Hot Hot Heat (1999-2016) is an indie rock band from Victoria, British Colum… Read Full Bio ↴Hot Hot Heat (1999-2016) is an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. They formed in 1999 as a synthpunk band with Matt Marnik, who eventually left the band, on lead vocals. Steve Bays (vocals and keyboards) took over lead vocals, significantly changing the band's sound. The rest of the band is currently composed of Paul Hawley (drums), Louis Hearn (bass), and Luke Paquin (guitar). Paquin (also of The Street & Babe Shadow) replaced former guitarist, Dante DeCaro (Wolf Parade/Johnny and the Moon), while Hearn recently replaced bassist Dustin Hawthorne (USA Out of Vietnam). The band's name was coined by drummer Paul Hawley.
Their first full-length CD was Scenes One Through Thirteen (2001) which comprised all of the three prior EPs released to that point. In Spring of 2002, the band released another EP entitled Knock Knock Knock, with Steve Bays taking over vocals, and Dante DeCaro adding guitars to the previously synth-heavy sound. That same year, the band entered the studio to record their second full length album, Make Up The Breakdown, for Sub-Pop Records which propelled Hot Hot Heat into greater popularity and provided the band with a strong fan-base. The video for their song "Bandages" off of Make Up the Breakdown even received rotations on channels such as MTV.
In 2005 the band released their second album, Elevator, this time with Sire Records. This was a critical time for the band, because Dante DeCaro (guitar) decided to leave Hot Hot Heat. As one of the innovators of Hot Hot Heat's sound, the band considered breaking up. Wanting to continue the band, Luke Paquin was added as DeCaro's replacement. And although Elevator was recorded with DeCaro, Paquin is featured on the album art.
In 2007, Hot Hot Heat released their third studio album, Happiness Ltd. to eagerly awaiting fans. The band decided to add new elements to their music, including an orchestra. "Vibe" is constantly used by the band to describe everything about the album.
Hot Hot Heat is currently signed with Los Angeles indie label Dangerbird Records, and released their latest album, Future Breeds, in the summer of 2010.
On April 28, 2016, Steve Bays sent an email to fans confirming that the group was disbanding . His message read:
"Dearest friends, fans and supporters (new and old),
It is with much gratitude and respect to all of you that I confirm the end of the band. I didn't want to make a big deal about it, as I can't help but think that an emotional 'final letter' might feel big-headed (and very un-Canadian)! But after reading your descriptive and heartfelt comments, I realize the importance of not leaving any of you (or ourselves, for that matter) hanging any longer, and addressing that this newest, self-titled record is the final collaborative project for Hot Hot Heat.
When people ask me why the band isn't continuing, the thought that comes to mind is that an explosive fire can only burn for so long. Hot Hot Heat felt like harnessing lightning in a bottle. There were four A-type personalities, on and off the stage, all freaking out at the same time - for years! That's what made the personality in the songwriting jump out, and the live-show chemistry so shocking. I wouldn't / couldn't have had it any other way. I love them all, and will never spend that much time that closely with anyone else. I feel like I could write a book on each one of those guys. There was so much (beautiful and crazy) personality and energy in the band... and harnessing and guiding it in the same direction for 17 years is way longer than any of us ever thought we would have. So thank you for letting us do that.
It’s not that there isn’t part of me that wants to keep going, it’s just that I don’t want to continue to the band without the same ferocity and passion. That’s not what HHH was about. It was an all-consuming all-or-nothing thing, and it wouldn’t make sense to keep going at half-speed. The desire to leave our mark on pop music was what fueled us to give up our entire lives. I feel like we made our musical statement, and are ready to move on to new creative endeavors now. Hot Hot Heat changed and molded all of us. I think we squeezed all of the crazy incredible experiences and good times we possibly could’ve out of it. 17 years is a long time, and we’re all ready to continue on with our lives, meanwhile carrying forward with us all the experiences and love that was enabled by our journey as HHH.
Although it's been a gradual crossfade from active to non-active for us, marking it as the end feels realistic at this point. It’s also a good opportunity to acknowledge our appreciation for the love and support and - to be honest - just reeeally good times we've been lucky enough to experience on and off-stage, all over the world, since we formed in a basement in 1999. From freaking people out at house parties in the early days to seeing a larger audience react to the fact that weird music was somehow getting on the radio (and people were actually supporting and encouraging it) -- even just as a fan of music, it seemed too good to be true! I could never relate to the seriousness of the mainstream music of my childhood, which seemed to default to romanticizing depression and struggle. After living through that era of music in the 90’s, it felt way more rebellious and punk rock to not be afraid to have fun and run around and dance and freak out.
We were lucky enough to hang together for years. From living in shitty punk houses where we would jam all night and put on gigs with touring bands, to touring in vans that broke down in the mountains, then barely making it in time to a 15-person house-party gig and sleeping on floors... to eventually jumping between festivals and tours in Europe, Australia, Japan, etc. like it was no big deal... It was a huge trip. And none of it would’ve been possible without the support of so many different people behind the scenes -- I hope you know that YES I am talking to YOU -- and passionate fans who always showed up and weren't afraid to leave the heaviness of the real world behind, so they could throw down and have a good time with us.
I hope that our earlier records live on, as we always tried to not be bound too closely by current trends, hoping to achieve some sense of timelessness. And I feel that this final record is no exception. It is an assimilation of all of our varying, evolving musical mantras that we’ve kept to ourselves, but stuck closely to over the years. It has all the things I would want from a HHH record. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m genuinely excited to put it out!
What started as a late-night basement experiment after Paul traded a cheap guitar for a cheap synth from his dad's bandmate, Hot Hot Heat became the most important creative endeavor of our lives. Apologies for the melodrama, but looking back, man… it's true. It was so big for us all. It was all-consuming. All day, all night. We really took our work home with us and it was so cool having support from so many people encouraging us to just keep on truckin. I’m proud of every song we ever released – they all meant something sincere to me. The Hot Hot Heat family has always been the most loyal and supportive group of people, and I never would’ve imagined in a million years that we’d gain the love that we did. I can’t believe you gave your all for so long; I’m eternally grateful.
From the nerves before going on, to the euphoria of feeling completely out-of-body onstage, to the high I felt after every show that seemed to last for weeks, I will miss being in Hot Hot Heat. I’m proud of what we did. I’m proud of the people we connected with. Together, we managed to push pop music in a different direction.
Thank you for that.
- Steve Bays
Their first full-length CD was Scenes One Through Thirteen (2001) which comprised all of the three prior EPs released to that point. In Spring of 2002, the band released another EP entitled Knock Knock Knock, with Steve Bays taking over vocals, and Dante DeCaro adding guitars to the previously synth-heavy sound. That same year, the band entered the studio to record their second full length album, Make Up The Breakdown, for Sub-Pop Records which propelled Hot Hot Heat into greater popularity and provided the band with a strong fan-base. The video for their song "Bandages" off of Make Up the Breakdown even received rotations on channels such as MTV.
In 2005 the band released their second album, Elevator, this time with Sire Records. This was a critical time for the band, because Dante DeCaro (guitar) decided to leave Hot Hot Heat. As one of the innovators of Hot Hot Heat's sound, the band considered breaking up. Wanting to continue the band, Luke Paquin was added as DeCaro's replacement. And although Elevator was recorded with DeCaro, Paquin is featured on the album art.
In 2007, Hot Hot Heat released their third studio album, Happiness Ltd. to eagerly awaiting fans. The band decided to add new elements to their music, including an orchestra. "Vibe" is constantly used by the band to describe everything about the album.
Hot Hot Heat is currently signed with Los Angeles indie label Dangerbird Records, and released their latest album, Future Breeds, in the summer of 2010.
On April 28, 2016, Steve Bays sent an email to fans confirming that the group was disbanding . His message read:
"Dearest friends, fans and supporters (new and old),
It is with much gratitude and respect to all of you that I confirm the end of the band. I didn't want to make a big deal about it, as I can't help but think that an emotional 'final letter' might feel big-headed (and very un-Canadian)! But after reading your descriptive and heartfelt comments, I realize the importance of not leaving any of you (or ourselves, for that matter) hanging any longer, and addressing that this newest, self-titled record is the final collaborative project for Hot Hot Heat.
When people ask me why the band isn't continuing, the thought that comes to mind is that an explosive fire can only burn for so long. Hot Hot Heat felt like harnessing lightning in a bottle. There were four A-type personalities, on and off the stage, all freaking out at the same time - for years! That's what made the personality in the songwriting jump out, and the live-show chemistry so shocking. I wouldn't / couldn't have had it any other way. I love them all, and will never spend that much time that closely with anyone else. I feel like I could write a book on each one of those guys. There was so much (beautiful and crazy) personality and energy in the band... and harnessing and guiding it in the same direction for 17 years is way longer than any of us ever thought we would have. So thank you for letting us do that.
It’s not that there isn’t part of me that wants to keep going, it’s just that I don’t want to continue to the band without the same ferocity and passion. That’s not what HHH was about. It was an all-consuming all-or-nothing thing, and it wouldn’t make sense to keep going at half-speed. The desire to leave our mark on pop music was what fueled us to give up our entire lives. I feel like we made our musical statement, and are ready to move on to new creative endeavors now. Hot Hot Heat changed and molded all of us. I think we squeezed all of the crazy incredible experiences and good times we possibly could’ve out of it. 17 years is a long time, and we’re all ready to continue on with our lives, meanwhile carrying forward with us all the experiences and love that was enabled by our journey as HHH.
Although it's been a gradual crossfade from active to non-active for us, marking it as the end feels realistic at this point. It’s also a good opportunity to acknowledge our appreciation for the love and support and - to be honest - just reeeally good times we've been lucky enough to experience on and off-stage, all over the world, since we formed in a basement in 1999. From freaking people out at house parties in the early days to seeing a larger audience react to the fact that weird music was somehow getting on the radio (and people were actually supporting and encouraging it) -- even just as a fan of music, it seemed too good to be true! I could never relate to the seriousness of the mainstream music of my childhood, which seemed to default to romanticizing depression and struggle. After living through that era of music in the 90’s, it felt way more rebellious and punk rock to not be afraid to have fun and run around and dance and freak out.
We were lucky enough to hang together for years. From living in shitty punk houses where we would jam all night and put on gigs with touring bands, to touring in vans that broke down in the mountains, then barely making it in time to a 15-person house-party gig and sleeping on floors... to eventually jumping between festivals and tours in Europe, Australia, Japan, etc. like it was no big deal... It was a huge trip. And none of it would’ve been possible without the support of so many different people behind the scenes -- I hope you know that YES I am talking to YOU -- and passionate fans who always showed up and weren't afraid to leave the heaviness of the real world behind, so they could throw down and have a good time with us.
I hope that our earlier records live on, as we always tried to not be bound too closely by current trends, hoping to achieve some sense of timelessness. And I feel that this final record is no exception. It is an assimilation of all of our varying, evolving musical mantras that we’ve kept to ourselves, but stuck closely to over the years. It has all the things I would want from a HHH record. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m genuinely excited to put it out!
What started as a late-night basement experiment after Paul traded a cheap guitar for a cheap synth from his dad's bandmate, Hot Hot Heat became the most important creative endeavor of our lives. Apologies for the melodrama, but looking back, man… it's true. It was so big for us all. It was all-consuming. All day, all night. We really took our work home with us and it was so cool having support from so many people encouraging us to just keep on truckin. I’m proud of every song we ever released – they all meant something sincere to me. The Hot Hot Heat family has always been the most loyal and supportive group of people, and I never would’ve imagined in a million years that we’d gain the love that we did. I can’t believe you gave your all for so long; I’m eternally grateful.
From the nerves before going on, to the euphoria of feeling completely out-of-body onstage, to the high I felt after every show that seemed to last for weeks, I will miss being in Hot Hot Heat. I’m proud of what we did. I’m proud of the people we connected with. Together, we managed to push pop music in a different direction.
Thank you for that.
- Steve Bays
Talk With Me Dance With Me
Hot Hot Heat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
Talk to me, dance with me here
In the spotlight, girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
You're the spotlight girl
So perfect you paint it, yet so manipulated
So calm and so patient, yet oh so calculated
So safe and comforting, this doesn't feel like flirting
So fun I'm distracted, forgot you keep track of it
So perfect you paint it, yet so manipulated
So calm and so patient, yeah yeah yeah
Talk to me, dance with me here
In the spotlight, girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
In the spotlight, girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
You're the spotlight girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
You're the spotlight girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
Talk to me, dance with me here
In the spotlight, girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
So perfect you paint it, yet so manipulated
So calm and so patient, yet oh so calculated
So safe and comforting, this doesn't feel like flirting
So fun I'm distracted, forgot you keep track of it
So perfect you paint it, yet so manipulated
So calm and so patient, yeah yeah yeah
Talk to me, dance with me here
In the spotlight, girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
In the spotlight, girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
You're the spotlight girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
You're the spotlight girl
Talk to me, dance with me here
The song "Talk to Me Dance With Me" by Hot Hot Heat is about the singer's interest in a girl who he considers to be his only girl, but not his owner. Throughout the song, the singer is admiring how seemingly perfect and calculated this girl is, painting herself in the perfect light and being so patient and calm. However, the singer also acknowledges that he has forgotten that she is keeping track of everything and always being in control.
The chorus of the song invites the girl to talk and dance with him in the spotlight. By doing this, they will be able to let their guard down and show their true selves. The singer in this song is fascinated with this girl, but he recognizes that she has a certain level of control over him, hence her being his "only girl" in a sense.
Overall, the song is about the excitement and allure of being with someone who seems perfect, but also about the do-it-yourself pressure that comes with putting up such a front.
Line by Line Meaning
You are my only girl, but you're not my owner girl
You are special to me, but I do not own you or your decisions.
Talk to me, dance with me here
Engage with me and let's have a good time together in this moment.
In the spotlight, girl
Let's draw attention to ourselves and enjoy the moment.
So perfect you paint it, yet so manipulated
You have a curated public persona that is not entirely authentic.
So calm and so patient, yet oh so calculated
You act calmly and patiently, but you have a motive behind your actions.
So safe and comforting, this doesn't feel like flirting
Your actions are reassuring and comfortable, but they do not feel romantic.
So fun I'm distracted, forgot you keep track of it
I am having a great time with you, and I become unaware of time or others watching us.
You're the spotlight girl
You are the subject of my attention and admiration in this moment.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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D-nise
I feel like I’m 14 years old again when I listen to this song lol...wish I can go back in 2003
raymond fernandez
Same here I was in my prime !
Max Million
Well " I feel, ...like what the songs need .....is more cow bell....."
Piero Cabrera Villar
Yes miss, wish that too!
thisguyagain 2010
2018, and this still kills.
Quality Canadian band that never got enough recognition
MrPestyDreamer
This song just popped into my head at 4am haha this song takes me back! I remember when we had it on our Journeys DVD when I first started working there! That’s crazy it was 14yr years ago!
ruolov1
It's so Crazy and it'll be 2022 in less than 6 months! Time flies by so fast!
polanco4life
the whole make up the breakdown album, SO under appreciated
youdontknowme
2021! I listened to this song when I was 8-10 and I came back to listen to it!!!
Slurp
any band that can PULL OFF a cow bell, deserves to be on the top of anyone's list.