"Hot Water" is a single released in 1984 by the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 musical group Level 42

Level 42

Level 42 are an English pop rock and jazz-funk band who had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s and 1990s.The band gained fame for their high-calibre musicianship—in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the...

. It was released a couple of weeks before the album True Colours

True Colours (Level 42 album)

True Colours is the fifth studio album by the British musical group Level 42, released in 1984. Beyond the band's native United Kingdom, the album was released 10-plus other countries, including Japan, Germany and United States of America...

. The single reached #18 on the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 and was a top ten hit in the Netherlands and Norway. The song was produced by Ken Scott

Ken Scott

Ken Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...

In 1985, "Hot Water" and another True Colours song, "The Chant Has Begun", were tacked onto the US version of Level 42's breakthrough album, World Machine

World Machine

World Machine is the sixth studio album by the British pop group Level 42, released in 1985. It peaked at #3 on the UK album charts, and it stayed on the chart for 72 weeks. It was the band's first disc to enter the Billboard 200 , and it stayed on the chart for 36 weeks...

, in place of "I Sleep on My Heart," "Dream Crazy" (which only appeared on the European CD

Compact Disc

The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

 version of the album), and "Coup D'Etat." "Hot Water" was released as the US follow-up single to the World Machine

World Machine

World Machine is the sixth studio album by the British pop group Level 42, released in 1985. It peaked at #3 on the UK album charts, and it stayed on the chart for 72 weeks. It was the band's first disc to enter the Billboard 200 , and it stayed on the chart for 36 weeks...

breakthrough single, "Something About You

Something About You (Level 42 song)

"Something About You" is a single released by British Jazz funk band Level 42 in 1985, in advance of its inclusion on the album World Machine the same year...

" in 1986; it peaked at #87.

B-sides

The B-sides of the 1984 releases featured the title track of the Level 42 album, Standing in the Light

Standing in the Light

Standing in the Light is the fourth studio album released by the British jazz-funk band Level 42. The album, released in 1983, generated the group's first top 10 in the UK album charts, peaking in #9...

, which was their latest album when the single was released. This song was produced by Larry Dunn

Larry Dunn

Larry Dunn is a keyboardist, musical director and one of the founding members of the music group Earth, Wind, & Fire. Dunn, along with other members of Earth, Wind & Fire were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.-Career:...

 and Verdine White

Verdine White

Verdine White is the bassist for Earth, Wind & Fire and the younger brother of fellow band member Maurice White. White is known for his high energy and dancing while playing his bass guitar during Earth, Wind & Fire concerts.-Early life:...

, both members of Earth, Wind & Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...

. The Canadian releases of 1985, featured "The Chinese Way", produced by Mike Vernon

Mike Vernon (producer)

Mike Vernon is an English record producer. He produced albums for British blues artists and groups during the late 1960s, working with the Bluesbreakers, David Bowie, Duster Bennett, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, John Mayall, Christine McVie and...

, and "Kansas City Milkman", produced by Ken Scott, as B-sides. On the 1986 US release "Dream Crazy" was on the B-side, produced by Level 42 and Wally Badarou

Wally Badarou

Wally Badarou is a musician from Benin.-Biography:A synthesiser specialist, Badarou was the longtime associate of the British band Level 42, known for its blend of funk, pop, soul and rock...

.

Tracklistings

All songs written and composed by Mark King

Mark King (musician)

Mark King is an English musician. He is most famous for being the lead singer and bassist of the band, Level 42. In the early 1980s King popularized the 1970s-era slap and pop style for playing the bass guitar by incorporating it into pop music.-Early life:King was brought up on the Isle of Wight,...

, Mike Lindup

Mike Lindup

Mike Lindup is best known as the keyboard player and falsetto voiced singer, who joined with Mark King and brothers Phil and Boon Gould to form the 1980s - 1990s British funk/rock/pop band, Level 42....

, Phil Gould

Phil Gould (musician)

Philip Gabriel Gould, also known as Phil Gould is a British professional drummer, song writer, and singer from the Isle of Wight in southern England...

 and Wally Badarou

Wally Badarou

Wally Badarou is a musician from Benin.-Biography:A synthesiser specialist, Badarou was the longtime associate of the British band Level 42, known for its blend of funk, pop, soul and rock...

, except where noted.

7" vinyl

• UK: Polydor / POSP 697
• Netherlands: Polydor / 881 262-7

• US: Polydor / 885 155-7 (1986)

12" vinyl

• UK: Polydor / POSPX 697

• Australia, Germany Netherlands: Polydor / 881 262-1

• Canada: Polydor / POLSX 117 (1985)

• Canada: Polydor / DJP 191 (Promo, 1985)

• US: Polydor / 885 155-1 (1986)

Chart performance

Chart (1984)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	18
Dutch GfK GfK The GfK Group, established in 1934 as Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung is Germany's largest market research institute, and the fourth largest market research organisation in the world, after Nielsen Company, Kantar Group, and IMS Health...  chart	4
Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	3
Norwegian Singles Chart	10
Chart (1986)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	87