FEATURE:
Let’s Get Back
No Doubt’s Eponymous Album at Thirty: The Band’s Ten Best Singles
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ON 17th March…
No Doubt’s eponymous album will turn thirty. In 1992, when the U.S. was dominated by Grunge, the Ska and Pop sounds of No Doubt, maybe, didn’t fit into the scene and sell as much as it should as. Listening back, it is a very promising album from the Californian band! Interscope refused to fund the release of a single from it, so No Doubt released its only single Trapped in a Box independently. Signing out from Interscope thereafter, No Doubt released their 1995 follow-up, The Beacon Street Collection, on the Beacon Street label. It sold over 100,000 copies, which meant Interscope agreed to fund their third album. The iconic Tragic Kingdom, also released in 1995, was their breakthrough. I have a lot of love for No Doubt. A band who were doing something different and whose sound you can hear right from the start, they would go on to become one of the most important bands of their generation. To this day, they remain unique and loved. Led by Gwen Stefani, all of the songs on No Doubt were co-written by Eric Stefani. He left the band in 1994 (though he has songwriting credits for 1995’s The Beacon Street Collection and Tragic Kingdom). The band’s final album, 2012’s Push and Shove, is a fine finale! That album turns ten in September. I wonder whether the band will mark that or do a special one-off performance? To mark thirty years of No Doubt’s debut album, I have chosen my ten favourite singles from the band – who are very much missed. It is hard to single down their best songs, but my top five may surprise some people! Here is my ranking to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the debut album from…
AN iconic band.
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10. Simple Kind of Life
From the Album: Return of Saturn (2000)
Single Release Date: 13th June, 2000
Songwriter: Gwen Stefani
Producer: Glen Ballard
U.S. Chart Position: 18 (Billboard Adult Top 40)
Critical Reception:
“Simple Kind of Life" received positive reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone described the song as being "at once grand, fragile and very, very sad" and commented that "it's clear this woman whom many desire but few regard as a serious artist has penned a song that can sit on the same shelf with the likes of Elliott Smith and Aimee Mann.” Entertainment Weekly characterized the song as "manicured power pop" with a melody "buttery to the point of melting". It later included the song in a list of No Doubt's top five songs, referring to it as "musically understated (layered guitar strumming and a melancholy melody), but lyrically devastating.” Slant Magazine found the song's melodic structure odd, but was pleased by how it "unabashedly delivers double-takes". "Simple Kind of Life" was listed at number twenty-eight on the 2000 Pazz & Jop list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau” – Wikipedia
9. Sunday Morning
From the Album: Tragic Kingdom (1995)
Single Release Date: 27th May, 1997
Songwriters: Gwen Stefani/Eric Stefani/Tony Kanal
Producer: Matthew Wilder
U.S. Chart Position: 35 (Billboard Mainstream Top 40)
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.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the album, a panel of critics from The A.V. Club reanalyzed Tragic Kingdom. Annie Zaleski from the publication admired the track in addition to "Happy Now?" and "Excuse Me Mr."; she noted that all three of them "have just the right amount of pep". Alex McLevy was critical of Tragic Kingdom but wrote: "Luckily, 'Sunday Morning' is there to remind you just how good the band can be when it gets the recipe right." Marah Eakin, also from The A.V. Club, claimed that the single aged well despite being two decades old. She also described it as her favorite song on the parent album. In a poll held by Rolling Stone in 2016, Brittany Spanos asked her readers to vote on "The 10 Best Gwen Stefani Songs". "Sunday Morning" took fourth place and Spanos' consensus stated: "Stefani is a powerhouse on the raucous, bitter single. [...] From the moment Adrian Young's opening drum solo builds up, the song grows more and more massive and searing" – Wikipedia
8. Settle Down
From the Album: Push and Shove (2012)
Single Release Date: 16th July, 2012
Songwriters: Gwen Stefani/Tony Kanal/Tom Dumont
Producer: Spike Stent
U.S. Chart Position: 34 (Billboard Hot 100)
Critical Reception:
“The song was generally well received by most music critics. Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times said that, "It's a song made for summer in the Southland: big beats designed to pop out of sunroofs and rolled-down windows, to rumble the nuts and bolts of Impalas across Orange County and down Hollywood Boulevard.” Popjustice said the song was "brilliant" and noted the familiar sound of No Doubt present in it, writing, "In terms of signature sound the track doesn't really mess around – this is definitely a No Doubt tune, rather than a Gwen one – but it gives the less Popjustice-friendly end of the No Doubt 'sonic' 'palette' a swerve, and by that we mean it goes easy on the ska-punk racket side of things." Lily Rothman of Time commended No Doubt for not "[messing] with their signature sound.” Crystal Bell of Huffington Post said that "it has a slight reggae feel – harking back to the band's SoCal roots – but there's also a radio-friendly hook."
Jason Lipshut of Billboard wrote that "the melodies are snipped while others are shoehorned into place, and Stefani's lyrical conversation with herself sounds more exhaustively constructed than effortless." Nick Bassett from The Re-View also praised how: "'Settle Down' takes it back to No Doubt's early music-making roots, effortlessly fusing their early ska-pop vibe with catchy hooks and one brilliant chorus, manhandled perfectly by lead singer Gwen Stefani." Amy Sciarretto of Pop Crush gave the song 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing: "The verses are reggae heavy, from the horns to Stefani's accented delivery. The Jamaican-inspired choruses are more addictive than any drug you can think of. From the sounds of this, you'd be more apt to believe Stefani and co. are from the islands, as opposed to So Cal. If this song doesn't inspire you to dance, or to 'get in line and settle down,' not much else can." Andrew Unterberger of Pop Dust also gave the song 3.5 stars, writing, "It's a good song, especially for the summer and it would have been just as good a song in the summers of 2002 or 1996. It won't get the group a lot of new, young fans, but old-school fans will doubtless be appreciative." Robbie Daw of Idolator agreed, calling it "amazingly bombastic, joyous reggae-rock track, which manages to sound like No Doubt in both 2012 and 1995." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy called it "a welcome return to their signature sound; thankfully it sounds as fresh as it did in their heyday." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that the song "somehow manages to be both silly and cool” – Wikipedia
7. Spiderwebs
From the Album: Tragic Kingdom (1995)
Single Release Date: 19th November, 1995
Songwriters: Gwen Stefani/Tony Kanal
Producer: Matthew Wilder
U.S. Chart Position: 29 (Billboard’s Adult Top 40)
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".
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Tragic Kingdom, a group of critics from The A.V. Club reanalyzed the album and its songs. Alex McCown felt that No Doubt "found a musical sweet spot" with "Spiderwebs", calling it one of the catchiest songs on the album. Kenneth Partridge, from the same publication, acclaimed Stefani's "beautiful and slender voice" in the track. He also stated that the lyrics of the song made it "hard to call the nineties anything else but classic". In a 2016 readers' poll compiled by Rolling Stone magazine, "Spiderwebs" was voted as Stefani's fifth-best song of all time” – Wikipedia
6. Trapped in a Box
From the Album: No Doubt (1992)
Single Release Date: 25th February, 1992
Songwriters: Eric Stefani/Tom Dumont/Gwen Stefani/Tony Kanal
Producers: Dito Godwin/No Doubt
U.S. Chart Position: Did Not Chart
Music Video:
“After the disappointing sales of No Doubt, Interscope did not wish to finance the release of a single from the record. However, the band financed the shooting of a video for the song "Trapped in a Box" out of their own pockets. Roughly $5,000 was spent on it. The video got local airplay in Orange County. It was also aired on MTV, but it was never aired on VH1, although it was played on MuchMusic in Canada. It failed to achieve status on any chart. In 2003 the song was released on No Doubt's greatest hits compilation album The Singles 1992-2003 and the video was released on the companion DVD of music videos, The Videos 1992–2003.
This is the only music video to feature original keyboardist Eric Stefani, who left in 1994. The video was directed by Mike Zykoff” – Wikipedia
5. Don’t Speak
From the Album: Tragic Kingdom (1995)
Single Release Date: 15th April, 1996
Songwriters: Gwen Stefani/Eric Stefani
Producer: Matthew Wilder
U.S. Chart Position: 1 (Billboard Adult Top 40)
Chart Performance:
“Upon release, "Don't Speak" immediately began to receive extensive airplay and it eventually became the most widely played song on American radio in 1996. It reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart and maintained that position for 16 non-consecutive weeks, a record at the time. Despite its copious airplay, "Don't Speak" was not allowed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 since no commercial single was released for it in the United States (a requirement for charting purposes at the time). Slate magazine music critic Chris Molanphy has stated that if the song had been eligible to chart, it almost certainly would have claimed the number one spot. An import CD did sell in the US, but this format was not allowed to chart either.
On other Billboard charts, "Don't Speak" stayed at number two on Alternative Airplay chart for five consecutive weeks, blocked by the band Bush's single "Swallowed". The song also proved to be a crossover hit, reaching number one on the Adult Top 40 chart for 15 consecutive weeks as well as numbers six and nine on the Adult Contemporary and Rhythmic charts, respectively. It was ultimately placed at number one on the Hot 100 Airplay year-end chart of 1997.
Internationally, "Don't Speak" was also very successful. In February 1997, it peaked at number one in both the United Kingdom and Ireland for three weeks. Elsewhere in Europe, "Don't Speak" reached the top position in Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Australia was another major music market where the song received widespread airplay, debuting at number one and maintaining the peak position for eight weeks” – Wikipedia
4. Just a Girl
From the Album: Tragic Kingdom (1995)
Single Release Date: 21st September, 1995
Songwriters: Gwen Stefani/Tom Dumont
Producer: Matthew Wilder
U.S. Chart Position: 23 (Billboard Hot 100)
Critical Reception:
“Critiques of "Just a Girl" during its release era were positive. Mike Boehm wrote in the Los Angeles Times that Stefani's lyrics of "irony and indirection" make the serious subject matter of "Just a Girl" more appealing to the listener. Music Week rated the song three out of five, adding, "This Californian quartet sound quirky enough with Bolanesque vocals, an ear for a good song and a spiky punk image." In addition to several other tracks from Tragic Kingdom, Nick Levine from Noisey praised "Just a Girl" for having a chorus "that will bounce round your brain for days".
Contemporary critics described "Just a Girl" as No Doubt's breakthrough single. It was also considered a major contribution to the success of Tragic Kingdom Kenneth Partridge from Billboard recognized "Just a Girl" as the song that made No Doubt popular and secured Stefani's role in the music industry as the opposite of "some delicate flower who needs protecting or tolerates special treatment".[34] Mic's Tom Barnes found that "Just a Girl" helped popularize the ska genre and called it part of a "potentially serious music movement". Ilana Kaplan from Observer wrote that "it was 'Just a Girl' that really set things into motion for No Doubt"; she continued:
The song was featured in '90s cult hits Clueless and Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion—movies that served as power-players for unlikely female heroes. Stefani's aim at a male-centric world ended up being one of the most prominent feminist anthems of the '90s—it's a song that stands out now as the music industry's misogynistic outlook continues on. Stefani's sarcasm for a lack of equality made "Just a Girl" one of the catchiest feminist anthems of the '90s.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Tragic Kingdom, a group of critics from The A.V. Club reanalyzed the album. Marah Eakin noted that "Just a Girl" was able to "age [...] surprisingly well". Although Alex McCown disliked Stefani's pouty vocals on the track, Annie Zaleski thought her "exaggerated pouts and simpering" were intentional and dealt with the song's subject matter” – Wikipedia
3. Hella Good
From the Album: Rock Steady (2001)
Single Release Date: 13th April, 2002
Songwriters: Gwen Stefani/Pharrell Williams/Chad Hugo/Tony Kanal
Producers: Nellee Hooper/No Doubt
U.S. Chart Position: 13 (Billboard Hot 100)
Critical Reception:
“About.com ranked the song number one in a list of the top five singles from Stefani's career, with the band as well as solo, reasoning by saying that the song's "bumping contemporary beat pushes along 80's style keyboards making it nearly impossible to keep from moving your body." Blender described it as a "blazing start" to Rock Steady and compared it to the work of pop group Was (Not Was), rapper and producer Timbaland, ska punk band Fishbone, and electro DJ Afrika Bambaataa. The NME also compared the song to Bambaataa's music as well as that of Britney Spears and Duran Duran. PlayLouder called the track outstanding and compared Nellee Hooper's production to the electroclash style of Chicago house DJ Felix da Housecat. Entertainment Weekly characterized the song as a sequel to Madonna's 1985 single "Into the Groove”. The publication listed "Hella Good" seventh on its list of the top singles of 2002. It went on to include the song in its list of the top five No Doubt songs, in which it described the song as "a dance-pop delight irresistible enough to make you forget that ''hella'' is one of history's most irritating slang terms." Stylus Magazine was pleased with the use of overdubbing in the song's "anthemic rock chorus", but referred to its lyrics as stupid. Billboard referred to the group as the B-52's of the 2000s and praised "Hella Good"'s combination of a strong bassline; "fairly aggressive electric guitar accents"; Kraftwerk-style electronics; and Stefani's "loose, playful" vocals. The song was listed at number twenty-six on the 2002 Pazz & Jop list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau” – Wikipedia
2. Ex-Girlfriend
From the Album: Return of Saturn (2000)
Single Release Date: 13th March, 2000
Songwriters: Gwen Stefani/Tom Dumont/Tony Kanal
Producer: Glen Ballard
U.S. Chart Position: 2 (Billboard Alternative Airplay)
Chart Performance:
“Ex-Girlfriend" failed to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 chart but reached number 11 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. It did manage to find popularity on US alternative rock stations, allowing it to peak at number two on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, becoming No Doubt's highest-charting single on that listing alongside their breakthrough hit single, "Don't Speak". Abroad, the single experienced more success, reaching number six in Iceland and number nine in Australia and Spain, as well as the top 20 in Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland. In Australia, the song was certified Gold and came in at number 80 on the country's year-end chart for 2000. In the United Kingdom, the song became No Doubt's fifth top-40 hit, debuting and peaking at number 23 on the UK Singles Chart and spending three weeks in the top 100. In Ireland, the song reached number 40 and spent two weeks in the top 50” – Wikipedia
1. Hey Baby (ft. Bounty Killer)
From the Album: Rock Steady (2001)
Single Release Date: October 2001
Songwriters: Gwen Stefani/Tony Kanal/Tom Dumont/Rodney Price
Producers: Sly and Robbie/No Doubt
U.S. Chart Position: 5 (Billboard Hot 100)
Critical Reception:
"Hey Baby" received generally positive reviews from music critics. LAUNCHcast's Lisa Oliver described the song as a mix of "spacesynth" and ragga that "bursts with Batman punches." Colleen Delaney of Stylus Magazine was unimpressed by the lyrics' double entendres and noted that the toast and "deep, booming production save this song from being thin" but that it remained "inane and unengaging". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine found the song a return to the band's roots, and that it finds No Doubt "sunnier (and tighter) than ever" as a result. Entertainment Weekly included "Hey Baby" in a list of the band's top five songs. About.com ranked the song number three in a list of the top five singles from Stefani's career, with the band and as a solo artist, for her "simultaneously sounding like she understands the hippest of contemporary pop (the Bounty Killer guest rap doesn't hurt) while having the wisdom of an adult several years out of high school." The song was listed at number thirty-eight on the 2002 Pazz & Jop list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau.
The band's endeavor in dancehall music received mixed reviews. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine viewed the toast as a mistake, and Blender's Rupert Howe found the foray into dancehall misguided, leaving Bounty Killer sounding bored. Alex Needham wrote for the NME that the song was a strong example of "white reggae" but that many listeners may not be able to tolerate the genre itself. For Entertainment Weekly, David Browne described the chorus as "big, bustling, and irresistible" and its hip hop influence as kicky. In the BBC review of The Singles 1992-2003, Ruth Mitchell wrote that the chorus was addictive and chiming and that the song had a "catchy dancehall groove" – Wikipedia