USS O'Flaherty

USS O'Flaherty (DE-340) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Ensign Frank Woodrow O'Flaherty, a pilot who posthumously received the Navy Cross for his actions at the Battle of Midway.

Laid down in October 1943, launched in December of that year, and commissioned almost four months later, O'Flaherty served on convoy escort duty in the Pacific from August 1944. She operated out of Pearl Harbor in the eastern Pacific during November and December, initially with a hunter-killer group. During the first half of 1945, O'Flaherty protected escort carriers in the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the Battle of Okinawa, which occurred in rapid succession. In the final months of the war in the Pacific, she returned to convoy escort duty. Decommissioned postwar, O'Flaherty spent more than twenty years in the Pacific Reserve Fleet before being sold for scrap in the early 1970s.

## Design

The John C. Butler-class destroyer escorts were designed to meet a need for large numbers of cheap anti-submarine escort ships for ocean convoys, and as a result carried little anti-surface armament. The class was part of an initial requirement for 720 escorts to be completed by the end of 1944, which was significantly reduced.

O'Flaherty was 306 feet (93.3 m) long overall with a beam of 36 feet 10 inches (11.2 m) and a draft of 13 feet 4 inches (4.1 m). She displaced 1,350 long tons (1,372 t) standard and 1,745 long tons (1,773 t) full load, with a complement of 14 officers and 201 enlisted men.

The ship was propelled by two Westinghouse geared steam turbines powered by two "D" Express boilers, which created 12,000 shaft horsepower (8,900 kW) for a designed maximum speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph). She had a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).

### Armament and sensors

O'Flaherty mounted a main battery of two single turret-mounted 5-inch/38 caliber guns, one forward and one aft of the superstructure, to protect against surface and aerial threats, directed by the Mark 51 Gunnery Fire-Control System. In addition, she mounted two twin 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft (AA) guns, superfiring over the 5-inch guns, and ten single 20 mm Oerlikon AA cannon, also controlled by the Mark 51 fire-control system. Equipped with triple-mounted 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, the ship also carried two depth charge racks, eight K-gun depth-charge throwers and one Hedgehog spigot mortar as anti-submarine weapons. She was equipped with QC series sonar, SL surface search radar, and SA series air search radar.

## Construction and service

### Construction, shakedown, and initial Pacific operations

Laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corporation of Orange, Texas, on 4 October 1943, O'Flaherty (DE-340) was launched on 14 December of that year, sponsored by the sister of her namesake, Ensign Frank Woodrow O'Flaherty, a pilot who posthumously received the Navy Cross for his actions at the Battle of Midway, where he was captured and killed by the Japanese. The ship was commissioned on 8 April 1944. Following commissioning, she received supplies, ammunition, and fuel at the Orange City Docks, followed by gunnery testing off Sabine Pass. Throughout the month O'Flaherty completed her fitting out at the Todd Galveston Dry Docks, and was depermed before sailing for Bermuda on 25 April. After arrival, the ship undertook a shakedown cruise off the island for most of May, attached to the Atlantic Fleet.

For repairs to correct deficiencies found during her shakedown, O'Flaherty was ordered to the Boston Navy Yard. In early June, she sailed to Norfolk to become part of the screen for the battleship New York, which was operating on training cruises for US Naval Academy midshipmen. The ship escorted New York until reaching Trinidad, from which it departed on 20 June for the Panama Canal in company with sister ship Jack Miller. After transiting the canal three days later, the two destroyer escorts joined the Pacific Fleet and continued to Pearl Harbor following a stopover at San Diego. Arriving at Pearl Harbor on 12 July, she screened the escort carrier Rudyerd Bay on a voyage to Majuro from 20 to 26 July. After arriving at Majuro, O'Flaherty continued to Tarawa, from which she escorted the troopship Sea Fiddler to Eniwetok at the end of the month.

### Guam and Eniwetok convoy escort duty

Departing Eniwetok for Guam at the beginning of August, O'Flaherty screened the escort carrier Santee to Guam, where the latter flew her air group ashore on 4 August to assist in the retaking of the island. For the next four days, the ship operated as part of the screen for attack transports during the night and patrolled in the anti-submarine screen. At the end of this period she departed for Eniwetok as escort to the repair ship Grapple, arriving there on 12 August. Six days later, O'Flaherty left Eniwetok as escort to a convoy of tankers bound for Manus in the Admiralty Islands, which arrived at its destination on 28 August. Returning to Eniwetok on 2 September, she departed for Manus again on an eight-day voyage, this time screening the destroyer tender Piedmont and the ammunition ship Lassen.

Returning to Eniwetok, O'Flaherty departed again on 19 September as escort for the Guadalcanal-bound oiler Ashtabula and the merchantman Polau Laut, but two days later swapped convoys with another set of escorts midocean. The ship turned around and escorted the stores ship Talita and net cargo ship Zebra back to Eniwetok, arriving on 24 September. She spent the rest of the month and the first days of October anchored there for repairs and replenishment. Beginning at midnight on 2/3 October, O'Flaherty steamed 600 miles (970 km) to rescue the survivors of a crashed PBM Mariner flying boat from Patrol Bombing Squadron 21, picking up the entire crew with the assistance of patrol aircraft on 4 October. Back at Eniwetok, she soon departed for Guadalcanal, escorting the troopship SS Alcoa Polaris, but was replaced by another destroyer escort and diverted to Manus en route. Departing Manus on 12 October as the escort for the Majuro-bound escort carrier Hollandia, the ship steamed back to Eniwetok after completing the mission and was sent to Pearl Harbor via Majuro.

### Hunter-killer operations and Lingayen Gulf

Arriving on 26 October, O'Flaherty received new combat information center equipment and became part of a hunter-killer group built around the escort carrier Corregidor to investigate reports of Japanese submarine activity in the Pacific between Hawaii and the west coast. She became flagship of Escort Division (CortDiv) 64 at the end of the month, and spent much of November patrolling with the hunter-killer group, although no submarines were spotted. The ship picked up the crew of a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber from Corregidor that crashed in a night landing attempt on 16 November, although one crewman died of his injuries aboard O'Flaherty. The hunter-killer group was dissolved upon return to Pearl Harbor on 19 November and she spent the rest of the month and the beginning of December at anchor for routine maintenance.

O'Flaherty screened the escort carrier Makassar Strait while the latter conducted flight training operations off Pearl Harbor between 6 and 10 December. She picked up one pilot who crashed after takeoff from the carrier, and after her return to Pearl Harbor the commander of CortDiv 64 moved to another destroyer escort. After anti-submarine exercises with the submarine S-46 on 12–13 December the ship departed for Manus on 15 December as part of the screen for the escort carrier Wake Island. Arriving there on 26 December, O'Flaherty joined Task Unit 77.4.3, commanded by Rear Admiral Ralph Ofstie, which provided air cover to Task Force 79 (the Lingayen Attack Force) of the Seventh Fleet for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf. She departed on 31 December as part of the screen for the task unit, centered around the escort carriers Kitkun Bay and Shamrock Bay. The ship made an unsuccessful search for downed aviators from Kitkun Bay on 5 January 1945.

As they approached Lingayen, Task Force 79 and O'Flaherty's task unit became the target of kamikaze raids. On the morning of 8 January, the ship fired a single 5-inch AA round against a Japanese aircraft approaching the nearby Task Group 79.1, her first shot in a combat operation. She ceased fire to avoid hitting pursuing American fighters, which drove off the attacker. Just after sunset, O'Flaherty put up AA fire against a lone kamikaze that crashed into Kitkun Bay, taking the escort carrier out of the fight. The ship fired further rounds against high-flying Japanese aircraft as she moved to screen the escorts assisting Kitkun Bay, and rescued a Kitkun Bay sailor from the water. She continued to screen the escort carrier and sent boats to return Kitkun Bay personnel taken off by other escorts to the carrier after she regained power on the next day.

O'Flaherty was sent to escort the escort carriers of Task Unit 77.4.2 (commanded by Rear Admiral Felix Stump) as they provided air support for the Lingayen landings on 11 January while Kitkun Bay headed to the continental United States for repairs. On 17 January she headed back to Ulithi as part of the screen for several escort carriers after the beachhead was secured, conducting an unsuccessful search for a man overboard off the escort carrier Lunga Point on the next day before arriving at her destination on 23 January. O'Flaherty resupplied at Ulithi, and while there Farnham was replaced by Lieutenant Commander Paul L. Callan on 30 January. In preparation for the invasion of Iwo Jima, she participated in rehearsals for the landings on islands east of Ulithi on 3 and 6 February, as part of the anti-submarine screen.

### Iwo Jima

On 10 February, Rear Admiral Calvin Durgin's Support Carrier Group (Task Group 52.2), of the Amphibious Support Force (Task Force 52) of the Fifth Fleet departed Ulithi. O'Flaherty was included in the screen for Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague's Task Unit 52.2.1, centered around five escort carriers – Natoma Bay, Petrof Bay, Sargent Bay, Steamer Bay, and Wake Island. The screen also included the destroyer Ralph Talbot and the destroyer escorts Richard S. Bull, Richard M. Rowell and Grady. The Task Group reached Saipan on 12 February, where final rehearsals were conducted and O'Flaherty briefly detached to Task Unit 52.2.2 on the next day before returning to Task Unit 52.2.1 on 14 February, as the latter steamed towards Iwo Jima together with the shore bombardment force. They took station off Iwo Jima late on 15 February before the escort carriers began launching pre-landing strikes against Japanese positions on it and the Bonin Islands on the morning of the next day.

Following three days of airstrikes and naval bombardment, the invasion of Iwo Jima began on 19 February. That morning, O'Flaherty expended 541 shells from her 5-inch and AA guns in a failed attempt to sink a naval mine. Later in the day, she picked up the pilot of a crashed FM-2 Wildcat from the escort carrier Anzio. Continuing on screen duty as the escort carrier air groups supported the American advance on the island, the ship transferred the downed aviator to Natoma Bay on 21 February and was detached with Wake Island, Petrof Bay, Grady, and the destroyer Halligan to join Task Units 52.2.2 and 52.2.3 after the fleet carrier Saratoga was knocked out of action by kamikaze attacks. She returned to Task Unit 52.2.1 on 23 February, and remained off Iwo Jima on 8 March with Task Unit 52.2.3 (centered around the escort carriers Wake Island, Saginaw Bay and Tulagi) when Task Unit 52.2.1 departed for Ulithi, as airfields were opened on Iwo Jima for army aircraft that replaced those of the escort carriers in support of the troops. O'Flaherty followed with Task Unit 52.2.3, the last of the escort carriers to leave Iwo Jima, on 11 March, returning to Ulithi three days later. Although many ships were sunk or damaged during the Iwo Jima operation, O'Flaherty escaped unscathed.

### Okinawa

The period of rest for the crew of O'Flaherty at Ulithi proved brief; on 21 March she departed for the invasion of Okinawa with the Support Carrier Group. The ship continued as one of the nine destroyer escorts and five destroyers forming the screen for Task Unit 52.1.1, which now centered around seven escort carriers – Makin Island, Fanshaw Bay, Lunga Point, Natoma Bay, Savo Island, Steamer Bay, and Anzio. The task unit arrived off Okinawa on 25 March and the escort carriers began launching strikes against the island before the beginning of the landings on 1 April; O'Flaherty would remain in the vicinity of the island for more than a month. Transferred to screen Task Unit 52.1.2, which included the escort carriers Marcus Island, Petrof Bay, Saginaw Bay, Wake Island, Tulagi, and Rudyerd Bay, on 31 March, she put into Kerama Retto with Saginaw Bay on 2 April for refueling. While anchored that morning, O'Flaherty contributed with her aft 40 mm guns to flak that helped shoot down a diving Japanese A6M Zero.

Task Unit 52.1.2 was targeted by kamikaze raids in the late afternoon of 3 April. Two aircraft dived on Wake Island, both of which crashed into the water near the carrier. The explosion of one of the aircraft holed the hull of Wake Island, taking her out of action for repairs. A third narrowly missed the screening destroyer Capps, and O'Flaherty opened 5-inch fire on a fourth heading for Capps, which was shot down by the combat air patrol. On the first day of the Kikusui massed kamikaze attacks, 6 April, the ship was berthed close to Tulagi in Kerama Retto when nearby LST-447 was sunk by a kamikaze. She continued screening Task Unit 52.1.2 off Okinawa and continued this mission on 15 April when the task unit moved off the Sakishima Islands to launch strikes against Japanese airfields there. After the task unit returned to strikes against Okinawa, O'Flaherty was detached with Anzio to Task Unit 52.1.1 on 17 April, but the ship returned to Task Unit 52.1.2 two days later. She experienced heavy vibrations on 24 April and depth charged a false contact on the next day. As land-based aircraft took over support duties at Okinawa, O'Flaherty departed for repairs to Guam on 29 April with Saginaw Bay and Savo Island.

After arriving at Apra Harbor on Guam on 3 May, O'Flaherty was forced to remain there by damage to one of her shafts, while her crew rested. She was drydocked on ARD-26 between 4 and 8 June for the necessary repairs, and on 9 June departed with the escort carriers Manila Bay and Shipley Bay to join Task Force 32 of the Third Fleet (the former Task Force 52, renamed when Admiral William Halsey took command of the fleet) off Okinawa. On 13 June the ship picked up a crashed TBF Avenger crew from Shipley Bay and joined up with Task Unit 32.1.3 on the same day. Her forward 5-inch gun was rendered inoperable in a 14 June collision with the escort carrier Block Island while taking on ammunition. O'Flaherty put into Kerama Retto on 20 June to replace the damaged 5-inch gun with one from her irreparably damaged sister Oberrender and while there witnessed a kamikaze raid on 21 June that hit several support ships. On the latter date, organized resistance ended on Okinawa. Okinawa proved to be her last combat operation; during her service O'Flaherty lost no personnel in combat.

### Return to convoy duty and end of service

Ready for sea again, O'Flaherty spent a day in the anti-submarine screen off Okinawa and on 10 July departed as escort commander for a convoy to Guam consisting mostly of Landing Ship, Tanks (LST). After an uneventful voyage, the ship reached Guam on 16 July, and departed for Ulithi, where she arrived on 17 July. With Task Group 94.17, which included the escort carrier Salamaua, O'Flaherty, and her sister John C. Butler, she operated on anti-submarine patrol in the Marianas–Okinawa convoy lanes until the two destroyer escorts were relieved by three others on 28 July. O'Flaherty and John C. Butler proceeded to Okinawa, from which they departed on 30 July as part of the escort for a Saipan-bound convoy of LSTs and Landing Ship Mediums. She rode out a typhoon en route and reached Saipan on 7 August, departing for Ulithi with John C. Butler on the next day. Arriving at Ulithi on 9 August, both destroyer escorts turned around on 14 August as escorts for an Okinawa-bound convoy of auxiliaries. With a crew excited at news of the Japanese surrender, she reached Okinawa with the convoy on 20 August and turned around on the next day with a Ulithi-bound convoy. Arriving at her destination on 27 August, she spent time there repairing a turbine needing a replacement bearing.

Departing on a final convoy run to Okinawa on 4 September, O'Flaherty returned to Ulithi for routine repairs on 15 September. She remained at anchor there for the rest of the month and early October, the routine broken by occasional exercises with other destroyer escorts. Between 7 and 10 October the ship went to sea to retrieve or sink a drifting barge deemed a navigational hazard, with her captain deciding to tow it back to Ulithi after attempts to sink it by gunfire failed. Returning to Guam on 11 October, she spent a brief period at Truk, then went back to Guam to return to the continental United States via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor in November, arriving at Los Angeles.

Postwar, O'Flaherty conducted operations off California before being decommissioned at San Diego in January 1947. She remained in the Pacific Reserve Fleet berthed at Mare Island, Vallejo, California until she was struck from the Navy List on 1 December 1972. The ship was sold for scrap on 27 November 1973.

## Awards

O'Flaherty received four battle stars for World War II service, one each for her participation in the capture and occupation of Guam, the Lingayen Gulf landing, the assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, and the assault and occupation of Okinawa.

John C. Butler-class destroyer

World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States


1994 Atlantic hurricane season

The 1994 Atlantic hurricane season was the final season in the most recent negative Atlantic multidecadal oscillation period ("low-activity era" or "cold phase") of tropical cyclone formation within the basin. Despite the below average activity, the season was very deadly, with almost 97% of deaths occurring during Hurricane Gordon, a devastating late-season tropical cyclone that severely impacted the Caribbean Sea, the Greater Antilles and the United States, and one of the longest-lived Atlantic hurricanes on record at the time. The season produced seven named tropical cyclones and three hurricanes, a total below the seasonal average. The season officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates which conventionally limit the period during which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean. The first tropical cyclone, Tropical Storm Alberto, developed on June 30, while the last storm, Hurricane Gordon, dissipated on November 21. The season was unusual in that it produced no major hurricanes, which are those of Category 3 status or higher on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. The most intense hurricane, Hurricane Florence, peaked as a Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph (180 km/h). Aside from Chris, Florence, and Gordon, none of the storms exceeded tropical storm intensity.

Tropical Storm Alberto produced significant rainfall and flooding in the Southeastern United States, damaging or destroying over 18,000 homes. In August, Tropical Storm Beryl produced heavy rainfall in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, with moderate to heavy rainfall throughout several other states. Beryl caused numerous injuries, many of which occurred from a tornado associated with the tropical storm. Tropical Storm Debby killed nine people in the Caribbean in September. Hurricane Gordon was the most significant storm of the season, causing damage from Costa Rica to North Carolina among its six landfalls. Extreme flooding and mudslides from Gordon caused approximately 1,122 fatalities in Haiti. In addition, a nor'easter in December may have had tropical characteristics, though due to the uncertainty, it was not classified as a tropical system.

## Seasonal forecasts

Forecasts of hurricane activity are issued before each hurricane season by noted hurricane experts such as Dr. William M. Gray and his associates at Colorado State University. A normal season, as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has six to fourteen named storms, with four to eight of those reaching hurricane strength, and one to three major hurricanes. The 1994 forecast predicted that a total of 10 storms would form, of which six of the storms would reach hurricane status. The forecast also projected that three of the hurricanes would reach major hurricane status.

## Seasonal summary

In terms of tropical cyclone activity, the season was below average, with only seven named storms, three hurricanes, and no major hurricanes. Only four other seasons since the start of the satellite era—1968, 1972, 1986, and 2013—did not feature a major hurricane. No storms of hurricane intensity formed within the months of September and October for the first time since reliable records began in the 1940s. However, the month of November did feature two hurricane formations, the first time that occurred since 1980. The low seasonal activity is attributed to the presence of El Niño, which is a global coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon. The season officially began on June 1, and ended on November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when the majority of tropical cyclones tend to form in the Atlantic Ocean.

The season's activity was reflected in a low cumulative accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 32. ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 34 knots (39 mph; 63 km/h) or tropical storm strength.

## Systems

### Tropical Storm Alberto

The first storm of the season formed on June 30 near the western tip of Cuba. Initially tracking westward, the depression turned towards the north, though it remained poorly defined. Early on July 2, the depression organized into Tropical Storm Alberto. Alberto peaked as a tropical storm with winds of 65 mph (105 km/h), and made landfall near Destin, Florida on July 3. The storm quickly weakened to a tropical depression over Alabama as it continued to the northeast, but retained a well-organized circulation. High pressures built to its north and east, causing the remnant tropical depression to stall over northwestern Georgia. It began a westward drift and dissipated over central Alabama on July 7.

Alberto triggered some of the worst flooding ever observed across portions of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. As a result of the storm's slow motion, 27 inches (690 mm) of rain fell in some locations. Due to flash flooding, 33 deaths were reported, primarily in Georgia. Over 18,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and in excess of 1,000 roads sustained damage. About 900,000 acres (360,000 ha) of crops were affected by the storm, and 218 dams failed. Total damage from the storm amounted to \$1.03 billion (1994 USD). The flooding from Alberto is considered one the worst natural disasters in Georgia's history.

### Tropical Depression Two

The origins of the depression were from a broad upper-level trough that extended northeastward from The Bahamas. An area of convection developed near the Bahamas, spawning a low-pressure area on July 19. The next day, the system organized into Tropical Depression Two, after confirmation from the Hurricane Hunters. Upon developing, the depression was poorly organized, with most of the thunderstorms located south of the center. On July 20, the circulation became better organized as the convection increased; however, the depression moved ashore near Georgetown, South Carolina at 1400 UTC without intensifying beyond winds of 35 miles per hour (56 km/h). As it moved inland, it turned to the north, dissipating on July 21 near Charlotte, North Carolina. The remnant low continued northeastward across the northeastern United States, becoming unidentifiable on July 22 while entering Nova Scotia.

The depression was never forecast to attain tropical storm status. Officials issued flash flood watches for portions of the southeastern United States. Tropical Depression Two dropped light rainfall throughout the Southeastern United States, the Mid-Atlantic, and parts of New England. It was the first tropical system to make landfall in South Carolina since Hurricane Hugo. Rainfall peaked at 6.84 inches (174 mm) in Hamlet, North Carolina. There were no reports of damage or casualties associated with Tropical Depression Two.

### Tropical Storm Beryl

After a slow start to the season, Tropical Storm Beryl formed as a tropical depression on August 14 in the Gulf of Mexico. The center moved slowly and erratically in response to an approaching trough, and after moving towards the north, the storm made landfall near Panama City, Florida as a tropical storm. The weakening storm accelerated towards the north-northeast, and the system was identifiable as a low-pressure system as far north as Connecticut.

Tropical Storm Beryl produced heavy rainfall in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, with moderate to heavy rainfall throughout several other states. Several rivers from Florida to New York approached or exceeded flood stage. Although no fatalities were directly related to Beryl, several injuries were reported, including 37 due to an associated EF3 tornado that touched down in Lexington, South Carolina. Property damage was estimated at \$73 million (1994 USD).

### Hurricane Chris

Hurricane Chris originated from a tropical wave that emerged from the west coast of Africa on August 11 and tracked westward. The associated disturbance organized and was declared a tropical depression on August 16, while Tropical Storm Beryl was over land. The depression intensified into a tropical storm on August 17, and the next day it acquired hurricane intensity. Chris maintained hurricane strength for two days, before increased wind shear caused the cyclone to weaken. The storm remained away from land, passing to the east of Bermuda on August 21, before it merged with an extratropical baroclinic zone to the southeast of Newfoundland.

Hurricane Chris dropped 2.83 inches (72 mm) of rain on Bermuda, though no damage or fatalities were reported.

### Tropical Depression Five

A tropical wave that was first noted on August 17 tracked westward and reached the Caribbean on August 26. The wave moved across the Yucatán Peninsula, and developed into a tropical depression on August 29 in the Bay of Campeche. Moving west-northwestward, the system remained below tropical storm status, and made landfall near Tampico on August 31.

Mexico was affected by rainfall from Tropical Depression Five, which peaked at 16.18 inches (411 mm), while associated moisture from the depression affected San Antonio, Texas.

### Tropical Storm Debby

A tropical depression developed from another tropical wave on September 9. Surface observations and ship reports suggested that it developed into Tropical Storm Debby on September 10, despite poor organization evidenced by satellite imagery. Peaking with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h), the storm moved westward through the Leeward Islands and encountered wind shear which limited the storm's intensity and organization. Wind shear caused the system to deteriorate, and the circulation degenerated into a tropical wave on September 11.

Tropical Storm Debby killed four people and injured 24 on St. Lucia. Heavy rainfall caused flooding and mudslides, which washed away hillside shacks, eight bridges, and parts of roads. Flood waters were chest-high in some locations, and the storm's winds damaged banana plantations. Mudslides caused by the storm blocked roads, and water supply was disrupted. On Martinique, one person drowned and some towns were flooded. Downed trees made roads impassable, and up to 20,000 people on the island lost power. Three deaths occurred in the Dominican Republic, and a fisherman drowned off of Puerto Rico. Throughout the areas affected by Debby, it is estimated that hundreds of people were homeless.

### Tropical Storm Ernesto

A tropical wave exited Africa on September 18 with an area of organized deep convection. The wave was in a series of strong waves that exited Africa later than the climatological peak of the season. Dvorak classifications began on September 21, and later that day the system developed into Tropical Depression Seven about 500 miles (800 km) southwest of Cape Verde. Wind shear was marginally favorable for development, and the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Ernesto on September 22. The next morning, the storm attained its peak intensity, with winds of 60 mph (97 km/h) and a minimum atmospheric pressure of 997 mbar (hPa; 29.53 inHg).

After peaking, Ernesto entered an area of increasing wind shear and stronger upper-tropospheric flow, resulting in a steady weakening trend. After most of the convection diminished over the center, the storm weakened to a tropical depression on September 24. Subsequently, it decelerated and turned to a west-northwest drift. The last public advisory was issued on Tropical Depression Ernesto at 2100 UTC September 25, although it did not dissipate until early the next day, about 450 miles (720 km) west of Cape Verde. The remnants continued generally westward, occasionally redeveloping deep convection but never regenerating into a tropical cyclone. The remnants were no longer identifiable by September 29.

### Tropical Depression Eight

The eighth depression of the season formed with little convection on September 19 in the southwestern Caribbean. The area of convection lasted for several days moving from northwestern direction to the northeastern. The wave was estimated to have strengthened into Tropical Depression Eight on September 24 near the coast of Honduras. An Air Force aircraft found the depression with a poorly organized circulation and a pressure of 1,007 mbar (29.7 inHg). The depression moved west at 7 to 10 mph (11 to 16 km/h) on September 25. Just before landfall in Belize on September 25, Tropical Depression Eight reached its peak intensity of 35 mph (56 km/h) and 1,004 mbar (29.6 inHg). The depression made landfall in Mexico and dissipated the next day over Guatemala. Reports show that the remnants of Eight became Tropical Depression Ten. The storm dropped heavy precipitation in and around Belize.

### Tropical Depression Nine

Tropical Depression Nine started out as a well-defined cloud circulation that moved off the coast of Africa on September 26. The circulation was upgraded to the ninth depression of the 1994 season, 174 miles (280 km) southeast of Cape Verde the next day at 1200 UTC when banding cloud patterns became evident on satellite imagery. The depression moved toward the north-northwest at 12 mph (19 km/h) or less, reaching peak intensity early on September 28, around 0600 UTC, but the LLCC became exposed and the depression lost much of its deep convection later that day. The NHC declared Nine dissipated early on September 29, near Sal in the Cape Verde Islands.

### Tropical Depression Ten

The remnants of Tropical Depression Eight persisted over the northwestern Caribbean in late September. Convection increased and organized after a tropical wave reached the area. A circulation soon developed within the low-pressure area. It was estimated that Tropical Depression Ten formed on September 29 at 0600 UTC. A reconnaissance aircraft did not indicate a closed circulation due to the proximity with Cuba, which caused difficulties with satellite intensity estimates. The system was relatively disorganized, potentially moving ashore in western Cuba near Cabo San Antonio. The tropical depression entered the Gulf of Mexico on September 30 as it turned to the northwest. On September 30 at 0600 UTC, the tropical depression attained its peak intensity, winds had reached 35 mph (56 km/h) and the minimum central pressure had dropped down to 1004 mbar. The depression was soon becoming absorbed by a larger non-tropical system in the southern Gulf of Mexico. By 1800 UTC on September 30, Tropical Depression Ten had been completely absorbed by the non-tropical system. Initial predictions from the National Hurricane Center estimated that the depression would rapidly develop into a tropical storm. The depression dropped heavy rainfall in Cuba, reaching 12 inches (300 mm) in a 24-hour period in Giron. Rainfall from the tropical depression in the Florida Keys was around 5 inches (130 mm). The remnants of the depression dropped heavy rains in Florida, causing \$5 million in damage (1994 USD).

### Hurricane Florence

After a quiet October, the month of November began with the formation of a subtropical depression on November 2. The storm intensified into a subtropical storm shortly thereafter before weakening to a depression the next day. The subtropical system transitioned into a tropical cyclone about 875 miles (1,408 km) east-southeast of Bermuda, and the depression quickly strengthened into Tropical Storm Florence. Florence rapidly intensified and was upgraded to a hurricane on November 4. The intensification ceased shortly after it started and minor fluctuations in intensity took place over the following three days. Florence was subsequently upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane. A large extratropical system located to the north absorbed the storm on November 8.

### Hurricane Gordon

Hurricane Gordon was the final storm of the season. The system formed near Panama in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on November 8. Strengthening into a tropical storm, Gordon wound its way north into the Greater Antilles. Despite warm waters, persistent wind shear prevented significant strengthening. Executing a slow turn to the north and then the northwest, Gordon made two more landfalls, on eastern Jamaica and eastern Cuba. As Tropical Storm Gordon made its fourth landfall crossing the Florida Keys, it interacted with a cyclone in the upper troposphere and a series of cyclonic lows which lent the storm some sub-tropical characteristics. After a few days as an unusual hybrid of a tropical and a subtropical system in the Gulf of Mexico, the storm re-claimed its tropical storm status and it made another landfall across the Florida peninsula and continued into the Atlantic Ocean. In the Atlantic, Gordon rapidly strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Gordon's characteristic briefly approached North Carolina, but ultimately the storm headed south, weakening into a minor tropical storm before making its sixth and final landfall on Florida's east coast. Overall, the storm made six separate landfalls.

Hurricane Gordon caused heavy damage and 1,122 fatalities in Haiti; the storm's effects extended from Costa Rica to North Carolina in the United States. Over Hispaniola, the persistent southerly flow to the east of the storm, combined with the steep upslope motion of the land, generated prolonged rainfall which triggered disastrous flooding and mudslides. The extreme flooding led to an estimated 1,122 fatalities in Haiti, although some reports indicate that up to 2,000 people died. Six deaths were also reported in Costa Rica. Elsewhere, five fatalities were reported in the Dominican Republic, four in Jamaica, two in Panama, and two in Cuba. In Florida, the storm caused eight fatalities and 43 injuries. In Volusia County, 1,236 buildings reported flood damage. In the state, damage totaled \$400 million (1994 USD).

### Other systems

#### October subtropical cyclone

A weak and broad frontal low absorbed the remnants of Tropical Depression Ten in the central Gulf of Mexico. The Weather Prediction Center identified the system as a subtropical storm on October 1. The subtropical storm moved across Florida and the Southeastern United States on October 2 and 3; when it reached the Atlantic Coast, it became an extratropical frontal wave. However, the National Hurricane Center does not confirm the existence of the subtropical cyclone.

#### Christmas nor'easter

In addition to the seven named storms, a nor'easter formed in late December. As it entered the warm waters of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, it began to rapidly intensify, exhibiting signs of tropical development, including the formation of an eye. It attained a pressure of 970 millibars on December 23 and 24, and after moving northward, it came ashore near New York City on Christmas Eve. However, due to the uncertain nature of the storm, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) did not classify it as a tropical cyclone.

## Storm names

During the season the following names were used for tropical storms, that formed within the north Atlantic Ocean. These were the same names that had been used during the 1988 season except for Gordon and Joyce, which replaced Gilbert and Joan. The name Gordon was used for the first time this year. Despite Gordon's high death toll and the extensive damage it did, Haiti did not send a representative to the WMO at their meeting the next year; as a result, the name "Gordon" was not retired. As a result, there were no names retired from this list of names and it was subsequently reused during the 2000 season.

## Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their duration, names, landfall(s)—denoted by bold location names—damage, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but are still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical or a wave or low, and all of the damage figures are in 1994 USD.

## See also

- Tropical cyclones in 1994
- 1994 Pacific hurricane season
- 1994 Pacific typhoon season
- 1994 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
- South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season: 1993–94, 1994–95
- Australian region cyclone season: 1993–94, 1994–95
- South Pacific cyclone season: 1993–94, 1994–95
- South Atlantic tropical cyclone
- Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone

Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean


Hung Up

"Hung Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was released as the album's lead single on October 17, 2005. Written and produced by Madonna in collaboration with Stuart Price, "Hung Up" prominently features a sample from the instrumental introduction to ABBA's single "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", for which Madonna personally sought permission from its songwriters, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. This is one of the few times Andersson and Ulvaeus have given permission to sample one of their songs, following "Rumble in the Jungle" by the Fugees and "Fly With Me" by 98 Degrees.

Musically, the song is influenced by pop music from the 1980s, with a chugging groove and chorus and a background element of a ticking clock that suggests the fear of wasting time. Lyrically the song is written as a traditional dance number about a strong, independent woman who has relationship troubles. "Hung Up" received critical praise from reviewers, who considered it among Madonna's best dance tracks and believed that the track would restore her popularity, which had diminished following the release of her 2003 album American Life. "Hung Up" became a global commercial success, peaking atop the charts of 41 countries and earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. It was Madonna's 36th top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100, tying her with Elvis Presley as the artist with most top ten entries. It also became the most successful dance song of the decade in the United States. "Hung Up" has sold over five million copies worldwide.

The music video is a tribute to John Travolta and his movies, and to dancing in general. Directed by Johan Renck, the clip starts with Madonna clad in a pink leotard dancing alone in a ballet studio and concludes at a gaming parlor where she dances with her backup troupe. Interspersed are scenes of people displaying their dancing skills in a variety of settings, including a Los Angeles residential neighborhood, a small restaurant and the London Underground. Madonna has performed the song in a number of live appearances, including as the final number of 2006's Confessions Tour, a heavy metal-inspired arrangement in the 2008 leg of the Sticky & Sweet Tour, and 2012's The MDNA Tour, where the singer performed the song while slacklining.

## Background and release

In 2004, after the release of her ninth studio album American Life, Madonna began working on two different musicals: one tentatively called Hello Suckers and another one with Luc Besson, who previously directed the music video for her single "Love Profusion", which would portray her as a woman on her deathbed looking back on her life. Madonna collaborated with Patrick Leonard, Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Stuart Price to write new songs, and told Price to pen disco songs that sound like "ABBA on drugs". However, Madonna found herself dissatisfied with the script written by Besson and scrapped it. When she began composing Confessions on a Dance Floor, she decided to rework "Hung Up" and include it in her record.

"Hung Up" was one of the first songs written for the album, along with "Sorry" and "Future Lovers". It was inspired by aspects of the 1970s disco era, including the music of ABBA and Giorgio Moroder and the film Saturday Night Fever (1977). Madonna imagined it to be a cross between the music played at Danceteria, the New York City night club she frequented in her early days, and the music of ABBA. Their 1979 song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" formed the basis of the song. Songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus generally do not allow anyone to sample any of their tracks, an exception being Fugees, who sampled their song "The Name of the Game" for their single "Rumble in the Jungle". In order to gain the rights to sample "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!", Madonna had to send her emissary to Stockholm with a letter which begged them to allow her to sample the song and also telling how much she loved their music. To the BBC she explained: "[T]hey never let anyone sample their music. Thank God they didn't say no. [...] They had to think about it, Benny and Björn. They didn't say yes straight away." The pair agreed to let Madonna use the sample only after making a copyright agreement that entitled them to a significant share of the royalties from subsequent sales and airplay. Andersson, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph in October 2005, declared "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" to be the essence of "Hung Up" while joking that it was his favorite Madonna song thus far. He further said:

> "We get so many requests from people wanting to use our tracks but we normally say 'no'. This is only the second time we have given permission. We said 'yes' this time because we admire Madonna so much and always have done. She has got guts and has been around for 21 years. That is not bad going."

The song premiered in September 2005, during a television advertisement for Motorola's ROKR mobile phone. The advertisement featured Madonna and other artists jammed in a phone booth. On October 17, 2005, the song made its premiere during a live ten-minute radio interview between Ryan Seacrest and Madonna. It was also made available as a master ringtone with various mobile service providers. "Hung Up" was sent to mainstream radio in the United States on October 18. The song was added to episodes of CSI: Miami and CSI: NY on November 7 and 9, 2005, respectively. While promoting Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madonna played both "Hung Up" and the next single "Sorry" at Luke & Leroy's nightclub in Greenwich Village, where she was invited by Junior Sanchez to perform briefly as the DJ, mixing the two songs. Regarding her decision to release the song for digital download, Madonna said: "I'm a businesswoman. The music industry has changed. There's a lot of competition, and the market is glutted with new releases – and new 'thises and thats'. You must join forces with other brands and corporations. You're an idiot if you don't."

## Music structure and lyrics

Musically, "Hung Up" is a dance-pop, disco and nu-disco song. According to The New York Times, the song has vaguely familiar hooks, sustained overlays of the string arrangement and acoustic guitar enfolding the music to create a haze like sound. Billboard described the music as frothy, nonsensical and joyous. The instant familiarity of the sampled music is changed by Stuart Price and Madonna by adding a chugging groove and a chorus which singles it out as an independent song. Alongside the ABBA sample, Rolling Stone said that the song also incorporates elements of Madonna's older songs like "Like a Prayer" and "Holiday" and features fleeting quotes from bands like S.O.S. and the Tom Tom Club.

According to Musicnotes.com, "Hung Up" is set in common time, and has a moderate dance-beat tempo of 120 beats per minute. The key of the song is in D minor with Madonna's vocal range spanning from the low note of G3 to the high note of B4. The song progresses in the following chord progressions of Dm–F–C–Dm in the verses and Dm–F–Am–Dm in the chorus, and changes to B–F–A–Dm for the bridge. "Hung Up" uses the sound of a ticking clock to symbolize fear of wasted time, which was incorporated by composer Stuart Price, from his remix of Gwen Stefani's 2004 single "What You Waiting For?". According to Slant Magazine, the song embodies some of Madonna's old singles, incorporating them into the song's pitched-upward vocals while presenting an archetypical key change/tonicization during the bridge.

Lyrically, the song is written from the perspective of a girl who once had nothing and the theme centers around love. About.com compared the lyrics of "Hung Up" and another song "I Love New York" from the Confessions on a Dance Floor album, to the style of the songs in Madonna's American Life album. According to About.com, the song is written as a very traditional dance number which is rooted in relationship issues. Also present in the lyrics is Madonna's enduring embrace of strong, independent women. The song's hook, "Time goes by so slowly for those who wait," is taken from Madonna's 1989 collaboration with Prince, "Love Song", as is the line, "Those who run seem to have all the fun."

## Critical reception

"Hung Up" received critical acclaim. Keith Caulfield from Billboard, while reviewing Confessions on a Dance Floor, called the song "a fluffier cut", while Chris Tucker from the same magazine explained that "Madonna returns with a song that will restore faith among her minions, fans of pop music and radio programmers", in a separate review for the single. Jon Pareles of The New York Times said that Madonna kept her pop touch in "Hung Up" and called it a love song which is both happy as well as sad. Alan Light from Rolling Stone called the song candy coated. David Browne from Entertainment Weekly was impressed by the song and said "'Hung Up' shows how effortlessly she [Madonna] can tap into her petulant inner teen". Also impressed, Caryn Ganz of Spin classified it as a "killer single". Peter Robinson from The Observer commented that "Hung Up" is Madonna's "most wonderfully commercial single since the mid Eighties". Alexis Petridis from The Guardian called the track a "joyous...single that could theoretically have been more camp, but only with the addition of Liza Minnelli on backing vocals and lyrics about Larry Grayson's friend Everard."

On Pitchfork, Stephen M. Deusner named the track an "impressive and enjoyable single, strong enough to have everyone trying to figure out if it's her best since 'Ray of Light' or since 'Like a Prayer'", and complimented how the ABBA sample was used in such a way that it resembles a "brilliant mash-up rather than a lazy sample". Het Nieuwsblad's Mark Coppens considered "Hung Up" a good choice for first single as it was "irresistable", observing "Madonna has done a good job" at sampling ABBA; he concluded saying that "the song swings from beginning to the end". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine compared the song to the remix of Gwen Stefani's 2004 single "What You Waiting For?". Ed Gonzalez from the same magazine called the song the "biggest hit" of her career. Margaret Moser from The Austin Chronicle said that the song strobes and pulses along with another album track "Forbidden Love". David Byrne from RTÉ said "it opens the album like no other track could". Dave White of The Advocate classified it as a "winner", noting the "giddy, gimmicky ABBA loop".

Ben Williams from New York magazine described the song as sounding both throbbing as well as wistful. Christian John Wikane from PopMatters called the song a propulsive track. Alan Braidwood of BBC Music noted of the track: "full-on dance, dark, disco, fun, big" and compared it to other Madonna songs like "Vogue", "Deeper and Deeper" and "Ray of Light". Tom Bishop from BBC News commented that Madonna has either reinvigorated her career or she is "merely throwing one final dance party for her long-term fans before settling down to record more sedate material". According to Camille Paglia, writing for Salon, the track was one of the "two truly strong songs" on the album, along with "Jump". Matt Cappiello from the Daily Nexus called it "amazing" and "mind-numbing", and elaborated that "it should be frozen in a capsule and sent out into space. Martians need to know the wonders of our civilization, as expressed in the delicate form of bubblegum pop." Peter S. Scholtes of City Pages considered the song a "vast improvement" over the original ABBA song. Thomas Inskeep of Stylus Magazine declared that "Hung Up" and the next single "Sorry" might not have the same sleaze as Madonna's older songs like "Physical Attraction" or "Burning Up", but have the same modus operandi of being designed for "sweaty up-all-night dancing". Rob Harvilla from The Village Voice called the song a "triumphant jazzercise single".

## Recognition

"Hung Up" was ranked at number 76 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of the 2000s list, calling it "One of her [Madonna's] most captivating hits ever — and thanks to those deceptively hard-hitting lyrics, one of her most personal." NME placed it at number 39 on their list of the best tracks of 2005. Slant Magazine listed the song at number 36 on their list of Best of the Aughts: Singles, saying: "'Hung Up' employs a ticking clock to represent fear of wasted time, but Madonna isn't singing about aging or saving the world—she's talking about love. It had been years since Madge sounded this vapid. With its pitched-upward vocals, infectious arpeggio sample from ABBA's 'Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight),' and the bridge's unironic, archetypical key change, the track decidedly points to the past, and it proved that, 20 years into her career, Madonna was still the one and only Dancing Queen". The song was also named the 26th best single of 2005 by Pitchfork. Stylus Magazine included "Hung Up" on their ranking of the best singles from 2005 at number 11. In 2016, "Hung Up" was named in the online poll by Digital Spy as "The Biggest Pop Song of the 21st Century".

## Chart performance

"Hung Up" was a worldwide commercial success, peaking at number one in charts of 41 countries and earning a place in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records, as the song topping the charts in most countries. The song has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. In the United States, "Hung Up" debuted at twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 on the issue dated November 5, 2005. It became her highest opening position since "Ray of Light" entered the chart at five in 1998. The same week the song entered the Hot Digital Songs chart at number six and became the highest debuting single of the week on the Pop 100 Airplay, where it debuted at number 38. On the issue dated December 3, 2005, the song reached a peak of number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, jumping from number 14 from previous week. The song became the chart's greatest digital gainer for that week and claimed the top position on the Hot Digital Songs chart. It also tied Madonna with Elvis Presley for 36 top ten entries, which was subsequently broken by Madonna's 2008 song "4 Minutes", which peaked at number three on the Hot 100. "Hung Up" debuted at numbers 25 and 10 on the Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts respectively ultimately reaching the top of both. It became the most successful dance song of the 2000s in the United States, by topping the Dance/Club Play Songs Decade-end tally. The song also reached a peak of seven on the Pop 100 chart. In 2008, the single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling at least a million copies in paid digital downloads. As of December 2016, the song has sold 1.4 million digital units in the United States.

"Hung Up" became the fastest rising single on radio in Canada, according to Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. On the second week itself, the song reached the top of the Contemporary Hit Radio chart of Canada, while reaching the top five of the Adult Contemporary and Canadian Airplay charts. Paul Tuch from Nielsen clarified that "Hung Up" achieved this feat within 10 days only. Consequently, "Hung Up" also peaked atop the Canadian Singles Chart for 15 non-consecutive weeks, and was certified double platinum by Music Canada for sales of 40,000 copies. In Australia, the song debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart on November 20, 2005, breaking her tie with Kylie Minogue as the female artist with most number-one singles in Australian chart history. It was present within the top 50 of the chart for 23 weeks. The song was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 70,000 copies. "Hung Up" debuted at number 67 in the French singles chart and jumped to the top next week, remaining there for five non-consecutive weeks. It received a gold certification from Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) for sales of 150,000 copies. "Hung Up" reached a peak position of number two in New Zealand.

In the United Kingdom, "Hung Up" debuted at number one on the issue dated November 13, 2005, thus giving Madonna her 11th number one single on this chart. It sold 105,619 copies becoming the first single to sell more than 100,000 copies in a week since Crazy Frog's "Axel F" did it 23 weeks earlier. The first week sales of "Hung Up" were a little lower than Madonna's last UK number one, "Music" (2000), which opened with 114,925 sales, but exceeded her last single "Love Profusion", which debuted at number 11 with 15,361 sales in December 2003. The next week the single had a decline in sales of 43% to 59,969 copies, but remained on the top as Confessions on a Dance Floor debuted atop the UK Albums Chart. It remained at the top position for three weeks and a total of 40 weeks on the Singles Chart. According to the Official Charts Company, by the end of 2005, "Hung Up" was Madonna's biggest selling single with 339,285 copies since "Music" sold 390,624 copies in 2000. It was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and has sold over 730,000 copies in the UK to date. By November 2021, "Hung Up" became her second-most streamed track in the UK, and accumulated sales of 899,000 units including streaming figures according to the Official Charts Company. In Ireland, the song debuted at number two on the chart dated November 10, 2005 becoming the highest debut of the week. The song also topped Billboard's European Hot 100 Singles chart where it soared from 73 to the top of the chart on the issue dated November 21, 2005. The song was able to peak the charts in almost all the European nations including Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

## Music video

### Conception

The music video for "Hung Up" was directed by Johan Renck and filmed in October 2005. Madonna's scenes were filmed in London from October 8–11, with Pineapple Dance Studios being used for the dance studio scenes and the Trocadero being used for the games arcade scenes. Though some scenes in the video feature cities like London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Tokyo, in reality the actual sets were constructed in Los Angeles and London only. A London suburb was made to look like a Parisian one, where the routine for Parkour takes place, whereas a restaurant in London's Chinatown was used for the Shanghai sequence and Compton stood in for the Bronx. Originally the video for "Hung Up" was to be directed by photographer David LaChapelle. He wanted the video to have a "documentary"-style look, much like that of his 2005 film, Rize, in which five of the dancers from the "Hung Up" video appeared. LaChapelle and Madonna disagreed on the concept, prompting the project to be reassigned to Renck, who worked with Madonna in her video for "Nothing Really Matters". According to an interview with MTV, Renck was directing Kate Moss for a H&M commercial when he received a phone call from Madonna who desperately wanted to work with him. The next day he went to Los Angeles to meet the stylist and the choreographer hired by Madonna, who e-mailed him with her ideas for the video. The director explained that he "kind of liked that we didn't have time to over-think this and be too clever, I like being out on a limb and not know what we're doing and why. Just deal with it, the mayhem, you know?"

Madonna wanted to use a few performers from her tour, such as Daniel "Cloud" Campos, Miss Prissy from LaChapelle's Rize crew and traceur Sebastien Foucan, a practitioner of Parkour, a philosophical French sport. Renck said that "It's not about the music, but the bodily expression, [...] We wanted to show the whole spectrum, be it krumping, breakdancing, jazz or disco." Since they could not shoot all over the world, Madonna wanted the video to have an "omnipresent feel", with the middle section of the song generating a sense of congregation. Renck suggested that they include a boombox, used as a means of uniting everyone and everything since it was through listening to songs on a boombox that street dancing started.

Madonna clarified that the video was a tribute to John Travolta and to dance in general. Her dance moves for the video, which were inspired by Travolta's movies like Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978) and Perfect (1985) took three hours to shoot. Madonna had broken eight bones in a horseback-riding accident a few weeks before shooting the video and faced difficulty doing the steps devised by choreographer Jamie King. Renck said,

> "She was such a trooper, [...] She just fell off a horse! [Madonna said] 'If you were a real dance choreographer, you could tell I can't lift my left arm higher than this' — and it was like, what, a 20-centimeter difference? [...] But when she said it 'hurts like f---,' she'd take a break and sit down for two minutes. [Madonna]'I have broken ribs, remember that!' I just can't imagine dancing like that. Talk about priorities."

Madonna was also associated with the editing process of the video. She was Renck's editing supervisor. Madonna wanted a raw documentary look for the video which allowed her to be portrayed more realistically. Regarding the making of "Hung Up", Renck said that it was a massive work to undertake, "It's like you form this little family that's flourished and prospered for the month, and then you chop it down like a tree, [...] You come out with a sense of yearning and longing, like, 'Can we just do that again? Please?'"

### Synopsis and reception

The video starts with Madonna entering and turning the lights on in a ballet studio carrying a boombox. She presses the play button on the boombox as the clock ticking sound of the music starts. Wearing a pink leotard, Madonna starts gyrating to the music while doing warm up exercises. The scene interchanges with a group of people on a rooftop who start dancing to the music while listening to a similar boombox. They also display aspects of the physical discipline Parkour, while climbing over buildings and jumping from staircases. As the song starts, Madonna dances to the music in the ballet studio. The second verse shows her continuing dancing while the people from the street take their boombox and board a taxi. Scenes are interspersed with people dancing in a Chinese restaurant and Parisian streets. In the meantime, Madonna finishes her dances in the ballet studio, drops her towel, changes her clothes and comes out on the street. The people in the taxi, exit the cab and take the Underground instead. After another round of dancing in the train, the intermediate music starts. Madonna is shown hugging, dancing, and conversing with choreographers on a deserted alleyway and riding on a boombox. As the song starts again, Madonna and the people from the street, who act as her background dancers, all dance on a Dance Dance Revolution machine in a gaming parlor. The video ends showing Madonna lying on the ballet studio floor. The video was nominated for five awards at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards including Best Female Video, Dance Video, Pop Video, Best Choreography and the Video of the Year award although it did not win any of them. In 2009, the video was included on Madonna's compilation, Celebration: The Video Collection.

## Live performances

On November 4, 2005, Madonna opened the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards at the Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon, Portugal with her first performance of "Hung Up". She emerged from a glitterball to perform the song while wearing a purple leotard and matching leather boots. During next days, Madonna performed "Hung Up" on TV shows such as Wetten, dass..? in Germany, Parkinson in England and Star Academy in France, as well as on the Children in Need 2005 telethon in London. She opened her concerts at Koko and G-A-Y nightclubs in London with "Hung Up", respectively on November 15 and 19. In December Madonna travelled to Tokyo, Japan, where "Hung Up" was performed on TV show SMAP×SMAP and her concert at Studio Coast. On February 8, 2006, Madonna opened the 48th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. She sang the song by pairing up with the fictional animated band Gorillaz. The band appeared on the stage via a three dimensional technique which projected their holograms on the stage. They performed their song "Feel Good Inc." while rappers De La Soul made a guest appearance. Madonna then appeared on the stage and started performing the song while interchanging places with the hologram figures of the band. She was later joined by her own group of dancers and the performance was finished on the main stage rather than the virtual screen. Another performance of "Hung Up" came on April 30, 2006, during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California.

The song was performed as the last song of her 2006 Confessions Tour. It was performed at the last "disco fever" segment of the tour. During the performance, her dancers displayed the Parkour routine all over the stadium as the familiar ABBA sample played. Madonna changed her aerobics costume for a purple leotard. As the music progressed, she and her dancers appeared on the center stage and she started singing. During the second verse, she left her sunglasses and jacket and proceeded towards the front of the stage. A boombox appeared in the center with Madonna playing with it. The song starts again as balloons fall on the crowd from the top. The finale had Madonna engaging the audience to sing-along with her to the song while making a contest as to which side of the stadium can sing the loudest. Madonna then uttering the line "I'm tired of waiting for you" while the backdrop showed the phrase "Have You Confessed?". The New York Times' Ginia Belafonte compared this performance with that of Ethel Merman. Slant Magazine commented that the performance reminded Madonna's ability to encapsulate the audience as a part of her performance. On July 7, 2007, Madonna closed her set during the Live Earth concert at the Wembley Stadium in London with "Hung Up".

The song was also added to the six song set list of the Hard Candy promo tour in 2008. Madonna wore a shiny black outfit with black tails, Adidas track pants and high-heeled, lace-up boots. "Hung Up" was the fourth song of the set list. It was re-invented as a heavy-metal version. As the performance of "4 Minutes" ended, Madonna picked up an electric guitar and played the first few chords of The Rolling Stones single "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". She then asked the crowd whether they thought they had come to a Rolling Stones concert. When the crowd responded negatively, she started "Hung Up", while dedicating it to all the people who had waited outside in the queue to watch the show. She declared that the noisy, metallic guitar breakdown of the song symbolised what waiting sounded like in the brain of all those who had waited. The song was performed in the futuristic rave with Japanese influences segment of the 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour. Madonna wore a futuristic robotic outfit designed by Heatherette, with plates on her shoulder and a wig with long curled hair. The similar heavy-metal version of "Hung Up" was performed but it later gave way to the ABBA music. Before starting the performance, she played a capella versions of her older songs on audience demand, mostly "Express Yourself" and "Like a Virgin". However, after that, the electric guitar was played to make noises, which Madonna dedicated to Republican vice-presidential nominee for the 2008 election, Sarah Palin. She said, "I'd like to express myself to Sarah Palin right now. [Playing a screeching note on her guitar] This is the sound of Sarah Palin thinking. [...] Sarah Palin can't come to my party. Sarah Palin can't come to my show. It's nothing personal." The performance ended with Madonna playing the guitar riff of "A New Level" by heavy-metal band Pantera. For the second European leg of the tour in 2009, "Hung Up" was removed from the setlist and was replaced by an up-beat version of "Frozen".

### 2010s and 2020s performances

For The MDNA Tour of 2012, "Hung Up" was added to the setlist as part of the opening segment, known as Transgression. After performing a fragment of "Papa Don't Preach", several dancers wearing tribal masks, surrounded Madonna, tied her up and proceeded to carry her to the center of the main stage just as the song's opening riffs, underpinned by the dramatic sound of church bells with vocoder vocals, started to play in the background. Dressed in a black skintight outfit with an ample cleavage, gloves of the same color and heeled boots, Madonna and her dancers performed the song while at the same time slacklining on some ropes held on the middle of the stage. As Madonna sang the song, her dancers slid under the ropes. This performance received generally mixed reviews, Jon Pareles from The New York Times believed that changing the composition of the song in lieu of the theme for the segment made it "ominous and obsessive", while making it "a memory of distant innocence". Jim Farber from the Daily News felt that the introduction of slacklining gave the whole tour "some needed bounce". Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine was negative on his review of the performance, as he felt it was out of place on the show's segment, and compared it negatively to the performance of the Sticky & Sweet Tour, concluding that the song "should never be performed in any way other than its original form." The performance of the song at the November 19–20, 2012 shows in Miami, at the American Airlines Arena, were recorded and released in Madonna's fourth live album, MDNA World Tour.

On April 13, 2015, Madonna made a surprise appearance at the Coachella Festival and performed a medley of her 1994 song "Human Nature" and "Hung Up" during Drake's act, sporting thigh-high boots and a tank top that read "Big as Madonna". She then went on to kiss Drake, whose shocked expression went viral on the Internet. The rapper then revealed that he actually enjoyed the kiss, posting a picture of the moment to his Instagram account which read: "Don't misinterpret my shock!! I got to make out with the queen Madonna and I feel 100 about that forever". The singer also performed an a cappella version of the song on her Rebel Heart Tour in Hong Kong on 17 February 2016.

On June 24, 2021, the singer made a surprise appearance at a pride party at the Boom Boom Room of New York's The Standard hotel and performed the song on top of the lounge's bar; she wore a see-through mesh top, leather shorts, a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier corset, a blue wig and long pink fingerless gloves. In June 2022, to accompany the remix album release, Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, Madonna performed at Pride at the Women of the World Party in New York City. She performed a dembow, house-infused remix of "Hung Up", sharing a French kiss with Tokischa, in a similar fashion to her kiss with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.

## Remix version

In 2022, Madonna recorded a dembow remix of "Hung Up" with Dominican rapper Tokischa, newly titled "Hung Up on Tokischa". It features samples of Madonna's vocals from the original version in addition to new Spanish language verses written by Tokischa. It was released by Warner Records for digital download and streaming on September 16, 2022. Madonna and Tokischa first performed the song in June 2022 at Terminal 5 during the New York City Pride.

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Sasha Kasiuha and filmed in Washington Heights in New York City in early September 2022. It premiered on YouTube on September 20, 2022. The video portrays Madonna and Tokischa caressing each other in suggestive positions and perreando between an altar. Rachel Kiley from Pride.com described it as a "raunchy romp" that leaves "very little to the imagination". The music video received "mixed" reactions from public. The song was nominated at the 2023 Premios Juventud in the category Girl Power.

## Track listings and formats

- US 2× 12" single

1. "Hung Up" (Album Version) – 5:38
2. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Vocal) – 7:57
3. "Hung Up" (Bill Hamel Remix) – 6:58
4. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Dub) – 7:57
5. "Hung Up" (Chus & Ceballos Remix) – 10:21
6. "Hung Up" (Tracy Young's Get Up And Dance Groove) – 9:03

- UK, European, French, Japanese, and Australian CD single

1. "Hung Up" (Radio Edit) – 3:23
2. "Hung Up" (Tracy Young's Get Up And Dance Groove Edit) – 4:16
3. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Vocal) – 7:57

- UK 12" single

1. "Hung Up" (Album Version) – 5:38
2. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Dub) – 7:57
3. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Vocal) – 7:57
4. "Hung Up" (Tracy Young's Get Up And Dance Groove Edit) – 4:51

- US, European, and Canadian CD Maxi-single

1. "Hung Up" (Radio Edit) – 3:23
2. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Vocal) – 7:57
3. "Hung Up" (Tracy Young's Get Up and Dance Groove Edit) – 4:15
4. "Hung Up" (Bill Hamel Remix) – 6:58
5. "Hung Up" (Chus & Ceballos Remix) – 10:21
6. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Dub) – 7:57

- Digital single

1. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Vocal Edit) – 5:58
2. "Hung Up" (Tracy Young's Get Up And Dance Groove Edit) – 4:16
3. "Hung Up" (Bill Hamel Remix Edit) – 5:00
4. "Hung Up" (Chus & Ceballos Remix Edit) – 5:01

- Digital single - DJ Version

1. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Vocal) – 7:57
2. "Hung Up" (Tracy Young's Get Up And Dance Groove) – 9:03
3. "Hung Up" (Bill Hamel Remix) – 6:59
4. "Hung Up" (Chus & Ceballos Remix) – 9:41
5. "Hung Up" (SDP Extended Dub) – 7:57

- Digital single – 2022 remix

1. "Hung Up on Tokischa" (with Tokischa) – 3:21

## Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

- Madonna – lead vocals, songwriter, producer
- Stuart Price – songwriter, producer
- Benny Andersson – songwriter
- Björn Ulvaeus – songwriter
- Giovanni Bianco – cover artwork
- Lorenzo Irico – digital imaging
- Steven Klein – photography
- Andy LeCompte – hair and makeup

## Charts

### Weekly charts

### Hung Up on Tokischa

### Year-end charts

### Decade-end charts

### All-time charts

## Certifications and sales

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## Release history

## See also

- List of number-one singles of 2005 (Australia)
- List of number-one hits of 2005 (Austria)
- List of Ultratop 50 number-one hits of 2005 (Belgium)
- List of Ultratop 40 number-one hits of 2005 (Belgium)
- List of number-one singles of 2005 (Canada)
- List of number-one songs of the 2000s (Denmark)
- List of European number-one hits of 2005
- List of number-one singles of 2005 (Finland)
- List of number-one hits of 2005 (France)
- List of number-one hits of 2005 (Germany)
- List of number-one hits of 2006 (Germany)
- List of number-one hits of 2005 (Italy)
- List of number-one singles of 2005 (Netherlands)
- List of number-one songs in Norway
- List of number-one singles of 2005 (Spain)
- List of number-one singles of 2005 (Sweden)
- List of number-one singles of the 2000s (Switzerland)
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2000s
- List of UK Dance Singles Chart number ones of 2005
- List of number-one digital songs of 2005 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance singles of 2005 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance airplay hits of 2005 (U.S.)
- List of Romanian Top 100 number ones of the 2000s
- List of Platinum singles in the United Kingdom awarded since 2000

2005 single by Madonna

Canadian Singles Chart number-one singles

European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles

Song recordings produced by Stuart Price

Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus

Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles

Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles