Too Hot
Encyclopedia
"Too Hot" is a pop
-dance
song co-written by Alanis Morissette
and Leslie Howe
, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album Alanis
(1991). It was released as the album's first single
in May 1991 (see 1991 in music
).
s, electronic keyboard
s and a guitar
, and Morissette's brothers Chad and Wade provided some of the backing vocals. In the chorus the song's protagonist tells a boy aspiring towards a goal that he's "Always too hot" and "never too cold", adding that his "best shot" is "too hot to hold"; with this in mind, she urges him to "go for gold
". The fifth chorus is sung almost a cappella
. Morissette performs the first part of each verse as a rap
, with lyrics describing the consequences of her "baby" achieving his goal. After the first chorus a man's voice says "I know you gonna dig this ... Ch-check this out", and more men's voices (one of whom addresses the "party people in the house") appear during the song's bridge
, in which the backing singers shout for the listener to nonchalantly wave their arms around in the air.
Morissette had independently released a single, "Fate Stay with Me", in 1987, but "Too Hot" became her mainstream breakthrough in Canada; it reached number fourteen on the country's singles chart, peaked within the top ten on contemporary hit radio
and contributed to the success of the album Alanis, which was certified gold during the same period. It is her most popular dance pop release, and was her biggest hit in Canada until the singles from her international debut album Jagged Little Pill
(1995). It was not released elsewhere.
At the 1992 Juno Award
s "Too Hot" received a nomination for "Single of the Year
", and the song's "Hott Shot" remix
was nominated in the category of "Best Dance Recording".
CBC
called the song "Paula Abdul
-inspired", and the Arizona Daily Wildcat
described it as "cheesy" and "poppy". "Too Hot", along with "Feel Your Love
" (another song from Alanis) and "An Emotion Away
" (from Morissette's 1992 second album Now Is the Time
), was used on the soundtrack of the 1993 film Just One of the Girls, in which Morissette appeared. She performed an acoustic
version of the song during her 2005 Jagged Little Pill Acoustic
concert tour, introducing the song with the statement "For those 16-year-old days".
intercuts scenes featuring Morissette and others dancing at night with black-and-white
footage of her loitering, flirting, streetwalking and dancing with friends during the day. The Toronto Sun
noted Morissette's "big" hair in the video.
12-inch promo
CD promo
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
song co-written by Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
and Leslie Howe
Leslie Howe
Leslie Howe is a musician and record producer born in Ontario, Canada.He has been a member of the bands Mainstream, One to One, Sal's Birdland and Artificial Joy Club, and produced Alanis Morissette's early pop music albums, Alanis and Now Is the Time .In 1986, Howe was nominated for two Juno...
, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album Alanis
Alanis (album)
Alanis is the debut album by Alanis Morissette, released only in Canada in April 1991 by MCA Records Canada . Morissette recorded the album with Leslie Howe, who produced her second album Now Is the Time , and it was certified platinum.- Background and recording :John Alexander, head of A&R for MCA...
(1991). It was released as the album's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in May 1991 (see 1991 in music
1991 in music
See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...
).
Content and history
The song is driven by drum machineDrum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s, electronic keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
s and a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and Morissette's brothers Chad and Wade provided some of the backing vocals. In the chorus the song's protagonist tells a boy aspiring towards a goal that he's "Always too hot" and "never too cold", adding that his "best shot" is "too hot to hold"; with this in mind, she urges him to "go for gold
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
". The fifth chorus is sung almost a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
. Morissette performs the first part of each verse as a rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, with lyrics describing the consequences of her "baby" achieving his goal. After the first chorus a man's voice says "I know you gonna dig this ... Ch-check this out", and more men's voices (one of whom addresses the "party people in the house") appear during the song's bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
, in which the backing singers shout for the listener to nonchalantly wave their arms around in the air.
Morissette had independently released a single, "Fate Stay with Me", in 1987, but "Too Hot" became her mainstream breakthrough in Canada; it reached number fourteen on the country's singles chart, peaked within the top ten on contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
and contributed to the success of the album Alanis, which was certified gold during the same period. It is her most popular dance pop release, and was her biggest hit in Canada until the singles from her international debut album Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
(1995). It was not released elsewhere.
At the 1992 Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s "Too Hot" received a nomination for "Single of the Year
Juno Award for Single of the Year
The Juno Award for Single of the Year has been awarded since 1974 for the best single in Canada. It has also been known as Best Single and Best Selling Single.-Best Single :...
", and the song's "Hott Shot" remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
was nominated in the category of "Best Dance Recording".
CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
called the song "Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
-inspired", and the Arizona Daily Wildcat
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The Arizona Daily Wildcat is a student newspaper serving the University of Arizona. It was founded in 1899 as the Sage Green and Silver. Previous names include Arizona Weekly Life, University Life, Arizona Life and Arizona Wildcat. Its distribution is within the university and the Tucson, Arizona...
described it as "cheesy" and "poppy". "Too Hot", along with "Feel Your Love
Feel Your Love
"Feel Your Love" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette and Leslie Howe, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album Alanis . Its protagonist tells a boy she has "got this thing" for him, and that "it's drivin' me right out of my mind ... I wanna feel your love; you know this...
" (another song from Alanis) and "An Emotion Away
An Emotion Away
"An Emotion Away" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe and Serge Côté, and produced by Howe for Morissette's second album Now Is the Time . Its protagonist tells someone who "completely took [her] heart by surprise" that "love is just an emotion away"...
" (from Morissette's 1992 second album Now Is the Time
Now Is the Time
- Credits :* Produced, engineered and mixed by Leslie Howe for Ghetto Records at Distortion Studios* Photography by Dan Seguin and Andrew LeBlanc* Design: Martin Solort* A&R direction: John Alexander- References :* RPM ....
), was used on the soundtrack of the 1993 film Just One of the Girls, in which Morissette appeared. She performed an acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
version of the song during her 2005 Jagged Little Pill Acoustic
Jagged Little Pill Acoustic
-Credits:*All lyrics written by Alanis Morissette*Music written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard*Produced by Glen Ballard*Mixed and Recorded by Bill Malina*Alanis Morissette: Vocals, Harmonica*David Levita: Guitars, Marxophone, Perapaloshka, Mandolin...
concert tour, introducing the song with the statement "For those 16-year-old days".
Music video
The single's videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
intercuts scenes featuring Morissette and others dancing at night with black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
footage of her loitering, flirting, streetwalking and dancing with friends during the day. The Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
noted Morissette's "big" hair in the video.
Track listings
Cassette single- Side A:
- "Too Hot" (album version) - 3:58
- Album sampler: "Feel Your LoveFeel Your Love"Feel Your Love" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette and Leslie Howe, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album Alanis . Its protagonist tells a boy she has "got this thing" for him, and that "it's drivin' me right out of my mind ... I wanna feel your love; you know this...
"/"Walk AwayWalk Away (Alanis Morissette song)"Walk Away" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe, Louise Reny and Frank Levin, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album Alanis . Its protagonist sends a warning to her boyfriend who "never think[s] twice before [he] break all the rules", telling him "I'll walk...
"/"Plastic"- Side B:
- "Too Hot" (Hott Shot mix) - 4:54
12-inch promo
- "Too Hot" (Hott Shot mix) - 4:54
- "Too Hot" (instrumental) - 3:58
CD promo
- "Too Hot" (album version) - 3:58
- "Too Hot" (Hott Shot mix) - 4:54
Personnel
- Produced, engineered and mixed by Leslie HoweLeslie HoweLeslie Howe is a musician and record producer born in Ontario, Canada.He has been a member of the bands Mainstream, One to One, Sal's Birdland and Artificial Joy Club, and produced Alanis Morissette's early pop music albums, Alanis and Now Is the Time .In 1986, Howe was nominated for two Juno...
for Ghetto Records - KeyboardElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
s by Serge Côté - Drum programming, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and additional keyboards by Leslie "Bud" Howe - Keyboard solo by Frank "Fish" Levin
- All vocals by Alanis Morissette
- Back-up vocals by Chad & Wade Morissette, Tyley Ross, John & Peter (The "Burn Bros."), Tom "Sloppy" Saidak, Kevin "Iceman" Little, Dan "Capt. Pin", Deane Josh Lovejoy, Sean Daley, Jenny "Frank #1" Parlier, Mr. Fish, Sal, Rick "Slick" Kumar
- Recorded at Distortion Studios in OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...