Spiderwebs
Encyclopedia
"Spiderwebs" is a ska punk
song written by Gwen Stefani
and Tony Kanal
for No Doubt
's third studio album Tragic Kingdom
(1995). It was released as the album's second single
in 1995 (see 1995 in music
). When "Spiderwebs" reached the radio airwaves in the U.S, it began a revival of the ska
genre. The song is a combination of ska and pop. With its ubiquitous airplay for months, more ska-flavored singles became prevalent in later years such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
' "The Impression That I Get
", Save Ferris
' "Come On Eileen
", and The Specials
' "A Little Bit You, A Little Bit Me".
The song debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and peaked at number 5 after three weeks of its release. The song's lyrics are about a man who had been calling Gwen at all hours to recite bad poetry to her. Musically, the song uses a drum for the beat and various brass instrument
s, such as a trombone to build up the crescendo
s in the chorus.
Two different music videos were produced for "Spiderwebs". In the first version, the music video showed clips of the band playing. MTV thought that the exploding telephones were inappropriate for younger viewers so they added more footage of the band. These included lead singer Gwen Stefani
walking around being covered in "spiderwebs" made of strings sprayed out of aerosol cans and Gwen being tangled in various telephone cords. In the second version, the music video featured the band playing in a Japanese restaurant entertaining the patrons. As the band plays, various Japanese-language sentences are displayed on the screen.
The subtitles displayed in the Japanese music video during the wedding reception scene translate to: "Excellent party", "I really like cake a lot", "What is your name?", "This is excellent champagne", "What is this? Crazy kids", "It's making me sick".
pop punk
band Four Year Strong
covered the song on their 90's cover-album Explains It All
in 2009.
. It is also a downloadable song for the Rock Band and SingStar
series.
British single 1
British single 2
Promotional US CD Single
Swedish single
Spanish single
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
song written by Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
and Tony Kanal
Tony Kanal
Tony Kanal is an English musician, record producer and songwriter. Kanal is the bassist for the American rock band No Doubt...
for No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
's third studio album Tragic Kingdom
Tragic Kingdom
Tragic Kingdom is the third studio album by the American third wave ska band No Doubt. It was released on October 10, 1995, on Trauma Records, a division of Interscope Records. The album was produced by Matthew Wilder, mixed by Paul Palmer, and recorded in 11 studios in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
(1995). It was released as the album's second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1995 (see 1995 in music
1995 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
). When "Spiderwebs" reached the radio airwaves in the U.S, it began a revival of the ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
genre. The song is a combination of ska and pop. With its ubiquitous airplay for months, more ska-flavored singles became prevalent in later years such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...
' "The Impression That I Get
The Impression That I Get
"The Impression That I Get" is a song by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the lead single from their 1997 studio album Let's Face It. It is the band's most successful and popular song. The track reached #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. In...
", Save Ferris
Save Ferris
Save Ferris was a ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.-History:...
' "Come On Eileen
Come on Eileen
"Come On Eileen" was a single released by Dexys Midnight Runners in 1982. The song was written by Kevin Rowland, "Big" Jim Paterson, and Billy Adams; it was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. It also appeared on the album Too-Rye-Ay...
", and The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
' "A Little Bit You, A Little Bit Me".
The song debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and peaked at number 5 after three weeks of its release. The song's lyrics are about a man who had been calling Gwen at all hours to recite bad poetry to her. Musically, the song uses a drum for the beat and various brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
s, such as a trombone to build up the crescendo
Crescendo
-In music:*Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics * Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions...
s in the chorus.
Music video
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
walking around being covered in "spiderwebs" made of strings sprayed out of aerosol cans and Gwen being tangled in various telephone cords. In the second version, the music video featured the band playing in a Japanese restaurant entertaining the patrons. As the band plays, various Japanese-language sentences are displayed on the screen.
The subtitles displayed in the Japanese music video during the wedding reception scene translate to: "Excellent party", "I really like cake a lot", "What is your name?", "This is excellent champagne", "What is this? Crazy kids", "It's making me sick".
Cover versions
MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong is an American pop punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, and drummer Jackson Massucco...
covered the song on their 90's cover-album Explains It All
Explains It All
-Notes:The end of the song, "Spiderwebs" is taken from the song, "This Love" by Pantera.-External links:*...
in 2009.
Appearances in other media
The song is featured as a playable song in both Guitar Hero: On Tour and Guitar Hero World TourGuitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour is a music video game developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. It is the fourth main entry in the Guitar Hero series...
. It is also a downloadable song for the Rock Band and SingStar
SingStar
SingStar is a competitive music video game series for PlayStation consoles, developed by London Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. 23 English-language instalments of the series have been released for the PlayStation 2, and six versions for the PlayStation 3 have been released...
series.
Track listing
Australian single- "Spiderwebs" (LP version) – 4:28
- "Spiderwebs" (live from KROQKROQ-FMKROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
) – 4:05 - "Sailin' On" (from MOM: Music for Our Mother Ocean) – 3:37
- "Just a GirlJust a Girl"Just a Girl" is a song written by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont for No Doubt's third album Tragic Kingdom. The song was released in 1995 as the album's lead single and helped the band break into mainstream music, peaking at number 23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.Upon release in the UK in 1996 the...
" (video - enhanced version)
British single 1
- "Spiderwebs" (LP version) – 4:28
- "The Climb" (live) 7:56
- "Doghouse" – 4:30
- "Spiderwebs" (video) – 4:08
British single 2
- "Spiderwebs" (LP version) – 4:28
- "D.J.'s" (live) – 4:06
- "Let's Get Back" (LP version) – 4:14
- "Excuse Me Mr.Excuse Me Mr. (song)"Excuse Me Mr." is the fourth single by rock band No Doubt from the album Tragic Kingdom. It is also featured on No Doubt's album The Singles 1992-2003....
" (video) – 3:37
Promotional US CD Single
- "Spiderwebs" (Radio Edit) – 3:50
- "Spiderwebs" (Album Version) – 4:28
Swedish single
- "Spiderwebs" (LP version) – 4:28
- "Sailin' On" (from MOM: Music for Our Mother Ocean) – 3:37
Spanish single
- "Spiderwebs" (LP version) – 4:28
- "The Climb" (live) 7:56
- "Doghouse" – 4:30
- "Oi to the World" - 2:42
- "Spiderwebs" (video) – 4:08
Official versions
- Spiderwebs (Album Version) / (LP Version) - 4:28
- Spiderwebs (Radio Edit) - 3:50
- Spiderwebs (live from KROQKROQ-FMKROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
) – 4:05 - Spiderweds (Acapella) - 4:32
Chart performance
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
11 |
| Canadian RPM Alternative 30 Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
8 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 30 |
| Swedish Top 60 | 23 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop Songs | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Pop Songs | 29 |