Hot n Cold

"**Hot N Cold**" is a single by pop singer Katy Perry. The song is from the album _One of the Boys_. The single was released on September 30, 2008.

The song reached number one in Canada, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Belgium (Wallonia). It climbed to the top three in the US and the top five in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

## Background

"Hot n Cold" was written by Katy Perry, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin, and produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco. It was recorded in December 2007 at studios in New York City and Hollywood, and mixed in Virginia Beach. Capitol Records set up Perry’s collaboration with Dr. Luke because they wanted more hit songs for her album _One of the Boys_. Together, they wrote both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold." At first, "Hot n Cold" was considered as the album's lead single, but they chose "I Kissed a Girl" instead.

## Music video

The video starts with Katy Perry at a wedding, about to marry her shy fiancé Alexander. She says her vows, but Alexander hesitates, making everyone nervous. Frustrated, Perry starts singing as the guests dance. Alexander runs away, and Perry chases him in a playful cat-and-mouse game. She finds him in a warehouse, where he's forced to crowd-surf while Perry performs. He escapes, only to be surrounded by Perry and a group of brides with baseball bats.

As he runs, he sees Perry everywhere—even on his phone. Finally, he's trapped by Perry, her dancers, and the brides. Just as things get intense, he blinks and finds himself back at the altar, realizing it was all a daydream. This time, he says "I do," and the crowd cheers as Perry happily runs down the aisle with him.

Perry's friends and parents appear in the video, which was filmed in Los Angeles in September 2008 and released on October 1, 2008. Directed by Alan Ferguson, it was praised for being fun and colorful and has over 1 billion views on YouTube as of November 2020.

## Reception

Alex Fletcher from _Digital Spy_ gave the song 3 out of 5 stars, saying it doesn’t quite live up to the hype but has some charm. Darren Harvey from _musicOMH_ called it an '80s-style pop song, while _ChartAttack_ described it as energetic dance-pop. On the other hand, Sal Cinquemani from _Slant Magazine_ criticized it for sounding mildly sexist. Jon Caramanica from _The New York Times_ said it lacks the passion of similar songs, and Lizzie Ennever from the _BBC_ felt it wasn’t the best choice for a single. _The Guardian_ noted it didn’t capture public attention like "I Kissed a Girl." Despite mixed reviews, the song was nominated for a Grammy but lost to Beyoncé’s "Halo."

## Usage in media

Katy Perry filmed a version of the song with Elmo from _Sesame Street_ to teach kids about opposites. It was supposed to air on December 31, 2010, but the video caused controversy because of Perry’s revealing outfit. Before it aired, _Sesame Street_ decided to cancel the segment, saying it wouldn’t be shown on TV but could still be watched on YouTube. Later, Perry joked about the situation on _Saturday Night Live_ by wearing a low-cut Elmo-themed shirt during a skit.

## Track listing

**CD Single**

1. "Hot n Cold" (Album Version) – 3:40
1. "Hot n Cold" (Instrumental) – 3:40
1. "Hot n Cold" (A Cappella) – 3:34
1. "Hot n Cold" (Rock Mix) – 3:41
1. "Hot n Cold" (Innerpartysystem Remix) – 4:40
1. "Hot n Cold" (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit) – 3:50
1. "Hot n Cold" (Manhattan Clique Radio Edit) – 3:54
1. "Hot n Cold" (Jason Nevins Radio Edit) – 3:57

## Remixes

**Almighty Mixes**
- "Hot n Cold" (Almighty 12" Anthem Mix) – 8:00
- "Hot n Cold" (Almighty 12" Anthem Instrumental) – 8:00
- "Hot n Cold" (Almighty 12" Anthem Dub) – 7:14
- "Hot n Cold" (Almighty Anthem Radio Edit) – 4:01

**Bimbo Jones Mixes**
- "Hot n Cold" (Bimbo Jones Club Mix) – 8:02
- "Hot n Cold" (Bimbo Jones Instrumental) – 8:10
- "Hot n Cold" (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit) – 3:50
- Manhattan Clique Mixes
- "Hot n Cold" (Manhattan Clique Extended Club Mix) – 4:40
- "Hot n Cold" (Manhattan Clique Radio Edit) – 3:54

**Jason Nevins Mixes**
- "Hot n Cold" (Jason Nevins Club Mix) – 7:21
- "Hot n Cold" (Jason Nevins Radio Edit) – 3:57
- Dr. Luke Mix
- "Hot n Cold" (Rock Mix) – 3:41
- Innerpartysystem Mix
- "Hot n Cold" (Innerpartysystem Remix) – 4:40
- Marsheaux Mix
- "Hot n Cold" (Marsheaux Remix) – 4:23

**Yelle Mix**
- "Hot n Cold" (Yelle Remix) – 4:07

## Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from  album liner notes.

- Katy Perry – vocals, songwriter
- Dr. Luke – producer, songwriter, programmer, bass, drums, guitar
- Max Martin – songwriter, guitars
- Benny Blanco – producer, programmer, drums
- Steven Wolf – programming
- Şerban Ghenea – mixing
- John Hanes – mix engineer
- Emily Wright – engineer
- Sam Holland – engineer
- Nick Banns – engineer
- Tatiana Gottwald – engineer
- Tina Kennedy – engineer

## Chart performance

"Hot n Cold" debuted at number 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on July 5, 2008, thanks to strong digital sales, but dropped off the next week. It re-entered the chart in August at the same spot and later peaked at number three in November, becoming Katy Perry’s second top-three hit after "I Kissed a Girl." The song stayed in the top ten for 18 weeks, longer than "I Kissed a Girl," and became her first number one on both US Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Top 40 radio charts. It remained on the Hot 100 for 39 weeks. By August 2020, it was certified eight times platinum in the US with 5.8 million copies sold, making it her sixth best-selling single there.

In Canada, it debuted at number 73 and hit number one by November, later earning nine-times platinum certification. In the UK, it reached number four and was certified double platinum. In Germany, it started at number two and spent eight weeks at number one. In Australia, it peaked at number four and went eight times platinum. The song also reached number one in the Czech Republic (for ten weeks), Denmark (double platinum), and Austria (platinum).

### Year-end charts

|scope="col"|Chart (2008)|scope="col"|Position|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|16||||
|63||||
|31||||
|103||||
|13||||
|47||||
|48||||
|25||||
|135||||
|40||||
|40||||
|23||||
|137||||
|36||||
|39||||

|scope="col"|Chart (2009)|scope="col"|Position|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|5||||
|19||||
|6||||
|35||||
|11||||
|37||||
|2||||
|2||||
|13||||
|1||||
|14||||
|46||||
|68||||
|1||||
|36||||
|35||||
|4||||
|76||||
|8||||
|25||||
|17||||
|12||||
|35||||
|scope="col"|Chart (2010)|scope="col"|Position|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|194||||
|152||||
|scope="col"|Chart (2011)|scope="col"|Position|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|128||||

|scope="col"|Chart (2024)|scope="col"|Position|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|96||||

## Certifications

|Region|Release Year|Certification Year|Certification|Sales/Shipments|Ref|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Australia|2008|2024|8× Platinum|560,000||
|Austria|2008|2008|Platinum|30,000||
|Belgium|2008|2009|Gold|—||
|Brazil|2008|2024|Diamond|250,000||
|Brazil (Rock-Version)|2008|2009|Platinum|60,000||
|Canada|2008|2024|9× Platinum|720,000||
|Denmark|2008|2009|2× Platinum|30,000||
|Finland|2008|2008|Platinum|14,579||
|France|2008|—|—|150,000||
|Germany|2008|2018|Gold|450,000||
|Italy|2008|2021|Platinum|70,000||
|New Zealand|2008|2024|3× Platinum|90,000||
|Norway|2008|2021|3× Platinum|180,000||
|Spain|2008|2024|Platinum|60,000||
|Switzerland|2008|2009|Platinum|30,000||
|United Kingdom|2008|2022|2× Platinum|1,500,000||
|United States|2008|2019|8× Platinum|8,000,000||
|Canada|2008|2009|2× Platinum|||

## Release history

|scope="col"|Region|scope="col"|Date|scope="col"|Format|scope="col"|Version|scope="col"|Label|scope="col"||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|September 9, 2008|Contemporary hit radio|rowspan="5"|Original|rowspan="3"|Capitol|style="text-align:center;"||||||
|September 29, 2008|Rhythmic contemporary radio|style="text-align:center;"||||||||||
|October 7, 2008|Hot adult contemporary radio|style="text-align:center;"||||||||||
|November 21, 2008|rowspan="2"|CD|Universal|style="text-align:center;"||||||||
|rowspan="2"|November 24, 2008|Virgin|style="text-align:center;"|||||||||
|Digital EP|Remixes|Capitol|style="text-align:center;"|||||||||
|December 14, 2008|CD|Original|EMI|style="text-align:center;"||||||||

## Infobox (song)

- **name**: Hot n Cold
- **artist**: Katy Perry
- **album**: One of the Boys (Katy Perry album), One of the Boys
- **released**: September 30, 2008
- **recorded**: 2007–08
- **length**: 3:40
- **label**: Capitol Records, Capitol
- **producer**: Dr. Luke
- **chronology**: Katy Perry singles
- **prev title**: I Kissed a Girl
- **prev year**: 2008
- **next title**: Thinking of You
- **next year**: 2009