Iconic 90s band No Doubt made their show-stopping reunion performing at this year’s Coachella. They’re the group who defined the ska-punk sound at the turn of the century, and introduced us to pop legend Gwen Stefani, dropping hit after hit in the process. It’s time to refamiliarise yourself with their top ten best tracks, so you’re fully prepared to witness musical history in the making — there’s no telling where they’ll head next!
Spiderwebs
The blasting horns that open ‘Spiderwebs’ will get you grooving from the second you press play. This upbeat track about escaping an unwanted pursuer has a dark lyrical energy that contrasts its new wave sound, a staple of No Doubt’s introspective, inventive songwriting. Bouncy and bold, ‘Spiderwebs’ is laden with hook after hook. And if its sticky sweet melodies weren’t enough, the melodramatic chaos of its wedding-themed music video make for a true blast from the past.
Just A Girl
When it comes to feminist bangers, it’s impossible to look past ‘Just A Girl’. The lead single to No Doubt’s magnum opus Tragic Kingdom, this song takes a stab at how women are overly sheltered in a male-dominated world. It’s sarcastic yet saccharine, punchy yet poignant, pinpointed as the moment No Doubt truly broke through into the mainstream.
Bathwater
No Doubt’s lyrics are always out of the box, and the vivid storytelling of ‘Bathwater’ is no exception. The gloomy, grim verses describe Stefani’s love interest as host to a “museum” of forgotten scorned exes, shockingly juxtaposed against her cries for his attention in that glorious chorus. Trumpets and trombones add a campy cabaret feel to the track. But it’s that despairing metaphor of being so deeply in love, you’d wash in someone’s “old bathwater” that really sells this tune, which famously only took the band ten minutes to write!
In a memorable performance, the band brought out Olivia Rodrigo to sing the track along with Gwen. Check out the iconic moment on Olivia’s Instagram.
Settle Down
After Gwen Stefani kicked off a solo career during the 2000s, it seemed No Doubt’s days in the sun were over, but they’d thankfully reunite for their 2012 record Push and Shove. This collection housed the wild, experimental tune ‘Settle Down’, which mixed their reggae fusion sound with elements of modern dancehall. Clocking in at over six minutes long, ‘Settle Down’ offers a fierce belted chorus, tongue-in-cheek spoken word lyrics and slick bass flourishes. This epic proves Stefani right as she coyly reminds us, “Nothing’s gonna knock this girl down”.
Artificial Sweetener
A deep cut from 2000’s Return of Saturn, ‘Artificial Sweetener’ is one of the band’s grittier tracks, exploring Stefani’s uncertainty on committing to a romantic partner. Lending its lyrics to the album’s title, the song’s pre-chorus speaks of coming of age nearing her thirties and wondering where her life is heading. The bombastic instrumentation of soaring guitars and absolutely pounding drums dissolve into a confused, staticky finale, closing the song’s topsy-turvy narrative in grand fashion.
Sunday Morning
Adrian Young’s fizzing drums kick off ‘Sunday Morning’ with a bang, the most valuable player on this pumping Tragic Kingdom track. Toying with rhythmic switch-ups and Motown influences under Stefani’s whining vocals, this song wields a weapon against an ex-lover who used to hold the power in the relationship. The guitars bite hard, but Stefani bites even harder. “Now you’re the parasite… Now you’re looking like I used to”, she smirks, making a bop out of her most bitter feelings.
Simple Kind Of Life
Written alone by Gwen Stefani, ‘Simple Kind of Life’ beautifully depicts the complexities of celebrity status in a way that’s surprisingly relatable for the average listener. Stefani’s desperation for domesticity and the white picket fence American dream feels raw and real, over raging guitars and thrashing drums that make this track cut to the core.
Hella Good
Bursting at the seams with pulsing synthesisers, the pop energy of ‘Hella Good’ would seem at odds with the band’s punk past, until that pumping chorus kicks in. This is a track that pushed No Doubt’s genre boundaries into the space of the 2000s club. Its deceptively simple production and slang-based lyrics make for a catchy number that captures listeners of all audiences, and flexes the group’s impressive musicianship across the board.
Trapped In A Box
Despite its name suggesting conforming to tradition, ‘Trapped In A Box’ is one of No Doubt’s most alternative and innovative tracks, and it’s their first release ever to boot. Gwen Stefani’s vocals jump all over the place, frenzied and ferocious, over carnival-style instrumentation that goes all in on the weird and wonderful. Its relentless rhythms showed just how badly the band craved respect alongside creative freedom in the musical world. And they’d find it fast in the following years, with ‘Trapped In A Box’ serving as the mission statement for No Doubt’s explosive career.
Don’t Speak
In Fleetwood Mac-style tradition, No Doubt address romantic conflicts between their own on the unforgettable power ballad ‘Don’t Speak’. After Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal’s seven-year relationship came to an end, this stunning song came to life, written by Gwen and her brother Eric. The chorus’s urgency and emotion quickly burned into the minds of pop and rock lovers alike, becoming the most played track on American radio in 1996, and No Doubt’s ultimate defining hit.
