's 86th most successful single of the 2000s. The single peaked at number two in Belgium (Flanders), Hungary, Norway, and Romania, and reached number three in the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Switzerland. The song peaked at number three on the
Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 ( nl, Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica ...
chart for six consecutive weeks, and spent two weeks at number four on the
Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish R ...
. "Push the Button" debuted at number 24 on the
Australian 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 ...
in the issue dated 30 October 2005. After weeks of fluctuating on the chart, the song peaked at number three on 15 January 2006. It became the Sugababes' most successful single in Australia. The single 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 shipments of 70,000 copies. "Push the Button" entered the
New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
on 14 November 2005 at number five, and peaked at number one on 23 January 2006 for three consecutive weeks. It was the group's first number-one single on the chart, and was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...
, indicating sales of 7,500 copies.


Music video

The music video for "Push the Button" was directed by American director
Matthew Rolston Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, Music video director, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his care ...
, who collaborated with the Sugababes on the videos for their singles "
Hole in the Head "Hole in the Head" is a song performed by British girl group Sugababes, released on 13 October 2003 as the lead single from their third studio album, ''Three (Sugababes album), Three''. It was written by Brian Higgins (producer), Brian Higgins, ...
" and " In the Middle", and was produced by Lindsay Turnham for Exposure Films. It was filmed in
Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...
, London, in July 2005. The men who appear in the video are models and dancers, and were selected based on their dancing ability. Buena described the video as "really cheeky" and stated that it "turned out really great in the end". Some clips were removed from the final product because of their sexual content, although Buchanan admitted that she wanted it to be more suggestive. The video features Range, Buchanan and Buena emerging from a lift onto separate floors of a tall building, the lift having been called by unsuspecting men. Range arrives on the floor of the first man, described by Buena as 'Mr Shy Guy', and the two begin flirting with each other. Buchanan opens the lift door to see, the second man, 'Mr Too Cool' and Buchanan is shown flirting and dancing with him. Buena emerges from the lift to find 'Mr Perfect', the third man. Buena takes his folded umbrella and throws it away, and soon begins flirting with him. Towards the end of the video, Range bends over 'Mr Shy Guy' in a seductive manner, Buchanan pushes 'Mr Too Cool' to the floor, and Buena gives 'Mr Perfect' a lap dance. The Sugababes are shown dancing in the lift throughout the video. ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
s Gavin Martin wrote that they "throw caution aside and present themselves as voracious maneaters" in the video. He compared Buchanan's dancing to that of American girl group
Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
in the video for their single "
Bootylicious "Bootylicious" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for their third studio album ''Survivor (Destiny's Child album), Survivor'' (2001). It was written and produced by Rob Fusari, Beyoncé and Falonte Moore. The song contains a pro ...
". Madeline Crisp of the same publication described the Sugababes as having a " 60s look". The video peaked at number one on the UK TV Airplay chart for two consecutive weeks. In Australia, the clip reached number three on ''Rage'''s top 50 video countdown.


Live performances

The Sugababes travelled to
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
, Italy, in February 2006 and performed "Push the Button" for ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' at the
Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
. The song was included in the
set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
of the group's 2006 tour in support of ''Taller in More Ways''. The single was performed on 3 October 2006 at the
100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...
on
Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...
, London, as part of the album launch for ''Overloaded: The Singles Collection''. It was the gig's closing performance, and, according to a critic from
MTV UK MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & I ...
, "got everyone bopping to its bonkers, techno beat". The group performed "Push the Button" at London's
G-A-Y G-A-Y is a long-running gay nightclub, based at Heaven in Charing Cross, London. It started in 1976, and for many years was based at the London Astoria. History G-A-Y started in 1976 in the Sundown club in the basement of the London Astoria (l ...
nightclub in November 2006, wearing
PVC clothing PVC clothing is shiny clothing made from the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC plastic is often called "vinyl" and this type of clothing is commonly known as "vinyl clothing". PVC is sometimes confused with the similarly shiny patent lea ...
and rubber gear. The single appeared in the set list of the group's 2008
Change Tour The Change Tour is the fourth concert tour by British girl group Sugababes. It supported their fifth studio album, ''Change (Sugababes album), Change''. The tour began with 2 nights in Brentwood, Essex, Brentwood on 12 March and 13 March 2008 ...
. They performed the song on 1 June 2008 at
Princes Street Gardens Princes Street Gardens are two adjacent public parks in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, ...
,
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
as part of the Vodafone Live Music tour; David Pollock of ''
The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
'' suggested that it was one of the show's standouts. The Sugababes performed "Push the Button" on 27 June 2008 in
Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Pa ...
as part of
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
's 90th birthday concert. They performed the single in July 2008 at the
Oxegen Festival Oxegen was a music festival in Ireland, first held from 2004–2011 as a rock and pop festival and again in 2013 with dance and chart acts only. The event was regularly cited as Ireland's biggest music festival, and, by 2009, it was being ci ...
. A journalist from ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' magazine wrote that it drew "one of the biggest crowds" at the event. A
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
version was performed at the 2008 V Festival in
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, England. The group played the song on 28 August 2008 at the
Bridlington Spa Bridlington Spa is a dance hall, theatre and conference centre in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Refurbished between 2006 and 2008 and further updated with a new branding in 2016, the venue boasts a large Art Deco ball room, Edwa ...
as part of a gig, and at the 2008
Q Awards The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...
at
The Forum, London The O Forum Kentish Town is a concert venue in Kentish Town, London, England owned by MAMA & Company, and originally built in 1934. History The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. After the cinema was close ...
, beginning with the
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
intro from "
Won't Get Fooled Again "Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend. It was released as a single in June 1971, reaching the top 10 in the UK, while the full eight-and-a-half-minute version appears as the final track o ...
" by British band
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
. "Push the Button" was one of the singles they performed at
St Osyth St Osyth is an English village and civil parish in the Tendring District of north-east Essex, about west of Clacton-on-Sea and south-east of Colchester. It lies on the B1027, Colchester–Clacton road. The village is named after Osgyth, a 7t ...
's entertainment centre, The Venue, on 7 March 2009. The group performed it on 10 July 2009 at the
Riverside Ground The Riverside Ground, known for sponsorship reasons as the Seat Unique Riverside, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club, and has also hosted several international matches. H ...
in
County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly About North East E ...
, England, as part of a set list. Buchanan performed the song on 19 July 2011 at the Jacques Townhouse, as part of a set list that included the group's debut single " Overload", in addition to her solo tracks. Range and her dancing partner
Andrei Lipanov Professional skaters from the British television show ''Dancing on Ice'' are figure skaters who appear with celebrities in front of a panel of judges. Most of the professionals on the series are former ice dancers or pair skaters. Competit ...
skated to "Push the Button" during their appearance on the seventh series of ''
Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...
''.


Recognition and popular culture

Andy Kellman of AllMusic described "Push the Button" as one of the most "clever and suggestive" pop singles of the 2000s, while Cameron Adams of 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 ...
'' similarly highlighted it as one of the decade's best pop releases. In October 2008 Nick Levine of
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
called the song one of the best pop singles of the 21st century. Buchanan named it among her favourites from the group's career, citing its representation of pop music "in a different light". "Push the Button" ranked 42nd on Stylus Magazine's list of 'Top 50 Singles of 2005', and 70th on ''The Daily Telegraphs list of '100 songs that defined the Noughties'. The song earned the Sugababes a
BRIT Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
nomination at the
2006 BRIT Awards Brit Awards 2006 was the 26th show of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 14 February 2006 in Earls Court in London. It attracted 4. ...
for Best British Single, but lost to
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
's "
Speed of Sound The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elastic medium. At , the speed of sound in air is about , or one kilometre in or one mile in . It depends strongly on temperature as w ...
". It was one of the most played songs on British radio in 2005, and became the UK's 68th most popular song on radio of the 2000s. "Push the Button" has been referenced several times in popular culture. The song serves as the
opening track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
to the soundtrack of the 2006 film ''
It's a Boy Girl Thing ''It's a Boy Girl Thing'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by Nick Hurran and written by Geoff Deane, starring Kevin Zegers and Samaire Armstrong and set in the United States but produced in the United Kingdom. The producers of the film are ...
''. It was featured in a commercial for
Tassimo The Tassimo Hot Beverage System is a consumer single-serve coffee system that prepares one-cup servings of espresso, regular coffee, tea, hot chocolate and various other coffee drinks, notably those including milk such as latte or cappuccino. Th ...
coffee machine A coffeemaker, coffee maker or coffee machine is a cooking appliance used to brew coffee. While there are many different types of coffeemakers the two most common brewing principles use gravity or pressure to move hot water through coffee gr ...
s, which led to an increase in the product's sales, as well as airings of the commercial across Europe and in the United States. English band Starsailor performed a live
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of the song as the B-side to their 2006 single " This Time". It was also covered by English hip hop duo Dan le sac vs Scroobius Pip, who performed it at the 2008 Bestival. Lynsey Haire of
eFestivals eFestivals is a website listing music festivals; hosting information on line-ups, interviews, photographs and live reviews. The website boasts an active discussion board with over 225,000 registered users, which now runs on a separate server fr ...
wrote that the performance "went down especially well with the audience". "Push the Button" was included in the playlist for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Firefighters in
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
, England, performed a cover version, although the lyrics were modified to encourage the public to regularly test the smoke alarms in their homes. The video was promoted through
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
, and was viewed more than 44,000 times. Peter Dartford, the chief fire officer for
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service responsible for fire protection, prevention, intervention and emergency rescue in the county of Staffordshire and unitary authority of Stoke-on-Trent. The county ha ...
said:


Track listings

*UK CD1 & European CD single / digital download #"Push the Button"  – 3:38 #"Favourite Song"  – 3:46 *Digital EP & UK CD2 / European Maxi single #"Push the Button"  – 3:38 #"Like the Weather"  – 3:45 #"Push the Button" (DJ Prom Remix)  – 8:14 #"Push the Button" (Video) 3:37 *Digital Single #"Push the Button"(Acoustic Version)  – 3:19 *Digital Single #"Push the Button"(Psycho Radio Remix)  – 8:03


Credits and personnel

;Recording *Recorded at DARP Studios, Atlanta & Home Recordings, London ;Personnel *
Songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
 – Dallas Austin, Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range *
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 ...
 – Dallas Austin *
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 ...
 – Rick Sheppard *Recording engineering (assistant) –
Graham Marsh Graham Vivian Marsh MBE (born 14 January 1944) is a retired professional golfer who was one of the leading Australian players of his generation. During his career he won more than 70 tournaments around the world, including 10 on the European To ...
, Ian Rossiter, Owen Clark * Mixing – Jeremy Wheatley *Mixing (assistant) – Richard Edgeler *Drums – Dallas Austin *Keys – Dallas Austin *Guitar – Tony Reyes *Bass guitar – Tony Reyes Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Taller in More Ways'', Universal Island Records.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


Certifications


See also

*
List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2000s The UK Singles Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. In the 2000s the chart week ran from Sunday to Saturday, and the top 40 singles were revealed each Sunday on BBC Radio 1. Before the ...
*
List of number-one hits of 2005 (Austria) This is a list of the Austrian Singles Chart number-one hits of 2005. See also *2005 in music References {{AustrianNumber1s Number-one hits Austria 2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the ...
*
List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand) In New Zealand, the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) compiles the top forty singles chart each week. Sales of songs determined 75% of the sorting information, and radio airplay figures were responsible for 25%. From 18 Apri ...
* List of number-one singles of 2005 (Ireland)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Push The Button (Sugababes Song) 2005 songs 2005 singles Electropop songs European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Island Records singles Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Scotland Song recordings produced by Dallas Austin Songs written by Dallas Austin Songs written by Heidi Range Songs written by Keisha Buchanan Songs written by Mutya Buena Sugababes songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles