Do-Wah-Doo Explained

Do-Wah-Doo
Cover:Do Wah Doo CD Front Smaller.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Kate Nash
Album:My Best Friend Is You
B-Side:"Grrrilla Munch" • "R n B Side" • "Do-Wah-Doo" (performed by Ryan Jarman)
Released:12 April 2010
Length:2:35
Label:Fiction
Producer:Bernard Butler
Prev Title:Merry Happy
Prev Year:2008
Next Title:Kiss That Grrrl
Next Year:2010

"Do-Wah-Doo" is a song by English indie pop singer-songwriter Kate Nash, featured on her 2010 second album My Best Friend Is You (2010). Written by Nash and produced by Bernard Butler, it was released as the lead single from the album on 12 April 2010, one week before the release of the album. "Do-Wah-Doo" was a moderate commercial success, reaching number 15 on the UK Singles Chart – a position exceeded only by her hit song "Foundations" in 2007.

Background

"Do-Wah-Doo" is said to be inspired by 1950s and 1960s girl groups such as The Ronettes and The Supremes,[1] and when asked about it by Spin, Nash said the following:

Critical reception

Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song a positive review stating:

Three years later and she hasn't started singing like Kiri Te Kanawa, while her lyrics continue to dance a line between "admirably direct" and "downright bleedin' obvious". Still, there's no denying that 'Do Wah Doo' ushers in a subtle shift in direction for Nash without sacrificing the pop smarts that propped up Bricks. Produced by Bernard Butler, it's a girl-groupy pop nugget featuring lashings of surf guitar, some nice brassy bursts and a brain-invading "bum-bum-de-bum" hook. Will it win her any new fans? To be honest, it'll probably come down to how you feel about a girl-groupy pop nugget that rhymes "lady" and "shady"... wrapped up with the line: "Well, I think she's a bitch..[2]

Music video

The music video for "Do-Wah-Doo", directed by Daniel Brereton,[3] was filmed on 18 February 2010 at Brooklands Museum, Surrey, England. Nash said the following:

In the video, Kate Nash is an airline stewardess, and is a rival to another stewardess (who is shown serving alcoholic drinks to the pilots) for the affections of a handsome male steward. At the end of the video, whether due to air turbulence, or the drunkenness of the pilots, or the deliberate actions of the pilots, Nash is literally thrown into the arms of the steward by the motions of the plane.

Personnel

Musicians
Production personnel
Additional personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Do Wah Doo by Kate Nash . Songfacts . 20 April 2010 .
  2. Web site: Kate Nash: 'Do Wah Doo' - Music Review . Digital Spy . 2010-03-25 . 2014-06-04.
  3. Web site: Knight. David. Kate Nash's Do Wah Doo by Daniel Brereton. PromoNews. 25 March 2010. 14 April 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120329102546/http://www.promonews.tv/2010/03/25/kate-nash%E2%80%99s-do-wah-doo-by-daniel-brereton/. 29 March 2012. dmy-all. For some reason MTV credits producer Rachel Dargavel as director. Kate Nash - "Do Wah Doo". MTV. 24 March 2010. 14 April 2011. 5 July 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100705101540/http://www.mtv.com/videos/kate-nash/496456/do-wah-doo.jhtml#artist=2446216. dead.