Corbin Bleu, Push It to the Limit | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 50^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2025), we highlight “Push It to the Limit” performed by Corbin Bleu.

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  It is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, that ONE hit earned them recognition. So, in the 50^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2025), we dive into “Push It to the Limit”, the one-hit wonder by Corbin Bleu.

Ooh, indeed, Corbin Bleu (b. 1989), you former teen heartthrob!  The actor and singer is all grown up (just a couple of years younger than me), but he’s still quite handsome.  He landed a pop hit with “Push It to the Limit”, the 12^th and final track from his 2007 album, Another Side. Robbie Nevil and Matthew Gerrard penned the single, while Gerrard also produced it.  While Bleu charted six songs on the pop charts, including two top 40 hits associated with High School Musical and High School Musical 2, “Push It” is his only pop hit as a solo artist. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

 

There is a lot to like about “Push It to the Limit.” It begins with the sleek production work. The backdrop incorporates colorful, dramatic, and rhythmic synths (including assertive horns) and a banging beat. Contributing to the excitement and intensity of this one-hit wonder is the dark, minor key. Corbin Blue brings plenty of personality to the track, at least as a then-teenage Disney actor and pop star.  His vocal performance is energetic, fun, playful, and all in all, well-rounded.  The verses pack a punch (“Can’t worry ‘bout what other people might say / It’s who I am, gotta live my dream my own way”), but the crème de la crème are the pre-chorus and chorus sections.  Here, the listener is bestowed the most memorable lyrics and tuneful melodies.  “Work, work it harder / Gotta take it farther,” he sings in the pre-chorus, and adds, “Work, work together / It’s now or never / Show ‘em how we shine.” Specifically referencing the chorus, hear it once, and you’ll never be able to get it out of your head!

“Push it, push it, to the limit, limit

‘Cause we’re in it to win it, in it to win it

Oh, yeah

Push it, push it, to the limit, limit

Give it all we can give it

We’re in it to win it

Oh, yeah.”

Woo! Another notable section is the bridge, which distinguishes itself from the rest of the song, keeping “Push It to the Limit” engaging (“Gotta work it now, work it out”).  The drum break, during the closing chorus section, is also the sugar, honey, iced tea. Is “Push It to the Limit” bubblegum central? Of course it is – it’s teen pop! But this is a well-performed, well-produced teen-pop bop that earned Bleu a pop hit. Get it, Corbin!

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Corbin Bleu » Another Side » Hollywood » 2007

Corbin Bleu, Push It to the Limit: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 50 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Hollywood; Antoni Shkraba, KoolShooters, Pavel Danilyuk, Photo By: Kaboompics.com, RDNE Stock project from Pexels; AcatXIo, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

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