"No Coke" is a song recorded by Sweden-based musician and producer Dr. Alban. It was originally released as the B-side of the 12-inch version of his debut single, " Hello Afrika", and became the second single off his debut album, '' Hello Afrika'' (1990). Released in November 1990, the song was a hit in several European countries and reached number one in Sweden. To date, it is one of Dr. Alban's most successful songs, along with " It's My Life" and " Sing Hallelujah". It was produced by

Denniz Pop Dag Krister Volle (26 April 1963 – 30 August 1998), better known as Denniz Pop (stylized ''Denniz PoP''), was a Swedish DJ, music producer, and songwriter. He was a member of the DJ collective SweMix and later co-founded the recording studio ...

, who recorded the song's signature

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

using a Roland Juno-106 synthesizer. The song is performed in English, and the lyrics describe a tragic event outside Dr. Alban's nightclub Alphabet Street in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. In November 2017, it was the topic of SVT's ''Hitlåtens historia''.

Critical reception

Larry Flick 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 ...

'' viewed the song as a "cleverly written anti-drug anthem", "particularly potent and U.S. club-friendly." He added that "pure (and clever) toasting is woven into a fabric of accessible

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

threads" and concluded that the song is "a brilliant piece of work".

Chart performance

"No Coke" was very successful on the charts in Europe, peaking at number-one in Sweden. It spent two weeks at the top spot and 5 weeks within the top 10. The single made it to the top 10 also in Austria, Germany, Greece (#3), the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. In Austria, it peaked at number two, being held off reaching number-one by

Roxette Roxette is a Swedish pop rock duo originally consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, both of whom were already established musicians in Sweden prior to the band's formation. Fredriksson had released a number of successful solo albums, ...

's " Joyride". It spent four weeks at that position. Additionally, "No Coke" was a top 20 hit in Finland and Italy, and a top 30 hit in Belgium. It didn't chart on the UK Singles Chart, but reached number 59 on the UK Dance Singles Chart. The single earned a

gold record Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

in Sweden, where the song broke all records by staying for five consecutive weeks at number-one in national radio SR's popular show "Tracks". That's a feat not even achieved by

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

Music video

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

was produced to promote the single, directed by Scottish director Paul Boyd. He also directed the video for " Hello Afrika". "No Coke" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe and was later published on Dr. Alban'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 in December 2011. By May 2025, it had generated more than 37 million views.

Track listings

* 7" single # "No Coke" (radio mix) — 3:43 # "No Coke" (swe-flow-mix) — 3:50 * CD single # "No Coke" (radio mix) — 3:43 # "No Coke" (swe-flow-mix) — 3:50

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1990 singles Dr. Alban songs Dancehall songs Number-one singles in Sweden Songs written by Denniz Pop Song recordings produced by Denniz Pop Songs written by Dr. Alban 1990 songs English-language Swedish songs Songs about cocaine Reggae fusion songs Music videos directed by Paul Boyd