Hotter Than Hell

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Lore & Background

In 2013, Dua Lipa met Ben Mawson and Ed Millett of Tap Management while holding meetings with other management companies. After recognising her talent, Mawson and Millett set up writing sessions for her, during which "Hotter than Hell" was written. The song was written by Lipa alongside Adam Midgley, Tommy Baxter and Gerard O'Connell of English electronic band Ritual. The writing began with just keys and a kick drum, with no production behind it. Lipa was inspired by her relationship with her first boyfriend, where he made her feel like she was not good enough. Lipa originally intended to scrap the song after struggling to figure out the chorus. However, she began scrolling through Tumblr where she saw the words "Hotter than Hell" written in red on a black background. She then thought, "What if he thought I was hotter than hell, and I just didn't want him?" The collaborators then changed the meaning as if Lipa had the upper hand and her boyfriend could not get enough of her. Lipa stated that writing the song was "very therapeutic" for her. "Hotter than Hell" was recorded at KasaKoz Studios in Toronto with the vocals being recorded at TaP Studio / Strongroom 7 in London. Serban Ghenea mixed the song at Virginia Beach, Virginia's MixStar Studios while the song was mastered at Metropolis Studios in London by John Davis. It was one of the first songs written for Lipa's debut album. It dictated what the rest of the album would sound like and how she figured out her dark pop genre. The song was produced by Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk with additional production from Jay Reynolds. After hearing the song in 2014, Warner Bros. Records signed Lipa to a recording contract.

In Their Own Story

Musically, "Hotter than Hell" is a dance-pop, electropop and tropical house song, with disco and R&B-house elements. The song runs for 3 minutes and 7 seconds, and is constructed in verse–chorus form. It is composed in 4/4 time and the key of E♭ minor, with a pop dance tempo of 110 beats per minute and a chord progression of A♭m–B–E♭m–D♭. The song has hip hop-influenced verses and pop choruses with a beat drop. The first verse references the Arctic Monkeys' "505", where Lipa sings "you probably still adore me with my hands around your neck." Driven by marimbas and synthesizers, the production includes handclaps, light bongo taps, steel-drum synth jabs, church organs, and a beat that spans house, pop and tropical genres, created using a caribbean drum. Lipa uses raspy alto vocals, spanning from E3 to D5. "Hotter than Hell" has themes of empowerment and heartache. In the lyrics, Lipa channels a boyfriend who made her feel as if she was not good enough. She taunts him while he cannot resist her love, and takes revenge for his actions, all while looking hotter than hell. The lyrics feature religious undertones. In the chorus, the singer uses hell as a metaphor to describe being away from her lover and the metaphor of heaven to describe the pleasure she gives him.

Reader's Guide

Lipa first mentioned the song in December 2015 during an interview with Coup De Main Magazine, in which she called it her favourite song she'd written. Lipa announced that the song would serve as the fourth single from Dua Lipa during a BBC interview in February 2016. "Hotter than Hell" was released for digital download and streaming on 6 May 2016, through Lipa's independent record label, Dua Lipa Limited. It was sent for radio airplay in Italy on 10 June 2016. The song was promoted to contemporary hit radio formats in the United States on 3 August 2016 as a promotional single. A remix by Matoma was released on 23 June 2016. It appears on the 24 June 2016-released, Austrian, German and Swiss-exclusive remix extended play (EP), which also includes remixes by Vimalavong, Carsten Fietz, Miike Snow, Jack Wins and Shadow Child. A live version of the song appears on Lipa's Spotify Sessions EP, which was released on 8 July 2016. A worldwide remix EP with the Miike Snow, Jack Wins, Shadow Child and Vimalavong remixes, as well as one by Carsten Fietz was released on 18 July 2016. The Miike Snow remix slows down the tempo and warps its melody, as well as including a disco groove. "Hotter than Hell" later appeared as the third track on both Lipa's 21 April 2017-released The Only EP as well as her eponymous debut studio album, released on 2 June 2017. The Miike Snow remix also appears on the Japanese edition of the album as well as the Japanese edition of the album's 2018 reissue, Dua Lipa: Complete Edition, as the 18th track on both. In the United Kingdom, "Hotter than Hell" debuted at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart dated 13 May 2016, becoming Lipa's first entry on the chart. In its eighth week, the song rose to a peak of number 15, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks. The song spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart. It was the most played song on BBC Radio 1 for four consecutive weeks and became the biggest mover at commercial UK radio. In May 2018, it was awarded a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for track-equivalent sales of 600,000 units in the United Kingdom. The song reached number 24 in Ireland and 6 in Scotland. In the Netherlands, "Hotter than Hell" was certified platinum by the Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld – en geluidsdragers (NVPI) for 40,000 track-equivalent unit sales. The song spent a week on the country's Single Tip chart before spending 20 weeks on the Dutch Single Top 100 chart and peaking at number 32.

Did You Know?

• The song was inspired by a Tumblr post where Lipa saw the words 'Hotter than Hell' written in red on a black background.
• Lipa originally intended to scrap the song after struggling to figure out the chorus, but the Tumblr post changed her direction.
• The first verse of the song references the Arctic Monkeys' song '505' with the lyric 'you probably still adore me with my hands around your neck.'
• After hearing the song in 2014, Warner Bros. Records signed Lipa to a recording contract.
• The song was the most played track on BBC Radio 1 for four consecutive weeks.