"Hot n Cold" is a song by American singerKaty Perry from her second studio album,One of the Boys (2008). She andMax Martin co-wrote the song with its producerDr. Luke, with additional production fromBenny Blanco. The track was recorded in December 2007 at Dr. Luke's Studios and Legacy Recordings, both based inNew York City, New York, andConway Recording Studios, based inHollywood, Los Angeles. "Hot n Cold" was released as the album's second single on September 9, 2008, and was the first single to be released after the album. "Hot n Cold" is primarily apop anddance-pop record, and its lyrics address an unstable romantic relationship caused by a partner'smood swings.
"Hot n Cold" charted at number one in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Switzerland as well as the top five in Australia, Bulgaria, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It additionally was certified diamond in Brazil and Australia and multi-platinum in Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. "Hot n Cold" is one of eight songs by Perry to sell over 4 million digital copies in the US, the others being "I Kissed a Girl", "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T.", "Dark Horse" and "Roar".
"Hot n Cold" was written by Perry, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin and produced by Dr. Luke with an additional production fromBenny Blanco. It was recorded in December 2007 in three studios: Dr. Luke's Studios inNew York City, Conway Recording Studio inHollywood,California, and Legacy Recording Studios inNew York City. It was mixed in MixStar Studios inVirginia Beach.[1] The collaboration between Perry and Dr. Luke was set up by record executives atCapitol Records, who felt thatOne of the Boys was lacking an "undeniable smash or two", and the two co-wrote "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" as a result.[2] Perry revealed that the song was originally considered for release as the album's first single, before "I Kissed a Girl" was chosen.[3]
"Hot n Cold" is apop anddance-pop song which utilizesguitars andsynthesizers.[4][5][6] It has a length of three minutes and forty seconds (3:40),[7] and runs at a moderately fasttempo of 132beats per minute in the key ofG major.[8] The lyrics of the song address a lover of Perry whosemood swings are affecting the couple's relationship. The song opens with Perry confronting her former partner over his frequent changes of mind, singing "You change your mind like a girl changes clothes / Yeah youPMS / Like a bitch, I would know". In the chorus, she usesantonyms to describe her partner's mood changes, with the chorus of the song including the lines, "You're hot then you're cold / You're yes then you're no / You're in then you're out / You're up then you're down".[9]
Alex Fletcher ofDigital Spy gave the song three out of five stars, saying "this track doesn't live up to the hype surrounding its singer, but the choppy guitars and whooshing synths have a certain charm."[4] In his review formusicOMH, Darren Harvey called "Hot n Cold" a "Tiffany-style'80s pop number".[5]ChartAttack noted the "frenetic dance-pop" of the track.[6] In a less positive review, Sal Cinquemani fromSlant Magazine criticized the song, saying "Perry confusespolitical incorrectness with being subversive on tracks like 'Hot n Cold', in which she, in the process of skewering guys who change their minds 'like girls change clothes', just winds up sounding mildlysexist."[10]Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times compared the song to "U + Ur Hand" byPink, which was also produced by Dr. Luke, saying that it does not share the latter's "passion".[11] Lizzie Ennever ofBBC felt the track was not "the most single-worthy song".[12]The Guardian wrote that the song "didn't seem to capture the public's imagination" the way her previous single "I Kissed a Girl" did.[13] The song was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the52nd Annual Grammy Awards,[14] but lost toBeyoncé's "Halo".[15]
"Hot n Cold" debuted on the USBillboard Hot 100 at number 88 on the chart dated July 5, 2008, due to strong digital downloads after the album's release, falling off the chart the next week. It re-entered the Hot 100 on August 23, again at number 88. The song peaked at number three on the Hot 100 on November 22, making it her second top-three hit after "I Kissed a Girl". "Hot n Cold" was in the top ten for 18 weeks, spending more time in the top ten than Perry's previous single "I Kissed a Girl", which spent 14 weeks. The song was also a bigger radio hit than "I Kissed a Girl", becoming Perry's first number one on both USMainstream Top 40 andAdult Top 40 radio charts. It remained in the Hot 100 for a total of 39 weeks.[16] As of August 2020, "Hot n Cold" has been certified eight times platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA)[17] and sold 5.8 million copies in the United States, making it Perry's sixth best-selling single in the country.[18]
In Canada, the song debuted at number 73 and reached the number one position on the chart on November 20.[19] It was later certified nine times platinum.[20] The song peaked at number four on theUK Singles Chart on December 7,[21] and was certified double platinum.[22] "Hot n Cold" debuted on theGerman Singles Chart at number two due to strong digital download sales, before topping the chart and spending eight consecutive weeks at number one in Germany.[23] In Australia, the single debuted in the top 50, before reaching its peak at number four. It has since been certified eight times platinum in the country.[24] The song peaked at number one in the Czech Republic and spent ten consecutive weeks at the top of the chart.[25] "Hot n Cold" reached the number one position in Denmark, later being certified two-times-platinum,[26] and hit number one in Austria before being certified platinum.[27]
Perry corners Alexander leading a zebra on a leash, before he awakens from his daydream
The video begins with Perry at a wedding, about to exchange vows with her diffident fiancé Alexander (played by actor/model Alexander Francis Rodriguez). Perry says her vows, but Alexander hesitates and the church anxiously waits for him to say "I do". Perry appears frustrated and the music begins to play, with the congregation dancing as disco lights flash. Perry begins to sing the song to Alexander before he flees the altar. She pursues him, and they proceed to play acat-and-mouse game. Perry corners him in a warehouse, and Alexander is pulled into an audience and forced to crowd-surf while watching Perry perform the song on stage. He manages to escape but walks out to find Perry in her wedding dress surrounded by several other brides carrying baseball bats. Perry confronts him, but he is able to get away.
Perry and the other brides chase after him. When Alexander pulls out his phone, Perry is on the screen singing to him. He flees the warehouse and finds Perry outside wearingurban clothing, surrounded by dancers dressed similarly. When he turns around, he discovers that he has been cornered by Perry and the group of angry brides. He stumbles and the dancers surround him as he lies on the ground, before Perry approaches him leading a zebra on a leash. Alexander blinks and finds himself back at the altar in the church, revealing that the previous events were just a daydream. The priest asks him again if he accepts his vows, and this time he says "I do". The crowd in the church breaks out into cheers and sighs of relief as Perry runs victoriously down the aisle with him.
Perry's friendsJadyn Maria andShannon Woodward appear in the music video as bridesmaids, and her parents Keith and Mary Hudson also make cameos.[28][29] The video for "Hot n Cold" was recorded in Los Angeles in September 2008 and released on October 1, 2008.[30] It was directed byAlan Ferguson.Rolling Stone described the music video as "a colorful cat-and-mouse chase that's equal parts goofy and glam."[31] Capital FM wrote that the video "had us in stitches".[32] The music video reached over 1 billion views on YouTube as of November 2020.[33]
The song made its digital debut in the expansion pack of the popular video game,The Sims 2: Apartment Life, released in 2008. Perry lent her voice to record a special version of the track in "Simlish", the fictional language ofThe Sims universe. This unique rendition of the song can be heard on the in-game radio station, adding a touch of mainstream music to the Sims' everyday virtual life. The song (named the "Chick Version" specifically) was also used in a dance routine for the video gameJust Dance, which is part of themusic video game series of the same name.[41][42] The installment is specifically the first in the series, and her music would later appear in 9 more installments from the main series.
Perry filmed a performance of a version of the song with puppet characterElmo from the educational children's programSesame Street, which was intended to teach children about antonyms. The clip was originally scheduled to run during theSesame Street episode "Abby Tries & Tries Again" on December 31, 2010, however, the performance, which was uploaded toYouTube earlier, garnered controversy over the amount ofcleavage Perry had on display in the video. Before the scheduled airing,Sesame Workshop announced that after controversy over the clip, "We have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast ofSesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube."[43] Perry mocked the controversy shortly afterward in a skit during her appearance onSaturday Night Live as a musical guest, wearing an Elmo-themed shirt which showed large amounts of cleavage.[44]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
Atlanta-basedmetalcore band,Woe, Is Me covered the track for thecompilation albumPunk Goes Pop Volume 03., which was released on November 2, 2010. The song was leaked on October 6, 2010, and was officially released as a single for digital download on October 21, 2010.[173]MTV News described the band's cover as "50 percent faithful to the original and..... 50 percent punishing, metal and gravel-throated growls. It must be heard to be believed."[174] The band would later cover another Katy Perry song, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)", on the fourth volume, their cover being released as a single too.
"Hot n Cold" was covered by the Germanrockabilly cover bandThe Baseballs in 2009 from their debut albumStrike!.[175] Their cover charted in the band's home country of Germany, as well as in Finland and Switzerland.
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