Freak the Freak Out
Encyclopedia
"Freak the Freak Out" is a song performed by American pop recording artist Victoria Justice
. It was produced by The Super Chris and Michael Corcoran
, who also co-wrote the song with C.J. Abraham, Nick Hexum
, Zack Hexum
, Dan Schneider
, for Victorious
(2011), the soundtrack to the Nickeloden television series, Victorious
. It was released as the album's second single on November 19, 2010 through Columbia Records
in association with Nickelodeon
and Epic Records
. Musically, the song is a fast paced electro-rock with influences of electropop and teen pop
lyrics, and the lyrics speak of getting the attention of a distant boyfriend.
The song was met with generally positive reviews from critics, with the majority of them praising its message and aggressive sound. "Freak the Freak Out" has currently charted on the Billboard
Hot 100 at number fifty, remaining as the highest peaking song from the soundtrack. The accompanying music video portrays Justice with the Victorious cast at a night club dancing, singing and enjoying the moment.
(2011), for the television series of the same name on Nickelodeon. It was first heard on the series's one hour special, "Freak the Freak Out", which premiered on November 26, 2010 in North America, a few days after the single's release. The scene where the song was performed features Justice, disguised as Louise Nordoff, comes up on stage to sing and later reveals her true self as a part of a plan to mess with the main antagonists in the episode. Justice continues singing as Elizabeth Gilles and Ariana Grande
, playing Jade West and Cat Valentine, come up on stage and dance beside her.
The song was written by Michael Corcoran
, C.J. Abraham, Nick Hexum
, Zack Hexum
, Dan Schneider
. It also featured addition production by Greg Wells on additional production. The mixing for the song was provided by Greg Wellstook place at Rocket Carousel in Los Angeles
, California
. Backhouse Mike and The Super Chris produced the track along with providing all the instruments on the song. Michael Corcoran also provided the guitars. Corcoran was also included on the programming for the song with CJ Abraham, both of which engineered the track in The Backhouse in Los Angeles. Corcoran and Abraham provided additonal vocals along with Niki Watkins, Nick and Zack Hexum.
and electropop. The song runs through a dance-rock oriented beat and features a more aggressive sound than the rest of the album's songs, at one point received comparisons to American recording artist Katy Perry
's musical stylings. Much of the song features relentless beats, synthesized instrumentations, nonstop simple, repetitive choruses, and Auto-Tune vocals. The theme of this song is center around managing relationships. The lyrics are about getting the attention of a distant partner, listening wise.
in 2010. Also, the song was performed in a Victorious
episode of the same title as the song.
on November 19, 2010, after the iCarly
episode "iStart a Fan War". The video opens with Justice talking on the phone with someone outside of the club. She is upset that her friend isn't coming to the club, but decides to go in anyway. As she walks around the club, she sees the Victorious cast socializing with other people. They are also shown dancing individually on the dance floor in another part of the club. There are also interspersed shots of Justice singing the song while sitting down, singing parts of the song into her phone, performing the song in a room with people dancing behind her and at the DJ booth.
In a shorter version of the music video, there are interspersed shots of Justice recording the song in a studio.
Credits are taken from Victorious liner notes
.
. It fell off the next week, but re-entered at #58 and peaked at #50.
It is Gold
in The U.S. according to the RIAA, However her label incorrectly certified it as an album.
It was also confirmed that the song sold over 600,000 digital copies in the U.S.
Victoria Justice
Victoria Justice is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and dancer. She debuted as an actress at the age of 10 and has since appeared in several films and television series including the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 and Victorious...
. It was produced by The Super Chris and Michael Corcoran
Backhouse Mike
Michael Thomas Corcoran , aka Backhouse Mike, is a musician, singer/songwriter, composer, sound designer, musical arranger, orchestrator, and record producer who formed in the late 90's, along with C.J Abraham, a songwriting and producing partnership Backhouse Mike & The Super Chris.They started...
, who also co-wrote the song with C.J. Abraham, Nick Hexum
Nick Hexum
Nicholas Lofton Hexum is an American musician, currently the vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the alternative rock band 311.-Early life:Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Hexum went to Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska...
, Zack Hexum
Zack Hexum
Zack Hexum is a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter.Hexum lists his influences as including Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, Paul McCartney, Todd Rundgren, and Jeff Buckley. Hexum plays both guitar and saxophone...
, Dan Schneider
Dan Schneider (TV producer)
Daniel James "Dan" Schneider is an American songwriter, actor, writer, and producer of films and television. He is the co-president of his own production company called Schneider's Bakery....
, for Victorious
Victorious (soundtrack)
-Charts:-Personnel:*C.J. Abraham - Composer, Engineer, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals *Backhouse Mike - Additional Production, Drums, Engineer, Instrumentation, Keyboards, Producer, Programming*Rob Bacon - Guitar*Drake Bell - Composer...
(2011), the soundtrack to the Nickeloden television series, Victorious
Victorious
Victorious is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega , a teenager who attends a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts High School, after taking her older sister Trina's place in a showcase while getting into...
. It was released as the album's second single on November 19, 2010 through Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in association with Nickelodeon
Nick Records
Nick Records is a soundtrack arm formed to expand Nickelodeon's presence in the music business and create a major music brand for kids and preteens. Its former logo features a button trio consisting of stop, pause and play...
and Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. Musically, the song is a fast paced electro-rock with influences of electropop and teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
lyrics, and the lyrics speak of getting the attention of a distant boyfriend.
The song was met with generally positive reviews from critics, with the majority of them praising its message and aggressive sound. "Freak the Freak Out" has currently charted on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 at number fifty, remaining as the highest peaking song from the soundtrack. The accompanying music video portrays Justice with the Victorious cast at a night club dancing, singing and enjoying the moment.
Background
"Freak the Freak Out" is the second single released from the soundtrack VictoriousVictorious (soundtrack)
-Charts:-Personnel:*C.J. Abraham - Composer, Engineer, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals *Backhouse Mike - Additional Production, Drums, Engineer, Instrumentation, Keyboards, Producer, Programming*Rob Bacon - Guitar*Drake Bell - Composer...
(2011), for the television series of the same name on Nickelodeon. It was first heard on the series's one hour special, "Freak the Freak Out", which premiered on November 26, 2010 in North America, a few days after the single's release. The scene where the song was performed features Justice, disguised as Louise Nordoff, comes up on stage to sing and later reveals her true self as a part of a plan to mess with the main antagonists in the episode. Justice continues singing as Elizabeth Gilles and Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande
Ariana Joan Grande is an American actress and singer. She currently plays the role of Cat Valentine in the American sitcom Victorious.-Early life:Grande was born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida...
, playing Jade West and Cat Valentine, come up on stage and dance beside her.
The song was written by Michael Corcoran
Backhouse Mike
Michael Thomas Corcoran , aka Backhouse Mike, is a musician, singer/songwriter, composer, sound designer, musical arranger, orchestrator, and record producer who formed in the late 90's, along with C.J Abraham, a songwriting and producing partnership Backhouse Mike & The Super Chris.They started...
, C.J. Abraham, Nick Hexum
Nick Hexum
Nicholas Lofton Hexum is an American musician, currently the vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the alternative rock band 311.-Early life:Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Hexum went to Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska...
, Zack Hexum
Zack Hexum
Zack Hexum is a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter.Hexum lists his influences as including Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, Paul McCartney, Todd Rundgren, and Jeff Buckley. Hexum plays both guitar and saxophone...
, Dan Schneider
Dan Schneider (TV producer)
Daniel James "Dan" Schneider is an American songwriter, actor, writer, and producer of films and television. He is the co-president of his own production company called Schneider's Bakery....
. It also featured addition production by Greg Wells on additional production. The mixing for the song was provided by Greg Wellstook place at Rocket Carousel in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Backhouse Mike and The Super Chris produced the track along with providing all the instruments on the song. Michael Corcoran also provided the guitars. Corcoran was also included on the programming for the song with CJ Abraham, both of which engineered the track in The Backhouse in Los Angeles. Corcoran and Abraham provided additonal vocals along with Niki Watkins, Nick and Zack Hexum.
Composition
"Freak the Freak Out" is an electro-rock song that contains influences of teen popTeen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
and electropop. The song runs through a dance-rock oriented beat and features a more aggressive sound than the rest of the album's songs, at one point received comparisons to American recording artist Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
's musical stylings. Much of the song features relentless beats, synthesized instrumentations, nonstop simple, repetitive choruses, and Auto-Tune vocals. The theme of this song is center around managing relationships. The lyrics are about getting the attention of a distant partner, listening wise.
Critical reception
Bob Hoose and Steven Isaac of Plugged In Online condemned the song for it's objectionable content, mainly noting the title's second "freak" was, stated by Hoose and Isaac, "a not-so-subtle substitute for an intended obscenity." Joe DeAndrea of AbsolutePunk praised the song, along with "Beggin' on Your Knees", for its catchy nature, further commenting that "They will get stuck in your head and you'll probably feel a little ashamed, but no worries: it's the good type of ashamed! Like eating chocolate cake in a bathtub alone on a Friday night. But really, it's easier to accept it when you realize that the songs aren't all that worse than what is currently on the radio."Performances
Justice performed this song in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
in 2010. Also, the song was performed in a Victorious
Victorious
Victorious is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega , a teenager who attends a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts High School, after taking her older sister Trina's place in a showcase while getting into...
episode of the same title as the song.
Music video
The music video premiered on NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
on November 19, 2010, after the iCarly
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
episode "iStart a Fan War". The video opens with Justice talking on the phone with someone outside of the club. She is upset that her friend isn't coming to the club, but decides to go in anyway. As she walks around the club, she sees the Victorious cast socializing with other people. They are also shown dancing individually on the dance floor in another part of the club. There are also interspersed shots of Justice singing the song while sitting down, singing parts of the song into her phone, performing the song in a room with people dancing behind her and at the DJ booth.
In a shorter version of the music video, there are interspersed shots of Justice recording the song in a studio.
Credits and personnel
- Victoria JusticeVictoria JusticeVictoria Justice is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and dancer. She debuted as an actress at the age of 10 and has since appeared in several films and television series including the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 and Victorious...
– vocals - Michael CorcoranBackhouse MikeMichael Thomas Corcoran , aka Backhouse Mike, is a musician, singer/songwriter, composer, sound designer, musical arranger, orchestrator, and record producer who formed in the late 90's, along with C.J Abraham, a songwriting and producing partnership Backhouse Mike & The Super Chris.They started...
- songwriting, production, instrumentation, guitars, programming, engineering, background vocals - The Super Chris - production, instrumentation
- C.J. Abraham - songwriting, programming, engineering, background vocals
- Nick HexumNick HexumNicholas Lofton Hexum is an American musician, currently the vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the alternative rock band 311.-Early life:Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Hexum went to Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska...
- songwriting, background vocals - Zack HexumZack HexumZack Hexum is a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter.Hexum lists his influences as including Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, Paul McCartney, Todd Rundgren, and Jeff Buckley. Hexum plays both guitar and saxophone...
- songwriting, background vocals - Dan SchneiderDan Schneider (TV producer)Daniel James "Dan" Schneider is an American songwriter, actor, writer, and producer of films and television. He is the co-president of his own production company called Schneider's Bakery....
- songwriting - Niki Watkins - background vocals
- Greg WellsGreg WellsGreg Wells is a multiple Grammy nominated musician, record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Wells has produced and written hits with Adele, Weezer, Pink, Theophilus London, Deftones, Katy Perry, Rufus Wainwright, The All American Rejects, OneRepublic, Mika, Aerosmith, Burt Bacharach,...
- additional production, mixing
Credits are taken from Victorious liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
.
Chart performance & Certifications
"Freak the Freak Out" debuted at #78 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It fell off the next week, but re-entered at #58 and peaked at #50.
| Chart (2010-2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
50 |
It is Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in The U.S. according to the RIAA, However her label incorrectly certified it as an album.
It was also confirmed that the song sold over 600,000 digital copies in the U.S.