We used to work at Mick's apartment and he would just keep playing one guitar riff after another. Just playing whatever came into his mind. When he started playing that riff, I remember saying, “Wait! Stop! What’s that?” Mick said it was just another riff. So, I started singing along to it. We eventually got the idea of what the chorus would be and then started working on the verse lyrics. Once they were put together it naturally led to the “Hot Blooded” verbal line. I remember we were jumping off the walls when we cracked the title of the song.
Lyrics and music
Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hilburn explained the lyrics of "Hot Blooded" as being "a macho-ish reflection of a rock star's seductive intent." According to lead singer and co-author Lou Gramm the song is "a bit tongue-in-cheek, but really, it is a problem meeting ladies on the road. You see somebody in the audience you want to meet, but after the show, by the time you're through doing interviews and getting cleaned up, there's nobody around. You find yourself wandering around a city alone with nothing to do." The Record critic Rick Atkinson described "Hot Blooded" as using a common rock and roll opening and chord progression but that "a carefully placed guitar line here and a fast burst of keyboards there leaves the whole melange with a new feel." St. Joseph News-Press critic Conrad Bibens described "Hot Blooded" as a "Free soundalike that lets Gramm sing in the gruff manner of Paul Rodgers."
Reception
Billboard Magazine described "Hot Blooded" as " a high energy rocker that boils with a feverent energy." Billboard compared the "powerhouse" guitar playing and the vocals with Bad Company but said that it still retains Foreigner's own identifiable sound. Music criticMaury Dean stated that "Lou Gramm's craggy tenor spins around the note, rocking dynamite rhythms in note-bending ecstasy." Hilburn described '"Hot Blooded" as touching on "the snarl of Bad Company, the wryness of Rod Stewart and the sensualness of the Rolling Stones" but complains that song lacks authenticity. According to Atkinson, the musicianship and arrangement make "Hot Blooded" superior to any previous song using this chord combination. San Pedro News-Pilot critic Joseph Bensoua said it has "just the right hooks, phrasing and simple lyrics needed for controlled rock 'n' roll.
