No Doubt about it

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So lately, as evidenced by the preceding post, I’ve been kinda down. Between regular old depression, rejection and a general sense of unease, it’s been rough going. Usually, times like these require the big guns. Out comes The Smashing Pumpkins. AFI gets cranked up and put on repeat. My secret arsenal of weepy, mopey music gets yanked out. None of these did it for me this time. It appeared for all intents and purposes that the blues were here to stay and I was just going to have to deal with it.

Almost by accident, I found the antidote: NO DOUBT. They’d been there all along, Gwen, Tony and the rest of the gang, hanging out, holding court between The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and No Mercy. I don’t know why it took me so long to get to them.

No Doubt, much like The Smashing Pumpkins, is a hold over from my adolescent years. While Billy and Co. kept me from killing myself, Gwen and her crew made me realize, ‘Hey, this shit can be fun!’ ‘Spiderwebs’ was my first brush with them. I had absolutely no idea what was going on in that video. A wedding? With Japanese people? And a band? And oh no, the blond cut her finger on the roses!! I had to know more.

The more I found out and the more I listened the more I loved it. Not only was Gwen absolutely gorgeous, she dressed fun and hip and funky. She was self-deprecating. And most importantly, she acted real. She had faults and owned up to them. She was also the first female musician I’d seen who didn’t use her sexuality to sell records. She came across as the cool chick you sat on the back row with in study hall and cracked jokes with. I was entering the holy terror of a minefield known as adolescence, that magical time when girls become mortal enemies for no apparent reason. I was super distrustful of any member of my own gender, but here was a girl I could totally have been friends with, in my wee little head.

The music was also fresh and punchy. It didn’t make me depressed. Not even ‘Don’t Speak.’ It always felt like your best friend showing up with a pint of ice cream and a cheesy movie after a bad breakup. Their music also opened doors to other bands I would come to know and love like 311 and Sublime. Plus, THEY HAD TRUMPETS!!! TRUMPETS!!

Another reason I adored them is that their albums always sounded different. I can tell the difference between ‘Tragic Kingdom’ and ‘Return of Saturn.’ There’s absolutely no confusion as to what album ‘Hey Baby’ belongs. That’s the same reason I loved SP. There’s a signature sound, but they always mix it up and make it fresh and interesting.

I must confess, however, that there was a time when I forsaked my love for No Doubt. At summer camp, no one but me liked them. So I lied and said I didn’t either. Yes, it was wrong and I am deeply ashamed. Now, I don’t care who knows it!

Another reason to love them? TONY KANAL IS HOT. There, I said it. Could this be why I dig Indian guys now? It’s a distinct possibility!

Moving along, since I simply lack the energy to break down their entire catalog, I’m gonna hit the high notes. This is in no particular order, of course.

‘Spiderwebs’: Um, DUH! This totally reminded me of this guy who had the biggest crush on me starting in, like, the 6th grade. ‘Don’t have the courage inside me, to tell you please let me be’ was pretty much my thoughts on the matter. I really wanted the chorus as my answering machine message when I moved out on my own. You do remember the chorus, don’t you? Need me to sing it for you? Gladly! ‘Sorry I’m not home right now, I’m walking in the spiderwebs, so leave a message and I’ll call you back, unlikely story, but leave a message and I’ll call you back’

‘Just a Girl’: So many reasons to love this. One, it was in Clueless. Fuck, I loved that movie. Also, ‘The moment that I step outside, so many reasons to run and hide, can’t do the little things I hold so dear, cause it’s all those little things that I fear.’ Who the hell didn’t feel like that growing up? And what woman still doesn’t from time to time? ‘My apologies, what I’ve become is so burdensome’ I sing that line in my head every time I have to buy tampons, fuss with birth control or any of the myriad of bull shit that comes with being a chick.

‘Sixteen’: God, I love this one. There’s so much that sucks about growing up, ESPECIALLY if you’re female. This sorta made it like, ‘Hey, you’re supposed to be acting out! You’re 16!’ That’s comforting. ‘Well, you’re only 16 with a lot to say, but they won’t give you the time of day.’ Ah, memories.

‘Sunday Morning’: The more experience I gain, the more I find myself relating to this song. When I first heard it, I just liked it for the music. Now, I get it. Oh boy, do I get it. ‘Sappy pathetic little me, that was the girl I used to be, you had me on my knees.’ There’s a joke there, but I won’t. However, my favorite is, ‘You came in with the breeze, on Sunday morning, you sure have changed since yesterday, without any warning.’ Again, who hasn’t been there?!

‘Don’t Speak’: This was everyone’s breakup song in 1997, right? I loved it. Although I’ve never been through a breakup, I’m sure I will crank this shit up LOUD. Like I said earlier, this song is like your best friend coming over with your favorite ice cream and a cheesy flick full of man candy. ‘Don’t speak, I know what you’re thinking, and I don’t need your reasons, don’t tell me cause it hurts.’ Like I said, I’ve never been through a breakup, but holy shit. I love this video as well. And I want her blue dress. BADLY.

‘Tragic Kingdom’: I always loved this, but wasn’t sure what it was about, til mom clued me in. Nice back hand to Disney, kids. I LOVE IT. The reason I didn’t get it was because we were in fact poor and I’ve never been to either theme park. Bite me. ‘The parade that’s electrical, it serves no real purpose, just takes up a lot of juice just to impress us.’ I had a much deeper, more esoteric and symbolic explanation of this, but I was of course 13 and full of shit. And, um, is it wrong that I kinda think ‘Welcome to the Tragic Kingdom’ might be awesome printed on a doormat?

‘Oi to the World’: OK, so it’s a cover. And it was on a Christmas album. I DO NOT CARE! This is on my list of favorite Holiday songs, right next to ‘Ho Ho Fucking Ho’ and MCR’s cover of ‘All I Want for Christmas is You.’ Sing it with me! ‘If God came down on Christmas day, I know exactly what he’d say, he’d say ‘Oi’ to the Punks, ‘Oi’ to the Skins, ‘Oi’ to the world and everybody wins.’

‘Hella Good’: Thank you, No Doubt, for giving this tiny bit of SoCal slang to the rest of us. We do appreciate it. I work ‘hella’ into conversation as much as possible. Because I am, in fact, awesome. ‘You got me feeling hella good, so let’s just keep on dancing.’ One of my many missions in life is to find a guy who makes me want to sing that all. the. time. I’m still looking unfortunately. Oh, and the beat to this should be friggin’ criminal.

‘Hey Baby’: Try to listen this and not want to burst into dance. I dare you! It’s impossible! ‘Hey baby, hey baby, hey!’ Oh come on, you know you like it.

‘Underneath it All’: Another song I would like to be able to sing to a dude at some point in my lifetime. Sigh. ‘You’re really lovely, underneath it all, and you want to love me, underneath it all, I’m really lucky, underneath it all, and you’re really lovely.’ Again, sigh.

‘Ex-Girlfriend’: I’m totally feeling this song right now. Granted, I was in no way a girlfriend, but um, ya know, it still hurts. ‘Why’d you have to go and pick me, when you knew that we were different, completely.’ Yes! What she said! More good advice from Gwen: ‘I find myself trying to change you, if you were meant to be my lover I wouldn’t have to.’ Heed these words, ladies!

‘Simple Kind of Life’: I feel this one a lot lately too. Sometimes I’m all ‘Yay being single! Yay career!’ Then I come home to an empty apartment after a shitty day at work and I’m like ‘Yeah, this is great.’ The line that surely means me and Gwen are really long lost sisters: ‘Like a sick domestic abuser, looking for a fight.’ There’s shit you do even though you know you shouldn’t, but you just can’t help it. ‘All the simple things are simply too complicated for my life.‘ Yeah, again, what she said.

‘Bathwater’: My mom to this day does not get this song, and is frankly a little grossed out by it. I fucking love it. Though I’ve never been in a steady relationship, I know from infatuation. ‘Why do the good girls, always want the bad boys?’ I have no fucking clue! And I’d really like to know! My other favorite: ‘I know I’m diving into my own destruction.’ The drag queen in the video was the lovely, sparkling, FABULOUS icing on the cake.

‘New’: This song is how I feel every time I get a new crush. That exhilarating feeling every time you hear their name or see them. And holy God if they come to stand next to you! Yeah, I’m in that place a lot. ‘Don’t let it go away, this feeling has got to stay’ is my favorite. This was also on the soundtrack for a movie called ‘Go.’ It was one of my favorite movies when I was wee little teenager.

‘Trapped in a Box’: I love Gwen’s voice in this one. And I do love that it’s about TV. ‘Light only enters through a crack or a hole, this is not enough for a human to grow.’ Love! Oh, and the guitar parts are insanely and unexpectedly awesome.

‘It’s My Life’: Another cover, but still so much awesome. ‘Funny how I blind myself,’ I have no idea what she’s talking about. I NEVER do that. Ever! *cough*

At some point, I’ll get to Gwen’s solo stuff. Not tonight though. I’m going to listen to ‘Spiderwebs’ and think happy thoughts!!

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Tags: Gwen Stefani, music, No Doubt