"The Sweet Escape" is a pop song written by Gwen Stefani, Akon, and Giorgio Tuinfort for Stefani's second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006). Akon developed the song's beat before collaborating with Stefani. He designed it based on her previous work with No Doubt, and Stefani later commented that it put her "on the yellow brick road to the No Doubt record I might do." "The Sweet Escape", which features elements of doo-wop music, is an apology for a fight between two lovers and describes a dream of a pleasant life for them. As the album's title track, its title was chosen to help market Stefani's music and fashion lines.
The song generally received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, though there was a negative response to Akon's presence as a featured artist. "The Sweet Escape" was released as the album's second single in early 2007 (see 2007 in music) and was commercially successful in mainstream and adult contemporary markets. It entered the top ten of most singles charts and topped the New Zealand Singles Chart and United World Chart. The song was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 50th Grammy Awards.
To date, "The Sweet Escape" is Stefani's most successful worldwide single and one of the most successful singles of the 2000s. In the song's accompanying music video, Stefani attempts to escape from a golden prison.
