Reach Out (Hilary Duff song)
Encyclopedia
"Reach Out" is a dance-pop
song performed by Hilary Duff
, released as the first single from Duff's final Hollywood Records
album Best of Hilary Duff
. The song was released digitally in December 2008 with the video premiering in October 2008. "Reach Out" later became #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play
chart.
(of OneRepublic
) and co-written by Tedder, Evan Bogart
, and Mika Guillory. It is built around a sample
of Depeche Mode
's 1989 song "Personal Jesus
". There are two versions of the song: the album version, which is currently on Duff's official YouTube
channel, and is featured on the album, and the single version. The album version features The Prophet who is also featured in the music video. The single version does not feature any rap parts in the song, as this version will be used as the actual single; it is 3:27 in length, and has already been in rotation on many music choice channels in the United States. The album version of "Reach Out" had its audio premiere via Duff's official YouTube channel on October 3, 2008. Before its official release, the song was known as "Reach Out (And Touch Me)" but it later became "Reach Out".
The version that features The Prophet references two of Duff's previous songs, "Dignity" and "Play with Fire". It also references her 2005 film, The Perfect Man
.
On the last episode of Total Request Live
, Duff described the song by saying that "[i]t's different for me. It's a little dancey, and there's a rapper named Prophet who's on it who's really cool and kinda fresh".
would be re-released in an edition featuring remixes of the original songs alongside two new tracks: "Reach Out" (featuring rapper Prophet) and "Holiday". Duff said she hoped to write a third new song for the re-release, and to have "Holiday" released as its first or second single; the plans were eventually scrapped, which led Duff to make the decision to leave Hollywood Records
and develop Best of Hilary Duff to quickly end her contract that had expected one last album.
The song was made available on the U.S. iTunes
on December 18, 2008 and was sent to all mainstream U.S radio stations in January 2009. "Reach Out" also began to receive rotation on UK radio stations and UK music channels in January 2009. The official UK radio release date was January 19, 2009.
gave the song a negative review, stating that "[w]ith so much medocrity in the song's three-and-a-half minute duration it's hard to pinpoint the most useless and perfunctory thing about Hilary Duff's toweringly boring new, track 'Reach Out'. E! Online called "Reach Out" a "muffed attempt". Digital Spy
said that "The fact that Duff replaces the original lyric "reach out and touch faith" with "reach out and touch me" pretty much says it all. Originally written about Elvis's love for his wife Priscilla, the Lizzie McGuire star sacrilegiously turns this into an innuendo-laden squelch-fest. Accompanied by a video that sees Duff humping a marble statue, a tree trunk and the camera, 'Reach Out' has an unpleasant whiff of desperation about it". However, Allmusic gave the song a positive review, picking the song as one of the top 3 AMG Picks in the album. There's More Where That Came From gave the song a B, stating "So overall, the song is catchy. Hilary isn’t a great singer, but she has a good voice, which has always helped her in the past. The rapping in the song also, surprisingly, helps make the song better. And you have to give her some credit, she hasn’t become another X-tina, or Britney, as she goes through her 20’s. All in all, while it isn’t the strongest single out there, it certainly has the potential for being a hit."
NewMusicReviews gave the two versions of "Reach Out" a seven out of ten rating, calling Hilary's version a "great updated version of a classic track [Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus"]. The dance remixes are fantastic and this should bang the clubs, and could do decent on the radio." They also praised The Prophet's rapping parts stating he "has got some decent lyrics, but he’s not featured on much of the track."
Andy H of Angryape (UK) said the song "should do well, no doubt there - considering the current trend of electro-pop, with the club beat, rocky guitar sample and a confident sexiness in the vocals."
RightCelebrity said "while some are liking the new mature, sexy Hilary Duff, some say she tried too hard, and original songs are always better. You always get the haters when you do a remake, so it is always risky."
Commonsensemedia called "Reach Out" a "hit single" that "features more aggressive sexual lyrics than on previous [Hilary Duff] albums. While Dignity was OK for 11 year olds, the Best Of [Hilary Duff] compilation pushes the target age higher."
Bill Lamb from About.com praised the production on "Reach Out" writing "Duff's new pop lyrics and vocals courtesy collaboration with Ryan Tedder, leader of OneRepublic and one of the hottest producers in the pop music industry."
Tatiana Wiez said, "It is clearly an attempt scrape her Lizzie McGuire image. It is strange watching Lizzie McGuire telling them to reach out and touch her."
. Duff managed to win the First Lady Award.
. It debuted at number seventy-one on the Japan Hot 100
on downloads alone; the following week the song dropped off the chart.
"Reach Out" became Duff's third consecutive chart-topper on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
the week of December 6, 2008. It peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Airplay
.
The track failed to attract much attention in the UK, where it did not enter the official UK Singles Chart
and only peaked at number sixty-five on the iTunes
Pop Top 100, due to lack of promotion. Although, since the music video was released to the UK iTunes, the song has climbed to number twenty-six on the Top 100 Music Videos.
In Italy, where it was released on January 19, 2009, "Reach Out" became a subsequent hit peaking at number three on the FIMI
singles chart and reaching the number-one spot on MTV Italy
's Total Request Live. It debuted in the fourth week of 2009 at #30 on the "Italy Singles Top 50" and peaked at #13 before leaving the charts in its sixth week.
and was directed by Philip Andelman. There are two versions of the video: The Director's Cut & The Clean Version. The Director's Cut version premiered on MySpace
on October 28, 2008. About.com said that "the video is cute, minus the extraneous rap".
The video opens with almost-naked people streaking in the backyard of a mansion, then shows The Prophet rapping in front of a fountain. There are scenes of Duff dancing in front of a mirror; then singing on a sofa wearing a long white dress, and in the same room Hilary can be seen holding a shirtless man's leg. In another scene Duff can be seen at a dining table which is covered with food, and later with red lipstick lying on the floor and singing. This is intercut with scenes of her caressing a semi-naked man and singing. Then there's a scene where the prophet is sitting on a throne chair and rapping his part, while Duff can be seen lying on a tree in some kind of a forest & then wearing the same bone color dress singing in a pool. And in a different scene Hilary can be seen sucking a man's thumb. Also included in the video are scenes of Hilary Duff humping a statue and rubbing against the wall. The video ends with more footage of the dinner table with Duff sitting on it and more scenes of people running almost naked.
The censored version does not show Duff tied up in the beginning or the parts with Duff wearing the blindfold, it does not have the thumb sucking, and the ending is different. It also shows more of Duff on the table with the food,with almost-naked people and new scenes of Duff singing under the pool table. Also there are fewer scenes of wall rubbing and statue humping. It is said this will be the version aired on national television, instead of the thumb sucking it shows Hilary putting her necklace off.
Reach Out (The Dance Remixes)
Reach Out (The Club Remixes)
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song performed by Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
, released as the first single from Duff's final Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
album Best of Hilary Duff
Best of Hilary Duff
Best of Hilary Duff received mostly mixed reviews. Allmusic gave the album a positive review stating that The Best of Hilary Duff "is a flipside of her 2005's Most Wanted", which was "pitched squarely at bright, happy tweens". They also went on to say the album "is not a look back at the past but a...
. The song was released digitally in December 2008 with the video premiering in October 2008. "Reach Out" later became #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart.
Song information
The song was produced by Ryan TedderRyan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
(of OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
) and co-written by Tedder, Evan Bogart
Evan Bogart
Evan "Kidd" Bogart is an American music executive, television producer, music publisher and songwriter who has contributed to a long list of internationally successful artists...
, and Mika Guillory. It is built around a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
's 1989 song "Personal Jesus
Personal Jesus
"Personal Jesus" is Depeche Mode's 23rd UK single, released on August 29, 1989, and the first single from the album Violator. The single reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100...
". There are two versions of the song: the album version, which is currently on Duff's official YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel, and is featured on the album, and the single version. The album version features The Prophet who is also featured in the music video. The single version does not feature any rap parts in the song, as this version will be used as the actual single; it is 3:27 in length, and has already been in rotation on many music choice channels in the United States. The album version of "Reach Out" had its audio premiere via Duff's official YouTube channel on October 3, 2008. Before its official release, the song was known as "Reach Out (And Touch Me)" but it later became "Reach Out".
The version that features The Prophet references two of Duff's previous songs, "Dignity" and "Play with Fire". It also references her 2005 film, The Perfect Man
The Perfect Man
The Perfect Man is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Mark Rosman and written by Gina Wendkos. It stars Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear and Chris Noth. Filming of the movie began in May 2004...
.
On the last episode of Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, Duff described the song by saying that "[i]t's different for me. It's a little dancey, and there's a rapper named Prophet who's on it who's really cool and kinda fresh".
Release
Duff said in September 2007 that a previously unheard song on the Dignity Tour's set list, "Reach Out", would be released as a single. In an interview with remix producer Joe Bermudez in November 2007, she said that DignityDignity (album)
Dignity is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Hilary Duff. The album was released on April 3, 2007 by Hollywood Records. Between the releases of her previous studio album, Hilary Duff , and Dignity, she had an eventful personal life; she was stalked by a man who threatened her...
would be re-released in an edition featuring remixes of the original songs alongside two new tracks: "Reach Out" (featuring rapper Prophet) and "Holiday". Duff said she hoped to write a third new song for the re-release, and to have "Holiday" released as its first or second single; the plans were eventually scrapped, which led Duff to make the decision to leave Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
and develop Best of Hilary Duff to quickly end her contract that had expected one last album.
The song was made available on the U.S. iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on December 18, 2008 and was sent to all mainstream U.S radio stations in January 2009. "Reach Out" also began to receive rotation on UK radio stations and UK music channels in January 2009. The official UK radio release date was January 19, 2009.
Critical reception
The song received mixed reviews. PopjusticePopjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
gave the song a negative review, stating that "[w]ith so much medocrity in the song's three-and-a-half minute duration it's hard to pinpoint the most useless and perfunctory thing about Hilary Duff's toweringly boring new, track 'Reach Out'. E! Online called "Reach Out" a "muffed attempt". Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
said that "The fact that Duff replaces the original lyric "reach out and touch faith" with "reach out and touch me" pretty much says it all. Originally written about Elvis's love for his wife Priscilla, the Lizzie McGuire star sacrilegiously turns this into an innuendo-laden squelch-fest. Accompanied by a video that sees Duff humping a marble statue, a tree trunk and the camera, 'Reach Out' has an unpleasant whiff of desperation about it". However, Allmusic gave the song a positive review, picking the song as one of the top 3 AMG Picks in the album. There's More Where That Came From gave the song a B, stating "So overall, the song is catchy. Hilary isn’t a great singer, but she has a good voice, which has always helped her in the past. The rapping in the song also, surprisingly, helps make the song better. And you have to give her some credit, she hasn’t become another X-tina, or Britney, as she goes through her 20’s. All in all, while it isn’t the strongest single out there, it certainly has the potential for being a hit."
NewMusicReviews gave the two versions of "Reach Out" a seven out of ten rating, calling Hilary's version a "great updated version of a classic track [Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus"]. The dance remixes are fantastic and this should bang the clubs, and could do decent on the radio." They also praised The Prophet's rapping parts stating he "has got some decent lyrics, but he’s not featured on much of the track."
Andy H of Angryape (UK) said the song "should do well, no doubt there - considering the current trend of electro-pop, with the club beat, rocky guitar sample and a confident sexiness in the vocals."
RightCelebrity said "while some are liking the new mature, sexy Hilary Duff, some say she tried too hard, and original songs are always better. You always get the haters when you do a remake, so it is always risky."
Commonsensemedia called "Reach Out" a "hit single" that "features more aggressive sexual lyrics than on previous [Hilary Duff] albums. While Dignity was OK for 11 year olds, the Best Of [Hilary Duff] compilation pushes the target age higher."
Bill Lamb from About.com praised the production on "Reach Out" writing "Duff's new pop lyrics and vocals courtesy collaboration with Ryan Tedder, leader of OneRepublic and one of the hottest producers in the pop music industry."
Tatiana Wiez said, "It is clearly an attempt scrape her Lizzie McGuire image. It is strange watching Lizzie McGuire telling them to reach out and touch her."
Awards and nominations
For the 2009 MTV Italy TRL Awards, Duff was nominated for two categories including First Lady and Best #1 Video of the Year (for "Reach Out") competing against nominees such as Beyoncé and Britney SpearsBritney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. Duff managed to win the First Lady Award.
Chart performance
"Reach Out" debuted and peaked at number fifty-one on the Australian ARIA Singles ChartARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. It debuted at number seventy-one on the Japan Hot 100
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....
on downloads alone; the following week the song dropped off the chart.
"Reach Out" became Duff's third consecutive chart-topper on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
the week of December 6, 2008. It peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Airplay
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
.
The track failed to attract much attention in the UK, where it did not enter the official UK Singles Chart
UK 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 ...
and only peaked at number sixty-five on the iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
Pop Top 100, due to lack of promotion. Although, since the music video was released to the UK iTunes, the song has climbed to number twenty-six on the Top 100 Music Videos.
In Italy, where it was released on January 19, 2009, "Reach Out" became a subsequent hit peaking at number three on the FIMI
Federation of the Italian Music Industry
The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy....
singles chart and reaching the number-one spot on MTV Italy
MTV Italy
MTV Italy is the Italian speaking version of the popular 24 hour music and youth entertainment channel. Unlike its counterparts elsewhere in Europe, MTV Italia is a national channel available free-to-air on terrestrial television since September 1, 1997 and available on digital terrestrial...
's Total Request Live. It debuted in the fourth week of 2009 at #30 on the "Italy Singles Top 50" and peaked at #13 before leaving the charts in its sixth week.
Music video
The music video for "Reach Out" was filmed on September 13–14, 2008 in Los AngelesLos 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...
and was directed by Philip Andelman. There are two versions of the video: The Director's Cut & The Clean Version. The Director's Cut version premiered on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
on October 28, 2008. About.com said that "the video is cute, minus the extraneous rap".
The video opens with almost-naked people streaking in the backyard of a mansion, then shows The Prophet rapping in front of a fountain. There are scenes of Duff dancing in front of a mirror; then singing on a sofa wearing a long white dress, and in the same room Hilary can be seen holding a shirtless man's leg. In another scene Duff can be seen at a dining table which is covered with food, and later with red lipstick lying on the floor and singing. This is intercut with scenes of her caressing a semi-naked man and singing. Then there's a scene where the prophet is sitting on a throne chair and rapping his part, while Duff can be seen lying on a tree in some kind of a forest & then wearing the same bone color dress singing in a pool. And in a different scene Hilary can be seen sucking a man's thumb. Also included in the video are scenes of Hilary Duff humping a statue and rubbing against the wall. The video ends with more footage of the dinner table with Duff sitting on it and more scenes of people running almost naked.
The censored version does not show Duff tied up in the beginning or the parts with Duff wearing the blindfold, it does not have the thumb sucking, and the ending is different. It also shows more of Duff on the table with the food,with almost-naked people and new scenes of Duff singing under the pool table. Also there are fewer scenes of wall rubbing and statue humping. It is said this will be the version aired on national television, instead of the thumb sucking it shows Hilary putting her necklace off.
Track listing
CD single (UK single/Promo)- "Reach Out" – 4:15
- "Reach Out" (Richard VissionRichard VissionRichard "Humpty" Vission is a house music producer, remixer and DJ born Richard Gonzalez in Toronto, Ontario. He was raised in the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles, California....
's Vocal Club Mix) – 6:16 (included on Best of Hilary Duff)
Reach Out (The Dance Remixes)
- "Reach Out" (Richard Vission Remix Edit) 3:40
- "Reach Out" (Joe Bermudez-Chico Radio Edit No Rap) – 4:41
- "Reach Out" (Joe Bermudez-Chico's Original Demo) - 4:11
- "Reach Out" (Joe Bermudez-Chico's Underground Club Edit) - 3:42
- "Reach Out" (DJ Escape & Dom Capello's Radio Edit) - 3:50
- "Reach Out" (Richard Vission's Vocal Club Mix) (included on Best of Hilary DuffBest of Hilary DuffBest of Hilary Duff received mostly mixed reviews. Allmusic gave the album a positive review stating that The Best of Hilary Duff "is a flipside of her 2005's Most Wanted", which was "pitched squarely at bright, happy tweens". They also went on to say the album "is not a look back at the past but a...
) - 6:16 - "Reach Out" (Joe Bermudez-Chico Underground Club Edit) - 3:36
- "Reach Out" (Joe Bermudez-Chico Underground Club) - 7:52
- "Reach Out" (DJ Escape & Dom Capello's Main Mix) - 8:19
Reach Out (The Club Remixes)
- "Reach Out" (Escape/Capello Extended Club) - 8:22
- "Reach Out" (Escape/Capello Dub) - 6:41
- "Reach Out" (Escape/Capello Radio) - 3:50
- "Reach Out" (Richard Vission Extended Vocal) - 6:17
- "Reach Out" (Richard Vission Dub) - 6:00
- "Reach Out" (Richard Vission Edit) - 3:39
- "Reach Out" (Bermudez - Chico Mixshow No Rap) - 4:40
- "Reach Out" (Bermudez - Chico Underground Club) - 7:52
- "Reach Out" (Bermudez - Chico Radio Edit No Rap) - 3:36
- "Reach Out" (Album Version No Rap) - 3:28
Charts
| Chart (2008/2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... ) |
51 |
| UK Singles Chart UK 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 ... |
193 |