Hands (The Ting Tings song)
Encyclopedia
"Hands" is the first single by the English band The Ting Tings
second studio album Sounds from Nowheresville. The song was written by both Katie White
and Jules De Martino
and mixed by label-mate Calvin Harris
. The song is a fast paced indie pop
'80s sound, similar to the duo's previous songs. The single was released to radio airplay on 18 August 2010 after premiering on the Huw Stephens
show on BBC Radio 1
at 9:30pm, a remix will also be released via Digital Download on 11 October 2010. The song was performed at the Wireless Festival
, as part of the setlist, they were joined with dancers holding signs, saying work, which when flipped around, would say dance.
The single can now be heard on their Facebook
page, where if users share it on their wall, they get a free download of a remix of the song. It was released on 11 October. The song debuted at 29 on the UK Singles Chart.
, but then moving to an old German Jazz Club to record it. The reason being was that the band wanted a new place to test out what sounded good and what did not: “We did the first album by throwing house parties. We'd try them out on our drunk friends and if they danced we'd go ‘Great, let's carry on!’ We're gonna do the same in Berlin – that's why we've got the jazz club – so we can just stick a big plastic bag over the studio so it doesn't get beer on and experiment on some crazy Berliners.”
In January 2010, two track titles from from the album were revealed, "Help" & "Hands".
In July 2010, News of the duo's upcoming album & single had spread to various blog
sites after their personal website put up a notice about how their website was due for refit to match their new single, there was also news on the album which was said to be nearly finished.
The following month, August 2010, The song was officially sent to British radio, and also available for streaming via The Ting Tings' Facebook page.
The official video premiered online on September 5.
The song appears on the soundtrack for EA Sports' Fifa 12
video game.
's "Bang Bang Bang".
Both White & De Martino are in the video, with White playing the keyboard and singing the vocals whilst De Martino is on the drums. The video is intercut with a story about two people who work in a factory and are essentially 'working too hard' until the end where their master, who is a CGI
robot, is speared by Katie's microphone. The song then ends with a final clip of both workers climbing out of the factory and looking ahead to a beach on a fantasy planet.
There's another music video for the full acoustic version of the song that can be seen on YouTube and their official Facebook.
with sales of 9,873 copies, marking the duo's fifth Top 40 hit. The single also charted on the Scottish Singles and Albums Chart
, where it debuted at number 25.
The Ting Tings
The Ting Tings are an English music duo comprising Jules de Martino and Katie White . They formed in December 2007 while based at Islington Mill Studios in Salford...
second studio album Sounds from Nowheresville. The song was written by both Katie White
Katie White
Katie Rebecca White is an English musician most famous for her work with pop group The Ting Tings. After some success with a girl group punk trio TKO supporting Steps and Atomic Kitten her father David White brought in Jules De Martino to write songs for TKO and Katie and Jules formed The Ting...
and Jules De Martino
Jules De Martino
Julian "Jules" de Martino is a British singer-songwriter, and a member of the pop duo The Ting Tings.-Babakoto:When he was 17, Jules was the drummer and song writer in a band called "Babakoto" who once played as a backing group for Bros and released a single at the end of 1987 called "Just to Get...
and mixed by label-mate Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
. The song is a fast paced indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
'80s sound, similar to the duo's previous songs. The single was released to radio airplay on 18 August 2010 after premiering on the Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens is a radio presenter currently broadcasting shows on BBC Radio 1.-Early life and career:Stephens was born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of the author and literary journalist Meic Stephens...
show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
at 9:30pm, a remix will also be released via Digital Download on 11 October 2010. The song was performed at the Wireless Festival
Wireless Festival
The Wireless Festival is a music festival in England that takes place every year in Hyde Park, London, and took place at Harewood House, Leeds in 2006 and 2007. It is owned and managed by Live Nation....
, as part of the setlist, they were joined with dancers holding signs, saying work, which when flipped around, would say dance.
The single can now be heard on their Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, where if users share it on their wall, they get a free download of a remix of the song. It was released on 11 October. The song debuted at 29 on the UK Singles Chart.
History
Speculation about the band's second album began in October 2009, when details were released to the public about the duo writing their next album in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, but then moving to an old German Jazz Club to record it. The reason being was that the band wanted a new place to test out what sounded good and what did not: “We did the first album by throwing house parties. We'd try them out on our drunk friends and if they danced we'd go ‘Great, let's carry on!’ We're gonna do the same in Berlin – that's why we've got the jazz club – so we can just stick a big plastic bag over the studio so it doesn't get beer on and experiment on some crazy Berliners.”
In January 2010, two track titles from from the album were revealed, "Help" & "Hands".
In July 2010, News of the duo's upcoming album & single had spread to various blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
sites after their personal website put up a notice about how their website was due for refit to match their new single, there was also news on the album which was said to be nearly finished.
The following month, August 2010, The song was officially sent to British radio, and also available for streaming via The Ting Tings' Facebook page.
The official video premiered online on September 5.
The song appears on the soundtrack for EA Sports' Fifa 12
FIFA 12
FIFA 12 is the nineteenth game in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of association football video games. It was developed by EA Canada, and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. David Rutter, the line producer for FIFA 12, promised "a revolutionary year for FIFA .....
video game.
Music video
The music video for "Hands" first appeared online on 5 September 2010. The video was directed by Warren Fu and features a very prominent 80s' theme which is a specialty of Fu, who also has credits for Mark RonsonMark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
's "Bang Bang Bang".
Both White & De Martino are in the video, with White playing the keyboard and singing the vocals whilst De Martino is on the drums. The video is intercut with a story about two people who work in a factory and are essentially 'working too hard' until the end where their master, who is a CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
robot, is speared by Katie's microphone. The song then ends with a final clip of both workers climbing out of the factory and looking ahead to a beach on a fantasy planet.
There's another music video for the full acoustic version of the song that can be seen on YouTube and their official Facebook.
Track listing
Chart performance
"Hands" debuted at number 29 on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
with sales of 9,873 copies, marking the duo's fifth Top 40 hit. The single also charted on the Scottish Singles and Albums Chart
Scottish Singles and Albums Chart
The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions....
, where it debuted at number 25.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
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