Cool (Gwen Stefani song)

"Cool"
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Single by Gwen Stefani
From the album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
Released	2005
Format	Digital download
Genre	Pop
Length	3:09
Label	Interscope
Writers	Gwen Stefani Dallas Austin
Producers	Dallas Austin
Director	Sophie Muller
Certification	Gold
Chart positions	#13 (US) #11 (UK) #2 (CAN) #10 (AUS)
Gwen Stefani singles chronology
"Hollaback Girl" 2005	"Cool" 2005	"Can I Have It Like That" 2005

"Cool" is the fourth single from Gwen Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.. Released in the third quarter of 2005, the single peaked at number thirteeen in the U.S., becoming Stefani's fifth top-twenty single. The song also peaked at number eleven in the U.K., number two in Canada, and number ten in Australia.

Song information

The single was co-written by Stefani and Dallas Austin and produced by Austin. In this mid-tempo love song, heavily inspired by the 1980s, Stefani looks back at her past relationship with No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal. Although their past problems led to drama and they have gone their separate ways romantically, Stefani finds it "cool" that they still remain very good and close friends. The song is often seen as the sequel to the popular No Doubt song, "Don't Speak".

When asked about the song, Stefani responded, "Dallas Austin heard my song 'Underneath It All' and got inspired to write a new song called 'Cool' which he could never finish about his girlfriend and all the bullshit of breaking up and how he wanted it to be okay. We finished the thing in fifteen minutes. I didn't write all of the melody–I'm ashamed, I want to say that I did–but I also know how magical it is that somebody could be so inspired by my song that they write one."

Chart performance

The song was officially released to Mainstream Top 40 radio on July 5, 2005. For the week ending June 25, 2005 it was the highest entry (number forty-four) on the Billboard Pop 100 Airplay chart, beating "Ass Like That" by Eminem (forty-seven), and "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay (forty-eight).

The following week it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number eighty-six, and number thirty-five in Canada. It reached number eleven in the United Kingdom and number ten on the Australian ARIA Charts.

Six weeks after its release in the United States, "Cool" climbed to its peak position of number thirteen, and subsequently remained in the top-thirty for an additional two months. Three months after its debut in Canada, "Cool" managed to climb from its debut up to number two. The success of the single surpassed "Rich Girl"'s peak of number four, making "Cool" more popular than "Rich Girl" in Canada, while the result was opposite in the United States.

Music video

The music video for "Cool", directed by Sophie Muller, was first shown on MTV's Total Request Live on June 30, 2005. The video follows the theme of the song very closely, showing the relationship that Stefani has with her ex-boyfriend, played by Daniel Gonzalez, and his new girlfriend, played by Erin Lokitz (who is the girlfriend of Stefani's former boyfriend, Tony Kanal), all in each other's company. The video is also noted for showcasing the scenery of Lake Como, Italy, where it was shot, and as being the first solo video by Stefani not to feature her Harajuku Girls.

The music video came second on VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown.

Charts

International

Year	Single	Chart	Position
2005	"Cool"	Australian ARIA Singles Chart	#10
2005	"Cool"	Canadian Singles Chart	#3
2005	"Cool"	U.K. Singles Chart	#11
2005	"Cool"	U.S. Singles Chart	#13
2005	"Cool"	World Chart Show	#1

Billboard

Year	Single	Chart	Position
2005	"Cool"	Billboard Hot 100	#13
2005	"Cool"	Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	#19
2005	"Cool"	Pop 100	#9
2005	"Cool"	Pop 100 Airplay	#10
2005	"Cool"	Hot Digital Songs	#12
2005	"Cool"	Hot Digital Tracks	#10
2005	"Cool"	Mainstream Top 40	#9
2005	"Cool"	Adult Top 40	#4
2005	"Cool"	Adult Contemporary	#39