"Cha-Ching" is a song by Canadian

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

group Hedley. It was released to radio on August 17, 2009 as the lead single from the band's third studio album ''

The Show Must Go ''The Show Must Go'' is the third studio album by Canadian pop rock group Hedley. It is the first album by the band that drops their pop-punk / emo sound for more of a Pop rock sound, It was released on November 17, 2009, in Canada. The album wa ...

''. The song entered the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

at number 34, and ended up reaching the top ten at number six.

Composition

"Cha-Ching" was written and produced by

Brian Howes Brian Howes, also known as Howes, is a Canadian songwriter and record producer who has found success within a wide range of genres, including his work with Puddle of Mudd and Simple Plan. Career Howes played in a British Columbia band, Young Gu ...

. According to

Jacob Hoggard Jacob William Hoggard (born July 9, 1984) is a Canadian former musician who was the lead singer for the pop rock band Hedley. Hoggard competed on the second season of ''Canadian Idol'' in 2004, where he placed third. In 2018, Hoggard was arr ...

in an interview with

MuchMusic Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...

, the song is about people who thought about becoming famous and how far they are willing to go to achieve that. The song also speaks about

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

shows being fabricated, and references several TV shows and stars. Hoggard stated, "It's essentially about how far you're willing to go for fame. At the same time, we're taking the piss out of ourselves. After all, we're trying to be famous too. Satire makes it easier to maintain your grasp on reality."

Release

"Cha-Ching" was serviced to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

on August 17, 2009. The song was released digitally the following day.

Performances

On February 28, 2010, Hedley performed the song at the Closing Ceremonies of the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

in Vancouver, with altered lyrics referencing the 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

. The band also performed the song during their halftime performance at the

2013 Grey Cup The 101st Grey Cup was a Canadian football game played between the East Division champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the West Division champion Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League to decide the Grey Cup champions of the 2013 ...

game.

Music video

The music video was filmed on August 24, 2009 in

Liberty Village Liberty Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered to the north by King Street West, to the west by Dufferin Street, to the south by the Gardiner Expressway, to the east by Strachan Avenue, and to the northeast by ra ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, and was directed by Sean Michael Turrell. The video was released on September 16, 2009, premiering on

. In the video, the band portrays as themselves and greedy executives, cashing in on fame-seeking contestants. The band is also shown performing, as well as mocking the TV shows and celebrities referenced in the song.

Cultural references

The Real World ''The Real World'' (known as ''Real World'' from 2014 to 2017) is an American reality television series produced through MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions that most recently aired on Facebook Watch after airing on MTV from 1992 to 2017. It wa ...

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

Canadian Idol ''Canadian Idol'' is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show '' Pop Idol''. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Do ...

The Biggest Loser ''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show ''The Biggest Loser (American TV series), The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and Obesity, obese contestants attempting to lose ...

Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the celebrity sex tape ...

Tila Tequila Nguyễn Thị Thiên Thanh (born October 24, 1981), better known by her stage name Tila Tequila, is an American model, singer, television and social media personality. She has also used the names Tila Nguyen, Miss Tila and Tornado Thien. Bor ...

Flavor Flav William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav ( ), is an American rapper and television personality. Known for his catchphrase "Yeah, boyeeeeee!" when performing, he is a founding member alongside Chuck ...

Verne Troyer Verne Jay Troyer (January 1, 1969 – April 21, 2018) was an American actor and occasional stunt coordinator and performer. He was best known for playing Mini-Me in the ''Austin Powers'' film series. He had cartilage–hair hypoplasia and ...

/ Mini Me * The Hills *

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

TMZ ''TMZ'' is an American entertainment-focused tabloid news organization owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested ...

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

Awards and nominations

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

2009 singles 2009 songs Hedley (band) songs Reality television series parodies Songs written by Brian Howes Universal Music Group singles {{2000s-pop-single-stub