Released 20 August 2012 Genre Pop rock, hip hop Label Epic, Phonogenic | Recorded 2012 Length 3:20 | |
Format CD single, digital download | ||
"Hall of Fame" is a song by Irish pop rock band The Script. It is the lead single from their third studio album #3. The track features hip-hop artist will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. The track was given its first radio play on Capital on 23 July 2012. Written and co-produced by the band, the song is about following dreams and making an impact on the world. The song has been licensed for use in various media since its release.
Contents
Background
The Script frontman Danny O'Donoghue first met will.i.am while they were both judges for The Voice UK. O'Donoghue told: "I played Will a few demos backstage early on in The Voice. We got to Hall Of Fame and he immediately asked if he could have it for his new album, as it was exactly what he was looking for. I wasn’t having it, it was our lead single but I asked if he’d be on it. He agreed and we booked in time to record it. The problem is, he’s either late or completely flakes, so it took four attempts to get to record his part. Eventually we put it together in his hotel room in 15 minutes. It’s a classic duet, I do one line and he responds." He added: "we went to the recording studio and an hour and a half later we had the song in its entirety. I thought he was going to produce it but he just gave it to me and Mark (Sheehan) and said 'you guys go and produce it'." Of the collaboration O'Donoghue said: "We were trying to play it super cool - us with will.i.am! We heard him singing some of our lines, but we still didn't know what he was going to do. We were worried he might take some of our original song out. But he just sang our words."
Lyrics and interpretation
The lyrics of "Hall of Fame" has a story in it which focuses on never giving up on your dreams. This lyrics was written by the lead singer Danny as reported in The Guardian "O'Donoghue's real metier is lyrics: he's a striking and emotional storyteller". Billboard describes the song as "a swelling, piano-driven number with an uplifting, earworm of a chorus that soars, 'Standing in the hall of fame / And the world's gonna know your name / Cause you burn with the brightest flame.'" The lead singer, Danny explains that this song was about the band as he tells "the title is mostly about us. As any geek fan of the band could tell you, we're all extremely different people, but magic happens when you mix us together. Well, magic or a car crash, which is how we describe the songs we scrap." He also said: "We wanted to inspire people to stop trying to be famous for the sake of it."
Music video
The music video of "Hall of Fame" was produced under Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited. A lyric video for the track was released on 24 July 2012. The music video was released on 19 August through the band’s official site. The accompanying music video sees the stars performing the track in a deserted warehouse, while other scenes feature an aspiring boxer and deaf ballet dancer in training.
Chart performance
"Hall of Fame" debuted on the Irish Singles Chart at number one. The song stayed at number 1 in Ireland for 4 weeks. This marks the band's second number-one single and fifth top-ten hit in Ireland. This song was voted as one of the top 11 Irish songs.
The single debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, losing the top spot to Ne-Yo's "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)", before reaching number 1 a week later, marking The Script's first UK number-one single. It spent a second week at number one in the UK, blocking Example's "Say Nothing" and PSY's "Gangnam Style" from reaching the top spot. It has sold 529,000 copies in 2012, the 21st best-selling single of the year in the UK. It also peaked at number 25 in the United States and was certified platinum there, and peaked at the same position in Canada. It reached 2 million in sales in the US by July 2013, and as of April 2016, the song has sold 2,912,000 copies in the US.
In Australia, "Hall of Fame" peaked at number 4 on the ARIA Singles Chart, becoming their second top five hit there. The song was certified 3x Platinum in Australia. It became their highest charting single in New Zealand, peaking at number 3 on RIANZ chart. It is the band's highest charting song worldwide.
Usage in media
"Hall of Fame" was used to advertise the return of serial dramas All My Children and One Life to Live. The song was covered on the Glee episode "All or Nothing". "Masterchef Australia: The Professionals" used it as the theme song in the opening credits. The song was also published in the ads section for NBC'S Primetime drama, Chicago Fire. The song has also been used as the theme song for TNA Wrestling and WWE's Hall of Fame ceremonies. It has also been used at recent Arena Football League and National Football League Hall Of Fame Games. The song was used in a 2014 Omega SA commercial featuring professional golfer Rory McIlroy. In 2016, this song is used as the theme song on the Disney Princess series shorts "Dream Big, Princess" which airs on Disney Junior.
Track listing
- "Hall of Fame" - 3:22
- "Hall of Fame" (Jimbo Remix) - 3:02