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
You Owe Me an IOU
Hot Hot Heat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of taking things for granted, granted
There wasn't much for him to take
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder he'd never change
Tight fisted with his compliments
It didn't seem to bother him
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder he'd never change
And so she yelled at him
You owe me an IOU
Owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
You owe me an IOU
Owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
I know what I should get this time
She was in the habit
Of reapplying makeup, makeup
Beaten up by crocodile tears
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder she'd never change
Openly individual, cleverly traditional
She couldn't seem to makeup her mind
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder she'd never change
And so he yelled at her
You owe me an IOU
Owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
You owe me an IOU
Owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
I know what I should get this time
They were in the habit
Of taking things for granted, granted
They never quite knew what they had
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder they'd never change
And so they yelled at me out loud
You owe me an IOU
Owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
You owe me an IOU
Owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
I know what I should get
Yeah, I know what I should get this time
The lyrics to Hot Hot Heat's "You Owe Me an IOU" describe a dysfunctional relationship in which both parties take each other for granted and refuse to change. The first verse portrays the male partner as someone who is stingy with compliments and takes things for granted, while the female partner is described in the second verse as someone who is constantly reapplying makeup and unable to make up her mind. Both partners are trapped in this cycle of behavior and are constantly reminded that they will never change. The chorus, in which both partners yell at each other that they owe an IOU, is a breaking point in the relationship where they confront each other with the fact that they are not giving each other what they need.
The phrase "You owe me an IOU" is an interesting one, as it's a sort of double negative that cancels itself out. An IOU is a note acknowledging a debt, but the lyricist is essentially saying that the other person owes them the debt that they haven't paid. It's a clever way to put a twist on a familiar phrase.
Another interesting aspect of the lyrics is the way they describe the couple's behavior as "habitual." It suggests that the couple has been stuck in this cycle for a long time and that their behavior is hard to break. The use of the word "constant" also reinforces this idea, as it implies that their behavior is unchanging and unyielding.
It's also worth noting the contrast between the two verses, which describe each partner's behavior in different ways. The male partner is portrayed as aloof and dismissive, while the female partner is characterized as indecisive and emotional. This contrast adds depth to the song and suggests that neither partner is blameless.
Line by Line Meaning
He was in the habit
Of taking things for granted, granted
He regularly took things for granted.
There wasn't much for him to take
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder he'd never change
There wasn't much for him to take, and the only consistent thing was the reminder that he wouldn't change.
Tight fisted with his compliments
It didn't seem to bother him
That talk is even cheaper down in luck
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder he'd never change
He was stingy with compliments, and it didn't concern him that talk is cheap. The only steady aspect of his behavior was the reminder that he wouldn't change.
And so she yelled at him
You owe me an IOU
Owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
She yelled at him that he owed her an informal promise to repay her for something. She won't forget his debt.
She was in the habit
Of reapplying makeup, makeup
Beaten up by crocodile tears
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder she'd never change
She regularly reapplied her makeup and was victimized by fake tears. The only thing constant about her was the reminder that she wouldn't change.
Openly individual, cleverly traditional
She couldn't seem to makeup her mind
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder she'd never change
She was publicly independent, but secretly traditional, and had difficulty making decisions. The only steady aspect of her behavior was the reminder that she wouldn't change.
And so he yelled at her
You owe me an IOU
Owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
He yelled at her that she owed him an informal promise to repay him for something. He won't forget her debt.
They were in the habit
Of taking things for granted, granted
They never quite knew what they had
And the only thing constant
Was the constant reminder they'd never change
They regularly took things for granted and never fully appreciated what they had. The only fixed aspect of their behavior was the reminder that they wouldn't change.
And so they yelled at me out loud
You owe me an IOU
Owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
They yelled at me that I owed them an informal promise to repay them for something. They won't forget my debt.
I know what I should get
Yeah, I know what I should get this time
I understand what I deserve, and I won't settle for less this time.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: DANTE DECARO, DUSTIN PATRICK HAWTHORNE, PAUL HAWLEY, STEVE BAYS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jesush5625
He was in the habit of taking things for granted
Granted, there wasn't much for him to take
And the only thing constant was the constant reminder he'd never change
Tight fisted with his compliments, it didn't seem to bother him
that talk is even cheaper told in bulk
And the only thing constant was the constant reminder
He'd never change
And so she yelled at him:
You owe me an IOU - owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
You owe me an IOU - owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
I know what I should get this time
She was in the habit of reapplying makeup
Makeup eaten up by crocodile tears
And the only thing constant was the constant reminder she'd never change
Overtly individual - covertly traditional
She couldn't seem to make up her mind
And the only thing constant was the constant reminder she'd never change
And so he yelled at her:
And so she yelled at him:
You owe me an IOU - owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
You owe me an IOU - owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
I know what I should get this time
Oh... Is it real? I don't know
But, I'll act as if it is
What's our deal? I don't know
But, I'll act as if it is what I think that it is
If it is, then this might just work
They were in the habit of taking things for granted
Granted, they never quite knew what they had
And the only thing constant was the constant reminder they'd never change
And so they yelled out loud:
You owe me an IOU - owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
You owe me an IOU - owe me an IOU
You owe me an IOU
Don't think that I'll forget
I know what I should get
Yeah I know what I should get this time
@stevenwyrick6340
10 years later...and still the best baseball game ever made
@ducci33
17 years later, still the best
@oColt45o
@@ducci33 Aaaaand stillllll.
@captainsquiggs
Shit. Which one was it? It's been so long.
@SwitcherooU
@@captainsquiggs MVP 2005
@2311Orlando
Still the best!!
@rheactingproductions1316
The fact that Dylan’s vids has more than the actual song-
@arpitsrivstva
yes ikr, its so like whoaaa!!!
@Cupycak3s
O'Brien!!!!!!
@feon8790
Hahaha true