Hot to Go!

"Hot to Go!" is a song by American singer-songwriter Chappell Roan, released on August 11, 2023, as the ninth single from her debut studio album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023). It was written by Roan and Dan Nigro, and produced by Nigro.

Background

In a press statement, Chappell Roan said of the song:

I wrote this song so I could live out my cheerleader fantasy! I just wanted to make something simple and silly that I could do with the audience because I'm a huge fan of audience participation. Also, selfishly (and shamelessly) wanted to bounce around on stage singing a song about being hot."

Composition

The instrumental of the song consists of synthesizers, while the lyrics find her teaching a dance to the song and telling her future lovers that she is ready and waiting to spend time with them. She uses her own chant: "H-O-T-T-O-G-O / Snap 'n clap 'n and touch your toes".

Critical reception

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." Kaelen Bell of Exclaim! remarked:

"HOT TO GO!" should be annoying. On first listen, it kind of is — it's got that grating, self-aware hook (or, in this case, series of hooks) that could sound like KIDZ BOP in the wrong hands. Under the care of Chappell Roan's wild-eyed pop fanaticism however, that striving energy becomes something transcendent. All those hyper-saturated, cheerleader hooks pile atop one another like a collapsing human pyramid, a flurry of skirts and flushed cheeks and pom poms and glitter. It's the kind of so-dumb-its-genius singalong pop lyric — "H-O-T-T-O-G-O / You can take me hot to go!" — that 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.

Music video

The music video was directed by Jackie! Zhou, filmed in Chappell Roan's hometown in Missouri and released alongside the single. It features appearances from her grandparents and shows her dressed in an array of glittery outfits.

Charts

References