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

 "Hot n Cold" (Album Version) – 3:40
 "Hot n Cold" (Instrumental) – 3:40
 "Hot n Cold" (A Cappella) – 3:34
 "Hot n Cold" (Rock Mix) – 3:41
 "Hot n Cold" (Innerpartysystem Remix) – 4:40
 "Hot n Cold" (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit) – 3:50
 "Hot n Cold" (Manhattan Clique Radio Edit) – 3:54
 "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 ''One of the Boys'' 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).

 Charts 

Weekly charts
+ Weekly chart performance for "Hot n Cold" Chart (2008–2015) Peakposition

Year-end charts
+2008 year-end chart performance for "Hot n Cold"Chart (2008)PositionAustralia (ARIA)16Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)63Canada (Canadian Hot 100)31CIS (TopHit) 103Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)13Germany (Media Control GfK)47Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)48New Zealand (RIANZ)25 Russia Airplay (TopHit)135Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)40Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)40UK Singles (OCC)23Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)137US Billboard Hot 10036US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)39

+ 2009 year-end chart performance for "Hot n Cold"Chart (2009)PositionAustria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)5Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)19Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)6CIS (TopHit)35Canada (Canadian Hot 100)11Croatia International Airplay (HRT)37Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)2Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)2Germany (Media Control GfK)13Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)1Italy (FIMI)14Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)46Netherlands (Single Top 100)68Romania (Romanian Top 100)1Russia Airplay (TopHit)36Spain (PROMUSICAE)35Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)4UK Singles (OCC)76Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)8US Billboard Hot 10025US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)17US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)12US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)35
+2010 year-end chart performance for "Hot n Cold"Chart (2010)PositionRussia Airplay (TopHit)194Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)152
+2011 year-end chart performance for "Hot n Cold"Chart (2011)Position Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) 128

+2024 year-end chart performance for "Hot n Cold"Chart (2024)PositionHungary (Rádiós Top 40) 96

 Certifications 
RegionRelease YearCertification YearCertificationSales/ShipmentsRefAustralia200820248× Platinum560,000Austria20082008Platinum30,000Belgium20082009Gold—Brazil20082024Diamond250,000Brazil (Rock-Version)20082009Platinum60,000Canada200820249× Platinum720,000Denmark200820092× Platinum30,000Finland20082008Platinum14,579France2008——150,000Germany20082018Gold450,000Italy20082021Platinum70,000New Zealand200820243× Platinum90,000Norway200820213× Platinum180,000Spain20082024Platinum60,000Switzerland20082009Platinum30,000United Kingdom200820222× Platinum1,500,000United States200820198× Platinum8,000,000RingtoneCanada200820092× Platinum

 Release history 
+Release dates and formats for "Hot n Cold"RegionDateFormatVersionLabelUnited StatesSeptember 9, 2008Contemporary hit radioOriginalCapitolSeptember 29, 2008Rhythmic contemporary radioOctober 7, 2008Hot adult contemporary radioGermanyNovember 21, 2008CDUniversalUnited KingdomNovember 24, 2008VirginVariousDigital EPRemixesCapitolFranceDecember 14, 2008CDOriginalEMI

 References 

Category:2008 songs
Category:Katy Perry songs
Category:Dance-pop songs