{{About|the No Doubt song|the Neil Young song|Bluenote Café}} {{Redirect|You Can't Teach an Ol' Dog New Tricks|the Seasick Steve album|You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks}} {{Distinguish|Dog House (song)}} {{Infobox song | name = Doghouse | cover = No Doubt "Doghouse".jpg | alt = A white background displaying a blue, cartoon doghouse. | border = yes | type = single | artist = [[No Doubt]] | album = [[The Beacon Street Collection]] | B-side = You Can't Teach an Ol' Dog New Tricks | released = {{Start date|1994||}} | recorded = 1994 | studio = Home Recordings<br><small>([[Fullerton, California|Fullerton]], [[California]])</small> | venue = | genre = [[Ska|Ska pop]] | length = {{duration|m=4|s=26}} | label = Beacon Street | writer = [[Eric Stefani]] | producer = No Doubt | chronology = No Doubt | prev_title = [[Squeal (song)|Squeal]] | prev_year = 1994 | next_title = [[Just a Girl]] | next_year = 1995 | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|dPhiVVZ4v9Y|"Doghouse"}}|header=Audio video}} }} "'''Doghouse'''" is a song by American band [[No Doubt]] from their independent second studio album, ''[[The Beacon Street Collection]]'' (1995). Produced by the band, it was written by member [[Eric Stefani]] and released as the album's second and final single in late 1994. The band recorded "Doghouse" in their garage following [[Interscope Records]]'s refusal to provide them funding and professional studio time. No Doubt used the proceeds from their concerts to create a [[Gramophone record|7" single]] for "[[Squeal (song)|Squeal]]" and "Doghouse". 1,000 copies of the single were distributed as part of the group's Beacon Street Records label.

The song is a [[blues]]-inspired [[Ska|ska pop]] track similar to the other songs on ''The Beacon Street Collection''. Its beat is accompanied by a saxophone, trombone, and trumpet. The lyrics detail a struggling relationship between a man and a woman; it uses the metaphor of a dog and its master to illustrate the female's desire for control and dominance. It is the first release by No Doubt to feature several musicians, including touring member [[Gabrial McNair]]. Critically, "Doghouse" was deemed in desperate need of a tune-up by music journalist and author Jeff Apt.

== Background and recording == Following the release of [[No Doubt]]'s [[No Doubt (No Doubt album)|self-titled debut album]] in 1992, [[Interscope Records]] was disappointed in the project's lack of success, both commercially and critically. Despite the underwhelming performance, the label refused to drop No Doubt and revoked funding for their future releases.<ref name="AllMusic band biography">{{cite news |last1=Bush |first1=John |title=No Doubt: Biography by John Bush |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/no-doubt-mn0000341672/biography |access-date=July 4, 2018 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124070918/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/no-doubt-mn0000341672/biography |archive-date=January 24, 2018 }}</ref> The group started creating their own songs from a makeshift recording studio in their garage. Guitarist [[Tom Dumont]] recalled that they "didn’t have any music to sell to [the] people coming to our shows", so "Doghouse" was recorded specifically to be handed out to their fans; it was also one of the first songs recorded for ''[[The Beacon Street Collection]]'', the group's second studio album.<ref name="Complex magazine article singles discography">{{cite news |last1=Nostro |first1=Lauren |title=No Doubt Tells All: The Stories Behind Their Classic Records |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2012/09/no-doubt-tells-all-the-stories-behind-their-classic-records/doghouse-and-squeal |access-date=July 17, 2018 |work=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]] |date=September 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213094854/http://www.complex.com/music/2012/09/no-doubt-tells-all-the-stories-behind-their-classic-records/just-a-girl |archive-date=December 13, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In 1994, No Doubt created a two-part series of [[Gramophone record|7" singles]] in support of ''The Beacon Street Collection'' titled ND Beacon Street Singles. The first single released as part of the collection was "[[Squeal (song)|Squeal]]", earlier in 1994, followed by "Doghouse" in late 1994.<ref name="No Doubt single releases">{{cite web |title=No Doubt: Music – Singles |url=http://www.nodoubt.com:80/music/singles.aspx |publisher=[[No Doubt]] |access-date=January 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005032815/http://www.nodoubt.com/music/singles.aspx |archive-date=October 5, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to the single's liner notes, the songs were recorded at the band members' homes on Beacon Street, a local road in [[Fullerton, California|Fullerton]], [[California]]. The "Doghouse" 7" single release was limited to 1,000 copies and each single is individually numbered. The [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] song was "You Can't Teach an Ol' Dog New Tricks", a previously unreleased track written by Eric Stefani.<ref name="United States 7 single credits" />

''The Beacon Street Collection'' was independently released by No Doubt's Beacon Street Records label on March 25, 1995;<ref name="No Doubt album page">{{cite web |title=The Beacon Street Collection |url=https://www.nodoubt.com/music/beacon-street-collection |publisher=No Doubt |access-date=January 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111055246/https://www.nodoubt.com/music/beacon-street-collection |archive-date=January 11, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> "Doghouse" serves as the album's closing track.<ref name="AllMusic album review">{{cite news |last1=Bush |first1=John |title=No Doubt – ''The Beacon Street Collection'' |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-beacon-street-collection-mw0000027620 |access-date=January 10, 2019 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702011345/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-beacon-street-collection-mw0000027620 |archive-date=July 2, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the sale of all 1,000 7" singles for "Doghouse", the record went out of print.<ref name="No Doubt lyrics" />

== Composition and lyrics == [[File:GabrialMcNairYummy.jpg|thumb|upright|200px|"Doghouse" is No Doubt's first major release to include touring member [[Gabrial McNair]].|alt=A color picture of ska musician Gabrial McNair performing.]] Musically, "Doghouse" is a [[blues]]-influenced [[Ska|ska pop]] track. It contains a progressive sound that author Jeff Apter considered a common element within ''The Beacon Street Collection''.<ref name="Biography book">{{cite book |last1=Apter |first1=Jeff |title=Gwen Stefani and No Doubt: A Simple Kind of Life |date=December 9, 2009 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0857120489 |pages=123–124 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X55AXwcfI88C |access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref> Like the majority of the parent album, it contains [[synth]] arrangements and [[New wave music|new wave]]-style influences to create a rawer sound than the music from its predecessor, ''No Doubt''. Lead vocals are performed by [[Gwen Stefani]]. With an ensemble of instruments, Dumont plays the guitar, [[Tony Kanal]] performs [[bass guitar]], Eric Stefani uses the keyboards, and [[Adrian Young]] handles the drums. Additional instrumentation is provided by Gerard Boisse on saxophone, Phil Jordan on trumpet, and touring member [[Gabrial McNair]] on trombone.<ref name="The Beacon Street Collection">{{cite AV media notes |title=[[The Beacon Street Collection]] |type=liner notes |others=No Doubt |publisher=Beacon Street |year=1995 |id=3}}</ref>

"Doghouse" is set in [[Time signature|common time]] and has a very fast [[tempo]] of 158 [[Tempo|beats per minute]]. The key of the song is in [[B minor]], with Stefani's vocal range spanning nearly an octave and a half. During the song's bridge leading up the final iteration of the chorus, she reaches the high note of D<sub>6</sub>, in [[scientific pitch notation]].<ref name="Doghouse sheet music">{{cite book |last1=Stefani |first1=Eric |title=Doghouse: Sheet Music, Lyrics by Eric Stefani |date=1994 |publisher=Beacon Street}}</ref> Lyrically, it is about a man who is bullied and dominated by his girlfriend and is unwilling to force the situation to change. The song uses the metaphor of a dog and its master to illustrate the nature of the relationship, saying that she had got him "by the reins" and he has been "[[dog training|conditioned]]" by her.<ref name="Doghouse sheet music" /> In the refrain, Stefani sings: "You're just a doggy / In a snap, you're fetching the bone / And you're barking when she calls / You're hiding behind the fence / You've been disobedient."<ref name="No Doubt lyrics">{{cite web |title=The Beacon Street Collection: Doghouse |url=https://www.nodoubt.com/music/beacon-street-collection/doghouse |publisher=No Doubt |access-date=January 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111055133/https://www.nodoubt.com/music/beacon-street-collection/doghouse |archive-date=January 11, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Critical reception == Jeff Apter, music journalist and author of the 2009 biography ''Gwen Stefani and No Doubt: A Simple Kind of Life'', suggested that "Doghouse" was another song on ''The Beacon Street Collection'' that was in desperate need of a tune-up for a more satisfying sound. However, he attributed the progressive sound of the single to the band's first collaboration with outsider musicians, such as Boisse, Jordan, and McNair.<ref name="Biography book" />

== Track listing == {{Track listing | headline = '''US 7" single'''<ref name="United States 7 single credits">{{cite AV media notes |title=''"Doghouse" / "You Can't Teach an Ol' Dog New Tricks'' |others=No Doubt |year=1994 |type=liner notes |location=United States |publisher=Beacon Street |id=No. 2}}</ref> | title1 = Doghouse | length1 = 4:26 | title2 = You Can't Teach an Ol' Dog New Tricks | length2 = 2:11 }}

== Credits == Obtained from the liner notes of the "Doghouse" 7" single.<ref name="United States 7 single credits" /> * Bass &ndash; Tony Kanal * Drums &ndash; Adrian Young * Guitar &ndash; Tom Dumont * Keyboards &ndash; Eric Stefani * Saxophone &ndash; Gerard Boisse * Trombone &ndash; Gabe McNair * Trumpet &ndash; Phil Jordan * Vocals &ndash; Gwen Stefani * Written by &ndash; Eric Stefani

== Release history == {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Release dates and formats for "Doghouse" |- ! scope="col"| Region ! scope="col"| Date ! scope="col"| Format ! scope="col"| Label ! scope="col"| {{abbr|Ref.|References}} |- ! scope="row" | United States | 1994 | [[Gramophone record|7"]] | Beacon Street | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="United States 7 single credits" /> |}

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

{{No Doubt singles}} {{Good article}}

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[[Category:1994 singles]] [[Category:1994 songs]] [[Category:No Doubt songs]] [[Category:Ska songs]] [[Category:Songs written by Eric Stefani]]