No Doubt

1986–1989: Formation, early years and line-up changes

In 1986, Eric Stefani and John Spence met at a Dairy Queen and talked about getting a group together to play music. Stefani acquired a keyboard and gathered some players together to practice; these included himself (keyboards), his sister Gwen Stefani (backing vocals), John Spence (lead vocals), Jerry McMahon (guitar), Chris Leal (bass), Chris Webb (drums), Gabriel Gonzalez (trumpet), Alan Meade (trumpet), and Tony Meade (saxophone). They practiced in Eric's parents' garage.

1993–1997: Reorganization and career breakthrough

The band began work on its next album the next year, but Interscope rejected much of its material, and the band was paired with producer Matthew Wilder. Eric did not like to relinquish creative control to someone outside the band and eventually stopped recording and rehearsing. He left No Doubt in 1994 to resume an animation career with the cartoon TV series The Simpsons. Kanal then ended his seven-year relationship with Gwen, saying that he needed "space". Unsure of what to do with the band, Interscope sublicensed the project to Trauma Records in 1993. No Doubt released The Beacon Street Collection, consisting of outtakes from its previous recording sessions, in 1995 on its own label, Beacon Street Records. Mixing 1980s punk rock and some...

Musical style and influences

No Doubt's musical style has been characterized as ska punk, ska, pop rock, new wave, alternative rock, pop-punk, reggae, reggae fusion, and punk rock. Some other genres the band has been described as include synth-pop, electropop, dancehall, third-wave ska, post-grunge, funk, and disco.

Spiderwebs

"Spiderwebs" is a song by American band No Doubt from their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). It was written by Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal, produced by Matthew Wilder, and released as a single in 1996.

"Spiderwebs" appears on their 2003 greatest hits album, The Singles 1992–2003. Stefani was inspired to write the song after an admirer recited bad poetry to her.

Background and release

"Spiderwebs" was written by Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal. The majority of the songs on Tragic Kingdom, including "Spiderwebs", did not receive co-writing credits from Eric Stefani, which was unusual for No Doubt as Eric had written most of the group's songs prior to his departure due to creative differences in early 1995. Due to this, the remaining band members took up songwriting, which made the songs they created more intimate and personal. "Spiderwebs" was developed differently in comparison to previous single "Just a Girl". "Just a Girl" was initially created by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont on a tape recorder, which was habitual for the group; Stefani and Dumont or Stefani and Kanal would work together on a recorder towards the beginning...

Music and lyrics

According to Diffuser.fm's Brendan Manley, the song is a blend of "'80s new wave and West Coast pop-punk". It incorporates "swooning horns" and reggae rhythms, taking influence from Jamaican music. Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos described "Spiderwebs" as the "dark [and] reggae-infused opener" to Tragic Kingdom. Kenneth Partridge from The A.V. Club compared "Spiderwebs" and previous single "Just a Girl" to the material on No Doubt's previous albums (No Doubt and The Beacon Street Collection), stating that "neither was a huge stylistic departure". Mike Boehm from the Los Angeles Times disagreed, stating that "Spiderwebs" is an example of "the band's improved craft". He also wrote that it correlates well to the lyrical themes of Tragic...

Critical reception

In addition to several other tracks from Tragic Kingdom, Noisey's Nick Levine praised "Spiderwebs" for having a chorus "that will bounce round [sic] your brain for days". Tom Breihan from Stereogum praised No Doubt for managing to get radio stations to select "Spiderwebs" for airplay, writing: "kids like me still wound up thinking it was cool that ska was getting onto the radio." He also claimed that the song's "central melody [...] will get stuck in your head for days and days".

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Spiderwebs" was directed by film director and producer Marcus Nispel. The video opens with a newlywed couple engaging with the attendants of their wedding reception. No Doubt occupies a stage within the same room and begins performing "Spiderwebs" to the largely Japanese crowd. The music captures the attention of the partygoers who are preparing to participate in the bouquet toss. The bride throws her bouquet of flowers and Stefani catches it, but she pricks her finger on a thorn in the process. As a result, the video cuts to a black-and-white sequence where wireline telephones knock down the large windows in the room and begin wrapping around No Doubt and the wedding patrons and trapping them. An...

Don't Speak

"Don't Speak" is a song by American rock band No Doubt, featured on their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). Released in Europe in November 1996 by Interscope Records, the song was written by lead singer Gwen Stefani, and former band member Eric Stefani.

The song was intitally written as a love song, but after several revisions, Gwen reworked the lyrics into a breakup song to reflect on the end of her seven-year relationship with bandmate Tony Kanal.

Background and composition

"Don't Speak" is an alternative rock power ballad written by lead singer Gwen Stefani and her brother Eric Stefani, and produced by Matthew Wilder. It was originally a love song, but Stefani rewrote the lyrics almost completely after her breakup with the band's bass player Tony Kanal. According to her, "It used to be more upbeat, more of a Seventies rock-type thing. [When] Tony and I broke up... it turned into a sad song." The opening chords are reminiscent of the intro to the 1979 pop hit "Breakfast in America" by the British rock band Supertramp. A live version that exists from April 1994 shows off a bouncy tune that has the same base as the released version, but not the same urgency. The band performed part of the original song on VH1...

Critical reception

British magazine Music Week rated the song three out of five, writing that "this Californian quartet sound more like Swedish Eurovision hopefuls on this debut UK offering but, if radio bites, it could be a smash."

Music video

The video was directed by Sophie Muller and it is the first of the long-time collaboration between the band and the director. Before the music starts, at the beginning of the music video, there is a scene of Kanal picking a rotten orange from a tree (these scenes are usually cut out when VH1 airs this video). The majority of the video for "Don't Speak" takes place on Stage 2 at Mack Sennett Studios in Silver Lake as the band plays. Other scenes tell the story of how the media mainly focused on Stefani while the band was always in the background. The second half of the video features snippets of live footage filmed during the band's performance with Dog Eat Dog and Goldfinger at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City on August 21, 1996. The...

Just A Girl

"Just a Girl" is a song by American band No Doubt from their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). Released as the record's lead single in the United States on September 21, 1995, it was written by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont, and produced by Matthew Wilder.

It has also made an appearance on their 2003 greatest hits album, The Singles 1992–2003. Lyrically, "Just a Girl" is about Stefani's perspective of life as a woman and her struggles with having strict parents.

Background and release

In 1992, No Doubt released their eponymous debut album with Interscope Records, which was commercially unsuccessful and caused their record label to cancel funding for further albums and projects. In response, the band independently recorded The Beacon Street Collection (1995). Impressed by the album, Interscope agreed to resume funding for a third album, which became Tragic Kingdom (1995). "Just a Girl" was written by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont, with production handled by Matthew Wilder. Unlike previous songs written by the band, "Just a Girl" was not co-written by Gwen's brother Eric Stefani, who left No Doubt due to creative differences in early 1995. In response to reviewers criticizing No Doubt for changing their sound and selling...

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Just a Girl" is a ska punk, pop-punk, alternative rock, and new wave song with sarcastic lyrics. It was described by Stephen Thomas Erlewine as a "pseudo-new wave" track. In addition, the song takes influence from pop and ska music, implying a "spacey" sound to the listener. Susan Christian Goulding from Orange Coast compared Stefani's vocals to both Cyndi Lauper and cartoon character Minnie Mouse; she also described "Just a Girl" as the "flip-side" of Lauper's 1983 single "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". Stefani sings in a "smoky alto" vocal range with dramatic "pouts and simpering" in order to exemplify her irritation with sexism in the music industry. The title of the song itself serves as a "sarcastic rebuke to the...

Critical reception

"Just a Girl" was positively received by music critics. Steve Baltin from Cash Box noted that the song "has a rich blend of styles, from techno to punk, that has quickly captured the attention of listeners." He added, "Delightful, energetic and winning, "Just A Girl" offers an introduction to a band worth getting to know." Dimitri Ehrlich from Entertainment Weekly gave the song a B, adding, "With tingling synth lines, a cheery melody, and polyester production values, this single has a kitschy appeal rooted firmly in the pop of a decade ago. But the neo-feminist bent of the lyrics makes the song more than just another fun novelty item." Mike Boehm wrote in the Los Angeles Times that Stefani's lyrics of "irony and indirection" make the...

Music video

An accompanying music video for "Just a Girl" was produced and acts as No Doubt's second video overall. Unlike the video for 1992's "Trapped in a Box" which was funded completely at the expense of No Doubt, the video for "Just a Girl" received funding from Interscope Records and was directed by Mark Kohr. However, the project remained low in budget in comparison to other music videos from the time. The opening scene to "Just a Girl" was filmed in the driveway of Stefani's grandparents' house on Beacon Avenue in Anaheim. Like in the lyrics of "Just a Girl", the music video features female stereotypes and serves as a "commentary on society". Dumont and Kanal both stated that it represents equality between the sexes.

Sunday Morning

"Sunday Morning" is a song by American band No Doubt for their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). It was written by Gwen Stefani, Eric Stefani, and Tony Kanal, produced by Matthew Wilder, and released as the record's fifth single on May 27, 1997.

The song has also been included on their 2003 greatest hits album, The Singles 1992–2003. Its lyrics describe a romantic relationship that ended in a breakup and was inspired by a discussion that Gwen Stefani had with Kanal.

Background and release

"Sunday Morning" was written by Gwen Stefani, Eric Stefani, and Tony Kanal. The song was written by Eric Stefani prior to his departure from the group, who left due to creative differences in the beginning of 1995. Because of his absence, Gwen Stefani resumed the role as a songwriter which resulted in ultra-personal songs that described her personal and romantic life. Songs written during this period were anticipated for inclusion on Tragic Kingdom (1995), the group's third studio album and first with Interscope Records since their debut, No Doubt, in 1992. The material on Tragic Kingdom documented Stefani's former relationship with Kanal, which had lasted seven years. Kanal referred to "Sunday Morning" as his favorite No Doubt song in an...

Composition and lyrics

"Sunday Morning" has been described as a ska, ska punk, and hard rock song. It contains elements of reggae music and was compared, musically, to the style of typical Motown releases. Rolling Stone's Chris Heath compared the sound of "Sunday Morning" to English singer Kim Wilde's 1981 debut single "Kids in America". The song was produced by Matthew Wilder, the executive producer for Tragic Kingdom. Instrumentation consists of Kanal on Bass, Adrian Young on drums and percussion, Tom Dumont on guitar, Eric Stefani on piano and keyboards, and Phil Jordan on trumpet.

Critical reception

Professional critiques of "Sunday Morning" have been largely positive, both at the time of its release and retrospectively. Partridge, writing for Billboard, singled out Stefani's role as a songwriter, praising her ability to write after "constantly gaining and losing the upper hand in her romantic adventures". Mike Boehm from the Los Angeles Times stated that "Sunday Morning" is an example of "the band's improved craft" on Tragic Kingdom and complimented its ability to correlate well with the conceptual themes of the album.

Music video

The corresponding music video to "Sunday Morning" was directed by Sophie Muller and was the fifth and final video produced from Tragic Kingdom. Muller was originally asked to work with the group for "Just a Girl" in 1995, but the opportunity fell through. However, she later had the chance to direct the music video for "Don't Speak" that same year. After releasing that video, the band determined they wanted the next one filmed to use an opposite concept. During an interview with Complex magazine in 2012, Dumont spoke about the meaning of the music video for "Sunday Morning":

Underneath It All

"Underneath It All" is a song by American rock band No Doubt, released in July 2002 as the third single from their fourth studio album, Rock Steady (2001). Written by the band's lead singer Gwen Stefani and David Stewart, the song features a reggae production from Sly and Robbie and guest vocals from Lady Saw.

The song received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics and became No Doubt's highest-charting US single, as well as entering the top 10 in Canada and New Zealand. It won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 46th Grammy Awards.

Background and writing

During a visit to her then-boyfriend Gavin Rossdale in London, Gwen Stefani and David Stewart used backward string samples to write the song in only ten minutes. Guitarist Tom Dumont commented that Stewart's experience helped them keep the song simple because he "would have way overthought those chord changes." When the band was working on the album Rock Steady in Jamaica, producers Sly and Robbie called Lady Saw to have her contribute a guest toast. After listening to the song, Lady Saw wrote and recorded her part on the spot.

Critical reception

"Underneath It All" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Rolling Stone found its ska sound and Stefani's questioning whether or not Rossdale is her soulmate tired. LAUNCHcast agreed the beat was one "that Sly & Robbie can do in their sleep" but added that the song "keeps its modern edge thanks to Lady Saw's cooling rap." Kitty Empire writing in NME also gave Lady Saw's toast a positive review, stating that it "does an excellent job of sexing up all the sugar." Stylus Magazine was pleased with Stefani's performance on the song, stating that "she lets her voice ride gently on top of the melody, pushed along by the gentle steel drums in the background." PopMatters commented that "No Doubt isn't afraid of working with new...

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Sophie Muller and directing collaborative Logan, opens with a sequence of Stefani, as shown on the cover of the single, removing several pieces of clothing and later lying on a bed. After a scene with her in front of a white heart with roses, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young play basketball while Stefani stands against the wall. Stefani is then shown against a sparkling sky, followed by a scene of the whole band bicycling during Lady Saw's toast. The video closes with a scene of Stefani jumping on a bed in white undergarments and without makeup.