"Doin' Time" is a song by American band Sublime, appearing as the closing track on their self-titled third album. The lyrics tell of a cheating girlfriend, whose infidelities and poor treatment of her lover make him feel like he is in prison. It was released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

on November 25, 1997; the disc contained alternate versions of the song by

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...

and

the Pharcyde The Pharcyde is an American hip hop group, formed in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles in 1989. The original four members of the group are Imani (rapper), Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown (Romye Robinson ...

. Additional versions appeared on the post-

Bradley Nowell Bradley James Nowell (February 22, 1968 – May 25, 1996) was an American musician and the lead singer of the band Sublime. Born and raised in Belmont Shore, Long Beach, California, Nowell developed an interest in music at a young age. Nowell ...

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

Second-hand Smoke Passive smoking is the inhalation of tobacco smoke, called passive smoke, secondhand smoke (SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), by individuals other than the active smoker. It occurs when tobacco smoke diffuses into the surrounding atm ...

'' and several bootlegs, including one with

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

. This song reached number 87 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 28 on the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart.

Composition

"Doin' Time" samples jazz flautist

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...

's cover of

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

's " Summertime" from the opera ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' ( ) is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy (play), ...

''. Mann's version is a live bossa nova version from his album '' Herbie Mann at the Village Gate''. The band originally recorded the song with the lyrics "doin' time and the livin's easy". In order to release the song using the Gershwin sample, the band had to agree to use the line "summertime" instead of "doin' time". However, the song was already recorded with the "doin' time" lyric, and lead singer Bradley Nowell had recently died of a heroin overdose. The lyric was re-recorded by Sublime's friend/producer

Michael Happoldt Michael "Miguel" Happoldt (born July 5, 1969, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American musician, producer, songwriter, mixing engineer, and label executive. Career While studying at California State University, Dominguez Hills, Happoldt met alternati ...

singing "summertime". It is this version of the song that appears on Sublime's self-titled album. Future

Long Beach Dub Allstars The Long Beach Dub Allstars are an American dub/ ska/reggae rock band formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2002, but reformed 10 years later. History Initial career (1997–2001) Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh met in childhood (in 1979) and later star ...

DJ Marshall Goodman appears on the recording and is mentioned in the lyrics. The line "And we can do it like this, in the place to be." is sampled from the

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

' "Slow and Low" from their 1986 album ''

Licensed to Ill ''Licensed to Ill'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records. The album became the first rap LP to top the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and was the second ra ...

''. The song also samples "Jump for Jah" and "Come Now" by

Ini Kamoze Ini Kamoze ( , born Cecil Campbell; 9 October 1957) is a Jamaican reggae artist who began his career in the early 1980s and rose to prominence in 1994 with the signature song " Here Comes the Hotstepper". The single topped the US ''Billboard'' ...

, "

Buffalo Gals "Buffalo Gals" is a traditional American song, published as "Lubly Fan" in 1844 by the blackface minstrel John Hodges, who performed as "Cool White". Whilst the song is often attributed to John Hodges it is likely to have a history that pre-dat ...

" by

Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English fashion designer and music manager. He was a promoter and a manager for punk rock and new wave bands such as New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and ...

, and "Holy Thursday" by

David Axelrod David M. Axelrod (born February 22, 1955) is an American political consultant and analyst. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best known for being the chief strategist to Barack Obama during his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. In ...

Re-release

The original version of "Doin' Time" with the original, unaltered vocal was released in 2006 on the Deluxe Edition of the band's self-titled ''Sublime'' album, as well as the 2 disc 180 gram vinyl "Back To Black 60th Vinyl Anniversary" edition. The deluxe edition also includes 5 remixes of "Doin' Time", and the original music video.

Track listing

#"Doin' Time" (Bradley Version) – 4:16 #"Doin' Time" (Remixed by

) – 3:49 #"Doin' Time" (Remixed by Marshall Arts featuring

The Pharcyde The Pharcyde is an American hip hop group, formed in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles in 1989. The original four members of the group are Imani (rapper), Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown (Romye Robinson ...

) – 4:10 #"Doin' Time" (Album Version) – 4:12

Charts

Lana Del Rey version

On May 7, 2019, American singer

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...

teased a cover of the song and said it was "coming soon". Del Rey's cover was officially released on May 17, 2019, coinciding with the premiere of a documentary about Sublime at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

. It was released as the fourth single from Del Rey's sixth studio album ''

Norman Fucking Rockwell! ''Norman Fucking Rockwell!'' (abbreviated to ''NFR!'' in some releases) is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, released on August 30, 2019, by Interscope and Polydor Records. The album was primarily produced by De ...

''. On August 29, 2019, she released a music video for the cover, which referenced the film '' Attack of the 50 Foot Woman'' (1958). When asked about covering the song, Del Rey credited the transitioning of and shifts in genres to Sublime, saying the group "made a genre and sound totally their own", adding that because of the indelible "SoCal vibe" the group created, "not a day goes by that he does notlisten to at least one Sublime song."

Critical reception

Del Rey's version of "Doin' Time" was met with unanimous acclaim, with

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 ...

as well as Sublime's former bandmates and family offering praise for Del Rey's treatment of the song. An article from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' that described Del Rey's cover as "shimmering" and "glittering" included Sublime drummer

Bud Gaugh Floyd "Bud" Gaugh is an American drummer who is a member of the band Sublime, and previously played in Long Beach Dub Allstars (1997–2002), Eyes Adrift (2002–2003), Volcano (2004), and Sublime with Rome (2009–2011), as well as Phil & the ...

's personal evaluation of Del Rey's version, wherein Gaugh lauded the incorporation of her well-recognized vocal style into the song and said that the "smoky, sexy, and iconic sound of her voice breathes new life into one of our favorite singles." In an interview published by

iHeartRadio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast, radio streaming and Music Streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. Founded in August 2008, iHeartRadio serves as the national umbrella brand for iHeart ...

, Troy Dendekker, the widow of Sublime frontman

, likewise praised Del Rey's cover by calling it "magical and haunting" and explained that it was "an honor to have el Rey’stalent complement the Sublime legacy." ''

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 ...

'', reviewer Gil Kaufman stated that Del Rey "does

he song He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

justice", particular highlighting how Del Rey incorporated her own "sleepy, intimate vibe over the song's laid-back groove." ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

''s Meaghan Garvey gave a positive review to the song, saying that "the song of the summer is 'Doin' Time' by Sublime, as sung by Lana herself", and opined that " el Rey'sversion of 'Doin' Time' improves upon the original, with its slinkier arrangement and fluttering bridge". ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

''s Keely Quinlan gave an overwhelmingly positive review, praising it as a "very, very good" cover and went on to state that Del Rey's "stacked, reverb-soaked vocals fit this vibe expertly, and some additional percussion adds a gorgeous sweetness". Eric Torres of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' also gave praise to Del Rey's version when he described the cover as "decidedly within Del Rey's wheelhouse" and highlighted the way in which Del Rey " daptedBradley Nowell's expressive rapping into her own blasé drawl".

Music video

In the video, Del Rey—as an analog of the 50 Foot Woman—appears amid locations across Los Angeles. At the video's beginning, Del Rey is found reclining in an empty channel of the

Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River (), historically known as by the Tongva and the by the Spanish, is a major river in Los Angeles County, California. Its headwaters are in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and it flows nearly from Canoga Park ...

. She plucks a palm tree out of the ground and walks up a downtown L.A. street with it, then drops it. She then drinks from a water tower (which has disappointingly little water in it, reflecting the lyric that her lover cheats and then there's very little left for her) and checks her makeup in a glass window. She steps over a freeway and goes to Venice Beach, where she walks into the ocean and splashes in the water. This is revealed to be a movie that Lizzy, the old Lana, is watching at the Drive-In. She sees her boyfriend making out with another girl and she doesn't look pleased. After messing with sand, Lana from the movie blows a sandstorm into the audience, then climbs out of the drive-in screen to shake & drop the car her boyfriend and the other girl is in, killing them, exacting revenge on behalf of Lizzy. She and Lizzy give each other a smile, then she climbs back into the movie.

Credits and personnel

– vocals * Andrew Watt – production, instrumentation, programming, guitar, mixing * Happy Perez – production * Eric Wilson – bass guitar * Josh Freese – drums * Bud Gaugh – drums * Gayle Levant – harp * Paul LaMalfa – mixing, engineering * Dave Kutch – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Awards

Release history

References

{{authority control 1996 songs 1997 singles 2019 singles Sublime (band) songs Wyclef Jean songs Lana Del Rey songs Songs with music by George Gershwin Songs with lyrics by Ira Gershwin Songs with lyrics by DuBose Heyward Songs written by Bradley Nowell Song recordings produced by David Kahne Songs about California Songs about prison Songs about infidelity