No Doubt, ‘Settle Down’ – Major Lazer Remix

As they began working on their comeback album, No Doubt reached out to Diplo and Switch, who was still a part of Major Lazer at the time, and headed into the studio with them in 2011 to collaborate on the ‘Push and Shove’ title track.

No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal explained, “We had heard of Major Lazer and we had heard of Diplo and Switch. I reached out to them and said, ‘Do you have anything or do you want to work on something together?’ We all got in the studio together and worked on this track, and here we are now with this amazingly exciting idea.”

That track worked so well that the Gwen Stefani-fronted group invited Major Lazer to remix the album’s first single, ‘Settle Down,’ which blended new wave, ska, reggae and dancehall elements. The Major Lazer remix transformed it into a gritty, club-friendly tune with electronic whirls and looped vocal samples.

It sounded nothing like the original version of ‘Settle Down,’ but that’s the point of a remix, right? The complete reinvention of the song makes ‘Settle Down’ one of Major Lazer’s best remixes.