Doctor! Doctor!


"Doctor! Doctor!" is a song performed by the British pop group Thompson Twins. It is the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Into the Gap. It was written by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, and prominently features a keyboard solo. Following the successful chart performances of the Into the Gap single "Hold Me Now", "Doctor! Doctor!" was released in the UK on 27 January 1984 as the album's second single.

Background and recording

In 1983, after the commercial success of their third album Quick Step and Side Kick, the Thompson Twins collaborated again with producer Alex Sadkin to record Into the Gap at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. Bailey and Sadkin co-produced the album's tracks including "Doctor! Doctor!".

Release

The single peaked at #3 in the United Kingdom and #11 in the United States in July 1984. The song also peaked at #18 on the US Dance chart in the same year, and the Top 20 in Canada, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
Sleeve photography was by Peter Ashworth.

Music video

The promotional music video was directed by Dieter 'Dee' Trattmann. It was released in 1984 and received heavy rotation on MTV.
The video opens on a scene of darkness, shifting clouds and a rising moon. Electronic music begins to play. A keyboard with hands playing superimposes over the silhouette of blocks like buildings. People appear against the backdrop of moon and clouds with a couple on ice skates just behind Tom Bailey as he begins to sing. The scene shifts quickly to a woman standing alone, then to Currie playing drums and Joe Leeway playing keyboard. As Bailey sings, the characters behind him act out the lyrics, intercut with shots of the band playing their instruments. As the song continues, Bailey, Currie and Leeway join the characters to act out the lyrics around blocks emitting smoke. The skaters and actors perform during the synthesizer solo. The scene continues to shift between the singer, the band playing, the actors and the ice skaters moving and turning. The video fades out in the same sequence it began, changing from the characters to the blocks against the sky, and then to the distant moon and shifting clouds.
An alternate edit of the video features more of the band playing instruments and less interaction with the other characters.

Track listing

  1. "Doctor! Doctor! " - 7:50
  2. "Nurse Shark" - 4:05
  1. "Doctor! Doctor!" - 4:30
  2. "Nurse Shark" - 4:07

    Official versions

  3. Album Version – 4:39
  4. Extended Version – 7:50
  5. Live from Thompson Twins Live - 5:53
  6. Introduction sample - 0:50

    Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications