Doja Cat‘s “Paint the Town Red” is a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit thanks in part to a heavily featured sample of Dionne Warwick‘s “Walk on By.” And on the Friday (Dec. 1) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the 82-year-old singer recalled how she found out about the tribute — revealing she didn’t even know who Doja was at the time.
“I didn’t know it had been recorded by her,” she said, telling Clarkson that Doja didn’t need her permission to use the 1964 smash. “My granddaughter called me and says, ‘Grammy, do you know you’re on a record with Doja Cat?’ I said, ‘Doja who?’”
“Well, apparently, it’s a major hit for her,” Warwick added of “Paint the Town Red,” about which Clarkson confirmed, “Oh no no, it’s huge.”
“I’m thrilled,” replied Warwick. “I hope ‘Walk on By’ is as good for her as it has been for me. They’re great songs, and finally [young people] being exposed to some good music.”
When “Paint the Town Red” peaked at the Hot 100’s summit in September, it became Doja’s second song to do so and her first ever solo hit to reach No. 1. “B—h, I said what I said/ I’d rather be famous instead/ I let all that get to my head/ I don’t care, I paint the town red,” she raps over Warwick’s repeating “Walk on By” refrain.
Warwick’s song was also a top 10 hit in its day, peaking at No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 1964. Warwick herself has topped the chart twice, first in 1974 with her Spinners collaboration “Then Came You” followed by “That’s What Friends are For” featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder in 1986.
Watch Dionne Warwick talk about “Paint the Town Red” on The Kelly Clarkson Show above.
