Wikipedia

Hot to Go!

"Hot to Go!" is a song by the American singer and songwriter Chappell Roan, from her debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023). It was released through Island Records and Amusement Records on August 11, 2023, as the album's seventh and final single. She co-wrote the track with its producer Dan Nigro. "Hot to Go!" is a synth-pop track that takes influence from new wave in its instrumentation and vocal inflections. Described as a queer cheer song similar to the Village People's "Y.M.C.A.", it was inspired by Roan's childhood dream of wanting to become a cheerleader.

"Hot to Go!"
The cover artwork of "Hot to Go!". The cover features Roan in a yellow and purple outfit posing as an American diner worker, serving a tray of food.
Single by Chappell Roan
from the album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
ReleasedAugust 11, 2023
Recorded2023
Genre
Length3:04
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nigro
Chappell Roan singles chronology
"Red Wine Supernova"
(2023) 		"Hot to Go!"
(2023) 		"Good Luck, Babe!"
(2024)
Music video
"Hot to Go!" on YouTube
Audio sample

The song enjoyed acclaim amidst its release for its musical composition and its story, which describes a woman wishing to have sex with another woman of interest. Its accompanying dance, which consists of spelling out the song's title using a person's arms, went viral on social media, with videos of large festival crowds performing it. It was seen by some as norm-defying within the mainstream music industry. "Hot to Go!" drew commercial success months after its release, charting within the top ten of the charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom as well as the top 20 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

The song became a sleeper hit in 2024, as one of Roan's seven simultaneously charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100, along with "Good Luck, Babe!", "Casual", "Red Wine Supernova", "Pink Pony Club", "Femininomenon", and "My Kink Is Karma".[1]

Background and writing

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The activity of cheerleading is a main theme in "Hot to Go!", with Roan stating that the song was made to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a cheerleader.

Chappell Roan wrote the song two weeks before the start of her 2023 Naked in North America Tour.[2] She expressed that she intended for the song to be "silly" to satisfy her inner child, stating to Capital Buzz that satisfying her inner child included "wan[ting] to play dress up all the time and dance and be obnoxious."[3] In an interview with Vanity Fair, Roan stated that she wrote the song to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a cheerleader, basing the song off an American high school cheerleader chant. Roan stated that she did not apply to become a cheerleader during her high school years because "I always thought they were just so cool and so hot... they were just so sassy at my school. I never had the confidence to try out... I didn't belong."[4] Roan, who describes herself as a "huge fan of audience participation",[5] was also inspired by a video of a Queen performance of "Radio Ga Ga" during Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, London.[2] She later described the song as "like the 'Y.M.C.A.' but gayer".[6]

Composition

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In an analysis by The Line of Best Fit's Sam Franzini, "Hot to Go!" describes the story of Roan "serv[ing] herself up on a platter, happy to be feasted upon and even relishing the opportunity to be lusted after... simulating the mind-bending obsession one can submit to in the presence of a hot person."[7] The instrumental of the song consists of synthesizers,[8] with the lyrics teaching a dance to the song and telling her future lovers that she is ready and waiting to spend time with them.[9] Despite the song being about how "I want[ed] people to call me hot" according to Roan, she stated that outside of her stage name, "I still don't want to be called hot. It's so weird... people take it literally. It manifests in ways of, I feel really uncomfortable watching sex scenes."[10]

Critical reception

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The song drew largely positive reactions. Stephen Daw of Billboard wrote Chappell Roan "offers up a great impression of a cheer captain" and described the song as "fun", "camp", and "exactly the kind of jam that will have you dancing along in no time."[9] Exclaim!'s Kaelen Bell stated that while on first listen it was "annoying", they admitted that the lyrics were "so-dumb-its-genius... you can't believe hasn't been done before, sung with in-the-red commitment by a songwriter with a clear understanding that the joy of pop music is in its full-blooded surrender to ecstasy and excess."[11] A review from Dork stated that the song represented "Roan’s knack for creating engaging, movement-inducing pop."[12] NME's Hannah Myrlea described the song's chorus as "bratty" and made comparisons to Olivia Rodrigo's "Bad Idea Right?".[13] DIY's Otis Robinson wrote that the song was able to "infus[e] teen melodrama with queer euphoria to throw confetti in the face of heteronormativity."[14] Autostraddle's Em Win declared the song as a "queerleader anthem".[15]

Critics' Year-End rankings of "HOT TO GO!"
Publication List Rank Ref.
Cosmopolitan The Best Songs of 2024 1 [16]

Promotion

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Parts of the music video for "Hot to Go!" were filmed at the Gillioz Theatre, a landmark in Springfield, Missouri.

To promote the song, Roan created an accompanying dance for the song's chorus, spelling out the letters of the song's title with a person's arms; similar to the Village People's "Y.M.C.A."[17] Roan also appeared in promotional posters featuring a phone number; according to Emily Bloch of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the number led to a Balkamp product distribution call center.[18]

Music video

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Along with the song's official release, an accompanying music video was released on the same day. It was directed by Jackie! Zhou, and was filmed in various locations around the city of Springfield, Missouri.[19][20] In an interview given out by Zhou, she described filming as a challenge; particularly because at the same time, Roan was filming a documentary. She stated that "I have to give her the deepest props... it's so hard to go from talking about your duality as an artist... and then being like 'Hot to Go!'... and she's amazing."[19] The music video itself features appearances from her grandparents,[21] with Roan acting as a "bouncy cheerleader" outside filming locations.[22] It also features appearances from local Springfield drag queens, as part of a tradition of Roan including drag queens in her performances.[23] In an analysis by Giselle Libby, they wrote that the music video expresses Roan's "cheerleader fantasy" with a "personal twist", with the video providing a "snapshot of [Roan's] past and present lives, granting fans a deeper look into where she came from and how it impacts her artistry today."[23] Vogue's Alex Jhamb Burns wrote that while Roan currently resides in Los Angeles, the addition of her "groov[ing] around a gas station in a cheerleader’s uniform and mini-golfs in heels" in Springfield displayed that "she hasn’t forgotten her roots."[24]

Live performances

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Roan sang "Hot to Go!" as an unreleased single numerous times in live performances. She first sang the song at a Phoenix, Arizona, concert on February 15, 2023, as part of her Naked in North America tour.[6] She continued to sing the song throughout the tour, including in performances in Austin,[25] Boston,[26] Cambridge,[27] Salt Lake City,[28] San Francisco,[29] and Los Angeles throughout the months of February and March 2023.[30] After the song's official release, she performed the song as part of her Midwest Princess Tour, including performances as the opener for Olivia Rodrigo[31] and a performance featuring drag queen Sasha Colby.[32] On August 11th, 2024, 1 year after the song's release, she performed the song live at Outside Lands Festival, wearing her costume from the song's music video to celebrate its anniversary.[33] A clip of Roan chastising the VIP crowd members for their lack of participation went viral, with Roan jokingly saying, "It's so weird that VIP thinks they're so way too cool to do this!" and yelling "You're no fun!" before starting the song.[34] 10 days later on August 21st, Roan surprised the crowd at longtime friend Rodrigo's GUTS World Tour stop in Los Angeles with a duet performance of the song, featuring Rodrigo.[35]

Accolades

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Awards and nominations for "Hot to Go!"
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
MTV Video Music Awards 2024 Best Trending Video Nominated [36]

Commercial performance

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Almost a year after its release, "Hot to Go!" debuted at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending June 15, 2024.[37] The song has currently peaked at number 15 on the chart dated October 5, 2024.[38] Internationally, the song peaked within the top ten in Ireland and the United Kingdom.[39][40] It has received Platinum certification from Music Canada[41] and gold certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),[42] Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ)[43] and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[44]

Impact

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The song was parodied in the seventh episode of the fiftieth season of Saturday Night Live, sung by Charli XCX, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and Sarah Sherman.[45] The week prior, on November 9, former SNL cast member Will Forte, alongside musician and parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic, performed a cover of "Hot to Go!" during that year's Thundergong! benefit concert.[46] The song's dance went viral on social media, concurrent with her sudden rise in notoriety, in some part due to aerial videos of large music festival crowds performing the dance during her concerts.[47] The song also spawned the viral meme "I hope she plays Hot To Go", with Roan and artist Olivia Rodrigo recreating it due to its popularity, posting it on Rodrigo's official TikTok page after a surprise performance of the song in Los Angeles on Rodrigo's GUTS World Tour.[48]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Hot to Go!"
Chart (2024–2025) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[49] 19
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[50] 19
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[51] 20
Croatia (HRT)[52] 32
Global 200 (Billboard)[53] 17
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[54] 30
Ireland (IRMA)[39] 5
Lithuania Airplay (TopHit)[55] 144
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[56] 17
Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)[57] 55
UK Singles (OCC)[58] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[38] 15
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[59] 27
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[60] 11
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[61] 9

Year-end charts

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2024 year-end chart performance for "Hot To Go!"
Chart (2024) Position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[62] 61
US Billboard Hot 100[63] 53

Certifications

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Certifications for "Hot to Go!"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[41] Platinum 80,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[43] Platinum 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[42] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release history and formats for "Hot to Go!"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various August 11, 2023
[64]
United States August 13, 2024 Contemporary hit radio [65]

References

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  1. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (August 14, 2024). "Is Chappell Roan About to Catch Up to Taylor Swift on the Billboard 200?". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Dodson, P. Claire (March 9, 2023). "Underneath Chappell Roan's Hannah Montana Wig? A Pop Star for the Ages". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  3. ^ Prance, Sam (July 10, 2024). "Chappell Roan Reveals The Actual Meaning Behind Her 'Hot To Go!' Lyrics". Capital Buzz. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  4. ^ Fromson, Audrey (September 18, 2023). "Chappell Roan on Making Pop Music and Giving Back". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  5. ^ Lindert, Hattie (August 11, 2023). "Chappell Roan Shares Video for New Song "Hot to Go!": Watch". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Ashburn, Austin (February 23, 2023). "Pop Crave Exclusive: Chappell Roan Interview". Pop Crave. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
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  8. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (August 11, 2023). "Chappell Roan's New Single and Video 'Hot to Go!' Is an Enthusiastic Anthem About 'Being Hot'". Uproxx. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
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  10. ^ Alter, Rebecca (August 2, 2023). "Chappell Roan Just Wants to Be Hannah Montana". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
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  65. ^ "A Recap of Radio Add Recaps". Hits. August 13, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
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