Cool (song)

Information about Cool (song)

"Cool "
Enlarge picture
"Cool " cover
Single by Gwen Stefani
from the album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
ReleasedJuly 2005 (North America)
August 2005 (elsewhere)
FormatCD single
Digital download
RecordedAtlanta, Georgia (U.S.)
Burbank, California (U.S.)
GenrePop
Length3:09
LabelInterscope
Writer(s)Dallas Austin, Gwen Stefani
Producer(s)Dallas Austin
CertificationGold (RIAA; 2005–2006)
Gwen Stefani singles chronology


"Hollaback Girl"
(2005)
"Cool"
(2005)
"Can I Have It like That"
(2005)




"Cool" is a pop song written by Gwen Stefani and Dallas Austin for Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby (2004). The song's musical-style and production was heavily inspired by pop music from the 1980s, and its lyrics chronicle a relationship in which two lovers have separated, but remain "cool" with each other as good friends. "Cool" received praise from pop music critics, and the media have drawn parallels between the song's lyrical content and the romantic relationship that Stefani had with Tony Kanal, a fellow group member of No Doubt.

The song was released as the album's fourth single in mid-2005 (see 2005 in music) and entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on. Although "Cool" failed to match the success of its predecessor "Hollaback Girl", it reached number one in Canada.

Background and writing

The lyrics of "Cool" reflect Stefani's former relationship with No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal. Although their romantic relationship ended, Stefani's lyrics portray her attitude that it is "cool" that they still remain very good friends. Stefani and Kanal's relationship had provided the inspiration for No Doubt's "Don't Speak" (1996),[1] and while "Cool" presents an amicable friendship between former lovers,[2] "Don't Speak" is about a failing relationship and never arrives at a solution for the couple.[1] Stefani and Kanal supply the basis for the characters.

Dallas Austin wrote "Cool" after listening to No Doubt's "Underneath It All" (2002).[3] He was unable to finish the song and asked Stefani if she wanted to co-write lyrics.[3] During a studio session together, they finished "Cool" in fifteen minutes.[3] "When he told me about the track and where it came from for him, it just triggered something in me," Stefani said.[3]

Because Austin had wanted to write a song about the aftermath of his failed relationship, the lyrics recall a romantic affiliation from the point of view of one who has moved on from their former lover. Stefani indicates that she is in a new relationship. They suggest a progression through a turbulent time to an understanding that takes their relationship to a level of respect.

"And I'll be happy for you
If you can be happy for me
Circles and triangles, and now we're
Hangin' out with your new girlfriend"


"So far from where we've been
I know we're cool"


Stefani sums up the evolution of their relationship with the line "after all that we've been through, I know we're cool". The former couple are now "hanging out" with Kanal's new girlfriend, while Stefani has married and is pleased that he calls her by her "new last name".

Stefani said that she had never intended to include "personal"[3] material on Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and commented, "but no matter what you do, things just come out. It just ended this whole thing for me in my head, and it puts an end to a chapter in a really nice way."[3]

"Cool" was featured in the comedy-drama film Click (2006).

Music and structure

Enlarge picture
A portion of the song's sheet music.


"Cool" is a mid-tempo love song featuring New Wave production and is composed in D major. It is written in common time and moves at a moderate tempo of 112 beats per minute.[4] The song is written in the common verse-chorus form[4] and features five instruments: bass guitar, drums, guitar, keyboards, and synthesizer.[5] "Cool" opens with all five instruments, and as Stefani begins singing, the synthesizer is lowered, and the hard-hitting drum beat steadily increases in volume. She performs her highest pitch (C#5) during the chorus, after which she sings in a softer, almost sotto voice, and her lowest pitch (E3) at the beginning of the verses.

    "Cool"
    The song is composed in D major and features a 1980s musical-style with new wave production.


  • Problems playing the files? See .


The synthesizer emulates brass and woodwind instruments, while the bass and guitar retain a prominent and regular eighth note pulse, using a I-IV-V chord progression for the verses. In the percussion section a drum kit is used, and the snare is introduced at the beginning of the first chorus, which maintains its beat. During the song's fade-out, Stefani repeats "I know we're cool" and "yeah", and she occasionally emphasizes "cool". Her vocal range covers close to two octaves.[4]

Critical reception

"Cool" was generally very well-received by contemporary pop music critics. LAUNCHcast's Jennifer Nine referred to the song as "a liltingly sweet paean to post-break-up friendships",[6] while All Music Guide wrote that the "high school anthem-in-waiting" exuded "sleek, new wave textures".[7] Richard Smirke of PlayLouder commented that the song successfully used the same production formula as fellow album tracks "Serious" and "What You Waiting For?", and described it as a "crisp blend of edgy 21C production and early 80s Madonna-esque pop".[8]

Jason Damas, in a review for PopMatters, characterized the song as "a slippery slice of keyboard driven new wave pop that easily could've slotted into any No Doubt album ... pitched halfway between The Go-Go's and Cyndi Lauper", and added, "the lyrics immediately ensure it will be sung along to by lonely 16-year-olds".[9] While Blender magazine ranked "Cool" at number forty-five on its list of "The 100 Greatest Songs of 2005",[10] Bill Lamb of About.com felt that it "doesn't immediately grab attention like her other singles"[11] and the Toronto Star called it "the year's love anthem, but at the cost of its short length and undeniable repetition".[3]

Chart performance

Enlarge picture
Stefani performing "Cool" on the Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005.


Although "Cool" was officially released to U.S. radio on July 5 2005, it appeared a week early on Billboard magazine's Pop 100 Airplay chart. The song reached the top ten on the Pop 100, and the following week it debuted on the Hot 100, the official U.S. chart. "Cool" peaked at number thirteen in its eighth week and remained on the chart until its twentieth week. The song entered the top twenty on the majority of the Billboard charts on which it appeared, and its remixes topped the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in mid-November. While "Cool" proved somewhat popular on Adult Contemporary radio, it peaked inside the top five on the Adult Top 40 format and reached the top ten on the U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40, a chart unassociated with Billboard.

In Canada "Cool" was officially released to radio on July 13 2005. The song reached the top five on the Canadian BDS Airplay chart and remained in the top ten for another month. "Cool" debuted higher on the Canadian Singles Chart than it did in the U.S. and topped the chart three months later for two weeks, from October 13 2005. It peaked higher in Canada than "Hollaback Girl"'s predecessor "Rich Girl", while in the U.S. "Rich Girl" was the single that charted higher.

Enlarge picture
Stefani ran to the center of the amphitheatre to perform "Cool" on The Sweet Escape Tour in 2007.


The song was released in Australia, Europe and New Zealand on August 22 2005. "What You Waiting For?" (Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'s first single) and "Rich Girl" reached the UK top five, but "Hollaback Girl" had only the top ten. "Cool" continued the trend of lower-charting singles when it debuted and peaked at number eleven. Stefani's previous singles had charted most strongly in Australia, where "What You Waiting For?" and "Hollaback Girl" debuted at number one and "Rich Girl" at number two. "Cool" debuted at number ten and quickly descended the chart, but widespread airplay and Stefani's concurrent promotional visit to Australia stimulated a resurgence of interest in L.A.M.B., which briefly reascended the albums chart again.

Although "Cool" reached number one in Argentina (for the week of September 23 2005) and the top ten in the Netherlands and New Zealand, it was a moderate top twenty success in Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Norway. The song peaked inside the top five on the airplay charts in Russia and South Africa, but was not commercially successful in Japan, where it reached number seventy-five on the airplay chart. It peaked at number six on the United World Chart for the week of October 15 2005.

"Cool" reached the top thirty in Brazil in early 2006.

Music video

Enlarge picture
The song's lyrics and accompanying music video present Stefani as "cool" with her former boyfriend and his girlfriend.


The song's music video was directed by Sophie Muller and filmed in Lake Como, Italy.[12] The video follows the song's theme very closely and depicts the relationship that Stefani has with a former boyfriend, who is played by Daniel González. González and his new girlfriend (played by Tony Kanal's girlfriend, Erin Lokitz) are shown walking to a house. Stefani answers the door, and the three of them are seen in each other's company, with intercut scenes of Stefani rolling around on a bed. There are brief flashbacks to the time when Stefani and her former boyfriend were dating, where she wears a brunette wig, representing her younger self (her natural brown hair has not been seen since she was in ninth grade).[13] Although the lyrical theme of "Cool" is maintained in the video, frames are incorporated to portray Stefani feeling "uncool". She is depicted as "cool" with her former boyfriend and his girlfriend throughout most of the video, but there are moments where she remembers the past and is uncomfortable.



The video showcases the scenery of Como's forests, lakes and restaurants and was the first from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. not to include Stefani's Harajuku Girls, who were present throughout the majority of the album's promotion. The complete version of "Cool" featured in the music video was released commercially on CD single and digital download formats and introduced an orchestral arrangement that differs from the original 1980s composition on Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

"Cool" premiered on MTV's top-ten chart program Total Request Live on June 30 2005,[14] where it reached number three.[14] On VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown, the video peaked at number two.[15] After its July 8 debut on MuchMusic's Countdown, it reached number one for the week of October 7.[16] "Cool" debuted and peaked at number nine on LAUNCHcast's top one-hundred most-watched videos for the week of July 23.[17]

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Cool".

  • Australian/Canadian/European CD single
  1. "Cool" (album version)
  2. "Cool" (Photek remix)
  3. "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback remix by Tony Kanal)
  4. "Cool" (CD-ROM music video)

  • U.S. digital download
  1. "Cool" (Photek remix)
  2. "Cool" (Richard X remix)

Credits and personnel

  • Keyboards: André 3000, Dallas Austin
  • Producer: Dallas Austin
  • Additional production: Nellee Hooper
  • Programmer: Jason Lader
  • Synthesizer: Tony Kanal
  • Recorded at Darp Studios in Atlanta, Georgia and at O'Henry Sound Studios in Burbank, California, U.S.

Charts

Chart (2005)[18][19] Peak
position
Argentine Singles Chart1
Australian ARIA Singles Chart10
Canadian Singles Chart1
Dutch Singles Chart6
German Singles Chart20
Irish Singles Chart12
Italian Singles Chart15
Japanese Airplay Chart75
Latin American Singles Chart12
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart9
Norwegian Singles Chart16
Chart (2005)[18][19] Peak
position
Russian Airplay Chart5
South African Airplay Chart4
Swiss Singles Chart24
United World Chart6
UK Singles Chart11
U.S. Billboard Hot 10013
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary23
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 404
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play11
U.S. Billboard Pop 1009
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream9
1 Photek/Richard X remixes

Preceded by
"Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls
Canadian number-one single
October 13 2005 (2 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Alive" by Melissa O'Neil

Notes

1. ^ "The phenom": Information on the inspiration for "Don't Speak". October 20 2005. "Sign on San Diego". Retrieved October 20 2005.
2. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. MTV News. "Gwen Stefani's Song About Tony Kanal To Be Her Next Single". Retrieved November 28 2005.
3. ^ Cohen, Sandy. "'Underneath It All' helped conceive the year's love anthem". Toronto Star. F1. Retrieved October 15 2005.
4. ^ Commercial sheet music for "Cool". EMI Music Publishing. Distributed by Hal Leonard Publishing. Retrieved October 20 2005.
5. ^ Unknown (2004). In Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (CD liner notes). United States: Interscope Records. Retrieved December 7 2006.
6. ^ Nine, Jennifer. "Gwen Stefani — 'Love, Angel, Music, Baby'". LAUNCHcast. November 25 2004. Retrieved October 25 2005.
7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Love.Angel.Music.Baby". All Music Guide. Retrieved October 25 2005.
8. ^ Smirke, Richard. "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.". PlayLouder. November 23 2004. Retrieved October 25 2005.
9. ^ Damas, Jason. "GWEN STEFANI – Love.Angel.Music.Baby.". PopMatters. November 29 2004. Retrieved October 25 2005.
10. ^ "The 100 Greatest Songs of 2005". Blender. January/February 2006. Retrieved June 1 2006.
11. ^ Lamb, Bill. "Gwen Stefani — Cool". About.com. Retrieved October 25 2005.
12. ^ Collis, Clark. "Holla Back". Entertainment Weekly. December 1, 2006: issue #909. Retrieved April 11 2007.
13. ^ Toht, Betony. "Transformation". In Style. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
14. ^ "The TRL Archive — Debuts". PopFusion. Retrieved January 30 2007.
15. ^ "Gwen Stefani biography". VH1.com. Information on Gwen Stefani. Retrieved January 30 2007.
16. ^ #1s. MuchMusic programming. Original airdate: October 2006. Retrieved January 30 2007.
17. ^ LAUNCHcast. "Top 100". Retrieved January 30 2007.
18. ^ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:iau06j6471l0~T31 "Love.Angel.Music.Baby. > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles"]. All Music Guide. Retrieved August 1 2007.
19. ^ "Gwen Stefani – Cool". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved August 1 2007.

References

External links

In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.
  • Vinyl singles consist of one or more tracks on a traditional gramophone record.

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Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3, 1969) (IPA pronunciation: [gwɛn stɛ'fɑn.ni][1]), is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and occasional actress.
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Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
(2004) The Sweet Escape
(2006)

Alternate cover

Limited Edition bonus CD cover Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
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North America is a continent [1] in the Earth's northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west
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A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s. Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" (1985) is reported to be the world's first CD single, issued in the UK in two
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digital download (also known as a digital single or a paid digital download) is an official and legal music single available for purchase through an online store.
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Country United States
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Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has sold a certain number of copies.

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Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3, 1969) (IPA pronunciation: [gwɛn stɛ'fɑn.ni][1]), is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and occasional actress.
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Released October 31, 2005
Format CD, 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, digital download
Recorded 2005
Genre Pop rap
Length 3:55
Label Virgin, Star Trak, Interscope
Writer(s) Pharrell Williams
Producer(s) Pharrell Williams
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Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3, 1969) (IPA pronunciation: [gwɛn stɛ'fɑn.ni][1]), is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and occasional actress.
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cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by citing reliable sources.

Please help [ improve the article] or discuss these issues on the talk page.
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Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
(2004) The Sweet Escape
(2006)

Alternate cover

Limited Edition bonus CD cover Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
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Lyrics

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Lyrics are the words to a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit.
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Cool is an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, comportment, appearance, style and Zeitgeist. Because of the varied and changing connotations of cool, as well its subjective nature, the word has no single meaning. It has associations of composure and self-control (cf.
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Tony Ashwin Kanal (born August 27, 1970) is an American musician and producer. Kanal is the bassist for third wave ska band No Doubt and produced Together as One, the debut album of reggae singer Elan Atias.
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No Doubt is a third wave ska band from Anaheim, California, United States. The group was founded in 1986, and the ska-pop sound of its 1992 debut album failed to make waves due to the popularity of the grunge movement at the time.
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In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.
  • Vinyl singles consist of one or more tracks on a traditional gramophone record.

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__NOEDITSECTION__ A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of record charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40.
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