Doja Cat “Paint the Town Red” hit #1

Paint the Town Red Doja Cat

Writer(s): Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Isaac Earl Bynum, Jean-Baptiste Kouame, Karl Rubin, Ryan Buendia (see lyrics here) Released: August 4, 2023 First Charted: August 19, 2023 Peak: 13 BB, 11 BA, 12 DG, 11 ST, 31 A40, 18 RB, 15 UK, 16 CN, 110 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.6 UK, 2.68 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 360.10 video, 1202.18 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, better known as Doja Cat, is a rapper and singer born in Los Angeles in 1995. Her 2018 debut, Amala, stalled at #138 on the album chart, but her next two albums were top-ten, double-platinum releases. She also landed a #1 hit in with “Say So” from her Hot Pink album and three more top tens from 2021’s Planet Her. Her fourth album, 2023’s Scarlet, gave Doja Cat her second #1 song with “Paint the Town Red.” In addition to topping the charts in the United States, the song soared to the top of the charts in 18 other charts. It became the fastest song by a solo female rapper to reach 100 million streams on Spotify. WK The song also received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance. The “pop-rap track with a jazz-influenced beat” WK samples Dionne Warwick’s 1964 top-ten hit “Walk on By.” The phrase “paint the town red” means “to go out and celebrate without inhibition by having a noisy and disorderly spree.” SF It was first used in the 1870s as a reference to red-light districts. SF The song has been interpreted as a message to haters – both critics and fans – that she will go out and enjoy herself, living her life the way she wants to. The song may be a specific response to reaction to Doja Cat shaving her head and eyebrows in August 2022. The move spurred negative comments from fans on social media who thought it made her look demonic. In the video, Doja Cat appears to be playing up the image, dressed in red and keeping company with the devil. There’s also a scene in which she peels out her eyeball and it falls into hell. The message is potentially that messing with Doja Cat could get bloody. SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Doja Cat SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 1/7/2024; last updated 10/17/2024.

In Memory of Hal David: His Top 40 Songs

First posted 12/15/2019.

Hal David with Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach, image from haldavid.movie.com

R.I.P. songwriter Hal David. He was born Harold Lane David on 5/25/1921 in New York, NY. He died 9/1/2012. Frequently worked with Burt Bacharach. They were one of the songwriting teams who worked out of the legendary Brill Building.For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

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Top 40 Songs

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Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. In the event of songs which have been recorded more than once, only the top-ranked song is included in the list. Songs which hit #1 on the following charts have been noted: Billboard Hot 100 pop charts (US), Cashbox (CB), Hit Records (HR), Radio & Records (RR), Billboard R&B chart (RB), Billboard country chart (CW), United Kingdom pop chart (UK), Canadian pop chart (CN), and Australian pop chart (AU).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head (B.J. Thomas, 1969) #1 US, CB, HR, AC, CN
2. They Long to Be Close to You (Carpenters, 1970) #1 US, CB, HR, AC, CN, AU

DMDB Top 5%:

3. Walk on By (Dionne Warwick, 1964)
4. I Say a Little Prayer (Aretha Franklin, 1968)
5. This Guy’s in Love with You (Herb Alpert, 1968) #1 US, CB, HR, AC, CN, AU
6. Always Something There to Remind Me (Naked Eyes, 1983)

DMDB Top 10%:

7. What the World Needs Now Is Love (Jackie DeShannon, 1965) #1 CN
8. Magic Moments (Perry Como, 1957) #1 UK

DMDB Top 20%:

9. I’ll Never Fall in Love Again (Dionne Warwick, 1969) #1 AC
10. Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa (Gene Pitney, 1963)

11. Wives and Lovers (Jack Jones, 1963)
12. Only Love Can Break a Heart (Gene Pitney, 1962) #1 AC
13. Do You Know the Way to San Jose? (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
14. One Less Bell to Answer (The 5th Dimension, 1970) #1 AC
15. Trains and Boats and Planes (Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, 1965)
16. The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield, 1967)
17. Don’t Make Me Over (Dionne Warwick, 1962)
18. Anyone Who Had a Heart (Dionne Warwick, 1963)
19. Wishin’ and Hopin’ (Dusty Springfield, 1964)
20. Blue on Blue (Bobby Vinton, 1963) #1 HR

21. A House Is Not a Home (Brook Benton, 1964)
22. Make It Easy on You (Jerry Butler, 1962)
23. I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself (Gary Puckett, 1970

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

24. My Little Red Book (Love, 1966)
25. Alfie (Stevie Wonder as Eivets Rednow, 1968)
26. What’s New Pussycat? (Tom Jones, 1965) #1 CN
27. American Beauty Rose (Eddy Howard, 1950)
28. To Wait for Love (Herb Alpert, 1968)
29. You’ll Never Get to Heaven if You Break My Heart (Dionne Warwick, 1964)
30. The Story of My Life (Marty Robbins, 1957) #1 CW

31. Blue Guitar (Richard Chamberlina, 1963)
32. Who Is Gonna Love Me? (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
33. True Love Never Runs Smooth (Gene Pitney, 1963)
34. Saturday Sunshine (Burt Bacharach, 1963)
35. Reach Out for Me (Dionne Warwick, 1964) #1 RB
36. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Gene Pitney, 1962)
37. Promises, Promises (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
38. The Windows of the World (Dionne Warwick, 1967)
39. I’m a Better Man for Having Loved You (Engelbert Humperdinck, 1969)
40. The April Fools (Dionne Warwick, 1969)

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Awards:

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