| "Hey Ya!" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byOutkast | ||||
| from the albumSpeakerboxxx/The Love Below | ||||
| B-side |
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| Written | 2000 | |||
| Released | August 25, 2003 (2003-08-25) | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:55 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | André Benjamin | |||
| Producer | André 3000 | |||
| Outkast singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Hey Ya!" onYouTube | ||||
"Hey Ya!" is a song by Americanhip hop duoOutkast, performed by its memberAndré 3000, who wrote and produced the song. Along with "The Way You Move", which was recorded by Outkast's other memberBig Boi and featuredSleepy Brown, "Hey Ya!" was released byArista Records as the second single from the duo's fifth album,Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, on August 25, 2003. The track became a commercial success, reaching number one in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Norway, and Sweden. "Hey Ya!" received critical acclaim upon release, and is consistently ranked as one of the greatest songs of the 2000s. The song was ranked number 10 inRolling Stone's 2021 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
André 3000 wrote "Hey Ya!" in 2000 and began work on recording it in December 2002 at Stankonia Studios inAtlanta, Georgia.[3][4] He used anacoustic guitar for accompaniment,[4] inspired by bands such as theRamones,Buzzcocks,the Hives,[5] andthe Smiths.[6]
André recorded the introduction, the first verse, thehook, and the vocals around the same time, using several dozen takes. He returned to work on the song several evenings later, withsession musician Kevin Kendricks performing thebassline on thesynthesizer.[4] Months later, André 3000 worked with Pete Novak at the Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles. They experimented with various sound effects, including singing through avocoder, and did 30 to 40 takes for each line.[4]
"Hey Ya!" is a song inG major. Each cadential six-measurephrase is constructed using a change ofmeter on the fourth measure (creating a song with 22 quarter note beats per phrase) and uses a I–IV–V–VIchord progression. G major andC major chords are played for one and two4
4 measures, respectively. André 3000 then uses adeceptive cadence after a2
4 measure of thedominantD major chord, leading into two4
4 measures of anE major chord (against a G note in the melody implying E minor). The song moves at atempo of 159 beats per minute, and André's vocal range spans more than an octave and a half, from B3 to G5.[7]
The song opens with threepick-up beats as André 3000 counts "one, two, three, oh" (with the "oh" on beat 1) and then leads into the first verse. The lyrics begin to describe the protagonist's concerns and doubts about a romantic relationship.[4] He wonders if they are staying together just "for tradition", as in the lines "But does she really wanna [mess around] / But can't stand to see me / Walk out the door?" André 3000 commented, "I think it's more important to be happy than to meet up to...the world's expectations of what a relationship should be. So this is a celebration of how men and women relate to each other in the 2000s".[8] The song then leads into thechorus, which consists of the line "Hey ya!" repeated eight times, accompanied by a synthesizer performing the bassline.[7]
During the second verse, the protagonist gets cold feet and wonders what the purpose of continuing the relationship is, pondering the question, "If they say nothing is forever...then what makes love the exception?"[4] After repeating the chorus, the song leads into acall and response section. André 3000 jokes, "What's cooler than being cool?", and the "fellas'" response, anoverdubbed version of his vocals, is "Ice cold", a reference to one of André Benjamin's stage names.[9] He then calls to the "ladies", whose response is overdubbed from vocals by Rabeka Tuinei,[6] who was an assistant to theaudio engineer.[4]
The song'sbreakdown coined the phrase "shake it like a Polaroid picture", a reference to a technique used by some photographers to expedite drying of dampinstant film photos taken with film made by thePolaroid Corporation. It is anongoing urban myth that shaking photos taken by the instant camera makes them dry faster.[10] The breakdown alsonamechecks singerBeyoncé and actressLucy Liu, in a turn of phrase alluding to the song "Independent Women Part I", which was performed byDestiny's Child for the2000 film adaptation ofCharlie's Angels, in which Liu starred. Though the line "now all Beyoncés and Lucy Lius" is meant to mean "now all the independent women", André 3000 says he included the lyric because the music video for "Independent Women Part I" was playing on his TV as he wrote "Hey Ya!".[11] The song closes by repeating the chorus and then gradually fading out.[7]
"Hey Ya!" received widespread acclaim frommusic critics.PopMatters described the track as "brilliantly rousing" and "spazzy with electrifying multiplicity".[12]Entertainment Weekly highlighted it as the catchiest song on the double album,[13] andStylus Magazine identified it as one of the best songs in OutKast's history.[14] "Hey Ya!" topped the 2003Pazz & Jop list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted byRobert Christgau, with 322 mentions, beating runner-upBeyoncé andJay-Z's "Crazy in Love" by 119.[15] It was listed at number 15 onBlender's 2005 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born",[2] andPitchfork included it in its collection ofThe Pitchfork 500.[16]
The song's unusual arrangement drew comparisons to artists from a variety of genres.Pitchfork referred to it as the apex of the album and added that it successfully mixedFlaming Lips-style instrumentation with the energy ofPrince's 1983 single "Little Red Corvette".[17] Marcello Carlin ofUncut described the song as "Andre goingpower pop with overtones of early-'80selectro;The Knack meet side one ofThe The'sSoul Mining."[18]
Subsequently,Pitchfork gave it the number two slot in its "The Top 100 Singles of 2000–2004" feature in January 2005, bested only by OutKast's own "B.O.B".[19]Blender described it as a mix ofsoul music byIke Turner andnew wave music byDevo[20] and later as an "electro/folk-rock/funk/power pop/hip-hop/neo-soul/kitchen sinkrave-up".[2]Rolling Stone compared André 3000's vocals to those of "anindie-rockLittle Richard" and the backing arrangement tothe Beatles' 1969 albumAbbey Road,[21] later ranking it at number 182 in their list of500 Greatest Songs of All Time and ranking it at number four on their 2011 list of the "100 Best Songs of the Aughts".[6][22]
New York also likened it to the Beatles and found it to be one of the best singles of 2003.[23]AllMusic described it as an "incandescent" mix of electro, funk, and soul music.[24]NME likened trying to classify the song as "akin to trying to lasso water" and described it as "a monumental barney between theCamberwick Greenbrass band, a cruise-shipcabaret act, a cartoongospel choir and a suckerMC hiccuping'Shake it like a Polaroid pic-chaaaa!' backed up by the cast of an amateur production ofThe Wizard of Oz. Sort of."[25] In 2011, they placed it at number three on its list of the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[26] In 2013, the sports websiteGrantland named it the best song of the millennium after aMarch Madness style bracket of 64 songs. The music video of the same name was likewise well received by critics, who regarded it as a contemporary piece of post-industrial performance art. In 2014,NME ranked the song at number 18 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time,[27] and in 2021,Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 10 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1]
"Hey Ya!" was successful in North America, first charting on the week ending October 18, 2003, at number 57 on theBillboard Hot 100, three weeks after "The Way You Move" featuringSleepy Brown debuted; which was at number 25 at the time.[28] It topped the Hot 100 for nine weeks, from December 13, 2003, to February 7, 2004.[29][30] The digital sales topped theBillboardHot Digital Tracks for 17 consecutive weeks.[31] The song's time at number one bridged two eras, endingCasey Kasem's second tenure as host ofAmerican Top 40 and beginningRyan Seacrest's tenure as host. The song performed well inurban contemporary markets, topping theRhythmic Top 40 chart and reaching number nine on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. It was also successful in mainstream music, topping theTop 40 Mainstream andTop 40 Tracks and reaching number 13 on theAdult Top 40. The song also crossed over tomodern rock radio, and peaked at number 16 onBillboard'sAlternative Songs chart in December 2003. In 2004, André 3000 performed the song at The2004 Kids' Choice Awards and the song won the award forFavorite Song. Later in the year, the song appeared on the compilation albumNow That's What I Call Music! 16. It also appeared on the albumNow That's What I Call Music! Number 1's in 2006 as well as theNow That's What I Call Party Hits! album in 2007.[32]
"Hey Ya!" was the first song onApple'siTunes to reach one million downloads[33] and in September 2005, theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single platinum for shipping one million copies.[34] At the46th Annual Grammy Awards, the song wonBest Urban/Alternative Performance and was nominated forRecord of the Year, but lost toColdplay's "Clocks".[35]
The song also performed well in Europe. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number six on theUK Singles Chart and peaked at number three after 12 weeks, remaining on the chart for a total of 21 weeks.[36] "Hey Ya!" topped theNorwegian singles chart for seven weeks, and it reached the top inSweden for the first week of 2004.[37][38] It performed well across the continent, reaching the top ten inAustria,Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, andSwitzerland.[39][40][41][42][43][44] "Hey Ya!" debuted at number 17 on Australia'sARIA Singles Chart, and later topped the chart for two consecutive weeks.[45] The song remained on the chart for 16 weeks[45] and was certified 11× platinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association.[46] The song charted at number 61 for the 2003 end of year chart[47] and was listed at number 15 on the 2004 chart[48] and number five on the 2004 urban chart.[49] It was also successful in New Zealand, reaching number two and staying on theRIANZ Singles Chart for 23 weeks.[50]
The lyric "shake it like a Polaroid picture", along with the song's commercial success, helped to temporarily revitalize the Polaroid Corporation, which had declared bankruptcy in 2001. Because modern Polaroid film is sealed behind a clear plastic window, casually waving the picture has no effect on the film's development. Vigorously shaking the film may actually distort the image by causing the film to separate prematurely and creating blobs in the final image.[51] Nevertheless, Polaroid sought to capitalize on the allusion, hiring Ryan Berger of theEuro RSCG advertising agency.[52] Polaroid sponsored parties for OutKast at which Euro RSCG distributed Polaroid cameras.[53] OutKast also made a deal to hold Polaroid cameras during some of its performances. While Polaroid did not release sales figures, its public image, which was in decline with the growing popularity ofdigital cameras, was bolstered by the song.[54] However, despite the welcome exposure, Polaroid eventually discontinued the sale of original Polaroid cameras and film, and again declared bankruptcy in 2008.[55]
The song was used as the namesake of Pocoloco’s Stand ability inJojo’s Bizarre Adventure, part seven, “Steel Ball Run,” which debuted in 2004.
| Year | Organization | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | BET Awards | Video of the Year | Won |
| Viewer's Choice | Nominated | ||
| Grammy Award | Record of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Urban/Alternative Performance | Won | ||
| Best Music Video | Nominated | ||
| iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards | Best International Group Video | Won | |
| Peoples Choice: Favourite International Group | Nominated | ||
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Song | Won | |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Song | Won | |
| Best Video | Won | ||
| MTV Video Music Award | Video of the Year | Won | |
| Best Hip-Hop Video | Won | ||
| Best Direction | Nominated | ||
| Best Visual Effects | Won | ||
| Best Art Direction | Won | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards Japan | Video of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Pop Video | Nominated | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Duo or Group | Won | |
| Outstanding Music Video | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Song | Nominated | ||
| Soul Train Music Awards | Best Video of the Year | Won |
The song's music video, directed byBryan Barber, is conceptually similar to the video for former BeatlePaul McCartney's song "Coming Up", but is also based onthe Beatles' landmark appearance onThe Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. However, it sets the action in London.[56] The beginning and end of the video blend with those of "The Way You Move" so that the two can be watched in either order,[57] and a "The Way You Move/Hey Ya!" video combining both clips with a bridging sequence was released on theOutKast: The VideosDVD.[58]
After listening to the song, Barber was inspired to create a video around the Beatles' appearance on Sullivan's show based on the song's musical structure, but André 3000 had never seen this footage. Barber showed the footage to André 3000 and came up with the idea of reversing theBritish Invasion, by having the American band the Love Below becoming popular on a British television program. The music video was filmed usingmotion control photography in two days in August 2003 on asound stage atUniversal Studios in Los Angeles, California.[56] The cast included more than 100 women. Each of André 3000's parts was shot several times from different angles, and he performed the song 23 times during the course of filming.[56] Because releasing "Hey Ya!" as a single was a last-minute decision, André did not have time tochoreograph the parts, and all of the dancing was improvised.[8] Ice Cold 3000's sequences were the first filmed, resulting in the character's energetic performance, and Johnny Vulture's were the last, so André, exhausted from the previous takes, sat on a stool for those sequences.[56]
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In the video, André 3000 plays all eight members of the fictional band The Love Below: keyboardist Benjamin André, bassist Possum Aloysius Jenkins, vocalist André "Ice Cold" 3000, drummer Dookie Blossom Gain III, three backing vocalists the Love Haters, and guitarist Johnny Vulture.[56]
The video opens with the band's manager Antwan (Big Boi) talking to Ice Cold and Dookie backstage. Meanwhile, the television presenter, portrayed byRyan Phillippe (another version featured an energetic Phillippe), tries to calm a crowd of screaming girls on a show being broadcast live in black-and-white. Afterwards, he introduces the band and they start performing. While the girls in the audience scream loudly, one girl is carried off by security after rushing the stage, and another faints. A family is shown dancing to the broadcast at home. When Ice Cold instructs listeners to "shake it like a Polaroid picture", some of the girls begin taking pictures and shaking them. Ice Cold dances with one of the girls on stage, and the video closes with several friends of the band watching and discussing the performance.
The video debuted onMTV'sTotal Request Live on September 5, 2003, at number 10.[59] It topped the countdown for 19 days[60] and retired at number eight on November 24, having spent 50 days on the program.[61] At the2004 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won four awards forVideo of the Year,Best Hip-Hop Video,Best Special Effects, andBest Art Direction.[62] It was also nominated forBest Direction but lost to Jay-Z's "99 Problems".[62] "Hey Ya!" was nominated forBest Short Form Music Video at the 46th Grammy Awards, but it lost toJohnny Cash's cover ofNine Inch Nails' "Hurt".[35] In Canada, the video toppedMuchMusic'sCountdown for the week beginning January 30, 2004,[63] and it won the award forBest International Video by a Group at the2004 MuchMusic Video Awards.[64] In 2006,Stylus Magazine listed it at number 72 on its "Top 100 Music Videos of All Time", comparing André 3000's dancing toJames Brown's performances in the early 1970s.[65]
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The credits for "Hey Ya!" are adapted from theliner notes ofSpeakerboxx/The Love Below.[72]
Recording
Personnel
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
Decade-end charts[edit]
All-time charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[46] | 11× Platinum | 770,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[123] | Gold | 20,000* |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[124] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[125] | 2× Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[126] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[127] | Gold | 5,000* |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[128] | Platinum | 10,000* |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[129] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Sweden (GLF)[130] | Platinum | 20,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[131] | 4× Platinum | 2,400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[34] | Diamond | 10,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | August 25, 2003 | Arista | [132] | |
| Sweden | October 24, 2003 | CD |
| [133] |
| Australia | November 10, 2003 | [134] | ||
| United Kingdom | [135] |
Therock influences of "Hey Ya!" have allowed many other artists to releasecover versions of the song. In 2006, Mat Weddle, frontman of the unsignedfolk bandObadiah Parker, performed anacoustic cover of the song at a localopen mic night, and a friend of his posted a video of the performance onYouTube, which quickly becamevirally popular online.[136] Inspired byslowcore bandRed House Painters, Weddle's version moves at a much slower tempo backed by a rhythmic guitarstrum and converts the breakdown into a "staccato chime".[137] The cover received international airplay and spawned many othercopycat acoustic versions.[138]
An acoustic cover of the song, sung bySam Lloyd in his role asTed Buckland appeared in the 2009season 8 episode ofScrubs titled "My Soul On Fire, Part 2".[139] In 2010,Chris Rock published aspoof video for a parody cover song titledCrackers which was originally produced in 2004.[140][141] In 2015,Postmodern Jukebox released aScott Bradlee arrangement of "Hey Ya!" with abig band tempo and 1960s feel. FeaturingSara Niemietz on lead vocals, their version was featured inBillboard magazine,[142]Time magazine online,[143] and theNew York Daily News.[144]
English rock bandSleep Token released a cover in 2018 as a single. This version saw lead singer Vessel accompanied solely by piano and only included the first two verses and the chorus.[145]
