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Doctor Jones

This article is about the pop song. For the fictional character, see Indiana Jones.

"Doctor Jones" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua, released as the fourth single from their debut album, Aquarium (1997). It was the follow-up to their most successful song, "Barbie Girl", and first released as a single in most of Europe in October 1997 by Universal Records. In December 1997, "Doctor Jones" was released in Australia and peaked at No. 1 for seven consecutive weeks. In January 1998, the song was released in the United Kingdom and became the group's second No. 1 single, topping the chart for three weeks. Throughout the rest of Europe, the song reached the top 10 in 11 countries, topping the charts of Croatia and Ireland. Its music video, directed by Peder Pedersen, continued the same cinematic style as in "Barbie Girl", this time using Indiana Jones characters from the film series of the same name.

"Doctor Jones"
Single by Aqua
from the album Aquarium
ReleasedOctober 1997 (1997-10)
GenrePop
Length3:22
LabelUniversal
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Johnny Jam
  • Delgado
  • Claus Norreen
  • Søren Rasted
Aqua singles chronology
"Barbie Girl"
(1997) 		"Doctor Jones"
(1997) 		"Lollipop (Candyman)"
(1997)
Music video
"Doctor Jones" on YouTube

Critical reception

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Scottish Daily Record remarked that the band "give Indiana Jones the pop treatment last offered to Mattel's Barbie dolls."[1] A reviewer from Music & Media wrote, "The motto 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' seems to have been the creed of the Aqua team when they came up with this worthy successor to the phenomenon that is "Barbie Girl". Not only is it a strong pop song in its own right, but the inclusion of some tasty remixes by Antiloop and Molella & Phil Jay among others could arouse interest from programmers who usually chart their course away from the mainstream."[2]

Music Week gave "Doctor Jones" four out of five, adding, "While not quite as insanely catchy as "Barbie Girl", this is still perfect pop. The now familiar girl/boy chemistry will appeal to kids of all ages."[3] The magazine's Alan Jones said, "Looking set to become rather more than one-hit wonders — their third single sounds like a Madonna song — Aqua must nevertheless first prove themselves with "Doctor Jones", another cutesy novelty along the lines of "Barbie Girl", though taken at a more frantic pace, with the same cutesy girl and more brisk and less musical male counter. Horribly commercial, with lots of Yippy-yiyying and every chance of success."[4]

Chart performance

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"Doctor Jones" peaked at No. 1 in Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it reached the top spot during its first week at the UK Singles Chart, on 1 February 1998, spending two weeks at the top.[5] It entered the top 10 also in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it reached No. 3. Outside Europe, "Doctor Jones" was a No. 1 hit in Australia for seven weeks while peaking at No. 2 in New Zealand. In the United States, it charted on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play, peaking at No. 18. "Doctor Jones" was awarded with a gold record in Germany and the Netherlands, and a platinum record in Belgium, New Zealand, Sweden and the UK. In Australia, the single earned a triple platinum record.

Retrospective response

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In a 2019 retrospective review, Can't Stop the Pop wrote, "Swimming amidst a sea of killer hooks is the chorus, which at times feels almost a little forgotten. It’s testament to the rest of the song being so good that this winds up being the case, rather than the chorus itself being poor."[6] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In found that the "bouncy" tune deal with "the end to a summer of love".[7] In a 2015 review, Pop Rescue commented, "Again, the contrast and back-and-forth between René's gruff vocals and Lene's higher pitched dance 'eye-pee-eye-ay' vocals really help this track to keep it's up-tempo pace and catchiness. The track is fun, aided by the duo's vocal play and caricatures."[8] Nick Reed from The Quietus named the song a stand out of the album, adding, "It's so effortlessly catchy, with all these little bouncy melody lines, an awesome call-and-response bit, and a chorus with an out-of-nowhere "Wake up now!" line that still makes me laugh today. For this one moment, Aqua were able to channel ABBA at their best, and managed to write a truly perfect pop song in the process."[9]

Music video

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The accompanying music video for "Doctor Jones" implies the song is based around the Indiana Jones character from the film series of the same name, with René Dif playing Jones and rescuing his fellow band members from a stereotypical voodoo tribe. The title logo is written in a similar form to that of the Indiana Jones logo. There is also a shot of airplane's flight path over a map, which is used in the film series. The lyric "Dr. Jones, wake up now" may also be a reference to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where Short Round implores Indiana Jones to "wake up" after being brainwashed by the blood of Kālī Ma, or during a scene on an airplane when Willie Scott says, "Calling Dr. Jones, wake up!".

The video was one of five Aqua videos directed by Peder Pedersen, who would later spoof the Indiana Jones-movies again in his computer-animated short film Lego Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick (2008).

Track listings

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Belgium (BEA)[51] Platinum 50,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[52] Gold 45,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[53] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[54] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[55] Platinum 10,000*
Sweden (GLF)[56] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[57] Platinum 600,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Europe October 1997 CD Universal
Australia 1 December 1997 [16]
United Kingdom 26 January 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 [58]

References

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  1. ^ "Chart Slot; Top 10 Singles Chart". Daily Record. 20 February 1998.
  2. ^ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. 17 January 1998. p. 16. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  4. ^ Jones, Alan (17 January 1998). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 25. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Aqua – Doctor Jones". Can't Stop the Pop. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  7. ^ Waliszewski, Bob. "Aquarium". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Review: "Aquarium" by Aqua (CD, 1997)". Pop Rescue. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  9. ^ Reed, Nick (4 August 2014). "Absolved! The Quietus Writers' 50 Favourite Guilt-Free Pleasures". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  10. ^ Doctor Jones (European CD1 liner notes). Aqua. Universal Records. 1997. UMD 80446.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Doctor Jones (UK cassette single sleeve). Aqua. Universal Records. 1998. UMC 80457.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Doctor Jones (European CD2 liner notes). Aqua. Universal Records. 1997. UMD 80447.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Doctor Jones (UK CD1 liner notes). Aqua. Universal Records. 1998. UMD 80457.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Doctor Jones (UK CD2 liner notes). Aqua. Universal Records. 1998. UMDX 80457.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Doctor Jones (Australian CD single liner notes). Aqua. Universal Music Australia. 1997. UMD 80452.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ a b "Aqua – Doctor Jones". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  20. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7884." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  21. ^ "HR Top 20 Lista". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 23 February 1998. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 7. 31 January 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  23. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 5. 14 February 1998. p. 15. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  24. ^ "Aqua: Doctor Jones" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  25. ^ "Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  26. ^ "Íslenski Listinn NR. 253 Vikuna 25.12. 1997 – 01.01. 1998". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 27 December 1997. p. 47. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  27. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Dr Jones". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  28. ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 6 (dal 30.01.1998 al 05.02.1998)" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  29. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 51, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  30. ^ "Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  31. ^ "Aqua – Doctor Jones". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  32. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  33. ^ "Billboard – Google Books". 30 May 1998. Retrieved 31 March 2014 – via Google Books.
  34. ^ "Aqua – Doctor Jones". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  35. ^ "Aqua – Doctor Jones". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  36. ^ "Aqua Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  37. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1997". ARIA. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  38. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  39. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1997". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  40. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  41. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1997" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  42. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1998". ARIA. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  43. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1998" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  44. ^ "Rapports annuels 1998" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  45. ^ "RPM's Top 50 Dance Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  46. ^ "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1998" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 51. 19 December 1998. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  47. ^ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1998" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  48. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  49. ^ "Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100". Music Week. 16 January 1999. p. 7.
  50. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  51. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  52. ^ "Danish single certifications – Aqua – Doctor Jones". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  53. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Aqua; 'Dr. Jones')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  54. ^ "Dutch single certifications – Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Doctor Jones in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1997 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  55. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Aqua – Doctor Jones". Recorded Music NZ.
  56. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
  57. ^ "British single certifications – Aqua – Doctor Jones". British Phonographic Industry.
  58. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 24 January 1998. p. 31.
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