Over the course of her three decades of celebrity, songwriter, and performer, Gwen Stefani has lived many lives. From glamorous pop star to rebellious rocker. Indeed, Stefani, who is now dabbling in country music with husband Blake Shelton, came up with her beloved 1990s rock band No Doubt, supplying the world with subversive and hard-hitting tracks.
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Here below, we wanted to dive into a trio of songs from Stefani and the California-born band. Three songs that made the group seem ubiquitous in the 1990s on rock radio and MTV, and helped make Stefani a mainstream star and keep her there even today.
“Just a Girl” from Tragic Kingdom (1995)
The lead single from No Doubt’s breakout 1995 LP Tragic Kingdom, it’s hard to underplay how impactful this track was in the decade. While today gender roles are constantly being discussed in public, they weren’t always at the forefront of people’s minds and conversations even in the 1990s. But Gwen Stefani took a big box of TNT to that silence and proclaimed, ironically, that she—rock star and burgeoning celebrity—was still thought of by some as “just a girl.” While the song is on the surface about her relationship with her parents, it works so well because that can be seen as a metaphor for a male-dominated world. With that, she blew up convention and became someone crucial for the culture. On this track, she sings,
Take this pink ribbon off my eyes
I’m exposed and it’s no big surprise
Don’t you think I know exactly where I stand?
This world is forcing me to hold your hand
‘Cause I’m just a girl, oh, little old me
Well, don’t let me out of your sight
Oh, I’m just a girl, all pretty and petite
So don’t let me have any rights
“Don’t Speak” from Tragic Kingdom (1995)
This song went through many rewrites over its history but by the time it was released on Tragic Kingdom, it was a breakup song that has since garnered over a billion streams on YouTube, alone, making it one of the band’s biggest hits. It was also one of the most popular songs at middle school and high school dances in the 1990s (just saying). On the song, Stefani talks about a love that’s ending and if the other in the relationship commented on the situation, it would only hurt more. She sings,
It’s all ending
We gotta stop pretending
Who we are
You and me
I can see us dyin’
Aren’t we?
Don’t speak, I know just what you’re sayin’
So please stop explainin’
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
No, no, don’t speak, I know what you’re thinkin’
And I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
“Spiderwebs” from Tragic Kingdom (1995)
Not since Spider-Man have spiderwebs been so popular. Using a ska or reggae sensibility, this song is about all the people who are and were trying to court the blonde bombshell Stefani. All the people trying to whisper sweet nothings and spin webs of capture. On the bombastic song, Stefani rebels against their desires, singing,
You’re intruding on what’s mine
And you’re taking up my time
Don’t have the courage inside me
To tell you please let me be
Communication, a telephonic invasion
I’m planning my escape
Sorry I’m not home right now
I’m walking into spiderwebs
So leave a message
And I’ll call you back
A likely story, but leave a message
And I’ll call you back
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Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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