Gwen Stefani "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." (2004) - No Doubt hiatus, Harajuku Girl band, 80's music influence, guest stars, best songs

"Love. Angel. Music. Baby." - the debut solo record from the enchanting Gwen Stefani. The album saw the light of day in the autumn 2004 years and presented the audience with 12 great tracks, some of which became huge hits for years to come. For Stephanie, who has captivated audiences as the vocalist of the band "No Doubt."It was the first step into the world of solo work. Various stars took part in the creation of the disc: from Dr. Dre before Terry Lewis и Linda Perry! However, Gwen co-wrote absolutely all the songs.

The album turned out to be bright, danceable, in the spirit of the 80s. It harmoniously combined various genres - hip-hop, R&B, new wave and others. And today we offer to remember its history.

History of creation, background

Gwen Stefani is widely recognised as the lead singer of the American rock band "No Doubt.". However, shortly after her worldwide fame descended upon her, Stefani found herself wanting to become a solo artist. It all started when she occasionally began appearing on the records of other artists such as Eve. Working on the album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." boiled over in 2003. The retro sound was inspired by the song "Why You Treat Me So Bad" groups "Club Nouveau" 1987 of the year: it was the song that inspired Stefani to record a disc that would modernise 80s music.

Co-written with Linda Perry's "What You Waiting For?" was the lead single from the album and also a very personal song for Gwen herself. After this track, the singer went to see Tony Kanye, with whom they had a romantic relationship. To work on "Why You Treat Me So Bad" Gwen did not return until six months later, when other artists were brought in. The girl reconnected with Perry, and Perry invited her Dallas Austin, André 3000, "The Neptunes." and other musicians. Soon the record was ready! Stephanie proudly announced its release in early 2004.

Gwen explained the title of the album by saying that these four words are her favourites. Also the acronym LAMB is the English word for "lamb."

The lyrics, the meaning, the sound

If you listen "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."In the album, you can realise that the album is heavily influenced by a variety of genres, including popular music trends of the 80s. There is electropop, new wave, dance rock and even soulful soul with modern hip-hop and R&B! Some tracks were deliberately endowed with a synthesiser sound, which was at the height of its popularity during the 80s. Stefani herself has admitted that she drew inspiration mainly from the work of the early Madonna, Depeche Mode.already mentioned "Club Nouveau"as well as Prinsa и "The Cure".

In terms of lyrical meaning, the album's message is primarily centred around money. Tracks such as "Rich Girl." и "Luxurious."They tell the listener about wealth, all its advantages and disadvantages. There is also a place in the songs for the fashion industry. And of course, not without personal lyrics. Intro track "What You Waiting For?" is about the singer's desire to become a mother, while the song. "Cool." addressed to her and Caneel's failed romance.

Track list

We suggest you check out the track list in person.

"What You Waiting For?"

"Rich Girl."

"Hollaback Girl."

"Cool."

"Bubble Pop Electric."

"Luxurious."

"Harajuku Girls"

"Crash."

"The Real Thing"

"Serious."

"Danger Zone."

"Long Way to Go"

Who are Harajuku Girl?

As part of the album, the world was introduced to "Harajuku Girl" - a group of Japanese female backup dancers, which Stephanie herself characterised as a figment of her imagination. "Girls of Harajuku." They are mentioned in some tracks, in particular in the song of the same name, which is dedicated to them. They also appear in music videos - and for the artist's second album.

Subsequently, they also accompanied Gwen during her live performances.

A little bit about the major hit "What You Waiting For?"

As mentioned above, "What You Waiting For?" addressed the singer's desire to become a mother. It was the first song written for the album and the lead single, which became a big hit. The track featured a gorgeous music video with direct references to the "Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.. As of 2021, the clip has racked up more than . 55 million views on YouTube. It also features dancers from the "Harajuku Girl".

The single became the lead single in Australia and walked in top 10 in several countries, including UK и France. In addition "What You Waiting For?"and the hits were "Rich Girl." и "Hollaback Girl.". The latter track was the biggest success from the entire album: it became the first single to sell digitally in the amount of of one million copies within the United States! For Stephanie, "Hollaback Girl" was also her first number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Critical reception, success

Critics received the solo album warmly. The record won six nominations at the Grammys. and made her debut at number seven. Billboard 200! The first week's circulation "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." amounted to almost 40,000 copies. Today, the disc has a worldwide circulation of over seven million copies! The work has also received multi-platinum certifications in a number of countries.

It's safe to say that "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." became a good springboard to musical Olympus for Stefani as a solo singer. Many songs from the album are still popular today, despite the fact that they are almost two decades old. The disc also had a great influence on subsequent generations of musicians.