{"id":4723,"date":"2022-10-25T16:44:32","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T20:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montserratspotlight.com\/?p=4723"},"modified":"2024-02-07T18:10:16","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T23:10:16","slug":"hot-hot-hot-turns-40-story-behind-arrows-soca-classic-is-a-bit-complex-but-songs-legacy-secure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montserratspotlight.com\/?p=4723","title":{"rendered":"‘Hot Hot Hot’ turns 40: Story behind Arrow’s soca classic is a bit complex, but song’s legacy secure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“The idea is not to live forever but to create something that will.” \u2013 <\/em>Andy Warhol<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1971, Alphonsus “Arrow” Cassell traveled to Trinidad to promote his debut album, The Mighty Arrow On Target<\/em>. He met up with his brother, Justin “Hero” Cassell, who was attending the University of the West Indies in St. Augustine. One of their stops was in the town of Diego Martin \u2013 slightly northwest of Port of Spain \u2013 to visit Slinger Francisco (the Mighty Sparrow). The brothers knew that an endorsement from the calypso king of the world would be vital for the album’s prospects. They arrived on time for the meeting but Sparrow kept them waiting for hours as he sipped cocktails and hobnobbed with his pals. Finally, Sparrow turned to the visitors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The boys from Montserrat, what do you have for me to hear?” Arrow played Invitation To The Caribbean<\/a><\/em> \u2013 the first song on the album \u2013 and waited for a response. “Nobody wants to hear that nonsense!\u201d Sparrow said. “People want to hear songs like Pussy Bite Me!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A humiliated Arrow left the meeting in tears, but he remembered something else Sparrow told him that day. “Young man, if you want to succeed, be different than everybody else.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the subsequent years, Arrow\u2019s music evolved substantially. There was a clear shift from traditional calypso to faster tunes. Even his social commentaries were now uptempo, such as Man Must Live<\/em> <\/a>(1978) and Bills <\/a><\/em>(1980). And in 1982, he reached his pinnacle with a song whose legacy and impact would outlive him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hot Hot Hot <\/em>\u2013 the most popular soca song of all time \u2013 turns 40 this year. In the years preceding his death in 2010, Arrow \u2013 while performing \u2013 often outlined the litany of accolades the song has achieved, including being performed in a dozen different languages and selling more than 12 million copies. Both figures have surely increased in the 12 years since Arrow’s passing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow boasted many hits during his storied career, including Long Time, More Fete <\/em>and Groove Master<\/em>, but Hot Hot Hot <\/em>was his magnum opus. The story of Hot Hot Hot <\/em>from conception to recording is a bit complicated. But one thing is certain: It was a synergy of ideas from several sources, including Hero, who was Arrow’s frequent writer, plus arranger Leston Paul, musician Clarence “Oungku” Edwards, five-time Montserrat calypso monarch Everton “Reality” Weekes, and Arrow himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several factors must align for a song to become a hit: melody, lyrics, arrangement, timing, luck. Hot Hot Hot <\/em>checked all the boxes. It takes listeners on a symphonic journey, with driving bass riffs, gleeful horns, several hooks and a resounding guitar solo. The seven-minute trip takes excursions but always returns home to the refrain. Trinidad might be the cradle of soca music but Montserrat is the birthplace of soca’s world anthem. And those who know Arrow best were not surprised that he made musical history. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy Cassell family
Arrow showed a knack for business at a young age.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

IT’S SHOW “BUSINESS” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all his success as an entertainer, Arrow was truly a businessman at his core. As a young lad growing up in Town Hill, he displayed an entrepreneurial spirit. He raised suckling pigs, sold customized rubber stamps, and owned pigeons, more than 60 of them. He would often stand with his arms outstretched, and the birds would perch on them. In fact, Arrow’s first calypso name was “Pigeon King”. Arrow was also a self-taught barber. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I remember the Governor used to come to our house and Arrow would cut his hair on our verandah,” says Lorenzo Cassell, Arrow’s elder brother. “When he was selling rubber stamps, one year I went to Dominica, and he had me going from business to business in downtown Roseau asking if they needed rubber stamps.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, Arrow also sold insurance, and in 1974 he and good friend Johnnie “Mecca” Wyke opened clothing stores in Plymouth. To avoid direct competition, they agreed that Johnnie would sell women’s clothes, and Arrow would open a Man’s Shop. In between all that, Arrow was recording albums yearly, performing and also competing. He was clearly driven, he hated to lose, and he was willing to go to any lengths to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow was also shrewd. He surrounded himself with as much talent and as many ideas as possible. He sought out the best musicians, writers and arrangers. He relied on the advice of local composers and musicians, including Cyril “Lasso” Fergus, Roy “Pig Hog” Dyer, Gus White and Randy Greenaway. He even covered songs by local artists, such as <\/span>Woman Come To Jam <\/a><\/em>by Reality. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy Alphonsus Cassell Foundation
Arrow, right, with brother and frequent collaborator Justin “Hero” Cassell.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

ANATOMY OF A CLASSIC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many stories about the creation of Hot Hot Hot<\/em>. Everyone wants to be associated with a classic, no matter how minuscule their contribution, and sometimes it’s difficult to decipher fact from fiction. During an interview October 22, 2022, Reality \u2013 speaking from his home in Connecticut \u2013 provided some clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I am the original writer of Hot Hot Hot<\/em>,” he said firmly. “Arrow came to me and told me he heard an Indian song and he liked the melody. He wanted me to copy it. I told him I would rather come up with my own song. I got my guitar and just started singing, ‘Me mind on fire, me soul on fire, feeling hot hot hot.’<\/em> From there, they embellished what I started. The original name of the song was Fundamental Jam<\/em>. I believe the ‘O-le, O-le’ <\/em>part came from the same Indian song.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edwards, the longtime leader and keyboard player for Antigua’s Burning Flames, was Arrow’s bass player for the Hot Hot Hot <\/em>album. He came up with the signature bass riff at the start of the song. He addressed it in 2019 during a show (see video). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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