Why You Might Recognize The Song In Flamin' Hot's Super Bowl 2022 Commercial
If there's one thing Frito-Lay will do come Super Bowl time, it's bring the fire — not only to its snacks, but also to its commercials. (Who could forget the 2019 Doritos Super Bowl commercial featuring Chance the Rapper dropping a verse to the Millennial classic, "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys?) This year, the snack company is continuing its tradition of giving viewers star-studded musical ads for the Super Bowl — only this time, it's truly cranking up the heat with a Flamin' Hot campaign.
In the commercial, a distracted birdwatcher accidentally drops a couple of opened bags of Flamin' Hot Cheetos and Cool Ranch Doritos onto the forest floor (via YouTube). The snacks are then quickly discovered by a wild sloth, deer, and bear. As the animals sample the spicy chips, the heat invigorates them with a jolt of energy that makes each one react with an audible, "ahh," "ishhh," or "PUSH IT." With each bite, the critters really start getting funky, repeating the noises in unison until they start to sound suspiciously like a song. This catches the attention of a fox, voiced by singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, who kicks off a beatbox, along with a songbird, voiced by Megan Thee Stallion, who appeared in another Flamin' Hot ad and starts singing along, "Ooo baby, baby!" As the beat builds, it becomes clear that the cacophony of animal noises is a nostalgic groove some viewers will recognize immediately.
It's an old school jam you've probably danced to at least once
The catchy beat that these Flamin' Hot-loving animals are bopping along to is the timeless hip-hop dance track, "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa. Per The Guardian, the (totally improvised!) hit song was originally released in 1987 as a B-side to the group's single, "Tramp," only for it to become an unexpected radio hit and global sensation. Thirty-five years later, the tune is older than some of the athletes playing in this year's Super Bowl, yet it remains popular as ever. To this day, you can pretty much guarantee to hear it booming from the speakers at gyms, weddings, school dances, and maternity wards.
As of 2022, "Push It" has been sampled more than 100 times by other artists, including — you guessed it — Megan Thee Stallion, who recently revamped the track in partnership with Frito-Lay for the confidence-boosting anthem, "Flamin' Hottie." "With a face like that and a body like this, know I'm all that and a bag of Flamin' Hot Chips," raps the Texan. It seems like the perfect line to go with Frito-Lay's Super Bowl campaign, which the brand hopes will motivate you to "unleash your Flamin' Hot" wherever you are — be it in the comfort of your living room or the middle of the forest.