Paint the Town Red (Doja Cat song)
"Paint the Town Red" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat from her fourth studio album, Scarlet (2023). It was released on August 4, 2023, through Kemosabe and RCA Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Doja Cat and produced by Earl on the Beat, Rubin, Jean-Baptiste, and DJ Replay. The track samples Dionne Warwick's song "Walk On By" (1964).[1] In the lyrics, the rapper dismisses her critics and asserts her own identity following arguments with fans on social media.
"Paint the Town Red"
August 4, 2023
January 2023
- 3:51 (album version)
- 3:27 (radio edit)
- Burt Bacharach
- Hal David
- Isaac Earl Bynum
- Jean-Baptiste Kouame
- Karl Rubin
- Ryan Buendia
- Earl on the Beat
- Rubin
- Jean-Baptiste
- DJ Replay
"Paint the Town Red" topped the charts in 19 countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the United Kingdom, it became the first solo song by a female rapper to top the UK Singles Chart, and in the United States, it became Doja Cat's second single, and first as a solo artist, to top the Billboard Hot 100. It reached the top five as well in over 10 countries. "Paint the Town Red" made history by becoming the first solo female rap song in Spotify history to top the platform's Global and US Top 50 chart[2] and the fastest solo female rap song to amass 100 million streams.[3]
The song received a nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Pop Solo Performance. It was voted in at number one on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2023.[4]
Background and composition[edit]
A 2-second preview of the song was shared by Doja Cat on April 17, 2023, along with other tracks from her upcoming album.[5] Doja would tease the song by continuously using the blood drop emoji, as well as putting a red filter over thumbnails of her previous music videos and album covers.[6] She played the song in full length on July 18, while painting a white canvas in red. The painting would later turn out to be the single cover.[7]
"Pain the Town Red" is a boom bap song.[8] Upon release, the lyrics were interpreted by some as a reference to her previous behavior on social media, including the disapproval of a name used by a significant amount of her fanbase, and the subsequent arguments she had with some of them, in the weeks leading up to the release.[9] Sampling the Dionne Warwick hit "Walk On By", the song is backed by a "bouncy production" that sees Doja Cat rapping over a "subtly brassy, finger snap-laden beat", constituting an "contrast to the comparatively laid-back “Attention”".[10]
Music video[edit]
An accompanying music video was released on August 4, 2023, and was directed by Nina McNeely.[25] It features Doja Cat peeling out her eyeball which then falls into hell. Doja is later seen keeping company with death and Satan. Other scenes show her throwing bloody chunks of meat and riding on a green creature through the sky.[7]
Live performances[edit]
Doja Cat performed "Paint the Town Red" for the first time at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards as part of a medley with the tracks "Attention" and "Demons". The performance featured the singer dressed in a grey suit and glasses, and "trailed by blood-soaked dancers". Writers praised the performance as one of the best moments of the night and compared Doja's "preppy" outfit to those worn by Joan Cusack in School of Rock and Britney Spears in the "...Baby One More Time" music video.[26][27][28]
In popular media[edit]
On November 1, 2023, "Paint the Town Red" would be used in a video on social media by All Elite Wrestling to promote their women's division, with wrestlers including Toni Storm, Hikaru Shida, Saraya, and Kris Statlander appearing.[29]