No Coke
"No Coke" is a song recorded by the Sweden-based musician and producer Dr Alban. It was originally released as the B-side of the 12" version of his debut single Hello Afrika and became the second single off his debut album, Hello Afrika. Released in November 1990, the song was a hit in several European countries and reached number-one in Sweden. To date, "No Coke" is one of Dr Alban's most successful songs, along with "It's My Life" and "Sing Hallelujah". It was produced by Denniz Pop, who recorded the song's signature bassline using a Roland Juno-106 synthesizer.[1] The song is recorded in English and the lyrics describe a tragic event outside Alban's nightclub Alphabet Street in Stockholm.
"No Coke" | ||||
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Single by Dr Alban | ||||
from the album Hello Afrika | ||||
Released | 3 November 1990 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Sonet / Warner Music | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Denniz PoP | |||
Dr Alban singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"No Coke" on YouTube |
Critical reception
Larry Flick from Billboard called it a "cleverly written anti-drug anthem", "particularly potent and U.S. club-friendly."[2] He added that "pure (and clever) toasting is woven into a fabric of accessible hip-hop and reggae threads"[3] and stated that the song is "a brilliant piece of work".[4]
Chart performance
"No Coke" was very successful on the charts in Europe, peaking at number-one in Sweden. It spent two weeks at the top spot and 5 weeks within the Top 10. The single managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Austria, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. In Austria, it peaked at number 2, being held off reaching number-one by Roxette's "Joyride". It spent four weeks at that position. Additionally, "No Coke" was a Top 20 hit in Finland and a Top 30 hit in Belgium and Italy. It earned a gold record in Sweden, where the song broke all records by staying for five consecutive weeks at number-one in national radio SR's popular show "Tracks". That's a feat not even achieved by ABBA.[5]
Music video
A music video was made for "No Coke", directed by Scottish director Paul Boyd.[6] He also directed the music video for "Hello Afrika". The video was published on YouTube in December 2011. By September 2020, it had more than 10,2 million views.[7]
Track listings
- CD single
- "No Coke" (radio mix) — 3:43
- "No Coke" (swe-flow-mix) — 3:50
- 7" single
- "No Coke" (radio mix) — 3:43
- "No Coke" (swe-flow-mix) — 3:50
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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References
- Hitlatens historia: No Coke. SVT. Aired on 27 November 2017.
- Flick, Larry (1991-05-18). "Dance Trax: Sweden's Hot Clubland Still Looking For U.S. label" (PDF). Billboard. p. 23. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
- Flick, Larry (1991-09-21). "Dance Trax: Moroder Back On The Dancefloor With New Readings" (PDF). Billboard. p. 30. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
- Flick, Larry (1993-04-17). "Dance Trax: 'DeNiro' Delivers; 'Gypsyland' A Trip; Exposing I.D." (PDF). Billboard. p. 24. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
- "Spotlight: Dr. Alban" (PDF). Music & Media. 1991-01-26. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- "No Coke (1991) by Dr. Alban". IMVDb.com. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
- "Dr Alban - No Coke (Official HD)". YouTube. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- "Austriancharts.at – Dr. Alban – No Coke" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- "Ultratop.be – Dr. Alban – No Coke" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Dr. Alban – No Coke". GfK Entertainment Charts.
- "Top 10 Greece" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: D". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – Dr. Alban" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Dr. Alban – No Coke" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – Dr. Alban – No Coke". VG-lista.
- "Top 10 Portugal" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Dr. Alban – No Coke". Singles Top 100.
- "Swisscharts.com – Dr. Alban – No Coke". Swiss Singles Chart.
- "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1991-11-16. p. 22. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
- 1991 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at Archived June 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved September 2, 2008)
- "Single top 100 over 1991" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Archived from the original (pdf) on March 30, 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- "Eurochart Hot 100 1991" (PDF). Music & Media. 8 (51–52): 21. December 21, 1991. Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via American Radio History.
- 1991 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived December 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved September 2, 2008)
- Swedish certifications Ifpi.se Archived 2012-05-21 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved September 11, 2008)