"Doctor" is a song recorded by Belgian singer
Loïc Nottet, released on 30 October 2017 by
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
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 Christianity, Western Christian f ...
, "Doctor" has been described as a
hip hop-influenced dark pop song featuring
bass synthesizers and bells in its instrumentation. Lyrically, Nottet details on a toxic relationship that resulted in him committing
criminal offences. The song—inspired by Nottet's love of
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
s—also features the singer vocally portraying a character that descends into
madness.
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 an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel simultaneously with the track's release. Directed by Leander Hanssen Jr, it features Nottet as an
evil clown 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 ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
's
Ultratip chart.
Background and composition
"Doctor" was written by Amy Morrey and
Loïc Nottet, while production was handled by Ozhora Miyagi and Twenty 9.
It was
digitally made available on 30 October 2017 by
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
in various countries
in celebration of
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 Christianity, Western Christian f ...
.
Musically, "Doctor" has been described as
hip hop-influenced dark pop song,
with its instrumentation prominently including
bass synthesizers and bells which "add to the song's eerie mood".
An editor of
Virgin Radio noticed "
urban" 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 defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...
, 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
madness; during the song's final
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
, he "creepily chuckles to himself over his insanity in a perfectly timed accent".
According to Nottet, the song was influenced by his love of
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
s.
Reception and live performances
"Doctor" was received with positive reviews from 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 ...
. 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'' (2017).
Yohann Ruelle of
Pure Charts likened its "immersive" production to
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
's "
Bitch Better Have My Money" (2015).
Commercially, "Doctor" peaked at number 12 on
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
's
Ultratip 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
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel on 30 October 2017,
preceded by several teasers posted on the singer's
social media
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
.
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" and "
psychopathic"
evil clown. Playing the character of "Doctor Nottet", he wears a red
overall alongside a yellow
sweater 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 on people,
tricycling, and showing a "
split personality 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
Virgin Radio 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.
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