Slow Clap

Album: released as a single (2021)
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Songfacts®:

  • Over a slinky bass groove, Gwen Stefani offers up vulnerable lyrics about embracing resilience and staying confident despite feeling like an underdog.

    Been the champion, rang the bell
    Rocked the bottom, been through hell
    Climbed the mountain, now I'm well
    I just feel like coming back for the belt


    Stefani co-wrote the bouncy song in quarantine with songwriter/producer Ross Golan and songwriter Luke Niccoli, the same team behind her 2020 single "Let Me Reintroduce Myself." Both songs find Stefani looking back on her life and career.
  • Stefani told Zane Lowe that Ross Golan woke up at 5:44 a.m. with "this crazy idea" titled "Slow Clap," which he sang into his phone, then went back to sleep. Golan knew it had huge potential, and he explained the song's concept to Stefani, telling her, "It's kinda like all those movies from '80s where you get clapped back to life like 'You're not the underdog! You're an awesome person!'" The No Doubt singer latched onto the idea and reflected on her experiences of knowing her worth in the face of doubters and haters. Stefani recalled her school days where she felt she didn't "fit in and sometimes your weirdness or don't-fitinness is what makes you so special."

    Stefani added there's a secondary meaning. Having experienced superstardom in the past, she wants to "double dip" and enjoy another 15 minutes of fame.
  • The reggae-tinged song is a callback to Stefani's ska-influenced music with No Doubt during the 1990s. Stefani has been a part of the band since co-forming it back in 1986.
  • Gwen Stefani released a new version featuring Saweetie on April 9, 2021. The rapper shout outs Stefani's 2004 singles "Hollaback Girl" and "Rich Girl," plus her icy gang fanbase during her bold and unapologetic verse. Stefani enlisted Saweetie for the remix after watching the "Tap In" artist dance to her 2005 single "Luxurious" in an Instagram post.
  • Stefani and Saweetie dropped a high school-themed music video. Directed by Sophie Muller, the energetic visual is reminiscent of the No Doubt frontwoman's "Hollaback Girl" clip. Muller previously worked on No Doubt's "Don't Speak" and Stefani's "Wind It Up" videos.

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