"Like Whoa" is a song by American
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...
duo
Aly & AJ
Aly & AJ are an American pop rock duo that consists of sisters Alyson (Aly) and Amanda Joy Michalka (AJ) and signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records in 2004. Their debut album, '' Into the Rush'', debuted at number 36 on the US ''B ...
, written and recorded by the duo for their second studio album, ''
Insomniatic
''Insomniatic'' is the third studio album by American pop rock duo Aly & AJ, released on July 10, 2007 by Hollywood Records. The album features an electronic based sound, differing from their previous pop-rock and acoustic releases, that was acce ...
''. It is the second and final single from the album, released in 2008. The single release in the UK was cancelled for unknown reasons. It was their final single to be released before departing from
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Record ...
. A re-recorded version of the song was released on May 2, 2022.
Song information and appearances
"Like Whoa" is a song about the thrill feeling of being in a new relationship. The album version of the song was used in the
Disney Channel Original Movie
Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner na ...
''
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...
'', and can also be heard playing during ''
High School Musical 3: Senior Year''. The remix of the song was made digitally available on March 18, 2008, on iTunes, alongside an acoustic version and interview. The song is a playable track on ''
Band Hero
''Band Hero'' is a spinoff video game as part of the ''Guitar Hero series'' of music rhythm games, released by Activision on November 3, 2009, for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS consoles. The game is structu ...
'' and ''
The Smurfs Dance Party''.
The song is written in the key of
G♯ minor with a moderate tempo of 121
beats per minute.
Critical reception
The song received mainly positive comments on album reviews. UMusic describes the song: ''"Like Whoa" starts with soft cooing and transitions into a high energy danceable chorus.''"
Todd Sterling, from
Wal-Mart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarte ...
, praises the song: "''"Like Whoa," a penetrating, bass driven cut compares the sensation of falling in love with a rollercoaster ride. The song, lathered in slippery keyboard effects and programmed drums, is a melodically layered chunk of pop candy.''"
Logan Leasure, from ''Jesus Freak Hideout'', named the song a "''sure-to-be-hit''" and describes it as "''an upbeat, catchy song that gives a positive outlook on life.''"
Track listings and formats
*
iTunes EP
*2-track US promo
Music video
On December 3, 2007, Aly & AJ announced, via a blog on their
Myspace, that the video for "Like Whoa" would be shot during the same week. The girls also stated that they shot the video with director
Scott Speer
Scott Speer (born June 5, 1982) is an American filmmaker, music video director, television director and novelist.
Life and career
Speer was born in San Diego, California. At age 23, he was signed with ''HSI Productions'', and in 2006 Speer rece ...
and that "it's very different from what we've already done". Pictures from the shoot of the music video had leaked onto the internet on December 15, 2007, showing them in four different sets, Aly jumping on the
trampoline
A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame using many coiled springs. Not all trampolines have springs, as the Springfree Trampoline uses glass-reinforced plastic rods. People bounce ...
, both of them on a sofa and similar scenes with 1950s style
microphone
A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and pub ...
s as in the music video of "
Potential Breakup Song
"Potential Breakup Song" is a song co-written and performed by pop rock duo Aly & AJ and is the first single from their third studio album, ''Insomniatic''. It was released on June 26, 2007, going on to top many video countdowns, and becoming ...
" amongst others.
The video premiered on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
on January 18, 2008.
Disney Channel first aired the music video with footage of the original movie, ''
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...
'', on January 19, 2008 to promote the film. The video, without the footage from ''Minutemen'' and with new scenes, was released on January 31, 2008 on the
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Record ...
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
channel.
When Aly & AJ were backstage at th
Littlest Pet Shopevent in 2008, a new version of the "Like Whoa" video, which combines scenes from both the previous two videos, as well as new scenes, premiered.
The video has been released to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
's
MuchMusic
Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults.
MuchMusic launched on August 31, ...
,
Yahoo!
Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present), Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds ma ...
and it also has been shown on
MTV Asia
MTV was a pan-Asian music pay-television channel which launched on 3 May 1995 as a standalone pay television channel. It was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA.
History
MTV Asia was officially launched on 3 May 1995 as a 24-hour English-languag ...
, reaching number two on the
Chart Attack
''Chart Attack'' was a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine called ''Chart'', it was published from 1991 to 2009. While the web version appears to be available online, the domain is now used as a popular media outle ...
. To date, the video has garnered, on combined Hollywood Record's account
and Aly & AJ's account,
over 28 million views.
Chart performance
As of February 27, 2008, the album version has logged over 558,084 digital downloads in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, reaching a peak position of number 63 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot 100, enough to earn a Gold certification. The song also debuted at number 66 on the Canadian Hot 100, already peaking higher than preceding single "Potential Breakup Song" at number 72.
Upon release of the remix version, the track re-entered the Hot 100 at number 92 after falling off the week before its release.
Charts
References
{{authority control
2007 songs
2008 singles
Aly & AJ songs
Music videos directed by Scott Speer
Synth-pop songs
Dance-pop songs
Songs written by Antonina Armato
Songs written by Tim James (musician)
Hollywood Records singles
Songs written by Aly Michalka
Songs written by AJ Michalka