"Hit That"
Single by the Offspring
from the album Splinter
B-side"Da Hui"
ReleasedNovember 3, 2003 (2003-11-03)
Length2:48
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Dexter Holland
Producer(s)Brendan O'Brien[1]
The Offspring singles chronology
"Defy You"
(2001)		 "Hit That"
(2003)		 "(Can't Get My) Head Around You"
(2004)
Alternative cover
European version
Alternative cover
Import cover

"Hit That" is a song by American rock band the Offspring, included as the fourth track on the band's seventh studio album, Splinter (2003), and was released as its first single. The song also appears as the 13th track on their Greatest Hits (2005). "Hit That" was released to US rock radio on November 3, 2003.

Upon its release, "Hit That" reached the top 20 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and on the UK Singles Chart, as well as No. 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song also topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart; this was the first time an Offspring song would reach No. 1 on that chart since their breakthrough single "Come Out and Play" was released a decade earlier in 1994.

Composition

The song's lyrics, as put by Dexter Holland, are "about the consequences of promiscuity or the idea that no matter what the consequences might be, people are going to be out there doing it with each other", discussing how it results in teenage pregnancy and dysfunctional families.[2] Holland detailed:

"It's about taking responsibility. A generation ago, people were talking about the disintegration of the family because everyone was getting divorced, and how it was taking such a terrible toll on society. Well, you look around nowadays, and it's disintegrated so much more. Joe Blow has got three different kids by three different girls and vice versa, and it's happening more and more. And ultimately the kids are the ones who suffer from that. But when you get down to it, people are gonna hook up, so there's nothing you can do about it."[3]

Music video

The music video for the song, directed by John Williams and David Lea, tried to reflect the irresponsible male of the lyrics not in a literal way, but by telling the story of a dog that turns out to be an amoral force of mayhem, and needed to be caught and neutered to stop its destructive nature. The video combines live-action footage and computer-generated effects, with Williams and Lea playing the part of the dog's owner, a blue man lip-syncing the song's lyrics done by wearing gloves and a mask, onto which digital eyes and mouth were superimposed, to create what Williams described as "a character you can't peg as either completely real or completely computer-generated". To create the same effect on the dog, there was an attempt at making a Great Dane wear a mask, but the dog did not like it, so instead an illuminated muzzle was worn that gave reference for the eventually superimposed animated head. A first draft had caricatures of The Offspring's members through the video, but the band denied that, wanting to avoid something resembling a typical performance video.[2]

The video appears on the Complete Music Video Collection DVD, released in 2005.

Track listing

European CD maxi
No.TitleLength
1."Hit That"2:48
2."Da Hui"1:32
3."Hit That" (USC Marching Band) 
UK CD maxi
No.TitleLength
1."Hit That"2:48
2."The Kids Aren't Alright" (BBC Radio 1 Session)4:16
3."Long Way Home" (Live)2:34
4."Hit That" (USC Marching Band)1:51
5."Hit That" (Video CD Extra) 
Limited edition 7-inch picture disc
No.TitleLength
1."Hit That"2:48
2."(Can't Get My) Head Around You" (Live) 
Germany limited edition 3-inch CD
No.TitleLength
1."Hit That"2:48
2."Hit That" (USC Marching Band)1:51

Personnel

The Offspring

Additional musicians

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States November 3, 2003 Columbia [24][25]
Australia November 24, 2003 CD [26]
Denmark January 12, 2004 [27]
United Kingdom January 19, 2004
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
 [28]
United States Contemporary hit radio [29]

References

  1. ↑ "Press Release – January 2004". Southerntracks.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  2. 1 2 D'Angelo, Joe (February 12, 2004). "Lens Recap: The Story Behind The Offspring's 'Hit That'". MTV News. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  3. ↑ Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy Snatched By Offspring
  4. ↑ "The Offspring – Hit That". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  5. ↑ "The Offspring – Hit That" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  6. ↑ "The Offspring – Hit That" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on February 5, 2004. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Offspring: Hit That" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  9. ↑ "The Offspring – Hit That" (in French). Les classement single.
  10. ↑ "The Offspring – Hit That" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Offspring". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  12. ↑ "The Offspring – Hit That". Top Digital Download.
  13. ↑ "Tipparade-lijst van week 9, 2004" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  14. ↑ "The Offspring – Hit That" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  15. ↑ "The Offspring – Hit That". Top 40 Singles.
  16. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Offspring – Hit That". Swiss Singles Chart.
  18. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  20. ↑ "The Offspring Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. ↑ "The Offspring Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  22. ↑ "The Offspring Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  23. ↑ "Year in Music & Touring: Hot Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 52. December 25, 2004. p. YE-70.
  24. ↑ "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1528. October 31, 2003. p. 20.
  26. ↑ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 24th November 2003" (PDF). ARIA. November 24, 2003. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Uge 1–7" [Week 1–7] (PDF) (in Danish). Sony Music Denmark. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2004. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  28. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. January 17, 2004. p. 33.
  29. ↑ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1538. January 16, 2004. p. 24.
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