| "Hook" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBlues Traveler | ||||
| from the albumFour | ||||
| Released | August 29, 1995 | |||
| Studio | Bearsville (Woodstock, New York)[1] | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Popper | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Blues Traveler singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Hook" is a song by American rock bandBlues Traveler, from their fourth studio album,Four (1994). The title of the song is a reference to the termhook, a short musical riff that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener".[2] The lyrics are a commentary on the banality and vacuousness of successful pop songs, making "Hook" both a hit song and asatire of a hit song. Commercially, "Hook" peaked at number 23 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number 40 on the CanadianRPM 100 Hit Tracks chart.
The chord progression of "Hook" is very similar to the basic structure ofPachelbel'sCanon in D,[3][4] (D-A-Bm-F♯m-G-D-G-A, or I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V),[5] but transposed to the key ofA major. This chord progression is widely used in popular music, often as the hook, leading to other satirical takes on the use of this chord structure.[6]
There are severalallusions in the song, one to the story ofPeter Pan and his nemesisCaptain Hook "no matter how much Peter loved her, what made the Pan refuse to grow, was that the Hook brings you back".
The first chorus of the song's lyrics, aimed directly at the listener, assert that the lyrical content of any song is effectively meaningless, as the song's musical hook will keep listeners coming back, even if they are unaware of the reason. In the introduction,John Popper sings:
The second verse admits the singer is "being insincere" and describes how the lyrics are intended to manipulate the listener. These lyrics are a satirical take on the formulaic way much popular music is generated. Further on during thebridge, the lyrics become even more blatant by criticizingMTV and claiming formulaic music is an easy way to make money: "When I’m feeling stuck and need a buck/ I don’t rely on luck, because/ the hook brings you back..."
The musically "lazy" chord structure viewed in combination with themeta-lyrics reveal the true extent of what a critic forThe A.V. Club describes as song's "genius": "the commentary is a big joke about how listeners will like just about anything laid on top of the chords of the infinitely clichédPachelbel canon, even lyrics that openly mock them for liking it."[5]
The music video was directed by Frank W. Ockenfels and depicts a man, played by game show hostKen Ober,channel surfing through late-night television. He first watches a beauty pageant whose contestantslip sync the song as the host (erroneously credited asMilton Berle onIMDb) interviews them. For the second verse, a character modeled afterCharles Foster Kane lip syncs at a campaign rally. The band appears in each of these segments, then plays the bridge of the song in the man's apartment, withJohn Popper taking his place on the couch. During the final portion of the song, the man starts changing channels quickly, often returning to seePaul Shaffer lip sync the lyrics and play keyboard with the band. Finally the man turns off his TV set and starts to read a book about theAmerican Civil War.[7]
Shaffer was bandleader forLate Night with David Letterman, which gave Blues Traveler critical early exposure. Shaffer contributed backing keyboards to "Stand," another track onFour. During the final sequence of channel changes, several split-second clips from the video for the previous single "Run-Around" are seen.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | August 29, 1995 | — | A&M | [citation needed] |
| Japan | November 25, 1995 | CD | [20] |
