Doctor Jones

"Doctor Jones" is a song by Danish dance-pop group Aqua. Released as the band's fifth single overall, it was the follow-up to their most successful song "Barbie Girl" in many regions. "Doctor Jones" was a similarly pop-oriented hit which sold well across the globe and ended the assumptions that Aqua would be a one-hit wonder; although they would remain so in America as "Barbie Girl" was their only hit there until "Lollipop (Candyman)" was released and hit the top 40 on the Hot 100.

This article is about the pop song. For the fictional character, see Indiana Jones.
"Doctor Jones"
Single by Aqua
from the album Aquarium
Released8 December 1997
Recorded1997
Length3:22
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Johnny Jam
  • Delgado
  • Claus Norreen
  • Søren Rasted
Aqua singles chronology
"Lollipop (Candyman)"
(1997)		 "Doctor Jones"
(1997)		 "Turn Back Time"
(1998)
Music video
"Doctor Jones" on YouTube

"Doctor Jones" was released around the world in a number of months, with the first release being in October 1997. Most of the releases would be in November 1997, with it hitting the charts in Japan, Scandinavia and mainland Europe in that month. December 1997 saw the Australian release achieve a successful chart placing at No. 1 for seven consecutive weeks, before the song made its impact in the UK in February of the following year. There, it became the group's second number one single, topping the chart for three weeks.

The song can also be heard in the 1998 Disney film I'll Be Home for Christmas. Allie Henderson (Jessica Biel) sings along with the song while riding in a car through Colorado.

Critical reception

CantStopThePop noted, "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."[1] 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] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In noted that the "bouncy" tune deal with "the end to a summer of love".[3] 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."[4] Nick Reed from The Quietus noted the song as a stand out from the album, adding that "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."[5]

Music video

The music video 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

Release history
Country Release date
Australia October 1997 (1997-10)
Europe
Japan
United States 1998 (1998)

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[41] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Belgium (BEA)[42] Platinum 50,000*
Germany (BVMI)[43] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[44] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[45] Platinum 10,000*
Sweden (GLF)[46] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Platinum 600,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. "Aqua – Doctor Jones". CantStopThePop. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  2. "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 16. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  3. Waliszewski, Bob. "Aquarium". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  4. "REVIEW: "AQUARIUM" BY AQUA (CD, 1997)". Pop Rescue. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  5. Reed, Nick (4 August 2014). "Absolved! The Quietus Writers' 50 Favourite Guilt-Free Pleasures". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  6. "Australian-charts.com – Aqua – Doctor Jones". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  8. "Ultratop.be – Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  9. "Ultratop.be – Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  10. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7884." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  11. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 7. 31 January 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  12. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 5. 14 February 1998. p. 15. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  13. "Aqua: Doctor Jones" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Aqua – Doctor Jones". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  15. "Íslenski Listinn NR. 253 Vikuna 25.12. 1997 – 01.01. 1998" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir. 27 December 1997. p. 47. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  16. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Dr Jones". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  17. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 1–3. 17 January 1998. p. 14. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 51, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Aqua – Doctor Jones" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  21. "Charts.nz – Aqua – Doctor Jones". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  22. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  23. "Billboard – Google Books". 30 May 1998. Retrieved 31 March 2014 – via Google Books.
  24. "Swedishcharts.com – Aqua – Doctor Jones". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  25. "Swisscharts.com – Aqua – Doctor Jones". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  26. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  27. "Aqua Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  28. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 1997". ARIA. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  29. "Jaaroverzichten 1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  30. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1997". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  31. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  32. "Årslista Singlar – År 1997" (in Swedish). Hitlistan. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  33. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 1998". ARIA. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  34. "Jaaroverzichten 1998" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  35. "Rapports annuels 1998" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  36. "RPM's Top 50 Dance Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  37. "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1998" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 51. 19 December 1998. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  38. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1998" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  39. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  40. "Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100". Music Week. 16 January 1999. p. 7.
  41. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  42. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  43. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Aqua; 'Dr. Jones')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  44. "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.
  45. "New Zealand single certifications – Aqua – Doctor Jones". Recorded Music NZ.
  46. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  47. "British single certifications – Aqua – Doctor Jones". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Doctor Jones in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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