Hey You!

"Hey You!"
The artwork portrays the four main band members of No Doubt standing in a brightly-lit room.
Single by No Doubt
from the album Tragic Kingdom
Released February 23, 1998 (1998-02-23)
Format CD
Recorded 1995
Genre
Length 3:34
Label Interscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Matthew Wilder
No Doubt singles chronology
"Sunday Morning"
(1997)		 "Hey You!"
(1998)		 "New"
(1999)

"Sunday Morning"
(1997)		 "Hey You!"
(1998)		 "New"
(1999)

"Hey You!" is a song recorded by American rock band No Doubt. It was released as the seventh and final single from their third studio album Tragic Kingdom (1995). The single was released as a CD single in the Netherlands on February 23, 1998. It is the final single to feature content from original keyboardist Eric Stefani, who left the group in 1995 due to creative issues.

Musically, it incorporates several genres, including ska punk and psychedelic rock, with its lyrics portraying "a cynical view of marriage". The track received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, with one calling it a "filler" and others naming it a "standout track". Since the song was only released in the Netherlands, it only charted there, peaking at number fifty-one on the Single Top 100. A music video using footage from a live performance was directed by Sophie Muller and released alongside the CD single.

Background and release

Studio sessions for "Hey You!" took place during the production process of its parent album, Tragic Kingdom (1995).[1] Unlike their previous two studio albums, Tragic Kingdom's production was handled by outsider Matthew Wilder, to which member Eric Stefani disliked.[2] Although seven of the album's fourteen tracks were written by Eric, he left the band shortly before its release, leaving the rest of the band to finish the songs.[3]

The CD single was released exclusively in the Netherlands and included two tracks: the album version of "Hey You!", plus a live version that was recorded on June 1, 1997, at The Pond in Anaheim, California.[4] The artwork of the release is the same used for the fifth single from Tragic Kingdom, "Happy Now?".[5]

Composition and promotion

"Hey You!" was written by Gwen Stefani and Kanal, with its production being handled by Matthew Wilder.[6] The single is produced in D major, with Stefani's vocals ranging from A3–C5, layered with the use of a piano and guitars.[7] It is a psychedelic rock and alternative rock track, with a genre similar to No Doubt's signature ska punk style.[8] Its lyrics detail a "cynical" female protagonist hoping to get married.[9] Kenneth Partridge, who wrote for both Billboard and The A.V. Club, stated that it has "a neo-psychedelic '60s vibe that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Bangles record". He went on to discuss the lyrics as "a jaded Gwen gives some tough love to a girl dreaming of a white wedding" in the lines "You're just like my Ken and Barbie doll / Your name will never change".[8] Mike Boehm, writing for the Los Angeles Times, stated that the "canny arangement of Stefani's multitracked voice provide a poppy lift" while Dumont, Kanal, and Young "keep slickness at bay".[10]

An accompanying music video for "Hey You!" was never created, but a video using footage from Live in the Tragic Kingdom (1997) was released alongside the CD single.[11] In the entirety of the video and performance, Stefani "dances and bounces and sings".[12]

Reception

"Hey You!" received mixed to positive reviews upon its release. A critic from The Diamondback enjoyed the single, calling it "dreamy", stating that "songs such as these showcase the band's versatility and Stefani's sensuality as a performer".[13] Mike Boehm of the Los Angeles Times cited the song as an "example of the band's improved craft" and claimed that it "help[s] carry the album's thematic current" of "enthusiastic music".[10] Kenneth Partridge of Billboard panned the track, calling it "a candidate for most skippable" on the album.[8] Since "Hey You!" was only released in the Netherlands, it was only eligible to chart there. On March 21, 1998, the single debuted at number eighty on the Single Top 100 chart, before peaking at number fifty-one.[14] For the week ending May 2, 1998, the song dropped off from its previous position of sixty-five, lasting a total of six weeks on the chart.

Track listing

CD single[4]
No.TitleLength
1."Hey You!"3:34
2."Hey You!" (Live)3:26

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from the Tragic Kingdom liner notes.[6]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 51

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States February 23, 1998 CD Interscope [15]

References

  1. ↑ "No Doubt". AllMusic. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  2. ↑ "No Doubt". Behind the Music. VH1. April 9, 2000.
  3. ↑ Heath, Chris (May 1, 1997). "Snap! Crackle! Pop!". Rolling Stone. New York (759). ISSN 0035-791X. OCLC 1787396.
  4. 1 2 Hey You! (Liner notes/ CD booklet). No Doubt. Interscope Records (Barcode: 6 06949 55732 4). 1997.
  5. ↑ Happy Now? (Liner notes/ CD booklet). No Doubt. Interscope Records (Barcode: 0-606949-556020). 1997.
  6. 1 2 Tragic Kingdom (Liner notes/ CD booklet). No Doubt. Interscope Records (Barcode: 6 0694-92580-2 3). 1995.
  7. ↑ "Digital Sheet Music, No Doubt 'Hey You'". Musicnotes.com. 1995.
  8. 1 2 3 Partridge, Kenneth (October 10, 2015). "No Doubt's 'Tragic Kingdom' at 20: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  9. ↑ Waliszewski, Bob. "No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom Album Review". Plugged In. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Boehm, Mike (November 13, 1995). "Album Reviews : 'Kingdom' Is Band's Best Yet, No Doubt". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  11. ↑ Live in the Tragic Kingdom (Liner notes/ DVD booklet). No Doubt. Interscope Records (Barcode: 060694901656). 1997.
  12. ↑ "Live in the Tragic Kingdom Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  13. ↑ dlevy (May 4, 2015). "No Doubt's 'Tragic Kingdom' still creates pop magic after 20 years". The Diamondback. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Dutchcharts.nl – No Doubt – Hey You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  15. ↑ Jenny (September 27, 2015). "TK20: 'Tragic Kingdom' Singles Ranked". Beacon Street Online. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
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