Freak the Freak Out

Last updated

"Freak the Freak Out"
Victorious Cast - Freak the Freak Out.png
Single by Victoria Justice
from the album Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show
ReleasedNovember 22, 2010
Studio The Backhouse (Los Angeles, California); Rocket Carousel (Los Angeles, California)
Genre Teen pop
Length3:54
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Victoria Justicesingles chronology
"Make It Shine"
(2011)
"Freak the Freak Out"
(2010)
"Beggin' on Your Knees"
(2011)
Music video
"Freak the Freak Out" on YouTube

"Freak the Freak Out" is the second single by Victoria Justice from the soundtrack album Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show (2011). It was produced by The Super Chris and Michael Corcoran, who also co-wrote the song with C.J. Abraham, Nick Hexum, Zack Hexum, and Dan Schneider. It was released as the second single from the soundtrack to digital platforms on November 22, 2010, through Columbia Records and Nickelodeon. Musically, it is a teen pop track with lyrics about fighting with a boyfriend. A Victorious episode of the same name premiered on November 26, 2010, and features Tori Vega (Justice), Jade West (Elizabeth Gillies) and Cat Valentine (Ariana Grande) trying to expose a rigged karaoke competition.

Contents

The song was met with generally positive reviews from critics, with the majority of them praising its catchiness. "Freak the Freak Out" peaked at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Justice her highest charting single on the chart. The song was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). An accompanying music video was released on November 19, 2010, and was later added to Justice's YouTube channel on September 20, 2012. The visual portrays Justice and the Victorious cast at a warehouse in Los Angeles, dancing against other people. Justice performed the song live at the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Background and release

"Freak the Freak Out" was released as the second single to digital platforms from the soundtrack album Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show on November 22, 2010. [1] It later appeared on the American television sitcom Victorious ' one-hour special of the same name on November 26, 2010. [2] In the episode, Tori Vega (Victoria Justice) and her friends are thrilled to try out Karaoke Dokie, a fictional karaoke club that features weekly singing competitions. [2] [3] On the night of a competition, Jade West (Elizabeth Gillies) and Cat Valentine (Ariana Grande) team up to perform, but the club's owner tampers the competition so his daughter and her friend can win. [2] [4] Jade and Cat seek out Tori for her help to get revenge. [5] Tori sings "Freak the Freak Out" while wearing a disguise consisting of a hat, wig, wart, and prosthetic nose. [6] [7]

The song was written by Michael Corcoran, also known as Backhouse Mike, 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. Corcoran and the Super Chris produced the track along with providing all the instruments on the song. 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 additional vocals along with Niki Watkins, Nick and Zack Hexum. [8]

Music and lyrics

Writing for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann described "Freak the Freak Out" as a teen pop song. [9] Jason Lipshutz, writing for Billboard said the song finds Justice "having a blast with the G-rated concept and flashing an undeniable amount of charisma". [10] Bob Hoose and Steven Isaac for Plugged In compared to track to the works of American singer Katy Perry. Both critics say the track is about how "Tori blows up at an uncommunicative boyfriend": "I'm so sick of it/Your attention deficit/Never listen, you never listen/I'm so sick of it/So I'll throw another fit." They opined that the "second 'freak' in the title is a not-so-subtle substitute for an intended obscenity". [11]

Reception

"Freak the Freak Out" was met with mainly positive reviews from music critics. Lipshutz opined the song "deserves to be re-discovered as a highly campy, totally transfixing single". [10] The staff of Tiger Beat stated the track "has such a catchy and fun beat to it. It's definitely something we need to get on our mp3 players ASAP". [12] Megan Gaertner for Her Campus placed the song at number four on her The Best Songs from Victorious list, saying the song "is another great bop" and that it "was and still is a great one to jam out to with you besties". [13] In a less enthusiastic review, Ruhlmann mentioned it is "typical of the genre [teen pop], with their relentless beats, synthesized instrumentations, nonstop simple, repetitive choruses, and Auto-Tune vocals". [9]

"Freak the Freak Out" debuted at number 78 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated December 18, 2010. [14] The song later peaked at number 50 on the chart in January 2011, [10] [15] giving Justice her highest hit on the Hot 100. [16] It also peaked at number six on the Billboard Kids Digital Song Sales. [17] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single a gold certification, which denotes 500,000 units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams in the United States. [18] [19]

Promotion

Liz Gillies for Vogue 2020.jpg
Leon Thomas III in 2020.png
Matt Bennett in 2020.png
Avan Jogia 2019.jpg
The music video features (from left to right) Victorious cast members Elizabeth Gillies, Leon Thomas III, Matt Bennett, and Avan Jogia

A music video for "Freak the Freak Out" was released on November 19, 2010, [12] and was streamed on Nick.com and Nick's wireless partners. [2] [19] It was later uploaded to VictoriousVEVO YouTube channel on September 20, 2012. [20] It was the first music video to be made for a Victorious song. [21] The visual features Justice and the Victorious cast doing a dance-off with other people at a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. [2] Gillies, Leon Thomas III, Matt Bennett, and Avan Jogia dance to the song on the dance floor. [12] Justice performed the song live at the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. [19] In January 2020, Grande and Bennett sang the song while staying at Disneyland. [22] [23]

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from Victorious liner notes. [8]

Charts

Chart performance for "Freak the Freak Out"
Chart (2010–2011)Peak
position
Australia Top 20 Hitseekers Singles (ARIA) [24] 7
UK Singles (OCC) [25] 176
US Billboard Hot 100 [26] 50
US Heatseekers Songs ( Billboard )1
US Kid Digital Song Sales ( Billboard ) [17] 6
US Pop Digital Song Sales ( Billboard ) [27] 21

Certifications

Certifications for "Freak the Freak Out"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [28] Gold600,000 [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniella Monet</span> American actress and singer

Daniella Monet Gardner is an American actress, singer, television personality and entrepreneur. She first earned recognition for playing Megan Kleinman on the CBS sitcom Listen Up (2004–05) and Rebecca Martin on Nickelodeon's Zoey 101 (2006–07). She had her breakthrough playing Trina Vega on Nickelodeon's Victorious (2010–2013), and provided the voice of Mitzi on Nickelodeon's Winx Club (2012) and played Bertha in the Fred films and TV series (2011–2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Justice</span> American actress and singer (born 1993)

Victoria Dawn Justice is an American actress and singer. She has received several accolades, including two Young Artist Awards and nominations for three Imagen Awards, an NAACP Image Award, and three Kids' Choice Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickelodeon Records</span> Record label

Nickelodeon Records is the record label for the children's television channel Nickelodeon, which is owned by Paramount Global. The label featured new and emerging young musical artists, "triple threat" singers who would also act and dance on the network's series, and soundtrack compilations based on Nickelodeon TV shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Thomas III</span> American actor and musician (born 1993)

Leon George Thomas III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. After early roles in Broadway and providing the singing voice of Tyrone on the Nick Jr. animated series The Backyardigans (2006–2008), he played Andre Harris on the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2010–2013), for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination.

<i>Victorious</i> American teen sitcom

Victorious is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider that originally aired on Nickelodeon, debuting on March 27, 2010, and concluding on February 2, 2013 after four seasons. 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 screwball situations on a daily basis. On her first day at Hollywood Arts, she meets Andre Harris, Robbie Shapiro, Rex Powers, Jade West, Cat Valentine, and Beck Oliver. The series premiered after the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards. The series won Favorite TV Show award at the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards and 2013 Kids' Choice Awards, beating out iCarly. Victorious earned four Emmy nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Gillies</span> American actress and singer (born 1993)

Elizabeth Egan Gillies is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut at age 15 in the musical 13, playing the character of Lucy. After her first television appearance in The Black Donnellys (2007), she went on to star as Jade West in the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2010–2013), Gigi Rock in the FX comedy series Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2015–2016) and Fallon Carrington on The CW reboot of Dynasty (2017–2022). She voiced Daphne in the Nickelodeon series Winx Club (2011–2014) and Catwoman / Selina Kyle in the animated film Catwoman: Hunted (2022), and has appeared in various feature and television films, including the horror film Animal (2014), the television film Killing Daddy (2014), the comedy film Vacation (2015), and the black comedy thriller film Arizona (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariana Grande</span> American singer and actress (born 1993)

Ariana Grande-Butera is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, she is noted for her four-octave vocal range and her signature use of the whistle register. Grande has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including one Brit Award, two Grammy Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, nine MTV Video Music Awards, and 35 Guinness World Records. Rolling Stone ranked her amongst the greatest vocalists of all time.

<i>Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show</i> 2011 soundtrack album by Victorious cast and Victoria Justice

Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show is the debut soundtrack for the Nickelodeon TV series Victorious. The majority of the album was sung by the lead actress of the television series, Victoria Justice, with the Victorious cast being listed beside her. Some of the other singers on the album include Ariana Grande, Elizabeth Gillies, Miranda Cosgrove, Leon Thomas III, Matt Bennett, Daniella Monet and Avan Jogia. The majority of the album was written by Michael Corcoran, Dan Schneider, Savan Kotecha, Kool Kojak and CJ Abraham with Victoria Justice involved in the composition of "Best Friend's Brother" and Leon Thomas III on "Song 2 You".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beggin' on Your Knees</span> 2011 single by Victorious cast

"Beggin' on Your Knees" is a song performed by the Victorious cast featuring American singer Victoria Justice. It was produced by Kristian Lundin and Shellback, who also co-wrote the song with Savan Kotecha, for Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show (2011), the soundtrack to the Nickelodeon television series, Victorious. It was released as the album's second single on April 1, 2011 through Columbia Records in association with Nickelodeon. Musically, the song runs through a synthpop oriented beat with teen pop lyrics, and the lyrics speak of vengeance against a cheating boyfriend.

<i>iParty with Victorious</i> 2011 television movie on Nickelodeon

iParty with Victorious is a 2011 television movie that acts as a crossover of the television series iCarly and Victorious. It premiered on Nickelodeon June 11, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best Friend's Brother</span> 2011 single by Victorious cast

"Best Friend's Brother" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Victoria Justice, billed as Victorious cast featuring Victoria Justice. It was produced by Kool Kojak, who also co-wrote the song with Savan Kotecha and Victoria Justice, for Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show (2011), the soundtrack to the Nickelodeon television series, Victorious. It was released as the album's third single on May 20, 2011 through Columbia Records in association with Nickelodeon. Musically, the song runs through an electropop oriented dance beat with teen pop lyrics, and the lyrics speak of a girl's crush on her best friend's brother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Justice discography</span>

The discography of American singer Victoria Justice consists of one soundtrack album, three extended plays, 14 singles, nine promotional singles, three charity singles, and 20 music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Way (Ariana Grande song)</span> 2013 single by Ariana Grande

"The Way" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, featuring American rapper Mac Miller. It was released on March 26, 2013 by Republic Records as the lead single from her debut studio album Yours Truly (2013). The song was written by Amber Streeter, Al Sherrod Lambert, Jordin Sparks, Brenda Russell, Miller, and the producer Harmony Samuels. The song samples Big Pun's 1998 song "Still Not a Player", which itself samples Russell's 1979 song "A Little Bit of Love".

<i>Victorious 3.0: Even More Music from the Hit TV Show</i> 2012 EP by Victorious cast and Victoria Justice

Victorious 3.0: Even More Music from the Hit TV Show is the second extended play and the third and final soundtrack for the Victorious series. The album was released November 6, 2012, with a total of 5 tracks. Daniella Monet also announced that the physical edition would be a "Walmart exclusive ZinePak" with two bonus tracks including, "Cheer Me Up", featuring Victoria Justice, a cover of the track from Natasha Bedingfield's album Pocketful of Sunshine, which was partly performed in the season 3 episode, "Tori Goes Platinum"; and "365 Days", featuring Leon Thomas III, which was also partly performed in the season 2 episode, "Jade Gets Crushed". On the album, Thomas is just singing solo and is not singing with Justice like in the episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Gillies discography</span>

The discography of Elizabeth Gillies, an American actress and singer, consists of one studio album, one extended play, 3 singles, 12 promotional singles, and three music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold (Victoria Justice song)</span> 2013 single by Victoria Justice

"Gold" is the debut non-soundtrack single by American singer Victoria Justice, released on June 18, 2013, by Columbia Records. The song was written by Tove Lo, Jason Weiss, Sam Shrieve, Ben Camp, Jakob Jerlström, Ludvig Söderberg, and Peter Thomas. It was released as the originally-intended lead single for Justice's debut studio album, but was later scrapped after her split with Columbia Records due to creative differences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariana Grande videography</span>

American singer, songwriter, and actress Ariana Grande has appeared in 56 music videos, including eight featured appearances and six uncredited appearances. She has also appeared in 23 television shows and seven films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Monét</span> American singer songwriter (born 1989)

Victoria Monét McCants is an American singer-songwriter. First gaining recognition for her songwriting work, Monét pursued a recording career with the release of a series of extended plays (EPs) before releasing her fifth EP, Jaguar (2020) to critical acclaim. Her debut studio album, Jaguar II (2023) became her commercial breakthrough and was supported by the hit single, "On My Mama", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, she was the recipient of seven nominations and three wins for Best New Artist, Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Make It in America</span> 2012 single by Victorious cast featuring Victoria Justice

"Make It in America" is a song performed by the Victorious cast featuring Victoria Justice. It was co-written by Justice, for Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show (2012), the soundtrack to the Nickelodeon television series, Victorious. It was released as the album's first and only single on May 15, 2012 through Columbia Records in association with Nickelodeon. Musically, the song runs through a pop beat.

References

  1. "Freak the Freak Out by Victorious Cast featuring Victoria Justice". Spotify. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tori and the Gang Vie for the Ultimate Karaoke Crown in the First Ever Hour Long Victorious Special, 'Freak the Freak Out,' Premiering Friday, Nov. 26, at 8:00 P.M. on Nickelodeon". PR Newswire. November 4, 2010. Archived from the original on December 20, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  3. Armstrong, Jennifer (November 19, 2010). "'Victorious' exclusive first look: Karaoke hijinks! Wisdom-tooth hijinks!". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  4. Thomas Umstead, R. (November 4, 2010). "Nick To Air 'Victorious' Special". Multichannel News . Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  5. Ashby, Emily. "Suggest an update Freak the Freak Out". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  6. Russian, Ale (October 27, 2016). "Throwback! Victoria Justice Dishes on Her Favorite Victorious Episode — and Sings One of her Old Songs!". People . Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  7. Zaragoza Medina, Evelina (March 15, 2020). "19 Weird Things That Happened On Nickelodeon Shows That Were Never Addressed". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  8. 1 2 Victorious (liner notes). Victorious and Victoria Justice. United States: Columbia. 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Victoria Justice/Victorious Cast Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 Lipshutz, Jason. "Victoria Justice's Music Career: Why Ariana Grande's Co-Star Is Still Worth Watching". Billboard . Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  11. Hoose, Bob; Issac, Steven. "Victorious: Music From the Hit TV Show". Plugged In . Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 "Watch: Victoria Justice feat. the Victorious Cast Sing 'Freak the Freak Out!'". Tiger Beat . November 19, 2010. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  13. Gaertner, Megan (November 8, 2019). "The Best Songs from Victorious". Her Campus . Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  14. "Billboard Hot 100 History - December 18, 2010". Billboard . Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  15. Crucchiola, Jordan; Haylock, Zoe; Polk, Milan (January 25, 2021). "Disney and Nickelodeon Stars Gone Pop: A Ranking". Vulture . Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  16. Blanchet, Brenton (March 5, 2021). "Victoria Justice Is Independent and Treating Herself Better". Billboard . Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  17. 1 2 "Billboard". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 6, 2022.
  18. Goldberg, Lesley (October 11, 2013). "Victoria Justice to Star in MTV Pilot From Jason Blum, Catherine Hardwicke". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 "Columbia Records/Nickelodeon Reveals Tracklisting for Victorious Soundtrack Album". PR Newswire. July 11, 2011. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  20. "Victorious Cast - Freak The Freak Out ft. Victoria Justice". YouTube. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  21. Teen Mag (November 22, 2010). "Check It Out: First Ever Victorious Music Video". Seventeen . Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  22. Stivale, Shelby (January 29, 2020). "Blast From The Past: Ariana Grande & Matt Bennett Sing 'Victorious' Songs, And We're So Here For It". J-14 . Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  23. Spence, Sade (January 29, 2020). "These Videos Of Ariana & Matt Bennett Singing 'Victorious' Songs Will Give You Feels". Elite Daily . Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  24. "30 May 2011 - pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20110530-1606/Issue1107.pdf - Trove" (PDF). webarchive.nla.gov.au . May 30, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 30, 2011.
  25. "www.zobbel.de/cluk/110312cluk.txt". zobbel.de. March 12, 2011.
  26. "Victoria Justice Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  27. "Victoria Justice Chart History (Pop Digital Song Sales)". Billboard . Archived from the original on June 7, 2021.
  28. "American album certifications – Victorious cast feat. Victoria Justice – Freak the Freak Out". Recording Industry Association of America.
  29. Justin Bieber, Cee Lo Green, Jennifer Hudson, Victoria Justice And The Band Perry Join Lineup for TNT's Christmas in Washington, Hosted by Conan O'Brien