Hot to Go!

2023 song by Chappell Roan
"Hot to Go!"
Single by Chappell Roan
from the album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
ReleasedAugust 11, 2023
GenreSynth-pop
Length3:04
Label
  • Island
  • Amusement
Songwriter(s)
  • Kayleigh Amstutz
  • Daniel Nigro
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

"Hot to Go!" (stylized in all caps) is a song by American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan, released on August 11, 2023, through Island Records and Amusement Records. The song was included as the ninth single from her debut studio album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023). Written by Roan and Daniel Nigro, "Hot to Go!" is a synth-pop track. 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.

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; it was seen by some as norm-defying within the mainstream music industry. "Hot to Go!" drew commercial success, charting within the top 20 of the US Billboard Hot 100, in Ireland and the United Kingdom in 2024, months after its release.

Background and writing

Refer to caption
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.

Kayleigh Amstutz, who uses the stage name Chappell Roan to honor her grandfather Dennis Chappell,[1] wrote the song two weeks before the start of her 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" at Wembley Stadium.[2] She later described the song as "like the 'Y.M.C.A.' but gayer".[6]

Composition

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

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]

Promotion

Refer to caption
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."[16] 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.[17]

Music video

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.[18][19] 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."[18] The music video itself features appearances from her grandparents,[20] with Roan acting as a "bouncy cheerleader" outside filming locations.[21] It also features appearances from local Springfield drag queens, as part of a tradition of Roan including drag queens in her performances.[22] 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."[22] 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."[23]

Live performances

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,[24] Boston,[25] Cambridge,[26] Salt Lake City,[27] San Francisco,[28] and Los Angeles throughout the months of February and March 2023.[29] 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[30] and a performance featuring drag queen Sasha Colby.[31]

Commercial performance

Almost a year after its release, "Hot to Go!" debuted on number 80 the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending June 15, 2024.[32] The song has currently peaked at number 17 on the chart dated August 17, 2024.[33] Internationally, the song peaked within the top ten in Ireland and within the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. It has received a Gold certification from Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) and a Silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Charts

Chart performance for "Hot to Go!"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[34] 30
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[35] 28
Global 200 (Billboard)[36] 22
Ireland (IRMA)[37] 10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[38] 21
Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)[39] 80
UK Singles (OCC)[40] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[41] 16
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[42] 33

Certifications

Certifications for "Hot to Go!"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[43] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for "Hot to Go!"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various August 11, 2023
[45]

References

  1. ^ Grady, Constance (July 2, 2024). "Chappell Roan spent 7 years becoming an overnight success". Vox Media. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 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.
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  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.
  9. ^ a b Daw, Stephen (August 11, 2023). "Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Tove Lo, Chappell Roan, G Flip & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  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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