| "Bathwater" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australian commercial single | ||||
| Single by No Doubt | ||||
| from the album Return of Saturn | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | November 14, 2000 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:01 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Glen Ballard | |||
| No Doubt singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Bathwater" is a ska punk song written by Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and Gwen Stefani for No Doubt's fourth studio album Return of Saturn (2000). It was released as the album's fourth and final single on November 14, 2000.
The song was written in only ten minutes, opening with slow New Orleans funeral brass and Adrian Young as a human beat-box. The lyrics discuss overcoming insecurities about a relationship with adoration. The lyric "to wash in your old bathwater" means accepting a lover's faults. [1]
"Bathwater" is a ska punk and a pop punk song written in the key of E minor. [2] It is composed in swing time with a medium swing and moves at a moderately fast tempo of 138 beats per minute. The song's verses are carried by perfect fifth chords with a i-IV chord progression. Some use minor key piano chords on the off beat. Stefani's vocal range spans over two octaves in the song, from G3 to B5. [3]
"Bathwater" received mixed reviews from music critics. Entertainment Weekly described the song's cabaret style as campy and noted that "even lovelorn teen girls may... think it's pretty yucky." [4] Rolling Stone described it as a combination of 2 Tone and the slapstick of farces by Gilbert and Sullivan that "never drops the band's signature blend of adrenaline and sugar." [5] In its review of The Singles 1992-2003 , musicOMH disagreed and referred to it as an "uncomfortable merging" of 1940s dance music and the work of 2 Tone band Madness. [6]
The single was a commercial failure, contradicting the overall success of the Return of Saturn project. In the United States, the song failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 and barely entered the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, inching to number 39. [7]
In the territories where the song did chart, it performed poorly. On the Australian ARIA singles chart, the single managed a number 71 peak position. In Germany, the song reached number 73.
On American Idol (season 6), Sanjaya Malakar performed "Bathwater", the week that Gwen Stefani was the mentor for the contestants. [8] This performance is most famed for the mohawk Malakar wore, which was composed of seven ponytails.
The music video was directed by Sophie Muller, [9] who also directed the video to their previous single, "Simple Kind of Life". The whole video comprises dancing. In it, Adrian Young cross-dresses as Gwen by wearing a platinum blonde wig and a black dress and Gwen appears herself with her trademark platinum blonde hair and wearing a black shirt saying "CAN'T TOUCH THIS" in glittery writing. It also features members of the burlesque group The Pussycat Dolls.
| Chart (2000–2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [10] | 71 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [11] | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia) [12] | 5 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) [13] | 73 |
| US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [14] | 39 |
| "Bathwater (Invincible Overlord Remix)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by No Doubt | ||||
| A-side | "It's My Life" | |||
| Released | April 20, 2004 | |||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Glen Ballard | |||
| No Doubt singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Bathwater (Invincible Overlord Remix)" was released as a single to promote the album The Singles 1992–2003 , although the version on the album is the original version from Return of Saturn, not the remixed version. The song was remixed by Invincible Overlord, No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont's side project. "Bathwater" was not originally released in the UK as a single; however, it was issued in 2004 as the second single from The Singles 1992–2003, as a double A-side with a re-release of previous single "It's My Life". The single peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. [15] The video for "Bathwater (Invincible Overlord Remix)" is an edited version of the original video. It was the last single released by No Doubt before their five-year hiatus due to Gwen Stefani's solo career.
CD single
UK CD single – "It's My Life" / "Bathwater" [16] [17]
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [18] | 61 |
| Ireland (IRMA) [19] | 6 |
| Scotland (OCC) [20] | 22 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [15] | 17 |
No Doubt is an American rock band formed in Anaheim, California in 1986. For most of its career, the band has consisted of vocalist and founding member Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young. Keyboardist Eric Stefani, Gwen's brother, was also a former member when the band started to release albums in 1992. Since the mid-1990s, trombonist Gabrial McNair and trumpeter Stephen Bradley have performed with the band as session and touring musicians.
Return of Saturn is the fourth studio album by American rock band No Doubt, released on April 11, 2000, by Trauma Records and Interscope Records. It marked the band's first album as a quartet, following the departure of original keyboardist Eric Stefani in 1994. After touring for two and a half years to promote their breakthrough third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995), No Doubt wrote several dozen songs for its follow-up and eventually settled on working with producer Glen Ballard. Creating the album became a tumultuous process lasting two years, during which there was dissension among band members and between the band and its label. The album was completed after the band returned to the studio and recorded what became two of its singles.
Everything in Time is a compilation album comprising B-sides, remixes, and rare songs by the American third wave ska band No Doubt, first released on November 23, 2003 as disc three of No Doubt's box set, Boom Box, which also contained The Singles 1992–2003, The Videos 1992–2003 and Live in the Tragic Kingdom. Everything in Time was later released separately on October 12, 2004.
The Singles 1992–2003 is a greatest hits album by American rock band No Doubt, released on November 14, 2003, by Interscope Records. It features 13 of the band's singles from three studio albums—Tragic Kingdom (1995), Return of Saturn (2000), and Rock Steady (2001)—and the single "Trapped in a Box" from their 1992 self-titled debut album. The album also included a cover of Talk Talk's 1984 song "It's My Life", the only new song on the album and which was released as a single. It was released alongside the DVD Rock Steady Live, a video of a concert as part of the band's Rock Steady tour in 2002, and the box set Boom Box, which contained The Singles 1992–2003, Everything in Time, The Videos 1992–2003, and Live in the Tragic Kingdom.
Boom Box is a limited-edition box set album by the American rock band No Doubt, released on November 25, 2003 through Interscope Records. It compiled The Singles 1992–2003, The Videos 1992–2003, Everything in Time, and Live in the Tragic Kingdom. The Singles 1992–2003 was also released on a separate CD on the same date. Everything in Time was released as a separate CD later on October 12, 2004. The Videos 1992–2003 was released as a separate DVD on May 4, 2004. At the time of Boom Box's release, Live in the Tragic Kingdom had already been released on VHS and it was re-released on DVD on June 13, 2006.
"Spiderwebs" is a song by American band No Doubt for their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). It was written by Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal, produced by Matthew Wilder, and released as the album's second single on November 19, 1995. "Spiderwebs" appears on their 2003 greatest hits album, The Singles 1992–2003. Stefani was inspired to write the song after an admirer recited bad poetry to her. "Spiderwebs" is a ska punk song with angsty lyrics responding to Stefani's potential suitors.
"Just a Girl" is a song by American band No Doubt from their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). Released as the record's lead single in the United States on September 21, 1995, it was written by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont, and produced by Matthew Wilder. It has also made an appearance on their 2003 greatest hits album, The Singles 1992–2003. Lyrically, "Just a Girl" is about Stefani's perspective of life as a woman and her struggles with having strict parents. "Just a Girl" was the first song Stefani wrote without the assistance of her brother Eric.
"Underneath It All" is a song by American ska band No Doubt, released in July 2002 as the third single from their fourth studio album Rock Steady (2001). Written by the band's lead singer Gwen Stefani and David Stewart, the song features a reggae production from Sly and Robbie and guest vocals from Lady Saw.
"Sunday Morning" is a song by American band No Doubt for their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). It was written by Gwen Stefani, Eric Stefani, and Tony Kanal, produced by Matthew Wilder, and released as the record's fifth single on May 27, 1997. The song has also been included on their 2003 greatest hits album, The Singles 1992–2003. Its lyrics describe a romantic relationship that ended in a breakup and was inspired by a discussion that Gwen Stefani had with Kanal. The song has been described as a ska and ska punk recording with elements of reggae and Motown.
"Luxurious" is a song by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004). Written by Stefani and fellow No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal, the track contains a sample of the Isley Brothers' 1983 song "Between the Sheets".
"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. Its lyrics describe the debauchery with groupies at these parties.
"It's My Life" is a song by the English new wave band Talk Talk. Written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene, it was the title track on the band's second album, It's My Life (1984), and released as its first single in January 1984. It reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart, but did better in several other countries, reaching number 33 in Germany, number 32 in New Zealand, number 25 in France and number 9 in Italy. It was their only hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 31; and it peaked at number 30 in Canada. The song also peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
American rock band No Doubt has released six studio albums, five compilation albums, three video albums, 22 singles, five promotional singles, and 21 music videos. The band was formed in Anaheim, California in 1986. After many line-up changes, it released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was overshadowed by the popularity of the grunge movement. Following the self-released The Beacon Street Collection, Tragic Kingdom was released in 1995 and rode the surge of ska punk to become one of the best-selling albums, largely due to the international success of its third single "Don't Speak".
Rock Steady Live is a video album by American ska punk band No Doubt, released on DVD on November 25, 2003 under the Interscope records label. The DVD was directed by Sophie Muller. It is a recording of two of No Doubt's concerts during their Rock Steady Tour in 2002 to promote their fifth studio album, Rock Steady, which was released in December 2001. The material was recorded in November 2002 in Long Beach Arena, California. The concert features performances of seventeen songs from the band's previous three albums: Tragic Kingdom, Return of Saturn and Rock Steady; extras include performances of four extra songs, interviews with the band members, and backstage footage of the tour.
"Simple Kind of Life" is a song written by Gwen Stefani for American rock band No Doubt's fourth album, Return of Saturn (2000). The song contrasts Stefani's desire to settle down and start a family with her commitment to the band. It received positive reviews from music critics, who noted the song's somber melody and raw lyrics.
Invincible Overlord is a side-project band by Tom Dumont and Ted Matson. The duo was formed after No Doubt's vocalist, Gwen Stefani, decided to pursue a solo career, and the other members began starting families. Invincible Overlord's only album, The Living Album, is available as a free download on the band's website. The album's first five tracks were released in May 2005: "Through the Years", "Powercell", "My Light Is as Bright as the Sun", "Maryland", and "Behind the Mountains". Two new songs were added in January 2006 and August 2007, "You Are Alone" and "Everything Will Be Fine", respectively. As stated on the website, more pieces will be added as they are completed.
"Excuse Me Mr." is a song by American band No Doubt for their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). The song was written by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont, while produced by Matthew Wilder. It was released as the fourth single from the album on August 21, 1996. The song has also been included on the band's 2003 greatest hits album, The Singles 1992–2003. Musically, the former is a rock-influenced ska track with lyrics describing a woman trying to get the attention of a man. A country version of the song was also created but never released. The single received positive reviews from music critics who labelled it a successful breakup song and as one of the best tracks on Tragic Kingdom.
"New" is a song by American rock band No Doubt, written by band members Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont for the Go soundtrack (1999). It was later included on No Doubt's fourth studio album Return of Saturn (2000). It's the first single as a quartet, after the departure of original keyboardist Eric Stefani in 1994. The song is available as a downloadable track for the music video game series Rock Band and Guitar Hero. The song was a complete departure from the band's previous singles, switching from a ska punk-influenced sound to more new wave-influenced sound.
"Happy Now?" is a song by American band No Doubt for their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). It was written by Gwen Stefani, Tom Dumont, and Tony Kanal, produced by Matthew Wilder, and released as the record's sixth single overall on September 23, 1997. The commercial CD singles were distributed exclusively in Australia and Europe. However, the song was still released to radio stations in the United States. Musically, "Happy Now?" is a ska and rock song with and lyrics detailing a painful breakup, specifically the former relationship between Stefani and Kanal. Despite not receiving a formal release in the United States nor filming a proper music video, "Happy Now?" received heavy rotation on Californian radio stations, such as KROQ.
"Settle Down" is a song by American rock band No Doubt. It is the first single from their sixth studio album Push and Shove (2012). Written by Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, and produced by Spike Stent, it was released on July 16, 2012 by Interscope Records. The song is a combination of many styles, such as reggae, ska, dancehall, Latin and Caribbean-tinged beats, merging with American pop and rock music. Lyrically, the song is about confidence and about feeling good, adjusting yourself to unfamiliar circumstances.
