Hallucinate (song)

### Writer(s)

Dua Lipa • Samuel George Lewis • Sophie Frances Cooke • Clara Luciani • Ambroise Willaume

"**Hallucinate**" is a song by English singer Dua Lipa from her second studio album *Future Nostalgia* (2020). The song was written by Lipa alongside Frances and SG Lewis, with the latter of the three handling the production with Stuart Price. It was serviced to contemporary hit radio formats in the United Kingdom on 17 July 2020 as the album's fourth single. The song is a disco-house track with dance-pop, electro swing, psychedelic, and synth-pop elements. Lyrically, the song describes how crazy love can make one feel. Music critics complimented the energy and aesthetic of the song, while other had mixed opinions on its disco and house sounds.

Upon *Future Nostalgia*'s release, "Hallucinate" entered many charts across Europe including Italy, Portugal, and Spain. After its official single release, the song has reached number 31 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 159 on *Billboard*'s Global Excluding U.S chart. It currently holds a gold certification in Brazil and a silver certification in the United Kingdom. The music video for "Hallucinate" was directed by Lisha Tan with inspiration from the 1970s and Studio 54 aesthetics. An animated video, it features Lipa going on a psychedelic journey after smelling a flower and encountering dancing vegetables, dolphins, and skeletons. The visual received positive reviews, with many praising its inspirations. It was accompanied by a vertical video, created by Connor Campbell and Harry Butt. The song was mashed up with the BBC News theme by DJ Ben Howell, which won Remix of the Year at the 2020 BBC Radio 1 Lockdown Awards

## Background and composition

"Hallucinate" was originally written by Frances and SG Lewis, the same day in which Lewis created the instrumental for his song "Feed The Fire" (2020). They didn't finish the song, but created parts of it. The song eventually got around to Lipa, who expressed her admiration of it. Lipa and Lewis had known each other for a while but never wrote together; he did a remix of her 2017 song "New Rules". The three of them then got into the studio to finish the song, which didn't take very long. Lewis recalled that Lipa took the song to "another level" and that it was quite easy to finish. He also served as the song's producer. After the song was finished, Stuart Price began doing some additional production across *Future Nostalgia*, eventually coming upon "Hallucinate", in which he added some production items. Price also handled the mixing, which was done at Tracques, while the song was mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey.

"Hallucinate" runs for a total of 3 minutes and 28 seconds, and is composed in **4**

**4** time and the key of B♭ major, with a tempo of 122 beats per minute. The verses follow a B♭5–G♭–A♭ chord progression, whilst the chorus adds an additional E♭ chord to the sequence. The song has a structure of verse, bridge, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, middle eight, chorus. Described by Lipa as her "festival song," "Hallucinate" is a disco-house track. The song features soulful flashes and a funky melody, and incorporates elements of 1990s and 2000s music, as well as dance-pop, electro swing, psychedelic, and synth-pop genres. The production consists of a looped bass, pianissimo synthesizers, hi-hats, a synth bassline, orchestrations, mercilessly scythed violins, cowbells, EDM rhythms, a post-disco house groove, and retro drum beats, categorized as disco-house.

Lipa showcases her higher vocal register, with her vocals ranging from F3 to D5. She also contributes a 1990s diva hook with husky vocals. The lyrics evoke different sensory experiences, and describe how crazy love can make one feel. Cat Cardenas of *Teen Vogue* stated that the lyrics see Lipa "wrapped up in an all-consuming, addictive love", while *Rolling Stone*'s Jon Freeman described them as "[celebrating] carnality and physicality as the gateway to higher ground". The song received comparisons to the works of Atomic Kitten, Daft Punk, Lady Gaga ("Poker Face", 2008), Gloria Gaynor, Kaytranada, Madonna (*Confessions on a Dance Floor*, 2005; "Impressive Instant", 2001), Kylie Minogue, Moloko, Katy Perry, Prince, Donna Summer ("I Feel Love", 1977), and Years & Years.

## Release and promotion

"Hallucinate" was released on 27 March 2020 as the seventh track on Lipa's second studio album *Future Nostalgia*. In April 2020, Lipa confirmed that the album would receive another single following the release of "Break My Heart". On 3 July 2020, Lipa announced that "Hallucinate" had been chosen as the next single and revealed its cover art. The song was officially serviced to contemporary hit radio formats in the United Kingdom on 17 July 2020 as the fourth single from the album. The song was also serviced to British adult contemporary radio the following day. The single was promoted with a lense on Snapchat. Lipa held a contest for a fan to create an Instagram filter, which was ultimately chosen and promoted on the app. "Hallucinate" themed stickers were also promoted on the app. The song received a lyric video on 9 April 2020.

## Critical reception

Fajar Zakhri of *The Jakarta Post* wrote that the song "struts, grinds and sweats" while also labelling it *Future Nostalgia*'s best track. For *Vinyl Chapters*, Jamie Parmenter praised the track's sonic soundscapes and modern production techniques. In *The Guardian*, Laura Snapes wrote that the chorus "seems to enter an interstellar dimension". Of the same newspaper, Luke Holland called the chorus, "bigger than a God's tea cosy" as well as writing it "feels constructed by boffins in a hermetically sealed lab to be the most effective chrome-plated slammer it can possibly be". For *PopMatters*, Nick Malone stated it "flourishes" in the chorus as well as praising its hook, but criticised its bassline, writing it betrays what an obvious hit is. In *Rolling Stone*, Brittany Spanos viewed the song as a "gorgeous euphoria" while also recommending some club remixes.

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic called "Hallucinate" a "rapturous out-of-body rave", while *Entertainment Weekly*'s Maura Johnston labelled in "stardust-dipped". For *The Line of Best Fit*, Chris Taylor viewed the song as a "blissful early '00s club floor-filler, the kind that gets limbs and sweat flying everywhere with abandon". In a positive review from Idolator, Mike Nied called it a "glory" and a "balls-to-the-wall delight bound to send your heart rate skyrocketing". He concluded by calling the chorus "stutter-riddled" and "a sing-along moment". Uproxx's Caitlin White categorised the song's aesthetic as "neon-tinted". Courteney Larocca of *Insider* wrote that it transports one to a "'80s jazzercise class or an underground rave", while Callie Ahlgrim of the same website praised how it hooks the listener in and labelled it "pop perfection". For *GQ*, David Levesley thought that it "will live longer than any of its inspirations" and concluded by writing it "should open every festival and close every club night". Mariya Zheleva of *Soundigest* praised its mix of house and disco vibes and labelled it "energy-filled", while *Vox*'s Alex Abad-Santos called it a "starship laser-beam spectacle."

In a mixed review from *Under the Radar*, Conrad Duncan stated "Hallucinate" does a "faithful impression of 2000s disco-house", but criticised it, writing "it might as well have been written as radio fodder for 2004". In *Slant Magazine*, Sal Cinquemani called it the most "bald-faced gesture" on *Future Nostalgia*, and wrote it would be a highlight on a "lesser album" but stating it feels "generic" being "sandwiched" between "Pretty Please" and "Love Again". Shaad D'Souza of *Nylon* thought it is one of few song that comes close to "Don't Start Now", but writing it is "missing something". He concluded by writing that listening to the song is like "surveying a party through an Instagram Story: You know how it must feel in person, but it doesn't change the fact that you're not there yourself." In April 2020, Christopher Rosa of *Glamour* ranked "Hallucinate" as Lipa's tenth best song stating it "is pure adrenaline from start to finish, with a chorus that explodes like a cannonball"

## Commercial performance

Upon the release of *Future Nostalgia*, "Hallucinate" found success throughout Europe as an album track, charting at number 92 in Greece, 28 in Hungary, 99 in Italy, 35 in Lithuania, 89 in Portugal, 67 in Slovakia, and 73 in Spain. It additionally entered the UK Official Audio Streaming Chart at number 48 and the NZ Hot Singles Chart at number 7. In the United Kingdom, "Hallucinate" was the most streamed album track from the album. After its official single release, "Hallucinate" debuted at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart issue dated 24 July 2020, and reached a peak of 31 in its ninth week, becoming her 17th top 40 hit. In October 2020, the song was awarded a silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for 200,000 track-equivalent sales in the United Kingdom. It re-entered the NZ Hot Singles for a peak of number 5. The song reached number 40 on the Irish Singles Chart, and number 7 on the Scottish Singles Chart. On *Billboard*'s Global Excluding U.S chart, "Hallucinate" debuted at number 159 in the chart's first week, 19 September 2020. The song was certified gold by Pro-Música Brasil for track-equivalent sales of 20,000 units in Brazil.

## Music video

### Development and release

After choosing "Hallucinate" as *Future Nostalgia*'s fourth single, Lipa approached production company The Mill and director Lisha Tan with a 2D animated music video idea for the song, inspired by the 1970s disco heyday, with "the wacky characters, different rooms, diverse color palettes and a sense of never knowing which direction the psychedelic journey will take you on." Tan then took the treatment began looking at iconic photos from the disco aesthetic of the 1970s and Studio 54, compiling references and inspirations from the debauched behavior and crazy costumes everyone was wearing. They also were inspired by psychedelic themes, creating "dream" and "nightmare" sequences and imagining what would go in them. Tan additionally based much of the video on the track's lyrics, where she listened to the song at least 20 times to absorb the meaning. To be authentic, they used details from Lipa's real life, where in the dream sequence, Lipa is seen in a flower field as well as dancing alongside her pygmy goat pets; In the nightmare sequence, she sees her biggest fear, clowns.

The project was created during lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with teams working in London, Los Angeles, and Paris. They did virtual sessions where they brainstormed ideas and worked together in "one seamless digital room". Tan gave the design team a general brief and parameters and let them embrace bringing the character to life. They reviewed sketches and collaborated by tweaking specific elements. The team also spent much time discussing how the sequences would work with Tan's rough sketches and style frames and split up into teams for each "act" of the video. The teams were in constant communication, asking questions and using video chats. Lipa's choreographer Charm La'Donna also helped by filming dance moves, mannerisms and reference poses from her home to infuse accuracy into Lipa's character. Sound effects were also added to the track, using 360 reality audio. The 360 reality audio was made available for streaming on Amazon Music, Tidal, and Deezer. On 21 April 2020, Lipa confirmed that she was working on the music video for *Future Nostalgia*'s fourth single. She announced the release of the music video on 8 July 2020. The visual premiered via YouTube on 10 July 2020 at 05:00 PT (12:00 UTC).

### Synopsis

The video opens with an animated Lipa inhaling stars in the sky. It then cuts to her performing in a black and white club, for a crowd of early 20th-century style cartoon characters with big eyes and bulbous shapes. She wears a white bodysuit and tall go-go boots of the same colour. Her backup podium dancers include muscular men and raunchy women, who have stars for heads. Lipa is then offered a flower from a character in the crowd with a heart-shaped head. After smelling it, rainbows start spiraling in her eyes, and then she is taken on a psychedelic trip.

The adventure begins with neon-rainbow doors opening to gloved hands waving jazz hands towards Lipa walking down a hallway and dancing, before her image duplicates. She is then seen dancing with wide-eyed cartoon unicorns, vegetables, rainbows, ice cream cones and bunnies as well as on a disco floor in several colourful settings. Love potions are also seen pouring heart swirls around Lipa's face. After landing in a flower field, Lipa is sucked into the ground to eventually be scared by clowns and skeletons. She is sucked into the skeleton's mouth where she begins to cry. After breaking free from the skeleton, she is seen flying through the cosmos like a superhero, dancing on a giant disco ball and flying with dolphins.

Studio 54 and *Alice in Wonderland* together. You smell the flower or you drink the little magic potion bottle and you start hallucinating. You go from good trip to bad trip to good trip again.

—Lipa explaining the visual's plot and concept

### Reception

Gil Kaufman of *Billboard* labelled the music video "trippy" and "spaced-out", while also calling its settings "the weirdest club you've ever seen" and "a bizarro world". Of the same magazine, Jason Lipshutz praised Tan's directing and Lipa's delivery while also comparing the atmosphere to Studio 54. Jon Blistein of *Rolling Stone* called it "delirious" and "wild". For *Entertainment Tonight*, Corey Atad called the video "trippy", while also comparing it to 1930s cartoons and Betty Boop. *DIY* called Lipa's character "badass". *Entertainment Weekly*'s Nick Romano compared the characters to cartoons from the 1930s and 1940s while also writing Lipa "transforms into the spiritual descendant of Betty Boop".

Wongo Okon of Uproxx wrote it is "styled after early cartoons from a century ago" and called the storyline "colorful" and "psychedelic". In *NME*, Rhian Daly noted the video's inspirations from Studio 54 aesthetic and the iconic era cartoons. Marni Zipper of Radio.com called it "eccentric", "beautiful", "glittery" and "animated glory". For *Nylon*, Claire Valentine wrote about the storyline stating it is a "strange dancefloor trip inside of her mind". Emily Gosling of *Creative Boom* labelled the video "colourful" and "feel-good". For *V*, Dante Silva called the video "anachronistic" and its point "nonsensical".