# Take a Hint

"Take a Hint" is a song performed by the Victorious cast featuring American singers and actresses Victoria Justice and Elizabeth Gillies from the show's debut extended play (EP), Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show (2012). The track was released as the EP's first single on March 3, 2012, through Columbia Records in association with Nickelodeon. A Victorious episode titled "Tori & Jade's Play Date" premiered the same day as the single's release. It features Tori Vega (Justice) and Jade West (Gillies) singing the song when hit on by two boys.
Music critics have described "Take a Hint" as a pop and electropop track with lyrics about having the right to reject unwanted advances. The song was met with positive reviews from critics, with some praising its lyrics and melody. "Take a Hint" peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and entered digital charts in the United States. It was certified platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and certified silver in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Justice performed the song live throughout 2012.

## Background and release

"Take a Hint" was written by Meghan Kabir, Kevin Kadish, and James Michael, with Michael also serving as the track's producer. The song was released as a single through Nickelodeon and Columbia Records on March 3, 2012, by the Victorious cast, featuring two of the show's actresses, Victoria Justice and Elizabeth Gillies. The track was featured in the show's third season, sixth episode, titled "Tori & Jade's Play Date".
In the episode, teacher Erwin Sikowitz (Eric Lange) becomes frustrated when Tori Vega (Justice) and Jade West (Gillies) can't stop arguing and be friends. He tells them to hang out at a fictional karaoke restaurant called Nozu, warning that they would fail his class if they couldn't get along. When two boys start flirting with them at the restaurant, Tori and Jade reject their advances as they sing "Take a Hint" together. The track was later added on the show's debut extended play (EP) Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show on June 5, 2012.

## Music and lyrics

Music critics have described "Take a Hint" as a pop and electropop track. Critics mention that the song's lyrics are about having the right to consent and standing up to unwelcome advances: "No you can't buy me a drink/Let me tell you what I think/I think you could use a mint." Jessica Dawson for Common Sense Media wrote that "Take a Hint" contains innuendos: "Get your hands off my hips/Stop that staring at my/Hey", and has hints of profanity: "I don't want to be a priss/I just try to be polite/But it always seems to bite me in the ***." The song has Gillies counting toward the end.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Common Sense Media | |
"Take a Hint" received positive reviews from music critics. Dawson gave the song three stars out of five, mentioning that it is "harmless and humorous". She stated while it is "fun and meant to be lighthearted", she opined that the track's "overall message might be a little mature for young tween fans who watch the show". Autumn McAlpin for The Orange County Register called the song an "anti-creepy-boy tune", while Jack Irvin of People magazine described it as "memorable". Delilah Gray of The List and both staff of The Times of India and Geo News described it as a "hit song".
Callie Ahlgrim, writing for Business Insider, said that the track "really slaps", while Taylor Mascetta from The Fordham Ram labeled the song an "empowering anthem". Merritt Hughes of The Berkeley Beacon commended "Take a Hint", praising Justice and Gillies's "iconic performance". Writing for MovieWeb, Israel Olorunnisola placed "Take a Hint" at number four on his Victorious: 10 Songs You Forgot Were Awesome list, saying the song has a "catchy melody" and "witty and empowering lyrics." For Her Campus, Megan Gaertner and Allison Kane placed the song at number one on their the Best Songs from Victorious list, describing the track as a "complete bop" that introduced them to feminism.

## Live performances and commercial performance

To promote the song, Justice performed it live throughout 2012. In 2022, fellow Victorious actor Matt Bennett performed the song live with Gillies during some of his DJ concert sets.
"Take a Hint" peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in March 2012, lasting two weeks on the chart. It further peaked at number one on the US Kid Digital Song Sales chart, number 27 on the US Pop Digital Song Sales chart, and number 60 on the US Digital Song Sales chart. In December 2022, "Take a Hint" surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify, Justice's first track and Gillies's second to reach this milestone.
On January 5, 2022, nearly ten years after its original release, "Take a Hint" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 1,000,000 certified units in the United States. It became the first track from Victorious to be certified platinum in the United States and the second song featured on the show to earn an RIAA certification, following "Freak the Freak Out" which was certified gold. In 2023, it was certified silver in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling 200,000 certified units.

## Certifications

Certifications for "Take a Hint" :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 200,000$^‡$ |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000$^‡$ |
| $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||

## Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.
* Victoria Justice – vocals
* Elizabeth Gillies – vocals
* Shahnaz – background vocals
* James Michael – songwriter, producer, recording engineer
* Kevin Kadish – songwriter
* Meghan Kabir – songwriter
* Michael Corcoran – engineer
* Brian Gardner – mastering engineer
* Miles Walker – mixing engineer
* Eric Bisgyer – assistant engineer