"Doctor" is a song recorded by Belgian singer

Loïc Nottet Loïc Nottet (; born 10 April 1996) is a Belgian singer, songwriter and dancer. He began his career as a singer in the third season of '' The Voice Belgique'' in 2014 and represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, where he placed ...

, released on 30 October 2017 by

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

as the lead single from his second studio album '' Sillygomania''. It was written by Amy Morrey and Nottet, while production was handled by Ozhora Miyagi and Twenty 9. Released to celebrate

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. ...

, "Doctor" has been described as a hip hop-influenced dark pop song featuring

bass synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

esizers and bells in its instrumentation. Lyrically, Nottet details on a toxic relationship that resulted in him committing

criminal offences In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

. The song—inspired by Nottet's love of

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apo ...

s—also features the singer vocally portraying a character that descends into

madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

. Selected

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

gave positive reviews of "Doctor" upon its release, praising its unicity, production and Nottet's vocal delivery. An accompanying music video was uploaded onto the singer's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

channel simultaneously with the track's release. Directed by Leander Hanssen Jr, it features Nottet as an

evil clown The evil clown is a subversion of the traditional comic clown character, in which the playful trope is instead depicted in a more disturbing nature through the use of horror elements and dark humor. The modern archetype of the evil clown was ...

walking on the streets of a town at night alongside a woman; they commit several offences to fellow people. Reviewers generally praised the visual. It was also nominated for Best Video at the 2017 D6bels Music Awards. Promoted by live performances during Nottet's Selfocracy Tour (2017-2018), "Doctor" peaked at number 12 on

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

Ultratip Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization of ...

chart.

Background and composition

"Doctor" was written by Amy Morrey and

, while production was handled by Ozhora Miyagi and Twenty 9. It was digitally made available on 30 October 2017 by

in various countries in celebration of

. Musically, "Doctor" has been described as hip hop-influenced dark pop song, with its instrumentation prominently including

esizers and bells which "add to the song's eerie mood". An editor of

Virgin Radio Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale. In 2001, ...

noticed "

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

" sounds in the production. During the lyrics of "Doctor", Nottet details on a toxic relationship with a woman that resulted in him becoming a "body hunter". He blames her for the aforementioned, claiming that she brought out a "bloody beast". Seeking

revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...

, the singer also mentions "shooting at bodies" as his "way of being free" and feeling remorseless for his actions. According to Hallerman of Wiwibloggs, "even though this girl pushed him to his knees", he still desires a relationship with her. Throughout the track, Nottet also talks to his doctor, admitting that " elost control last night when ewas with her". Lyrics include: "I call you Mister Doctor cause I think I'm crazy/I've lost my mind, I don't know what's happening to me". Through Nottet's vocal delivery on "Doctor", he portrays a character descending into

; during the song's final

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, he "creepily chuckles to himself over his insanity in a perfectly timed accent". According to Nottet, the song was influenced by his love of

Reception and live performances

"Doctor" was received with positive reviews from selected

. Jonathan Currinn of website CelebMix praised the song's unicity and Nottet's vocal delivery, and compared it to material featured on his debut studio album ''

Selfocracy ''Selfocracy'' is the debut studio album by Belgian singer Loïc Nottet. It was released in digital and physical formats on 31 March 2017 by Sony Music Entertainment. Nottet rose to fame in 2014 when participating in ''The Voice Belgique'' and we ...

'' (2017). Yohann Ruelle of

Pure Charts Pure may refer to: Computing * A pure function * A pure virtual function * PureSystems, a family of computer systems introduced by IBM in 2012 * Pure Software, a company founded in 1991 by Reed Hastings to support the Purify tool * Pure-FTPd ...

likened its "immersive" production to

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...

's "

Bitch Better Have My Money "Bitch Better Have My Money" (otherwise known in clean and radio versions as "B**** Better Have My Money" or simply "Better Have My Money") is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was written by Rihanna, Bibi Bourelly, producer Deputy ...

" (2013). Commercially, "Doctor" peaked at number 12 on

chart, an extension to the main Ultratop. It was promoted by live performances during Nottet's Selfocracy Tour which ran from 2017 to 2018.

Music video

An accompanying music video for "Doctor" was uploaded onto Nottet's official

channel on 30 October 2017, preceded by several teasers posted on the singer's

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...

. It was directed by Leander Hanssen Jr, while production was handled by Jordy Weyers. During the music video, Nottet is seen walking the streets of a town at night, disguised as a "creepy", "

schizophrenic Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withd ...

" and "

psychopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have bee ...

. Playing the character of "Doctor Nottet", he wears a red

overall Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...

alongside a yellow

sweater A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jumper (British English and Australian English),

and is accompanied by a similarly dressed woman. According to Hallerman of Wiwibloggs, as the night progresses, Nottet's makeup becomes more smeared, reflecting his descent into madness and loss of control. Hallerman saw this as a metaphor for how a relationship is "haunting" him. During the music video, Nottet is taking away candy from children, frightening an old couple, playing

pranks A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

on people, tricycling, and showing a "

split personality Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

with who we presume is his love interest". Interspersed shots show footage of Nottet during an argument on a telephone. Reviewers generally praised the music video upon its release. Wyzman Rajaona of Melty called it "the most beautiful trip that Nottet could offer us", while Wiwibloggs's Hallerman thought that it emphasized Nottet's acting qualities as compared to other videos that showed him dancing. Currinn of CelebMix wrote: "This is a whole new side of Nottet that we haven't seen before and we're not sure if we like it or not". An editor writing for

saw the clip as a continuation to " Mud Blood", where Nottet "face his diabolical double". Ruelle of Pure Charts thought that the singer and his female company resembled American criminals

Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The ...

. An editor of website Aficia noted elements of camp in the music video. At the 2017 D6bels Music Awards, "Doctor" received a nomination in the Best Video category.

Track listing

*Digital download #"Doctor" – 3:58

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 2017 songs 2017 singles Loïc Nottet songs Halloween songs Songs about crime Songs about physicians Songs written by Loïc Nottet