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 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's third single, Don't Speak, which although originally written by Eric was later altered by Gwen to document her breakup with bassist Tony Kanal. Tragic Kingdom went platinum and has sold over 15 million copies to date. As Tragic Kingdom obtained success, the band toured furiously until late '97.
After a long break, the band had prepared a more mellow, and powerfully dramatic album entitled Return of Saturn. It emphasized Gwen's encounters with men, her biological clock, and miscellaneous topics. Although the album had a completely different approach to it, the band was making rock music with less of a punk/ska flare. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts in early April of 2000, and then declined to a flop. The public never did justice to the album, and it serves as a favorite for many die-hard fans.
While touring in Jamaica for Return of Saturn, the band wanted to try adding Reggae to their music, and making more of a dance rock record. 20 months after Return of Saturn debuted, the band was quick to jump on the creation of Rock Steady, released in December of '01. The singles Underneath It All and Hey Baby became international dance club symbols as top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. This album proved that No Doubt had not lost their potential with the public, and that they could appeal to various groups of people.
In 2004, No Doubt announced they would be going on hiatus after the release of the singles compilation The Singles 1992–2003, which contained one new song, a cover of experimental rock band Talk Talk's "It's My Life". Tony Kanal did several projects with Gwen and other artists. Adrian Young married and had a child; Tom Dumont formed a new band, Invincible Overlord, often plays with Matt Costa's band. Gwen embarked on a sucessful solo career which consisted of two albums - "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." and "The Sweet Escape". The first of these albums contains the single "Hollaback Girl", a song which was inescapable for most of 2005 and hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won her a Billboard Award for first track to reach 1 Million legal downloads ever. The self titled track off "The Sweet Escape" went on to become her most notorious calling card.
With the hiatus officially over in late 2008 No Doubt announced tour plans for 2009, kicking it off in Atlantic City. The tour concluded with four dates in Irvine, CA. In May, 2009, the band was featured as a fictional 80's band, "Snowed Out", on CW Network's "Gossip Girl" The band performed their cover of Adam and the Ants 'Stand and Deliver.'
The group entered the studio in May 2010 to start recording on their sixth studio album: Push and Shove which will be release on September 25, 2012 and its first single will be "Settle Down". Their first music video for the new album will also be for "Settle Down" and it will be directed by Sophie Muller (who previously has done numerous music videos for No Doubt). The whole album has been recorded with producer Mark "Spike" Stent (who worked on their previous album Rock Steady) but they have also collaborated with Major Lazer (now Diplo's solo project). No Doubt previously revealed they are taking influence from ska, 80s new wave and Jamaican reggae music for the new record.
Blue in the Face
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why can't you see you look so very funny
You worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
Relax and sleep, tomorrow isn't leaving
And counting your sheep won't relieve you from this grieving
You worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
Take your time the world's not going anywhere
Honey, you worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
Blue in the face
'Cause you're always in a hurry
Blue in the face
'Cause you always tend to worry
You're just like a honey bee, you panic, you sting, then you die
It's just like you to fret like you do
So take the afternoon and maybe someday soon
You won't have to worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
But you'll make ends meet I know you will so please pull up a chair
And take your time the world's not going anywhere
Honey, you worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
Blue in the face
'Cause you're always in a hurry
Blue in the face
'Cause you always tend to worry
You're just like a honey bee, you panic, you sting, then you die
You're just like a honey bee zap!
Oh, when you're in a state of mind they call anxiety
And you find it very necessary to pull out your hair
Don't be discouraged
Oh, honey have courage
Don't worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
Like always you worry till you're blue in the face
Honey why worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
You're always in a hurry
Blue in the face
You always tend to worry
Cause you're just like a honey bee, you panic, you sting, then you die
Just like a honey bee
Blue in the face
You got no time to waste
Slow down the pace
You're turning blue, blue, blue
Blue in the face
You got no time to waste
Slow down the pace
You're turning blue
The song "Blue in the Face" by No Doubt is all about how unnecessary worries can lead to anxiety and make you sick. The song starts by comparing worrying to a bee rushing to a comb of honey. The message is clear, you're hurrying to accomplish something that isn't important, and it's making you look foolish. The chorus then emphasizes this point, with the repetition of "Blue in the face," reminding you that worrying can be harmful to your mental and physical health. The lyrics then suggest that you take a nap, hesitatingly counting sheep, and taking time away from your frets to relieve yourself of your grief. It's a friendly reminder that the world will still be there when you're rested and relaxed, but you might not be!
Line by Line Meaning
Just like a bee rushing to a comb of honey
You are always in a rush to get something done, just like a bee hurrying to gather honey.
Why can't you see you look so very funny
It seems strange how much you worry about everything and everyone around you to the point of becoming funny.
You worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
You worry so much that it becomes like getting sick, and you do it until you are out of breath and have turned blue in the face.
Relax and sleep, tomorrow isn't leaving
Try to calm down and get some rest, as tomorrow is not going anywhere and will still be there when you wake up.
And counting your sheep won't relieve you from this grieving
Sleeping won’t be a cure for your anxiety, so do not even bother doing typical sleep-inducing activities such as counting sheep.
But you'll make ends meet I know you will so please pull up a chair
Despite your worries, you will figure things out in the end, so relax and take a seat.
Take your time the world's not going anywhere
Slow down and take your time, as everything will still be the same when you are done worrying.
Honey, you worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
Your constant stressing is like getting sick for you, leaving you tired and without breath until your face turns blue.
Blue in the face
Referring to becoming blue in the face from stressing too hard.
'Cause you're always in a hurry
Because you are always rushing and not taking any time for yourself.
'Cause you always tend to worry
Why you are always so anxious and worried all the time.
You're just like a honey bee, you panic, you sting, then you die
Similar to how a honeybee stings and dies, you may panic and feel like you are dying from worrying too hard.
It's just like you to fret like you do
It is typical for you to be anxious and to stress in the way you do.
So take the afternoon and maybe someday soon
Take the afternoon to relax and rejuvenate, as soon it will lead to less stress and anxiety.
You won't have to worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face
If you take time for yourself and relax, you will no longer stress to the point of turning blue in the face.
Oh, when you're in a state of mind they call anxiety
When you are highly stressed, it is understood to be anxiety.
And you find it very necessary to pull out your hair
You are so stressed that you feel like pulling out your own hair is needed to relieve some tension.
Don't be discouraged
Do not feel hopeless or disheartened.
Oh, honey have courage
It will take determination and bravery to overcome your anxiety and worries.
You're always in a hurry
You are never willing to take any time for yourself, always hurrying from one thing to the next.
You got no time to waste
You believe that there is not a single second to spend not worrying.
Slow down the pace
Start to pace yourself and take it slow, starting with not worrying all of the time.
You're turning blue, blue, blue
Your constant stressing and worrying is starting to affect your health, and you are even turning blue in the face.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Eric Matthew Stefani
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind