‘Bathwater’: The Story Behind No Doubt’s Inventive Ska Hit
The band followed up its breakthrough album by pushing deeper into its creativity.
Prior to the release of No Doubt’s fourth studio album, Return Of Saturn, the band was flying high. Its 1995 record Tragic Kingdom had given it a major mainstream breakthrough, topping the Billboard 200 chart and dominating the airwaves in the US and beyond with singles like “Don’t Speak” and “Just A Girl.” Thanks to the acclaim and fervent interest the album garnered, No Doubt’s tour in support of Tragic Kingdom was huge – both in the size of the venues it was performing in and the length of time it was on the road for.
When the band returned to daily life, it got to work on the eagerly-anticipated follow-up record, which would become Return Of Saturn. Despite the success No Doubt had experienced, between tales of new love, this fresh batch of songs was marked by feelings of anxiety and insecurity. “Bathwater,” the fourth and final single from the album, was no exception. “Wanted and adored by attractive women/Bountiful selection at your discretion,” Gwen Stefani observed of a new paramour, concerned about how she fared against the pack. “I know I’m diving into my own destruction.”
Listen to “Bathwater” from Return of Saturn on Apple Music and Spotify.
The song was written in just 10 minutes and, speaking to Complex in 2012, guitarist Tom Dumont recalled how it came together. “‘Bathwater’ is another one I remember writing at Glen Ballard’s house, and that one came really quick,” he said. “It was easy to write.” In an MTV appearance after Return Of Saturn’s release in 2000, Stefani shared her own thoughts on the single. “That song was just a mistake,” she began. “It was just me and Tony [Kanal, bassist] sitting on the couch, and then it kinda came out, and who would have thought?”
What started out as a “mistake” swiftly became an infectious and inventive piece of the band’s fourth album. Its intro merged New Orleans funeral brass with the beatbox skills of drummer Adrian Young before moving into a swing-time ska piece. Its music video – helmed by “Don’t Speak” director Sophie Muller – kept that playful spirit going, with Young appearing in drag as Stefani.
Although “Bathwater” was another radio winner for No Doubt, the single didn’t enter the Billboard Hot 100, reflecting a sea change in music trends at the time. Chart placements have had no bearing on the song’s legacy, though, with it remaining one of Return Of Saturn’s most recognizable tracks. Its dancehall-inspired energy also provided a stepping stone for the band to lean further into Jamaican sounds on its double platinum 2001 album Rock Steady.
