"Hot" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne and the third single from her third studio album, The Best Damn Thing (2007). The song was written by Lavigne and Evan Taubenfeld, and produced by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald. A pop rockballad, the song talks about Lavigne's feelings about a boyfriend, who makes her "hot". The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its "old-style" vibe and its anthemic nature.
Commercially, the song was more successful in Australia, Canada and a few European countries, while it was a commercial disappointment in the United States. Lavigne performed the song at the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards, American Music Awards, on The Friday Night Project and many more. The music video directed by Matthew Rolston shows Lavigne in a more "sexy" way, with a "1920s burlesque" theme.
Background and release
After the success of her debut album, Let Go (2002), Lavigne released her second album, Under My Skin (2004), which debuted at number one in more than ten countries and went platinum within one month.[1] She spent the majority of 2006 working on her third album, enlisting blink-182 drummer Travis Barker to play drums, and cherry-picking a variety of producers (such as her then-spouse Deryck Whibley) to helm the recording sessions.[1] One of the songs in the album, "Hot", was produced by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, and co-written by Lavigne and Evan Taubenfeld.[2][3] Lavigne described the album as "really fast, fun, young, bratty, aggressive, confident, cocky in a playful way."[4]
The album, named The Best Damn Thing, released on April 17, 2007;[5] "Hot" is the seventh song on the albums track list.[2] The first two singles from the album, "Girlfriend" and "When You're Gone", released throughout 2007.[6] With "Girlfriend" in particular, Lavigne was accused of plagiarizing a song by Chantal Kreviazuk when writing the song, which she denied and continued releasing music from the album.[7] In October, she released "Hot" as the third single from The Best Damn Thing.[8][6]
Composition and lyrics
"Hot" is a pop rock ballad,[9] that contains new wave verses,[8] as well as a "punchy" chorus,[9] where Lavigne proclaims her lover's sweetness. In the chorus, Lavigne sings, "You make me so hot/You make me wanna drop."[10] The song structurally takes a dramatic turn during the bridge in which she drops the persona of being crazy in love to candidly tell her lover how real and raw her emotions are, aside from the public display, "Kiss me gently, always, I know, hold me, love me, don't ever go," she sings softly.[11]
Critical reception
"Hot" was praised by critics. Darryl Sterdan of Jam! wrote that the song is "more old-style Avril—except for the steamy Alanis-style lyrics."[9] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly commented that while listening to the "sputtering chorus" of Hot kick in and smooth out, it's as if she and her Let Go team, The Matrix, never broke up. [12] Theon Weber of Stylus Magazine praised its "refined orgasm",[13] while Fraser McAlpine of BBC Music praised its "nice new-wave verses, nice enormous chorus", calling it "anthemic and suits Avril's adenoidal rasp rather well."[8] Alex Nunn of musicOMH noted that "Hot" is "one of the albums' three standout tracks", writing that "it really comes as little surprise to see his name attached to the albums best moments."[14] Eric R. Danton of Connecticut Music called it "gushy power-ballad,"[15] while Lauren Murphy of Entertainment.ie named it "a well-produced, radio friendly tune that chugs perkily along without being irritating"[16] and Danny R. Phillips of Hybrid Magazine called it a "heartfelt song."[17]
Commercial performance
The song was a commercial disappointment in the United States,[18] debuting and peaking at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[19] and fell off the chart the following week, becoming Avril's second weakest single in the U.S. to date. As of July 2013, "Hot" had sold 490,000 digital copies in the US.[20] In Canada, the song proved to be successful, debuting at number 87[21] and peaking at number 10,[22] remaining in its peak position for three consecutive weeks.[23] In Australia, the single was a moderate success, debuting at number 42, on November 25, 2007, and peaking at number 14, on December 30, 2007, also remaining for three non-consecutive weeks at the peak position.[24] In Austria, "Hot" became her ninth top-twenty single[25] and in New Zealand, it managed to reach the top-forty.[26] In the United Kingdom, "Hot" peaked at number 30, becoming her lowest-charting single there.[27]
Music video
The music video for "Hot" was directed by Matthew Rolston and shot at the Beacon Hotel in Jersey City, New Jersey, during the first weekend of September 2007. The video was shot in Murdoch Hall, which also was used in several movies, including "Annie" and "Quiz Show". According to the press release, the video had a "1920s burlesque" theme, complete with girls in fishnets. "Ms. Lavigne had two personal masseuses tending to her during the shoot," the press release said.[28] It premiered on Yahoo! Music, VIVA and MTV. The "Hot" music video debuted at No. 1 in Spain in its first week on the video download chart and reached No. 1 on the Australian iTunes music video chart too.[29]
Synopsis
The video mirrors the lyrical meaning of the song in many ways. The video begins with Lavigne, semi-disguised in a wig, making a grand entrance into a club in a black dress, with photographers and fans alike surrounding her. During the first verse she is seen in a dark, seductive outfit with very heavy makeup. In the chorus Lavigne is seen in a shiny, green corset preparing for what seems to be a rocker show. As such, she releases her emotions only when she's dressed the most revealingly and strongly. For the second chorus Lavigne makes her way on stage and continues to sing. During the song's bridge, in which Lavigne candidly reveals her raw feelings – about his love and kiss – Lavigne is dressed in a normal, plain outfit.
^Hot (European CD single liner notes). Avril Lavigne. RCA Records. 2007. 88697 17036 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Hot (Taiwan CD single liner notes). Avril Lavigne. RCA Records. 2007. 88697 17036 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Hot (Australian CD single liner notes). Avril Lavigne. RCA Records. 2007. 88697182382.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Hot (Japanese CD single liner notes). Avril Lavigne. RCA Records. 2007. BVCP-29927.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 07. týden 2008 in the date selector. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
