Gwen Stefani’s ‘Love. Angel. Music. Baby.’ Celebrates 20th Birthday
Hits like ‘Hollaback Girl’ and ‘Rich Girl’ will soon be available on a vinyl repress of Stefani’s solo debut.
Gwen Stefani’s 2004 solo debut, Love. Angel. Music. Baby., is ringing in its 20th anniversary with a vinyl repress. The 5x platinum album includes the #1 hit “Hollaback Girl” as well as beloved singles like “Cool,” “Luxurious,” and “Crash.” The Love. Angel. Music. Baby. repress arrives on 45 RPM 2LP neon pink vinyl.
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. kicked off Stefani’s solo career after the singer made a name for herself as part of the rock band No Doubt. Stefani said during the promotion of Love.Angel.Music.Baby. that she set out to make a “guilty pleasure album” full of singles, and by all accounts she succeeded. The album’s electro-pop introduction, “What Are You Waiting For?,” peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 and landed a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It also introduced listeners to the Harajuku Girls, Stefani’s dancers and entourage throughout the Love. Angel. Music. Baby. era.
The album also reunited Stefani with the rapper Eve on “Rich Girl,” which interpolates the Fiddler on the Roof song “If I Were a Rich Man.” The Dr. Dre-produced track was a commercial success, peaking at No. 7 on the Hot 100 and landing the pair a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
Fans went “b-a-n-a-n-a-s” for “Hollaback Girl,” the album’s infectious hit. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo co-wrote the song with Stefani and produced it as the Neptunes. “Hollaback Girl” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, becoming Stefani’s first and only US #1, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. features the work of acclaimed songwriters like Linda Perry and legendary producers including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. In terms of collaborations, the album features OutKast’s André 3000 as himself in “Long Way to Go” and as his alias Johnny Vulture on “Bubble Pop Electric.”
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was a huge success, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and receiving a handful of Grammy nominations including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Record of the Year.
