- published: 07 Oct 2009
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"Bathwater" is a ska punk song written by Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and Gwen Stefani for No Doubt's fourth studio album Return of Saturn (2000). It was released as the album's fourth and final single on November 14, 2000.
The song was written in only ten minutes, opening with slow New Orleans funeral brass and Adrian Young as a human beat-box. The lyrics discuss overcoming insecurities about a relationship with adoration. The lyric "to wash in your old bathwater" means accepting a lover's faults.
"Bathwater" is a ska punk song written in the key of E minor. It is composed in swing time with a medium swing and moves at a moderately fast tempo of 138 beats per minute. The song's verses are carried by perfect fifth chords with a i-IV chord progression. Some use minor key piano chords on the off beat. Stefani's vocal range spans over two octaves in the song, from G3 to B5.
"Bathwater" received mixed reviews from music critics. Entertainment Weekly described the song's cabaret style as campy and noted that "even lovelorn teen girls may... think it's pretty yucky."Rolling Stone described it as a combination of 2 Tone and the slapstick of farces by Gilbert and Sullivan that "never drops the band's signature blend of adrenaline and sugar." In its review of The Singles 1992-2003, OMH Media disagreed and referred to it as an "uncomfortable merging" of 1940s dance music and the work of 2 Tone band Madness.
I will throw you, baby, out with the bathwater.
Cause I know, cause I know what's precious, and I'll take my time.
No, we shouldn't rush into this gold mine.
It might just crumble with our hearts inside.
I can smell it a mile away
in the spring before it rains
in the heavy clouded sky,
ready to tumble, ready to cry.
I will throw you, baby, out with the bathwater.
Cause I know, cause I know what's precious and I'll take my time.
No, we shouldn't rush into this gold mine.
It might just crumble with our hearts inside.
I will throw you, baby, out with the bathwater.
Cause I know, cause I know what's precious and I'll take my time.
No, we shouldn't rush into this gold mine.
It might just crumble with our hearts inside.
Boy in a burrito of blankets,
I love the way you wake up and fix breakfast.