Ho Hey

"Ho Hey"
Single by The Lumineers
from the album The Lumineers
Released	June 4, 2012
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2011
Genre	Indie pop indie folk folk pop
Length	2:43
Label	Dualtone
Writer(s)	Wesley Schultz Jeremy Fraites
Producer(s)	Ryan Hadlock
The Lumineers singles chronology
"Ho Hey" (2012) "Stubborn Love" (2012)

"Ho Hey" is a song by American folk rock band the Lumineers. It was released on June 4, 2012, as the lead single from their debut self-titled studio album. The music video was also released on March 11, 2012. "Ho Hey" reached number one for 18 non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard Rock Songs chart, as well as two weeks in the top spot on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and eight weeks in the top spot on the Adult Pop Songs chart, and reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming their first single to do so, as well as their first top 5 single. It is also their first single to be certified in the US.

Background information

The song was originally created during Schultz and Fraites' time in New York as a kiss-off to disinterested concert-goers. "That song was an effort to get under people's skin at shows in Brooklyn, where everyone is pretty indifferent," Schultz told American Songwriter. "And I figured if we could punctuate it with shouts we might get someone's attention."^[1]

Composition

"Ho Hey" is written in the key of C major. A McIntosh MC240 amplifier was used in the recording.^[2]

Chart performance

The song became a commercial success and was a breakthrough hit for the Lumineers. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 90 on the week of June 10, 2012.^[3] From there, it became a sleeper hit, slowly ascending the chart until it broke into the top ten in the week of November 10, 2012 at number eight^[4] and continued to climb until it reached its peak of number 3 in its 28th week on the chart.^[5] It has also so far remained in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks,^[6] and topped Billboard's Rock Songs chart for 14 weeks.^[7] It has also sold over four million copies in the United States as of April 2013.^[8]

The song also became a crossover hit, topping the Adult Pop Songs, Rock Songs, Alternative Songs, and Triple A charts^[9] and reaching number two on the Pop Songs chart, topped only by Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven".^[10] It also charted on the Adult Contemporary^[11] and Country Airplay charts.^[12] This multi-format success allowed it to reach number two on the Hot 100 Airplay chart^[13] and stay on the Hot 100 for 62 weeks, one of the longest chart runs ever.

The song also had international success, reaching the top ten in the UK, Canada, Ireland, France, Israel, Italy, Slovakia, New Zealand, Australia, and Switzerland.

Critical reception

"Ho Hey" has received positive reviews from critics. Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio gave the song a rating of 4 out of 5, favorably comparing Wesley Schultz's lead vocals on the song to Raine Maida. Erickson went on to say that "it's darn refreshing to sit back and take in some genuine, straightforward music that comes from the heart".^[14] Rolling Stone named the song the 26th-best song of 2012.^[15]

Music video

The music video for "Ho Hey" was released on March 11, 2012. The video was directed by Ben Fee. The video shows the band walking down a hall while singing and dancing to the song.

In pop culture

• Prior to its release, "Ho Hey" was first featured on the December 5, 2011, episode of Hart of Dixie.^[16][17] Later on, the song was used in a television commercial for Bing on June 1, 2012.^[18][19]
• In the UK, the song has been used in an advertisement for E.ON, in the final episode of sitcom Cuckoo as well as advertisements for the film Silver Linings Playbook.^[20]
• A purely instrumental version has been used in a commercial for Blue Moon beer.
• The song appears as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero Live.
• "Ho Hey" appears in the premiere episode of the eighth season of Bones, "The Future in the Past", which aired September 17, 2012.
• The song appears in the fifth episode of the tenth season of The X-Files, "Babylon", which aired February 15, 2016.
• Referenced in the lyrics, Canal and Bowery are cross streets in lower Manhattan, New York City, NY where bus services arrive and depart from different parts of the U.S.

Parodies

On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, an "all-clucking" cover version of the song was performed by an ad hoc group called "the Chickeneers", featuring Jimmy Fallon, Blake Shelton, and Nick Offerman in chicken suits.^[21][22]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2012–13) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[23] 3 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[24] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25] 18 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[26] 14 Brazil (Billboard Brasil Hot 100)[27] 40 Brazil Hot Pop Songs[27] 10 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[28] 2 Canada Alternative Rock (America's Music Charts)[29] 2 Canada Active Rock (America's Music Charts)[30] 30 Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[31] 3 Denmark (Tracklisten)[32] 22 France (SNEP)[33] 6 Germany (Official German Charts)[34] 5 Iceland (Tonlist)[35] 24 Ireland (IRMA)[36] 2 Israel (Media Forest)[37] 6 Italy (FIMI)[38] 5 Japan (Billboard Japan Hot 100)[39] 76 Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[40] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[41] 5 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[42] 2 Norway (VG-lista)[43] 16 Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[44] 1 Portugal (Billboard)[45] 1 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[46] 8 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[47] 2 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[48] 8 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[49] 9 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 7 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[51] 8 US Billboard Hot 100[52] 3 US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[53] 1 US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[54] 1 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[55] 1 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[56] 1 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[57] 1 US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[58] 1 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[59] 49 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[60] 2 Venezuela Pop/Rock General (Record Report)[61] 28

Year-end charts Chart (2012) Position UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 76 US Billboard Hot 100[62] 68 US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[63] 10 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[64] 4 US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[65] 12 Chart (2013) Position Australia (ARIA)[66] 21 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[67] 4 Germany (Media Control AG)[68] 30 Ireland (IRMA)[69] 8 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[70] 16 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[71] 18 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[72] 21 US Billboard Hot 100[73] 12 US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[74] 2 US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[75] 12 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[76] 1 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[77] 1 US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[78] 18 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[79] 15

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[80]	5× Platinum	350,000^^
Belgium (BEA)[81]	Gold	15,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)[82]	7× Platinum	560,000^^
Germany (BVMI)[83]	Platinum	300,000^^
Italy (FIMI)[84]	2× Platinum	60,000^*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[85]	2× Platinum	30,000^*
Sweden (GLF)[86]	3× Platinum	120,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[87]	Platinum	30,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[88]	Platinum	747,329[89]
United States (RIAA)[90]	4× Platinum	4,000,000[8]
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[91]	Platinum	1,800,000^^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[92]	Gold	4,000,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

• List of number-one singles of 2013 (Poland)
• List of UK top 10 singles in 2012
• List of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles in 2012
• List of number-one Billboard Alternative Songs of 2012
• List of Adult Top 40 number-one songs of the 2010s
• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 2013 (U.S.)

References

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