Jump to content

Hey Baby (No Doubt song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Hey Baby"
Single by No Doubt featuring Bounty Killer
from the album Rock Steady
ReleasedOctober 29, 2001 (2001-10-29)
Recorded2001
Studio
  • Toast (San Francisco, California)
  • The Sidsehack (Los Angeles, California)
  • Geejam (Port Antonio, Jamaica)
  • One Pop (Kingston, Jamaica)
GenreDancehall
Length3:26
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
No Doubt singles chronology
"Bathwater"
(2000)
"Hey Baby"
(2001)
"Hella Good"
(2002)
Music video
"Hey Baby" on YouTube

"Hey Baby" is a song by American rock band No Doubt from their fifth studio album Rock Steady (2001). Written by band members Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal and Tom Dumont, "Hey Baby" was released as the album's lead single on October 29, 2001 by Interscope Records. "Hey Baby" is heavily influenced by the Jamaican dancehall music present at No Doubt's post-show parties and tour bus lounges of their Return of Saturn tour.[1] Its lyrics describe the debauchery with groupies at these parties.

"Hey Baby" received generally positive reviews from music critics, although its dancehall influences had a mixed reception. An accompanying music video features scenes that mimic the parties No Doubt attending while recording the parent album in Jamaica. "Hey Baby" was commercially successful, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top-ten in several other countries, including Australia, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. At the 45th Grammy Awards, No Doubt won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Background and writing

[edit]

"Hey Baby" was one of the first songs written for Rock Steady.[2] The song begins with instrumentals programmed with producer Philip Steir at Toast Studios in San Francisco.[1] They experimented with ray gun-like electronic effects and sounds that guitarist Tom Dumont compared to Star Wars music.[3] Notably, the intro is reminiscent of the beginning of the song "Jungle Love" by the Steve Miller Band. The lyrics and melodies were recorded at a session at Dumont's home studio in Los Angeles weeks later. While the band was working on the album in Kingston, Jamaica, during March 2001, producers Sly and Robbie left the percussion and Gwen Stefani's original vocal.[1] The band asked about adding a guest appearance on the song, so Sly and Robbie recommended and added a toast from Bounty Killer.[4]

Like the song's dancehall style, the lyrics depict the band's post-show parties from touring in support of their fourth studio album Return of Saturn (2000). The song details female groupies who attended the parties to hook up with the male band members. Stefani commented that "if you're talented and you're up there, girls want to make out with you." Bassist Tony Kanal described it as "a very PG version" of the licentiousness that took place while touring.[5] The song also touches on Rock Steady's overall theme of Stefani's impatience in her long-distance relationship with then-boyfriend Gavin Rossdale (whom she eventually married in 2002), as she sits "sipping on chamomile/watching boys and girls and their sex appeal".[6]

Composition

[edit]

"Hey Baby" is a dancehall song composed in the key of E minor.[7] It is written in common time and moves at a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute.[8] The song focuses on programming and lacks prominent live instrumentation.[9] As a result, the band needed four keyboard rigs to recreate the track's sound for live performances,[10] including a Roland AX-1 and an E-mu Proteus 2000.[11] Stefani's vocal range spans over two octaves in the song, from D3 to E5.[8]

The song opens with an introduction consisting of a sustained measure of electronic effects followed by two lines from the chorus. In each two-measure line during the first half of the verses, Stefani descends the scale while the keyboard plays the off-beats of the first measure and the electric bass opens the line with a two-note bassline. During the second half of the verses, Stefani's vocals are overdubbed, and the instrumentation becomes more frequent.[12] Each of the two verses is followed by the chorus, where overdubbing is used on Stefani's vocals to produce first inversion and normal form E minor chords. Bounty Killer then toasts the bridge, and after a brief section sung by Stefani, the song closes by repeating the chorus twice.[8]

Critical reception

[edit]

"Hey Baby" received generally positive reviews from music critics. LAUNCHcast's Lisa Oliver described the song as a mix of "spacesynth" and ragga that "bursts with Batman punches."[13] Colleen Delaney of Stylus Magazine was unimpressed by the lyrics' double entendres and noted that the toast and "deep, booming production save this song from being thin" but that it remained "inane and unengaging".[14] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine found the song a return to the band's roots, and that it finds No Doubt "sunnier (and tighter) than ever" as a result.[6] Entertainment Weekly included "Hey Baby" in a list of the band's top five songs.[9] About.com ranked the song number three in a list of the top five singles from Stefani's career, with the band and as a solo artist, for her "simultaneously sounding like she understands the hippest of contemporary pop (the Bounty Killer guest rap doesn't hurt) while having the wisdom of an adult several years out of high school."[15] The song was listed at number thirty-eight on the 2002 Pazz & Jop list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau.[16]

The band's endeavor in dancehall music received mixed reviews. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine viewed the toast as a mistake,[17] and Blender's Rupert Howe found the foray into dancehall misguided, leaving Bounty Killer sounding bored.[18] Alex Needham wrote for NME that the song was a strong example of "white reggae" but that many listeners may not be able to tolerate the genre itself.[19] For Entertainment Weekly, David Browne described the chorus as "big, bustling, and irresistible" and its hip hop influence as kicky.[20] In the BBC review of The Singles 1992-2003, Ruth Mitchell wrote that the chorus was addictive and chiming and that the song had a "catchy dancehall groove".[21]

Chart performance

[edit]

"Hey Baby" was chosen as the lead single from Rock Steady to represent the band's more "upbeat and confident" attitude for the album.[1] It was commercially successful in the United States and enticed a younger audience to No Doubt.[9] The song debuted at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for half a year.[22] In its third week, the song became the band's highest-charting single, eventually peaking at number five for two consecutive weeks, later broken when "Underneath It All" reached number three.[22][23] It was successful in the mainstream music market, topping the Top 40 Mainstream and reaching the top ten on the Top 40 Tracks and Adult Top 40. The song had significant crossover success and reached number five on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart.[23] At the 2003 Grammy Awards, the song won the award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and No Doubt performed a medley of "Underneath It All" and "Hella Good" at the show.[24]

The song had similar success in Europe, reaching number five on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. In the United Kingdom, "Hey Baby" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart. It reached the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, and Norway, and the top 20 in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.[25][26]

In Australia, "Hey Baby" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 28 and peaked four weeks later at number seven.[27] It was listed at number 37 on the 2002 end-of-year chart.[28] On the New Zealand Singles Chart, it reached number two, under Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever", for two non-consecutive weeks.[29]

Music video

[edit]
Adrian Young's controversial full frontal on the gymnastics rings, based on an actual event

The accompanying music video, directed by Dave Meyers, follows the theme of the lyrics. It shows the band on a tour bus, stopping at a party at Club Poonani. The members separate when three girls approach the male band members. Kanal has his picture taken with several women, paying for it by taking money that drummer Adrian Young earns by hanging from gymnastics rings naked. Dumont defeats a woman, portrayed by Sonya Eddy, in an endurance drinking game, and Stefani dances, eventually joining Bounty Killer on stage.[30] There are intercut scenes of the band members on a red and black background, a black and white houndstooth background, and standing on top of the phrases "NO DOUBT", "ROCK STEADY", and "HEY BABY" in red and white.

The video was filmed in three days in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles.[31] The scenes were designed to recreate the parties that the band attended while recording Rock Steady in Jamaica. Young's scene was based on an actual event, where he won US$200 on a dare to hang upside down and naked on the rings at a club in New York City. Dumont's scene, filmed at Casa Mexicana, is inspired by a similar scene from the 1981 Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark.[30]

Young's full frontal on the rings, shown during Bounty Killer's line "The way you rock your hips, you know that it amaze me," was controversial.[32] Bounty Killer's rival Beenie Man stated that "the video portray Bounty as a gay. That is a Jamaican artist, and that can't gwan in a dancehall, no way." Bounty Killer cancelled his performances with No Doubt because of the incident, stating that "they did not understand because they are from America and they accept gay people … If Jamaica is upset, I ain't going to accept no success that my culture is not proud of."[33]

The video premiered on MTV on November 6, 2001,[34] and debuted at number 10 on Total Request Live,[35] peaking at number three, and topped VH1's Top 20 Countdown for three weeks.[36] The video won the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video and Best Group Video in 2002.[37] The video was nominated for Best International Group Video at the 2002 MuchMusic Video Awards but lost to Korn's "Here to Stay".[38]

Live performances

[edit]

No Doubt performed the song live during a number of public appearances, beginning with an appearance at the 2002 Billboard Music Awards held on December 4, 2001.[39] Their headline Rock Steady Tour in 2002 also used "Hey Baby" in its set list. The accompanying video release, Rock Steady Live, includes the live segment where the single was performed as well.[40]

In other media

[edit]

The song is used in the films New York Minute and A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story.

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Rock Steady booklet:[41]

Track listing and formats

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for "Hey Baby"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[78] Gold 35,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[79] Gold  
United States (RIAA)[80] Gold 500,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Hey Baby"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 2001 Interscope [81]
Australia December 10, 2001 CD [82]
New Zealand January 28, 2002 [83]
United Kingdom February 4, 2002
  • CD
  • cassette
[84]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Montoya, Paris and Lanham, Tom. "Hey Baby featuring Bounty Killer". The Singles 1992–2003 (liner notes). Interscope Records. November 25, 2003.
  2. ^ "No Doubt". Front Row Center. February 18, 2002. Fox Family.
  3. ^ "No Doubt". Mean Street. Volume 12, issue 6. December 2001.
  4. ^ Reid, Nadine (October 2001). "Bounty Killa: 'I represent Dancehall!'". The Germaican Observer. No. 16. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  5. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon; Rankin, Rebecca (November 1, 2001). "No Doubt's 'Hey Baby' Pays Tribute To Drooling, Gawking Groupies". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2001. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  6. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (December 12, 2004). "Review: No Doubt, Rock Steady". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Tony, Kanal; Rodney, Price; Gwen, Stefani; Tom, Dumont; Doubt, No (February 12, 2002). "Hey Baby". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Sheet music for "Hey Baby". Universal-MCA Music Publishing. 2001.
  9. ^ a b c Hiatt, Brian. "Reasonable Doubt" Archived May 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  10. ^ Moon, Tom (March 8, 2002). "No Doubt to Get Sexy on Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  11. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (February 1, 2002). "No Doubt: Geared Up to Rock Steady". Onstage. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  12. ^ Guitar tab for "Hey Baby". Hal Leonard Corporation. 2001.
  13. ^ Oliver, Lisa (February 14, 2002). "No Doubt – ''Rock Steady''". LAUNCHcast. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
  14. ^ Delaney, Colleen (September 1, 2003). "No Doubt – Rock Steady – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  15. ^ Lamb, Bill. "Top 5 Gwen Stefani / No Doubt Singles". About.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
  16. ^ "Pazz & Jop 2002: Critics' List". The Village Voice. February 18, 2003. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
  17. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Rock Steady > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  18. ^ Howe, Rupert. "No Doubt : Rock Steady Review". Blender. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  19. ^ Needham, Alex (September 12, 2005). "No Doubt : Rock Steady". NME. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
  20. ^ Browne, David. "Rock Steady (Music – No Doubt)" Archived May 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly. December 10, 2001. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  21. ^ Mitchell, Ruth. "Rock/Indie Review – No Doubt, Singles 1992 – 2003". BBC. June 21, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
  22. ^ a b "No Doubt Hey Baby". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  23. ^ a b "Rock Steady". AllMusic. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  24. ^ Jeckell, Barry A. and Cohen, Jonathan. "Norah Jones Sweeps Grammys". Billboard. February 24, 2003. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  25. ^ a b "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  26. ^ a b "Top 50 Singles" (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on April 3, 2002. Retrieved June 28, 2020. See Best column.
  27. ^ a b "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  28. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  29. ^ a b "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby". Top 40 Singles.
  30. ^ a b "Hey Baby". Making the Video. MTV. November 6, 2007.
  31. ^ "No Doubt and Bounty from Orange County". BountyKiller.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  32. ^ Huey, Steve. Bounty Killer > Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
  33. ^ Kenner, Bob. "Collateral Damage". VIBE: 110–4. June 2002.
  34. ^ Coddington, Don (November 16, 2001). "Let the Music Play". Radio & Records. No. 1428. p. 54.
  35. ^ "The TRL Archive – Debuts" Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine . ATRL. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  36. ^ "Biography" Archived July 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. BountyKiller.com. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
  37. ^ "Eminem scoops MTV video awards". BBC News. August 30, 2002. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  38. ^ Katie, Bailey (May 13, 2002). "MuchMusic Video Awards Nominees Announced". Chart. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2009.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  39. ^ Orshoski, Wes (December 8, 2001). "No Doubt Keeps 'Steady' Course". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 49. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510.
  40. ^ Horowitz, Hal. "No Doubt – Rock Steady Live [DVD]". AllMusic. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  41. ^ "Liner notes". Rock Steady (Compact Disc). No Doubt. San Francisco, California; Los Angeles, California; Port Antonio, Jamaica; Kingston, Jamaica: Interscope. 2001. p. 1. 6 06949 31582 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  42. ^ "Hey Baby" (Liner notes). No Doubt (Enhanced CD single ed.). Interscope. 2001. 497 664-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  43. ^ "Hey Baby" (Liner notes). No Doubt (UK CD single ed.). Interscope. 2001. 497 663-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  44. ^ "Hey Baby"/"Hella Good" (Liner notes). No Doubt (Promotional vinyl single ed.). Interscope. 2001. INTR-10672-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  45. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  46. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  47. ^ "HR Top 20 Lista". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on February 9, 2002. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  48. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby". Tracklisten.
  49. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 9. February 23, 2002. p. 11. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  50. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer: Hey Baby" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  51. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby" (in French). Les classement single.
  52. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  53. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hey Baby". Irish Singles Chart.
  54. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby". Top Digital Download.
  55. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 7, 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  56. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  57. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby". VG-lista.
  58. ^ "Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 14, saptamina 8.04–14.04, 2002" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on February 15, 2005. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  59. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  60. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby". Singles Top 100.
  61. ^ "No Doubt feat. Bounty Killer – Hey Baby". Swiss Singles Chart.
  62. ^ "No Doubt: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  63. ^ "No Doubt Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  64. ^ "No Doubt Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  65. ^ "No Doubt Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  66. ^ "No Doubt Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  67. ^ "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2002". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. April 3, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  68. ^ "Top 100 top played radio tracks in Canada in 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  69. ^ "Year in Review – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 2002" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 2–3. January 11, 2003. p. 14. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  70. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  71. ^ "End of Year Charts 2002". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  72. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2002" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  73. ^ "Most Broadcast Of 2002 — Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music Week. January 18, 2003. p. 31. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  74. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 2002". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  75. ^ "Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 16.
  76. ^ "Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 12.
  77. ^ "Most-Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 22.
  78. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  79. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  80. ^ "American single certifications – No Doubt – Hey Baby". Recording Industry Association of America. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  81. ^ Jackson, Kevin (March 22, 2021). "No Doubt! It's Gold". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  82. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 10th December 2001" (PDF). ARIA. December 10, 2001. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  83. ^ "New Releases". netcd.co.nz. January 28, 2002. Archived from the original on February 11, 2002. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  84. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting February 4, 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. February 2, 2002. p. 23. Retrieved August 21, 2021.