Go See the Doctor

"Go See the Doctor" is a song by American rapper singer Kool Moe Dee. It was released in 1986 as the first single from his eponymous debut album. Originally published by Rooftop, it was later reissued by Jive.^[2]

"Go See the Doctor"
Single by Kool Moe Dee
from the album Kool Moe Dee
B-side	"Monster Crack"
Released	1986
Recorded	1986
Genre	Golden age hip hop
Length	3:57
Label	Rooftop (original) Jive (reissue)
Songwriter(s)	Mohandas Dewese[1]
Producer(s)	Kool Moe Dee Teddy Riley LaVaba Mallison
Kool Moe Dee singles chronology
"Turn It Up" (1985) "Go See the Doctor" (1986) "Rock Steady" (1987)

Produced by Kool Moe Dee himself with Lavaba and Teddy Riley, the song has messages of the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.^[3]

"Go See the Doctor" became Kool Moe Dee's first single to appear on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 89 in April 1987 and staying on the chart for five weeks.^[4] It also peaked at number seven on the Belgian Ultratop (Flanders), number three on the Dutch Nationale Hitparade and number 82 on the UK Singles Chart, being his single with the highest impact outside the United States.

Bruce Pollock listed the song in his book Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era (2005)^[5]

Conception and composition

During the school year of 1985-1986, two high school students wrote the lyrics for Go See the Doctor. The lyrics were written on the inside cover of their Calculus text books. Eli Whitley and Steve Swank of Gilroy High School where more interested in rap lyrics and girls than calculus. Eli was from the Detroit area and with connections to Def Sound Studio, sold the song for minimal compensation. The studio would buy songs, then sell them for distribution to fill album space for recording artists. The original version did not have the triangle ding in it. Slight modification to the basic beat and kicker notes, it was refined for Kool Moe Dee to cut on a record. The two writers different backgrounds and witty story telling, painted the pleasure and price of bad choices.

During an interview in June 1987, Kool Moe Dee commented on "Go See the Doctor":

As an artist I have the attention of a lot of the younger kids. It’s a duty to say something worthwhile, rather than just get up and talk about sneakers and dancing all the time. Rap is an album market now rather than just a singles market, so you have the opportunity to branch out a little. You can expand and really talk about more things in depth, including lots of social issues."^[6]

The song, which Los Angeles Times described as "a story, in explicit language, of the contraction and consequences of a sexually transmitted disease", aroused controversy in the United States, but was used in a public service announcement in Germany.^[6]

In a later interview Kool Moe Dee stated that "Go See the Doctor" was "the hardest thing I had to do in my career":

I knew I was making a formula record, and I was about to make a killing; but I will lose all my reputation on the lyricist side. I knew that "Go See the Doctor" would blow because I had dumbed it down."^[7]

Among the song's producers was Teddy Riley, who at that time was 18 years old and had previously worked on the Doug E. Fresh hit "The Show".

Samples

The song contains a sample of James Brown's "Funky Drummer" (In an interview with Vibe in 2012 Teddy Riley declared about this time that "Between me and Marley Marl, we were the first to sample James Brown").^[8] The song also interpolates Hank Williams's "Hey, Good Lookin'".

Legacy and influence

Hip hop magazine Ego Trip included "Go See the Doctor" on in its list of the Greatest Hip-Hop Singles of 1986.^[9]

Bruce Pollock listed the song in his book Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era (2005) for "instructive editorial in the era of AIDS".^[5]

Appearances

• In 1987, was sampled in "8 Ball" by N.W.A from his debut in the compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse.
• In 1988, Go See the Doctor was sampled by Eazy-E on his single Eazy-Duz-It from the album of the same name.
• In 1989, was sampled by The D.O.C. on his single Mind Blowin' from his album No One Can Do It Better.
• In 1991, was sampled in "Look Who's Burnin" by Ice Cube from his album Death Certificate.
• De La Soul referenced the song in "3 Days Later" from his album Buhloone Mindstate (1993), in which Posdnuos sings "I had to go see the doctor."
• Kid Rock sampled the line "Ain't nobody stickin' nothing in my butt" in his song Balls in your Mouth from the album The Polyfuze Method.
• Go See The Doctor has sampled in "I Shoulda Used A Rubba" by Big L from the early versions of their debut album Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, which circulated in 1994.
• In 1996, was sampled in "Waiting List" by Kool Keith (under the alias Dr. Octagon) from his debut album Dr. Octagonecologyst.
• In 2007, was sampled in "Go See the Doctor 2k7" by DJ Jazzy Jeff in collaboration with Twone Gabz from his album The Return of the Magnificent.

Track listing

A-side

1. "Go See the Doctor" (Almost Clean) (Radio Version) (3:57)
2. "Go See the Doctor" (Uncensored) (3:57)

B-side

1. "Monster Crack" (Street Mix) (5:27)
2. "Monster Crack (Radio Edit) (3:50)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1987) Peak position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 7 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 6 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 3 UK Singles (OCC)[13] 82 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 89

Year-end charts Chart (1987) Position Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 74 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 55