"Doctor Jones" is a song by Danishdance-pop group Aqua. Released as the band's fifth single overall, it was the follow-up to their most successful song "Barbie Girl" in many regions. "Doctor Jones" was a similarly pop-oriented hit which sold well across the globe and ended the assumptions that Aqua would be a one-hit wonder; although they would remain so in America as "Barbie Girl" was their only hit there until "Lollipop " was released and hit the top 40 on the Hot 100. "Doctor Jones" was released around the world in a number of months, with the first release being in October 1997. Most of the releases would be in November 1997, with it hitting the charts in Japan, Scandinavia and mainland Europe in that month. December 1997 saw the Australian release achieve a successful chart placing at No. 1 for seven consecutive weeks, before the song made its impact in the UK in February of the following year. There, it became the group's second number one single, topping the chart for three weeks. The song can also be heard in the 1998 Disney filmI'll Be Home for Christmas. Allie Henderson sings along with the song while riding in a car through Colorado.
Critical reception
CantStopThePop noted, "Swimming amidst a sea of killer hooks is the chorus, which at times feels almost a little forgotten. It’s testament to the rest of the song being so good that this winds up being the case, rather than the chorus itself being poor." Music & Media wrote, "The motto 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' seems to have been the creed of the Aqua team when they came up with this worthy successor to the phenomenon that is Barbie Girl. Not only is it a strong pop song in its own right, but the inclusion of some tasty remixes by Antiloop and Molella & Phil Jay among others could arouse interest from programmers who usually chart their course away from the mainstream." Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In noted that the "bouncy" tune deal with "the end to a summer of love". Pop Rescue commented, "Again, the contrast and back-and-forth between René's gruff vocals and Lene's higher pitched dance 'eye-pee-eye-ay' vocals really help this track to keep it's up-tempo pace and catchiness. The track is fun, aided by the duo's vocal play and caricatures." Nick Reed from The Quietus noted the song as a stand out from the album, adding that "it's so effortlessly catchy, with all these little bouncy melody lines, an awesome call-and-response bit, and a chorus with an out-of-nowhere "Wake up now!" line that still makes me laugh today. For this one moment, Aqua were able to channel ABBA at their best, and managed to write a truly perfect pop song in the process."
Music video
The music video implies the song is based around the Indiana Jones character from the film series of the same name, with René Dif playing Jones and rescuing his fellow band members from a stereotypical voodoo tribe. The title logo is written in a similar form to that of the Indiana Jones logo. There is also a shot of airplane's flight path over a map, which is used in the film series. The lyric "Dr. Jones, wake up now" may also be a reference to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where Short Round implores Indiana Jones to "wake up" after being brainwashed by the blood of Kālī Ma, or during a scene on an airplane when Willie Scott says, "Calling Dr. Jones, wake up!". The video was one of five Aqua videos directed by Peder Pedersen, who would later spoof the Indiana Jones-movies again in his computer-animated short filmLego Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick.
