IS INTERACTIVE CHOREO THE OG CATALYST FOR VIRAL MUSIC?
From Chappell Roan's HOT TO GO!, to the Macarena, the YMCA, Gangnam Style, and more...
Pop culture was blessed with a notable full-circle moment this week as we saw Olivia Rodrigo bring out Chappell Roan at her show at Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Roan, who famously opened for Rodrigo during her previous tour, has risen to fame with hit songs like Hot To Go, as seen performed by the duo on the recent tour date.
Seeing the crowd respond (lose their shit) pushed us into full interrogation mode, wanting to figure out the ~ special sauce ~ that makes a song such a hit. After all, Roan’s repertoire is *so* consistently incredible, but Hot To Go really connects with fans on a DEEP, near-spiritual level. Why??
Image credit: HuffPost UK
H-O-T T-O G-O, YOU CAN TAKE ME HOT TO GO!
The simple line that makes a crowd of thousands move in unison, mirroring Roan’s sparkly figure as she gestures each letter with her arms to the rhythm of the song.
Although Chappell Roan’s HOT TO GO! is my favorite reference, interactive choreography is certainly no stranger to music. My first memory of the phenomenon brings me to attending weddings at the community hall as a child, doing the Chicken Dance under shitty disco lights with relatives too drunk to really follow through with the movements. Everything about it was so cheesy from the meaningless, overtly simple lyrics to the annoying repetitiveness of the beat, down to the cringe choreo. It was cheap and low-culture, but fun. Those are all things fully embraced by pop culture’s early adopters (AKA the girls that get it) and queers like me.
