The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 614

Number 614

No Doubt

"Dont Speak"

(1995)

Genre:Alt Pop

In 1995 we all got down to the sound of No Doubt, nice, quaint little alt pop, slightly punkish band from California. Now its 2007 and all the kids are into Gwen Stefani all over the world, ask any kid who is No Doubt and they wont make the connection. But hey, that's rock n roll innit? And good on Gwen i say, not many rock acts can last more than a few years and she has been performing since '87.

By the by, No Doubt will be recording a new album soon and no doubt the kids will know who they are when that happens. Hmmm, i wonder if Gwen does interviews? (Don't do it!) Wooo oooo weee oooo. Shhhhh

With the return of the punks in the mid-'90s came a resurgence of their slightly more commercial rivals, new wave bands. No Doubt found a niche as a new wave/ska band, on the strength of vocalist Gwen Stefani's persona -- alternately an embrace of little-girl-lost innocence and riot grrl feminism -- exemplified on the band's breakout single, "Just a Girl." Formed in early 1987 as a ska band inspired by Madness, the lineup of No Doubt initially comprised John Spence, Gwen Stefani and her brother Eric. While playing the party-band circuit around Anaheim, the trio picked up bassist Tony Kanal, born in India but raised in Great Britain and the U.S. Hardened by the suicide of Spence in December 1987, No Doubt nevertheless continued; Gwen became the lone vocalist and the group added guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young.

No Doubt's live act began to attract regional interest, and Interscope Records signed them in 1991. The band's debut a year later, an odd fusion of '80s pop and ska, sank without a trace in the wake of the grunge movement. As a result, Interscope refused to support No Doubt's tour or further recordings. The band responded by recording on their own during 1993-94; the result was the self-released The Beacon Street Collection, much rawer and more punk-inspired than the debut. Eric Stefani left just after its release, later working as an animator for The Simpsons. By late 1994, Interscope allowed recordings to resume, and Tragic Kingdom was released in October 1995. The album served as a document of the breakup of Gwen Stefani and Kanal, whose relationship had lasted seven years. Thanks to constant touring and the appearance of "Just a Girl" and "Spiderwebs" on MTV's Buzz Bin, the album hit the Top Ten in 1996. Stefani, who has made no secret of her pop ambitions, became a centerpiece of attention as an alternative to the crop of tough girls prevalent on the charts.

By the end of the year, Tragic Kingdom hit number one on the album charts, almost a year after its first release; the record's third single, the ballad "Don't Speak," was the band's biggest hit to date. No Doubt's much-anticipated follow-up, The Return of Saturn, was released in the spring of 2000 and "Simple Kind of Life" and "Ex-Girlfriend" were both critically successful at the mainstream and college levels. A year later, Stefani also hooked up with rap chanteuse, Eve for the single "Let Me Blow Your Mind" (it went on to earn a Grammy for "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" in 2002), however Stefani also joined her band for the release of fifth album. The ska-revival and new wave sounds of Rock Steady was issued hot on the heels of debut single "Hey Baby" in December 2001. ~ [John Bush]

In December 1995, Stefani met Bush guitarist and lead singer Gavin Rossdale at a No Doubt concert, and the two became involved in a long distance relationship. The couple has kept details about its relationship private, avoiding talking to journalists together. They married in 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's Church in Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles, California two weeks later. According to Stefani, it was held so that she could wear a custom-designed wedding dress by British-Gibraltarian fashion designer John Galliano. The couple discovered in 2004 that Rossdale had an illegitimate daughter Daisy with model Pearl Lowe when Rossdale took a paternity test. In December 2005, Stefani and Rossdale announced that they were expecting their first child together. The pregnancy was first reported by Us Weekly, and Stefani confirmed the pregnancy by shouting "I want you to sing so loud that the baby hears it" during a concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after her press agent stated that it was untrue. On May 26, 2006, their son, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, was born via caesarean section at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[66] Kingston weighed 3.4 kilograms (7 pounds, 5 ounces). Stefani plans to have another baby. (Anyone wager the child will be a pop star in 2025? Has to be with that pedigree)

For Madness see Number 794

What does Rolling Stone think about No Doubt?

It's the rhythm, stupid. Oh, and in No Doubt's case, a platinum-blond peach of a female singer, Gwen Stefani, who breaks up the asexual baggy-shorts-and-balloon-pants monotony of alt-nation guy rock (311 included). Both Tragic Kingdom and 311 are ear candy with good beats, not just bludgeon-by-numbers guitars, and both bands are remarkably adept at genre juggling. No Doubt have a spry, white-suburban take on ska and Blondieesque pop; 311 have a tight, sinewy sound that for all of its obvious Beasties-cum-Chili Peppers traits has a potent reggae undertow. So why snipe at either group for lack of depth? Because power ballads are irritating swill, and No Doubt's "Don't Speak" is no exception (the high-pitched rippling in Stefani's voice, more effective with fast songs and sunnier hooks, doesn't help). And you have to wonder about the substance beneath the sweat when 311 fire off lines like "I reserve the right to be as trite as I want." Hey, it's a free country. DAVID FRICKE(RS 750/751 - Dec. 26, 1996/Jan. 9, 1997

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Its like this, see....) and the Album ranked at Number (Whats that behind you? *poof*)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 71.6 out of 108 pts

No Doubt Don't Speak
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