Hey Baby (No Doubt song)

Infobox Single
Name = Hey Baby


Artist = No Doubt featuring Bounty Killer
from Album = Rock Steady
Released = October 2001
Format = CD
Recorded = 2001
Genre = Pop, ragga, dancehall
Length = 3:26
Label = Interscope
Writer = Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, Bounty Killer
Producer = Philip Steir, Sly & Robbie, No Doubt
Certification =
Chronology = No Doubt
Last single = "Bathwater"
(2000)
This single = "Hey Baby"
(2001)
Next single = "Hella Good"
(2002)Extra album cover
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Type = single


Lower caption =

"Hey Baby" is a pop song written by Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, and Bounty Killer for No Doubt's fifth studio album "Rock Steady" (2001). The song 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. Its lyrics describe the debauchery with groupies at these parties.

The song received positive reviews from music critics, though the song's dancehall influences had a mixed reception. It was released as the album's lead single in October 2001 (see 2001 in music). The single was commercially successful and peaked at number five on the "Billboard" Hot 100. At the 45th Grammy Awards, "Hey Baby" won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Background and writing

"Hey Baby" was one of the first songs written for "Rock Steady". ["No Doubt". "Front Row Center". Fox Family. February 18, 2002.] The song began with instrumentals programmed with producer Philip Steir at Toast Studios in San Francisco, California.Montoya, Paris and Lanham, Tom. "Hey Baby featuring Bounty Killer". "The Singles 1992-2003" (liner notes). Interscope Records. November 25, 2003.] They experimented with raygun-like electronic effects and sounds that guitarist Tom Dumont compared to "Star Wars" music. ["No Doubt". "Mean Street". Volume 12, issue 6. December 2001.] 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 & Robbie left the percussion and Gwen Stefani's original vocal. The band asked about adding a guest appearance on the song, so Sly & Robbie recommended and added a toast from Bounty Killer. [Reid, Nadine. [http://www.germaica.net/observer/archiv/17/eng/interview_bounty_killa.html "Bounty Killa: 'I represent Dancehall!'"] . "The Germaican Observer". Issue 16. Octember 2001.]

Like the song's dancehall style, the lyrics depict the band's post-show parties from touring in support of "Return of Saturn". 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. [Wiederhorn, Jon and Rankin, Rebecca. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1450462/20011031/no_doubt.jhtml "No Doubt's 'Hey Baby' Pays Tribute To Drooling, Gawking Groupies"] . MTV News. November 1, 2001. Retrieved July 12, 2007.] The song also touches on "Rock Steady"'s overall theme of Stefani's impatience in her long-distance relationship with then-boyfriend Gavin Rossdale, as she sits "sipping on chamomile/watching boys and girls and their sex appeal".Cinquemani, Sal. [http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=146 "Music Review: No Doubt: "Rock Steady"] . "Slant Magazine". 2004. Retrieved July 26, 2007.]

Music and structure

"Hey Baby" is a ragga song composed in the key of E minor. It is written in common time and moves at a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute.Sheet music for "Hey Baby". Universal-MCA Music Publishing. 2001.] The song focuses on programming and lacks live instrumentation.Hiatt, Brian. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20047186_20047196_640712,00.html "Reasonable Doubt"] . "Entertainment Weekly". Retrieved August 7, 2007.] As a result, the band needed four keyboard rigs to recreate the track's sound for live performances, [Moon, Tom. [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/nodoubt/articles/story/5935088/no_doubt_to_get_sexy_on_tour "No Doubt to Get Sexy on Tour"] . "Rolling Stone". March 8, 2002. Retrieved August 7, 2007.] including a Roland AX-1 and an E-mu Proteus 2000. [Wiederhorn, Jon. [http://onstagemag.com/ar/performance_no_doubt_geared/index.htm "No Doubt: Geared Up to Rock Steady"] . "Onstage". February 1, 2002. Retrieved August 7, 2007.] Stefani's vocal range spans over two octaves in the song, from D₃ to E₅.

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. [Guitar tab for "Hey Baby". Hal Leonard Corporation. 2001.] 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.

Critical reception

"Hey Baby" generally received positive reviews from music critics. LAUNCHcast's Lisa Oliver described the song as a mix of spacesynth and ragga that "bursts with Batman punches." [Oliver, Lisa. [http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/l_reviews_a/23924.html "No Doubt - "Rock Steady""] . LAUNCHcast. February 14, 2002. Retrieved August 9, 2007.] 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". [Delaney, Colleen. [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/no-doubt/rock-steady.htm "No Doubt - Rock Steady - Review"] . "Stylus Magazine". September 1, 2003. Retrieved July 9, 2007.] 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. "Entertainment Weekly" included "Hey Baby" in a list of the band's top five songs. 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." [Lamb, Bill. [http://top40.about.com/od/gwenstefani/tp/gwennobest.htm "Top 5 Gwen Stefani / No Doubt Singles"] . About.com. Retrieved August 9, 2007.] 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. [ [http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres02.php "Pazz & Jop 2002: Critics' List"] . "The Village Voice". February 18, 2003. Retrieved August 15, 2007.]

The band's endeavor in dancehall music received mixed reviews. Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine viewed the toast as a mistake, [Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wrf3zfs2ehok~T1 "Rock Steady > Review"] . Allmusic. Retrieved July 9, 2007.] and "Blender"'s Rupert Howe found the foray into dancehall misguided, leaving Bounty Killer sounding bored. [Howe, Rupert. [http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=1117 "No Doubt : "Rock Steady" Review"] . "Blender". Retrieved July 9, 2007.] Alex Needham wrote for the "NME" that the song was a strong example of "white reggae" but that many listeners may not be able to tolerate the genre itself. [Needham, Alex. [http://www.nme.com/reviews/5966.htm "No Doubt : Rock Steady"] . "NME". Retrieved August 9, 2007.] For "Entertainment Weekly", David Browne described the chorus as "big, bustling, and irresistible" and its hip hop influence as kicky. [Browne, David. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,187515~4~0~rocksteady,00.html "Rock Steady (Music - No Doubt)"] . "Entertainment Weekly". December 10, 2001. Retrieved July 9, 2007.] 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". [Mitchell, Ruth. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/2p8c/ "Rock/Indie Review - No Doubt, Singles 1992 - 2003"] . BBC. June 21, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2007.]

Chart performance

"Hey Baby" was chosen as the lead single from "Rock Steady" to represent the band's more "upbeat and confident" attitude for the album. It was commercially successful in the United States and enticed a younger audience to No Doubt. The song debuted at number thirty-six on the "Billboard" Hot 100, remaining on the chart for half a year. [http://top40-charts.com/songs/full.php?sid=2780&sort=chartid "No Doubt Hey Baby"] . Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved July 9, 2007.] 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. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:42jlear54xh7~T31 "Rock Steady"] . Allmusic. Retrieved January 8, 2007.] 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. 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. [Jeckell, Barry A. and Cohen, Jonathan. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1823169 "Norah Jones Sweeps Grammys"] . "Billboard". February 24, 2003. Retrieved July 26, 2007.]

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 but was unable to top the chart. It reached the top ten in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, and Norway and the top twenty in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.

In Australia, "Hey Baby" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number twenty-eight and peaked four weeks later at number seven. It was listed at number thirty-seven on the 2002 end of year chart. [ [http://aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-singles-2002.htm "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2002"] . Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 26, 2007.] On the New Zealand Singles Chart, it reached number two, under Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever", for two non-consecutive weeks. "Hey Baby" peaked at number three on the United World Chart for three consecutive weeks, [ [http://www.unitedworldchart.de/week10-2002.htm "Singles & Airplay week 10 / 2002 - March 9"] . Media Traffic. Retrieved August 4, 2007.] remaining on the chart for four months. [ [http://www.unitedworldchart.de/week19-2002.htm "Singles & Airplay week 19 / 2002 - May 11"] . Media Traffic. Retrieved August 4, 2007.] With recorded sales of 3,247,000 copies, it was listed at number twenty-three on the 2002 countdown. [ [http://www.unitedworldchart.de/countdown2002.htm "Singles & Airplay Countdown 2002"] . Media Traffic. Retrieved August 4, 2007.]

Music video

The song's 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."Hey Baby". "Making the Video". MTV. November 6, 2007.] 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. [ [http://www.bountykiller.com/killerartman/publish/article_158.shtml "No Doubt and Bounty from Orange County."] BountyKiller.com. Retrieved July 9, 2007.] 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. Dumont's scene, filmed at Casa Mexicana, is inspired by a similar scene from the 1981 Indiana Jones film "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

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. The scene was mocked by the homophobic dancehall community in Jamaica, where sex between men is illegal. [Huey, Steve. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gbfixqwgldje~T10 Bounty Killer > Biography"] . Allmusic. Retrieved August 4, 2007.] 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." [Kenner, Bob. "Collateral Damage". "VIBE": 110–4. June 2002.]

The video proved to be successful. It debuted at number ten on MTV's "Total Request Live", [ [http://www.atrl.net/trlarchive/?s=debuts "The TRL Archive - Debuts"] . ATRL. Retrieved July 9, 2007.] peaking at number three, and topped VH1's "Top 20 Countdown" for three weeks. [ [http://www.bountykiller.com/b2kbirth2aking.html "Biography"] . BountyKiller.com. Retrieved August 4, 2007.] The video won the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video and Best Group Video in 2002. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2223890.stm "Eminem scoops MTV video awards"] . BBC News. August 30, 2002. Retrieved January 8, 2007.] In Canada, it reached number eight on MuchMusic's "Countdown" for two consecutive weeks and remained on the countdown for nine weeks. The video was nominated for Best International Group Video at the 2002 MuchMusic Video Awards but lost to Korn's "Here to Stay". [Bailey, Kate. [http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2002/05/1308.cfm "MuchMusic Video Awards Nominees Announced"] . Chart Communications. May 13, 2002. Retrieved August 24, 2007.]

Credits and personnel

* Vocals: Gwen Stefani, Bounty Killer
* Bass guitar: Tony Kanal
* Guitar: Tom Dumont
* Keyboards: Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont
* Drums: Adrian Young
* Producers: Sly & Robbie, No Doubt, Mark "Spike" Stent, Philip Steir
* Recording engineers: Dan Chase, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal
* Audio engineers: Count, Tkae Mendez, Rory Baker
* Assistant audio engineer: Toby Whalen

Formats and track listings

;Australian/European CD maxi single
# "Hey Baby" featuring Bounty Killer
# "Hey Baby" - "The Homeboy Mix"
# "Ex-Girlfriend" - "The Psycho Ex Mix"
# "Hey Baby" video

;British CD maxi single
# "Hey Baby" featuring Bounty Killer
# "Hey Baby" (Fabian remix)
# "Ex-Girlfriend" (Philip Steir remix)

"Hey Baby/Hella Good" US vinyl release

;Side A
# "Hey Baby"
# "Hey Baby" instrumental
# "Hey Baby" (The Homeboy Mix);Side B
# "Hey Baby" (The Homeboy Mix) instrumental
# "Hella Good"

Charts

{|class="wikitable"!align="left"|Chart (2002)!align="center"|Peak
position
-
align="left"|French Singles Chart [ [http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=No+Doubt+feat%2E+Bounty+Killer&titel=Hey+Baby&cat=s "No Doubt Feat. Bounty Killer - Hey Baby (Song)"] . LesCharts.com. Retrieved January 9, 2007.]
align="center"|47
-
align="left"|German Singles Chart
align="center"|8
-
align="left"|Italian Singles Chart
align="center"|11
-
align="left"|Norwegian Singles Chart
align="center"|3
-
align="left"|Swedish Singles Chart
align="center"|17
-
align="left"|Swiss Singles Chart
align="center"|11
-
align="left"|New Zealand Singles Chart
align="center"|2
-
align="left"|UK Singles Chart
align="center"|2
-
align="left"|U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100
align="center"|5
-
align="left"|United World Chart
align="center"|3

References

External links

* [http://www.nodoubt.com/ No Doubt's official site]
* [http://www.bountykiller.com/ Bounty Killer's official site]
*