Hella Good

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2002 single by No Doubt

title: "Hella Good" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2001-songs", "2002-singles", "black-and-white-music-videos", "dance-punk-songs", "electro-songs", "funk-rock-songs", "grammy-award-for-best-remixed-recording,-non-classical", "interscope-records-singles", "music-videos-directed-by-mark-romanek", "no-doubt-songs", "song-recordings-produced-by-nellee-hooper", "songs-about-dancing", "songs-written-by-chad-hugo", "songs-written-by-gwen-stefani", "songs-written-by-pharrell-williams", "songs-written-by-tony-kanal"] description: "2002 single by No Doubt" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hella_Good" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 2002 single by No Doubt ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

FieldValue
nameHella Good
coverHellaGoodCover.jpg
typesingle
artistNo Doubt
albumRock Steady
released
recorded2001
length4:02
labelInterscope
prev_titleHey Baby
prev_year2001
next_titleUnderneath It All
next_year2002
misc
::

| name = Hella Good | cover = HellaGoodCover.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = No Doubt | album = Rock Steady | released = | recorded = 2001 | studio =

Commercially, "Hella Good" was successful, and Roger Sanchez's remix of the song topped the US Billboard Dance Club Songs. For the 45th Grammy Awards, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences introduced new categories for Best Dance Recording and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. "Hella Good" was nominated for Best Dance Recording, but lost to Dirty Vegas' "Days Go By", and Sanchez's remix won for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. No Doubt performed a medley of "Underneath It All" and "Hella Good" at the ceremony.

The accompanying music video for "Hella Good", directed by Mark Romanek, was filmed in March 2002 and released in April 2002, and it features the band squatting in an abandoned ship. The song was featured in the opening sequence of the 2005 film The Longest Yard, covered by Rita Ora at Radio 1's Big Weekend, and was also used for the second season Alias episode "The Getaway" in 2003 and in the pilot episode of The Black Donnellys in 2007.

Background and writing

No Doubt decided to work with hip hop production duo the Neptunes as a sort of "cultural collision". Lead singer Gwen Stefani wanted to write a high-spirited and celebratory song about the positive things in her life, so they wrote an optimistic upbeat song. The word hella was a slang term used mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of California to mean "very". Having toured in the Bay Area, Stefani borrowed the term to describe her mood. Stefani wanted to use the word dance in a chorus, so she decided to end each line of "Hella Good"'s chorus with the phrase "keep on dancing". The song's funk sound is based on songs such as Queen's 1980 single "Another One Bites the Dust" and The Commodores' 1977 single "Brick House".

Composition

|pos=left | filename = HellaGood.ogg | title = "Hella Good" | description = The song's hook is performed on the bass. | format = Ogg

"Hella Good" is a rock song composed in the key of G minor. It is written in common time and moves at a moderately fast 115 beats per minute. The song is influenced by electro, punk and funk music. The song's beat drew several comparisons to that of Michael Jackson's 1983 single "Billie Jean". Its hook comes from a simple progression of power chords alternating between G and A flat, suggesting Phrygian mode. "Hella Good" follows a verse-chorus form with a chorus following each of the two verses. Following the bridge, the chorus is repeated and the song closes with an outro.

Critical reception

About.com ranked the song number one in a list of the top five singles from Stefani's career, with the band as well as solo, reasoning by saying that the song's "bumping contemporary beat pushes along 80's style keyboards making it nearly impossible to keep from moving your body." Blender described it as a "blazing start" to Rock Steady and compared it to the work of pop group Was (Not Was), rapper and producer Timbaland, ska punk band Fishbone, and electro DJ Afrika Bambaataa. The NME also compared the song to Bambaataa's music as well as that of Britney Spears and Duran Duran. PlayLouder called the track outstanding and compared Nellee Hooper's production to the electroclash style of Chicago house DJ Felix da Housecat.

Entertainment Weekly characterized the song as a sequel to Madonna's 1985 single "Into the Groove". The publication listed "Hella Good" seventh on its list of the top singles of 2002. It went on to include the song in its list of the top five No Doubt songs, in which it described the song as "a dance-pop delight irresistible enough to make you forget that hella is one of history's most irritating slang terms." Stylus Magazine was pleased with the use of overdubbing in the song's "anthemic rock chorus", but referred to its lyrics as stupid. Billboard referred to the group as the B-52's of the 2000s and praised "Hella Good"'s combination of a strong bassline; "fairly aggressive electric guitar accents"; Kraftwerk-style electronics; and Stefani's "loose, playful" vocals. The song was listed at number 26 on the 2002 Pazz & Jop list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau.

Chart performance

In the United States, "Hella Good" reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was more successful in mainstream markets, reaching number three on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40. It had success on adult contemporary stations, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Adult Top 40. It additionally had some crossover success in urban contemporary markets and reached number 29 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40. Interscope Records approached DJ Roger Sanchez to produce a remix of the song, which went on to top the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The single was less successful on the Canadian Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 26 for three non-consecutive weeks.

On the UK Singles chart, "Hella Good" debuted at number 12 but was unable to reach a higher position. The single peaked at number eight on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart in June 2002 and remained on the chart for three months. It was listed at number 65 on the Australian year-end chart for 2002, and was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association. In New Zealand, it peaked at number 17 and spent 15 weeks on the chart.

Music video

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Hellagood.png" caption="Stefani riding a waterjet scene from the music video."] ::

The black-and-white music video was directed by Mark Romanek. Not following any plot, the video depicts the band as a group of punk rockers squatting in an abandoned ship while the rest are chasing Stefani throughout the ship. During the course of the video, the band members perform the song, using bodyboards to float electronic equipment, and they and their friends explore and dance throughout the ship. There are also sequences of people riding on personal water crafts, Stefani performing on a coiled rope, people playing Jet Set Radio Future, and Stefani broadcasting on a pirate radio station.

Romanek came up with the video's concept it and e-mailed it to the band. He based it on a black-and-white Italian Vogue fashion shoot from the mid-1990s which featured models on waverunners. The video was then filmed over three days in March 2002 in Long Beach, California. The scenes inside the ship were filmed from man-made sets at South Bay Studios.

The music video was moderately successful. Following a premiere on an episode of MTV's Making the Video, it reached number four on the network's video countdown Total Request Live. The video debuted on MuchMusic's Countdown in April 2002 and peaked at number six, spending over four months on the program. At the 2003 Music Video Production Association Awards, production designer Laura Fox won the Universal Studios Production Services Award for Best Art Direction for her work on this video.

Track listings

Australasian and Japanese CD single

  1. "Hella Good" (album version) – 4:02
  2. "Hey Baby" ("Stank Remix" dirty version featuring Outkast and Killer Mike) – 4:06
  3. "Hey Baby" (Kelly G's Bumpin' Baby club mix) – 8:14
  4. "Hella Good" (video) – 4:02

UK CD single

  1. "Hella Good" (album version) – 4:02
  2. "Hella Good" (Roger's Release Yourself mix) – 7:13
  3. "Hey Baby" ("Stank Remix" dirty version featuring Outkast and Killer Mike) – 4:06
  4. "Hella Good" (video) – 4:02 UK 12-inch single :A1. "Hella Good" (Roger's Release Yourself mix) – 7:13 :B1. "Hella Good" (Roger's Release the Dub mix) – 7:14 :B2. "Hey Baby" ("Stank Remix" dirty version featuring Outkast and Killer Mike) – 4:02

UK cassette single

  1. "Hella Good" (album version) – 4:02
  2. "Hella Good" (Roger's Release Yourself mix) – 7:13

European CD single

  1. "Hella Good" (album version) – 4:02
  2. "Hey Baby" ("Stank Remix" dirty version featuring Outkast and Killer Mike) – 4:06

Charts

Weekly charts

::data[format=table title="Weekly chart performance for "Hella Good""] | Chart (2002) | Peak position | Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) | Canada CHR (Nielsen BDS) | Croatia (HRT) | Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | Greece (IFPI) | Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade) | Romania (Romanian Top 100) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 26 | | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 40 | | | | | | | | | | 16 | | | | | | | | | | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 62 | | | | | | | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table title="Year-end chart performance for "Hella Good""]

Chart (2002)PositionAustralia (ARIA)Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)US Billboard Hot 100US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)US Dance Club Play (Billboard)US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)
65
156
28
59
20
18
28
::

Certifications

Release history

::data[format=table title="Release dates and formats for "Hella Good""]

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.United StatesAustraliaUnited KingdomJapan
March 11, 2002Alternative radioInterscope
April 1, 2002Contemporary hit radio
April 29, 2002CD
June 3, 2002
July 31, 2002CD
::

References

References

  1. "45th Annual Grammy Awards – 2003".
  2. D'Angelo, Joe. (February 24, 2003). "Norah Jones Sweeps Grammys, Boss Wins Three, Avril Shut Out".
  3. Foster, Tom. (December 27, 2018). "The Best Uses of No Doubt Songs in Movies or TV".
  4. "Big Weekend 2013 - Rita Ora".
  5. Lelane, Drake. (March 1, 2007). "Music on The Black Donnellys: The Irish Like a Good Fight".
  6. Grant, Kieran. {{usurped
  7. Moss, Corey. (November 7, 2001). "No Doubt To Release Rock Steady A Week Early".
  8. "Hella Good". ''[[Making the Video]]''. [[MTV]]. March 30, 2002.
  9. (2003). "The Singles 1992–2003". [[Polydor Records]].
  10. Orshoski, Wes. (November 21, 2001). "No Doubt Feels 'Rock Steady'".
  11. (August 2, 2002). "Hella Good".
  12. Sheet music for "Hella Good". [[Hal Leonard Corporation]]. 2001.
  13. Richardson, Sean. (December 2001). "Still kicking". [[The Boston Phoenix]].
  14. Bastow, Clem. (September 9, 2005). "Top Ten Drum Beats You Are Powerless To Resist - Staff Top 10".
  15. Hiatt, Brian. (May 22, 2004). "Reasonable Doubt".
  16. Lamb, Bill. "Top 5 Gwen Stefani / No Doubt Singles".
  17. Howe, Rupert. "No Doubt : Rock Steady Review".
  18. Needham, Alex. (September 12, 2005). "No Doubt : Rock Steady".
  19. Perry, Dan. [https://archive.today/20070716033620/http://old.playlouder.com/review/+449nodoubt/ "No Doubt: Rock Steady (2002) review"]. [[PlayLouder]]. January 16, 2002. Retrieved September 6, 2007.{{Dead link. (August 2020)
  20. Browne, David. (December 10, 2001). "Rock Steady Review".
  21. Browne, David. (December 20–27, 2002). "The best and worst".
  22. Delaney, Colleen. (September 1, 2003). "No Doubt – Rock Steady – Review".
  23. Taylor, Chuck. (April 27, 2002). "No Doubt: Hella Good".
  24. (February 18, 2003). "Pazz & Jop 2002: Critics Poll".
  25. Thomas, Misty. (October 3, 2003). "A Quick Little Chat with Roger Sanchez".
  26. "The TRL Archive – Recap – April 2002".
  27. [http://www.muchmusic.com/tv/countdown/ "MuchMusic Countdown"] {{webarchive. link. (January 13, 2009. [[MuchMusic]]. Retrieved September 5, 2007.)
  28. (May 9, 2003). "2003 MVPA Award Winners".
  29. (2002). "Hella Good". [[Interscope Records]].
  30. (2002). "Hella Good". Interscope Records.
  31. (2002). "Hella Good". Interscope Records.
  32. (2002). "Hella Good". Interscope Records.
  33. (2002). "Hella Good". Interscope Records.
  34. (2002). "Hella Good". Interscope Records.
  35. "No Doubt Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". [[Billboard (magazine).
  36. "Canadian Top 20 in 2002".
  37. "Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija". [[Croatian Radiotelevision]].
  38. (June 22, 2002). "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles".
  39. "Top 50 Singles". [[IFPI Greece.
  40. "Tipparade-lijst van week 26, 2002". [[Dutch Top 40]].
  41. "Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 25, saptamina 24.06–30.06, 2002". [[Romanian Top 100]].
  42. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2002". [[Australian Recording Industry Association.
  43. (January 14, 2003). "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002 (Part 2)". [[Jam!]].
  44. "Top 100 top played radio tracks in Canada in 2002". Jam!.
  45. "Billboard Top 100 – 2002".
  46. (December 28, 2002). "The Year in Music 2002: Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks".
  47. (December 28, 2002). "The Year in Music 2002: Hot Dance Club-Play Singles".
  48. (December 20, 2002). "Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2002".
  49. (March 8, 2002). "Going for Adds".
  50. (March 29, 2002). "Going for Adds".
  51. (April 29, 2002). "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 29th April 2002". [[Australian Recording Industry Association.
  52. (June 1, 2002). "New Releases – For Week Starting 3 June 2002: Singles".
  53. "最新のCD リリース一覧". [[Oricon]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

2001-songs2002-singlesblack-and-white-music-videosdance-punk-songselectro-songsfunk-rock-songsgrammy-award-for-best-remixed-recording,-non-classicalinterscope-records-singlesmusic-videos-directed-by-mark-romanekno-doubt-songssong-recordings-produced-by-nellee-hoopersongs-about-dancingsongs-written-by-chad-hugosongs-written-by-gwen-stefanisongs-written-by-pharrell-williamssongs-written-by-tony-kanal