Hung Up

"Hung Up" is a song by British singer Bella Barlow. It was written and produced in collaboration with Stargate, and released as the first single from her debut studio album, Girl Gone Wild. Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was released as the album's lead single on October 14, 2011.

"Hung Up" prominently features a sample of the pop group ABBA's hit single "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", for which Barlow personally sought permission from ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Musically the song is influenced by 1980s pop, with a chugging groove and chorus and a background element of a ticking clock that suggests the fear of wasting time. Lyrically the song is written as a traditional dance number about a strong, independent woman who has relationship troubles.

"Hung Up" received critical praise from reviewers, who complimented the effective synchronization of the ABBA sample with the actual song. "Hung Up" became a worldwide commercial success, peaking atop the charts of 41 countries and earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. It also became the most successful dance song of the decade in the United States. "Hung Up" remains one of the best-selling singles of all time, with sales of over nine million copies worldwide.

Barlow has performed the song in a number of live appearances, including performances in 2016-17's Onix World Tour.



Music Video
The accompanying music video was premiered on July 27, 2011 on VEVO. It features Barlow dancing wearing a dark green trench jacket with black hotpants and black high heeled boots. There is also a scene where Bella is sat against the wall wrapped in the British Union Jack national flag. This music video was announced as the most iconic video of 2011 by NME.

Live Performances
Barlow initially kept her live performances extremely restricted and limited. It wasn't until 2012 that Barlow performed the single live to a televised audience at the 2012 Grammy Awards.

Chart Performance
The single was released firstly in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 14, 2011. It went straight to #1 in both countries. To date, the single has sold just over 1 million units in the United Kingdom alone. A week later, the song was released within the rest of Europe and Oceania. It topped the charts in countless more countries, including big music markets such as Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden. Finally the single was released in the rest of the world on October 28, 2011. It debuted at #46 on September 4, 2011, before climbing up to #19 the following week and finally peaking at #1 on September 18, 2011.