Hollywood (Michael Bublé song)

"Hollywood", originally titled "Hollywood Is Dead",^[1] is a song by Canadian artist Michael Bublé, released as the fifth and final single from his fourth studio album Crazy Love, and is the only from its re-release, The Hollywood Edition, which was released on October 25, 2010.^[2] "Hollywood" was released worldwide on September 7, 2010.

"Hollywood"
Single by Michael Bublé
from the album Crazy Love: The Hollywood Edition
B-side	"Mack the Knife"
Released	September 7, 2010
Recorded	2010
Genre	Power pop pop rock
Length	4:13 (album version) 3:35 (radio edit)
Label	143 Records Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Michael Bublé Robert G. Scott
Producer(s)	Bob Rock
Michael Bublé singles chronology
"Crazy Love" (2010) "Hollywood" (2010) "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (2011)
Music video
Hollywood on YouTube

Background

Bublé described the song as being about his "tongue-in-cheek statement on the culture of celebrity," saying "People will do anything for their 15 minutes, and you have to remember who you are and why you wanted it. At the end of the day, you should be careful: You might get what you wish for."^[3] "Hollywood" was originally planned to be Crazy Love's third single^[4] and was reported to be released as a stand-alone single at a later date because the song did not fit the album thematically or stylistically.^[3][5] It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at the fifty-fifth position, with 46,000 digital downloads in its first week.^[6] He performed "Hollywood" on The X Factor on October 31, 2010. He also performed the song on The Today Show on November 28 and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on December 12.

Composition

The song is based on a beat-like groove, unlike Bublé's many other uptempo singles, which feature a swing feel, such as "Haven't Met You Yet", "It's a Beautiful Day" and "Feeling Good".

It contains at least two references to songs by The Beatles. First, the melody of the first two lines of the verse is nearly identical to the song "Do You Want To Know A Secret?". Second, the first line of the fourth verse mentions a tango, and the groove of the song changes slightly, differentiating this verse from the first three - exactly the same happens in Chuck Berry's song "Rock and Roll Music", and its cover version by the Beatles.

Music video

The music video was released on September 27, 2010^[7] and was directed by Rich Lee. It features Bublé walking through Hollywood and watching himself parodying several different characters and celebrities, such as an astronaut, James Dean driving his Porsche 550 Spyder numbered 130, a Starsky and Hutch-esque character in a police chase driving a GTO Judge muscle car, Clint Eastwood as a cowboy in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Justin Bieber,^[8][9] which Bublé described on his website as "a loving tribute" to the fellow Canadian singer.^[10] The official lyric video was released on September 10.^[11] UsMagazine.com premiered the exclusive backstage filming of the music video on October 5.^[9]

Track listing

• UK CD single^[12][13][14]

1. "Hollywood" - 4:13
2. "Mack the Knife" - 3:20

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2010–11) Peak position Austria 91 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 17 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[16] 13 Ireland (IRMA)[17] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[18] 2 Scotland (OCC)[19] 10 UK Singles (OCC)[20] 11 US Billboard Hot 100[21] 55 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[22] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position UK Singles Chart[23] 143 US Adult Contemporary[24] 26 Chart (2011) Position US Adult Contemporary[25] 21

Cover versions

John Barrowman covered the song on the album You Raise Me Up in 2014.

References

1. Liss, Sarah (October 19, 2009). "Mike check". CBC News.
2. "Michael Buble Goes Hollywood and Sold- Out Tour Continues | Michael Buble Official Site". Michaelbuble.com. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
3. Lindquist, David (June 25, 2010). "Michael Bublé answers our questions". Metromix Indianapolis.
4. Graff, Gary (November 9, 2009). "Michael Buble Adds More 'Love'". Billboard.
5. Moran, Jonathon (October 11, 2009). "The Buble bursts into a better life". Herald Sun.
6. Trust, Gary (September 15, 2010). "Santana, Michael Buble, Kings Of Leon Preview New Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
7. ""Hollywood" Video Is Here". MichaelBuble.com. September 27, 2010.
8. "Who's That Boy? Is It Justin Bieber? Is He James Dean? Clint Eastwood? Or Michael Buble? -- Michael Buble Debuts New Video for Current Single "Hollywood"". marketwire.com. September 28, 2010.
9. "Exclusive Video: Watch Michael Buble Turn Into Justin Bieber!". Us Magazine. October 5, 2010.
10. September 22 News michaelbuble.com
11. "News: "Hollywood" Lyric Video Out Now". MichaelBuble.com. September 10, 2010.
12. "Hollywood" - U.K. 2-track digital single on iTunes.
13. "Hollywood" U.K. CD single Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine on MichaelBuble.com.
14. "Hollywood" U.K. 2-track CD single on eBay.
15. "Michael Bublé Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
16. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hollywood". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
18. "Tipparade-lijst van week 46, 2010" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
19. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
21. "Michael Bublé Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
22. "Michael Bublé Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
23. "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
24. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
25. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-09-19.