"Doin' the Do" is a song by English singer-songwriter

Betty Boo Alison Moira Clarkson (born 6 March 1970), better known as Betty Boo, is a British Singing, singer, songwriter and Rapping, rapper. She first came to mainstream prominence in the late 1980s following a collaboration with the Beatmasters on th ...

, released in May 1990 by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

as the second single from her debut album, '' Boomania'' (1990). The song was co-written and co-produced by Boo, reaching the top 10 in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Boo has stated in interviews, that the name of the song basically means 'I'm getting on and doing things'. Much later after the song was released, someone told her it was a slang expression for

cunnilingus Cunnilingus is an oral sex act consisting of the stimulation of a vulva by using the tongue and lips. The clitoris is the most sexually sensitive part of the vulva, and its stimulation may result in a woman becoming sexually aroused or achievi ...

Release

"Doin the Do" was Boo's debut solo single, and second overall release, following her collaboration with the Beatmasters on their song "Hey DJ/I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)" in 1989. The song samples portions of the 1968 single " Captain of Your Ship" by the American girl group Reparata and the Delrons and "

I'm a Believer "I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by the American band the Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart ...

" by

the Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

. The single charted at number seven in the UK and also reached number three in Australia. In the US, "Doin' the Do" went to number one on the dance chart and also crossed over to the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at 90 in November 1990. An authorised remix of the song was created for the opening credits of the Bitmap Brothers game, '' Magic Pockets''.

Critical reception

Alex Henderson from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

said that "melodic, escapist club hits", like "Doin' the Do", "have a lot more bite and substance than the music of

Vanilla Ice Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in Dallas, raised in Miami, he was the first solo white rapper to achieve commercial success foll ...

and Icy Blu."

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' remarked that this hip-house jam has been buzzing along the club underground as an import for a while now, "thanks to Boo's amusing rhyming and tune's brain-imbedding chorus. Pop-spiced remixes by Pettibone should add to crossover radio incentive. Do it up." A reviewer from '' Cashbox'' stated that "this combination of

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

grooves and silliness works very well". Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...

'' commented, "First heard about this entry a few months ago when it was the rage in England. The "Booster" is Top Three in the U.K. with her follow-up track while this clever and catchy rap 'n pop combo is set to make an explosive debut Stateside. Song and video scream FUN!" David Giles from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' wrote that Boo "kicks off her solo career with a twangy rap, cute backing noises and a hook-laden production from former benefactors The Beatmasters.

Rhythm King Rhythm King Records Ltd was a British independent record label, founded in the mid-1980s by Martin Heath, Adele Nozedar, DJ Jay Strongman and James Horrocks. It was based in Chiswick, London. History Beginnings Starting out as an offshoot of ...

must be counting on this one and it's certainly crossed far enough over to be a large hit." Gene Sandbloom from ''The Network Forty'' said that somewhere between

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 1938 – 10 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Tracy Bond, Teresa di ...

and Pebbles, "this 19-year-old from Britain enrolled in sound engineering school so she could produce records her own way." David Quantick from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' felt that "Doin' the Do" "is a sparky sort of thing whose rhythm endearingly suggests the bit on the ''Chart Show'' where the runaway train goes over the hill, choo choo."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

References

{{authority control 1990 songs 1990 debut singles Betty Boo songs Songs written by Betty Boo Songs written by Kenny Young Warner Records singles Hip house songs Number-one singles in Israel