"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" is the remix of "Hush Hush", a song by American female group

the Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a neo-burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the troupe mainstrea ...

. The track was written by Andreas Romdhane, Josef Larossi,

Ina Wroldsen Ina Christine Wroldsen (; born 29 May 1984), previously known simply as Ina, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. She was a part of the electropop duo Ask Embla with Icelandic producer and songwriter Arnthor Birgisson. Career Wroldsen's c ...

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...

Dino Fekaris Dino George Fekaris (born January 24, 1945) is an American music producer and songwriter. Fekaris was the producer and co-writer, with Freddie Perren, of the 1978 song "I Will Survive", and other songs recorded by Gloria Gaynor. Nominated five ti ...

, and

Freddie Perren Frederick James Perren (May 15, 1943 – December 16, 2004) was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor. He co-wrote and co-produced songs including "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gay ...

and produced by the former two alongside

Ron Fair Ronald Fair is an American record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. A traditional record producer since 1970, Fair has been credited with orchestral production work on several commercially success ...

and

Dave Audé Dave Audé () is an American DJ, producer and remixer. He operates his own label Audacious Records, and is known for having more number ones than any other producer on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart. He has done production for artists ...

is included on the reissues of the group's second album ''

Doll Domination ''Doll Domination'' is the second and final studio album by American girl group the Pussycat Dolls, released on September 19, 2008, by Interscope Records. The album's release was preceded by the departure of the group's longest-standing member C ...

'' (2008). It was released on May 12, 2009, by

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

as the album's seventh overall and final single. It is also the group's final release before their disbandment in 2010 until they reformed in 2019. Originally a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

on the album, the song was remixed for its release as a single with a more uptempo disco-influenced production and

interpolation In the mathematics, mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one ...

Gloria Gaynor Gloria Fowles (born September 7, 1943), known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "I Have a Right, Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am (Broadway mus ...

's "

I Will Survive "I Will Survive" is a song recorded by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 by Polydor Records as the second single from her sixth album, ''Love Tracks (Gloria Gaynor album), Love Tracks'' (1978). It was written by Freddie Pe ...

" (1978) with lyrics alluding to a doomed relationship. As with "

Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" is a song by Indian composer A. R. Rahman and American girl group The Pussycat Dolls, recorded for the re-release of the group's second studio album ''Doll Domination'' (2008) and their EP '' Doll Domination – Th ...

", Scherzinger—the group's lead singer—was originally to be credited as a featured artist on the song, causing further dissatisfaction within the group. Following a public outburst by

Melody Thornton Melody Thornton (born September 28, 1984) is an American singer and television personality. After graduating high school, Thornton became one of the main vocalists of the girl group the Pussycat Dolls and released the albums '' PCD'' (2005) and ...

during

The Circus Starring Britney Spears The Circus Starring Britney Spears, commonly referred to as the Circus Tour, was the seventh concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her sixth studio album, ''Circus'' (2008). Rumors of a tour arose as ...

, "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" was released without the inclusion of Scherzinger's credit although she does still appear in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' chart listings and on some pressings of the single's CD. The song was a moderate commercial success, managing to peak top-ten in Australia, Belgium (Wallonia), Finland and France. In the United States, it charted at 73 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and topped the

Hot Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set list ...

chart. An accompanying music video for the song, directed by

Ray Kay Reinert K. Olsen (born 10 July 1978), known professionally as Ray Kay, is a Norwegian director and photographer who is currently based in Los Angeles. He is a music video and advertising director. Ray Kay mostly directs music videos and has wo ...

, premiered on May 27, 2009. The video was met with mixed reviews, with

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

noting the over-emphasis on Scherzinger but also calling it the most revealing Pussycat Dolls video yet.

Background and release

''Doll Domination'', the Pussycat Dolls' second studio album, was released in September 2008 and features a song entitled "Hush Hush" which was written by Andreas Romdhane, Josef Larossi,

and

while the production was handled by the former two as the duo

Quiz & Larossi Andreas Romdhane (a.k.a. Quiz) and Josef Larossi are a Swedish production duo. They have a studio based in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. They have worked together since 1999 when they wrote songs for Lutricia McNeal. During their partnership ...

and

. The track was recorded by Mike "Angry" Eleopoulos and Tal Herzberg with the assistance of Greg DePante, Steve Genewick, and Keith Gretlein and mixed by

Dave Pensado Dave Pensado is a Grammy Award-winning mix engineer. His career began in Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s doing live and studio sound engineering. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1990. He mixes between 200 and 250 songs a year at Larrabee Studio ...

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is an American audio engineer based in California. He won three Grammy Awards: the first for mixing ''Growing Pains'' for Mary J. Blige in 2007, followed by '' El mal querer'' for Rosalía in 2018, and ''Hyperspace'' for Beck in ...

, and Andrew Wuepper at Quiz & Larossi Studios in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, The Boiler Room in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, as well as the Henson Studios in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Fair arranged and conducted the

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

, which were recorded by Frank Wolf. Other

instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...

and

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

was carried out by Quiz & Larossi. ''Idolator'''s Mike Nied described "Hush Hush" as an "empowering ballad" that rests on a "sparse production," where Scherzinger laments over a dead relationship. Spence D. of

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

, described the song as having a "down tempo forlornness." In March 2009, it was announced that ''Doll Domination'' would be reissued in different editions to include new songs including an up-tempo remix of "Hush Hush" titled "Hush Hush; Hush Hush". The remixed version was first performed by Scherzinger at their second concert tour,

Doll Domination Tour The Doll Domination Tour was the second and final concert tour by American girl group the Pussycat Dolls. It was launched in support of their second studio album, ''Doll Domination'' (2008). The tour was announced in October 2008 with dates in Eu ...

(2009), during the section where each member performed solo.

and

received co-writing credits for the song, for containing interpolations of

's "

" (1978) and includes quotation of the original string arrangement by David Blumberg. "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" was produced by Fair,

and Quiz & Larossi while Scherzinger handled vocal production and arrangement with Fair. The remix was described as a "dated faux-

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

mess" by 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 initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

. The single was scheduled to be released on April 28 with the

pre-order A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...

's cover art having Scherzinger's name credited as a featured artist, just like their previous single, "

". It led to dissatisfaction with other members and media reports speculated that Scherzinger's exit from the group was imminent. While opening for

(2009) in Glendale, Arizona,

addressed the crowd during their break saying, " ..let me give a shout-out to my family. Thank you for supporting me, even if I'm not featured" referring to the billing of the singles, and encouraging the audience to follow their dreams and to "never let anyone stomp on them, ever." Scherzinger later referred about her billing as a featured artist during a radio interview. "It's no big deal, that doesn't take away from anybody else in the group. That's my role. I wrote 'Hush Hush' as well." Following the controversy, Hush Hush; Hush Hush was ultimately released as a digital download on May 12, 2009 without Scherzinger's billing as a featured artist.

Reception

Critical

Taila Craines of

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

positively reviewed the song's original version. " Hush Hush'is an epic ballad promoting the Dolls as strong women who 'never asked for help' from their men." Steve Jones of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' recommended to do download the song. The remix was negatively criticized.

's Robert Copsey gave a review of two stars out of five for lacking "the feisty R&B edge that made the likes of '

Don't Cha "Don't Cha" is a song written by Busta Rhymes and CeeLo Green, and produced by the latter. The chorus is a slightly modified Interpolation (popular music), interpolation of the chorus line sung by Sir Mix-a-Lot in a song he wrote called "Swass" f ...

' and ' When I Grow Up' so effective". 'Idolator' wrote that " Hush Hush; Hush Hush'is an unspectacular dance-pop track with Scherzinger’s muscular gasps leading the way, rhyming straw-ng and law-ng. But a simple girl-power post-breakup anthem would not help the Dolls reclaim their strategic position in the Pop Wars." However Orange liked the song commenting that the remixed version is "very fun indeed." "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" was ranked at number eighty-one in the highest listener-rated 2009 pop singles on

AOL Radio AOL Radio was an online radio streaming service available exclusively in the United States. Originally powered by XM Satellite Radio and later CBS Radio and Slacker, the platform offered users access to more than 200 free digital stations. H ...

Chart performance

In the United States, "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" debuted at number 96 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 issue dated March 30, 2009. On the Hot Dance/Club Songs chart "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" fared better; it earned them their sixth consecutive number one.

Music video

The music video for the "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" was directed by

Rich Lee Richard "Rich" Lee is an American music video and commercial director. He has directed music videos for Eminem, Lana Del Rey, Maroon 5, The Black Eyed Peas, Norah Jones, Michael Bublé and The All-American Rejects. Rich Lee started his professi ...

. The video makes use of

product placement Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of t ...

Campari Campari () is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an aperitif, apéritif of the ''bitter'' variety (and not an amaro) by Italians while considered an apéritif of the Amaro (liqueur), amaro variety by Americans, obtained from the infusion of ...

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a Symbian smartphone from Nokia as part of the XpressMusic line. It was unveiled on 2 October 2008 in London and started shipping in November of that year, marking the company's first mainstream phone with a touchscreen. ...

and HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition. The video premiered on May 26, 2009.

Synopsis

The music video begins with Nicole Scherzinger lounging in a bathtub, similar to a scene of

Cindy Crawford Cynthia Ann Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American model. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was among the most popular supermodels and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers and runways, as well as fashion campaigns. She subsequently ...

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

's video for "

Freedom! '90 "Freedom! '90" (also known simply as "Freedom!") is a song written, produced, and performed by English singer-songwriter George Michael, and released by Columbia Records in October 1990. The 90" added to the end of the title is to prevent conf ...

" (1990). As the ballad transits unto the remix she passes a door onto a surreal hall of staircases going in different directions. When the second verse begins, Scherzinger is seen wearing a gold sequinned halterneck dress while the rest of the members are seen skating in a roller disco. In the next scene in the attic while

Ashley Roberts Ashley Allyn Roberts (born September 14, 1981) is an American born, British based singer, dancer, and media personality. She was a member of the girl group The Pussycat Dolls (2003–2010, 2019–2021), who sold over 55 million records worldwide ...

and

Kimberly Wyatt Kimberly Kaye Wyatt (born February 4, 1982) is an American singer, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls (2003–2010, 2019–2021) and the pop duo Her Majesty & th ...

are hanging from the chandeliers as Scherzinger enters the room. As the second chorus begins, Scherzinger wears a tight-fitting silver basque. She enters into the basement, which it turned into a nightclub the Dolls for their signature dance sequence in the middle of the video. In the scene

Perez Hilton Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting Tabloid jou ...

makes a

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

as a DJ, while

Carmen Electra Carmen Electra (born Tara Leigh Patrick, April 20, 1972) is an American actress, model, singer, and media personality. She began her career as a singer after moving to Minneapolis where she met Prince (musician), Prince who produced her Carm ...

dances beside him. The video then fades, and opens on a close shot of Scherzinger's face in front of a disco mirror ball wearing an afro wig, which paid homage to

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

. After, 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". 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.

Reception

Nick Levine of Digital Spy described the video as "barmy".

Celebuzz Celebuzz is an entertainment website launched in June 2008 that features breaking TV, movie, and entertainment news. Headquartered in Hollywood, CA, Celebuzz is known for featuring exclusive blogs written by A-list celebrities, particularly members ...

praised the video describing it as a "steamy clip". "It starts out in the best possible way: With lead Doll Nicole Scherzinger wet and naked." Mirror.co.uk commented "It's a wonder

Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

ace

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

, then aged 24 at the time, could keep his mind on the ball as he played golf yesterday", referring on Scherzinger who is naked on the video. Reviewer Melinda Newman of

HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...

commended the overemphasis of lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. "It's a PCD' video in name only given that the other dancers barely have more than cameo appearances. 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. The other Pussycat Dolls are completely relegated to background dancers, along with the other hired hands."

Formats and track listings

French CD single #"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" – 4:12 #"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" (the Bimbo Jones radio remix) – 4:00 #"Hush Hush" (original version) – 3:48 European download single #"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" – 4:12 #"Hush Hush; Hush Hush" (video) – 4:19

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''

''. ;Recording *Recorded at Quiz & Larossi Studios (Stockholm, Sweden), The Boiler Room (Santa Monica, California), and the Henson Studios in (Los Angeles, California). ;Sample *Contains a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

of "

", performed by

, as written by

and

and an

of the original string arrangement by David Blumberg. ;Personnel *The Pussycat Dolls – primary artist *Greg DePante – assistant engineer *Eric Eyland – assistant engineer *

– production, programming *Bruce Dukov – concertmaster *Greg DePante – assistant engineer *Mike "Angry" Eleopoulos – recording *

– production, vocal production, vocal arrangement, strings arrangement and conduct, keyboards *Steve Genewick – assistant engineer *Keith Gretlein – assistant engineer *Tal Herzberg – Pro Tools, recording *

– mixing * Josef Larossi – songwriting, production, recording *Gayle Levant – harp *

Peter Mokran Peter Mokran is an American mixer, producer, engineer, and musician. Early life Mokran was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up, he studied classical guitar, while also learning engineering and programming as a teen.Paul Tingen“ ...

– mixing *Johnathan Merritt – assistant engineer *Danny Ponce – recording *

– mixing * Andreas Romdhane – songwriting, production, instruments, programming, recording *

– songwriting, vocal production, vocal arrangement *Ryan Shanahan – assistant engineer *Tommy Vicari – strings recording *Eric Weaver – assistant engineer *Frank Wolf – strings recording *

Background and release

Reception

Critical

Chart performance

Music video

Synopsis

Reception

Formats and track listings

Credits and personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

References