"Cool" is a song by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004). Written by Stefani and Dallas Austin, the song was released on July 5, 2005 as the album's fourth single. It was written by Austin basing the song on No Doubt's "Simple Kind of Life", but he did not finish it. He then asked for help from Stefani, and they finished the song in 15 minutes. The single's musical style and production were inspired by synthpop and new wave arrangements from the 1980s, and its lyrics chronicle a relationship in which two lovers have separated, but remain "cool" with each other as good friends.

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, being compared to Cyndi Lauper and Madonna songs from the 1980s. The media have drawn parallels between the song's lyrical content and the romantic relationship that Stefani had with Tony Kanal, a fellow group member of No Doubt. The song was moderately successful on the charts, reaching the top 10 in Australia, the Czech Republic, and New Zealand, as well as the top 20 in Denmark, Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The accompanying music video was filmed by British director Sophie Muller in Lake Como, Italy. It features many flashbacks to when Stefani and her former boyfriend were dating, and currently, both are fine with their friendship. The song was included on the setlist for Stefani's debut tour Harajuku Lovers Tour and the tour's video album, as well as in the 2010 drama film Somewhere.

"Cool" was originally written by Dallas Austin after listening to Stefani's group No Doubt's song "Underneath It All" (2002). Austin commented that he was trying to write his version of No Doubt's "Simple Kind of Life", but he was unable to finish the song. He later asked Stefani if she wanted to co-write lyrics. During a studio session together, they finished "Cool" in 15 minutes. Stefani commented, "When he told me about the track and where it came from for him, it just triggered something in me." The lyrics of "Cool" reflect Stefani's former relationship with No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal. Although their romantic relationship ended, the lyrics portray Stefani's attitude that it is "cool" that they still remain very good friends. Stefani and Kanal's relationship had provided the inspiration for No Doubt's "Don't Speak" (1996), and while "Cool" presents an amicable friendship between former lovers, "Don't Speak" is about a failing relationship and never arrives at a solution for the couple. Stefani said that she had never intended to include "personal" material on Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and commented, "but no matter what you do, things just come out. It just ended this whole thing for me in my head, and it puts an end to a chapter in a really nice way." The lyrics of "Cool" sum up the evolution of their relationship with the line "After all that we've been through, I know we're cool".

...
Wikipedia