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.
By The Way
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fills him up, the image so pleasing it could never be erased
Here to stay, embedded in his mind
He wishes they could be together
All the time
By the way she says things, the tone
Just to hear her voice
Here to stay, embedded in his mind
He wishes they could be together
All the time
A crazy independent Spanish speaking
Arty flirty red wine drinking sexy tomboy
With a natural way of thinking carefree
Innocent she's slightly sneaky
Confident and proud from another country
Has her way lives for today
By the way she's far away
By the way, holding her hugging her can feel so warm
Just think about it, two bodies embracing
Creating love in this form
Here to stay, embedded in his mind
He wishes they could be together
All the time
Crazy independent Spanish speaking arty
Flirty red wine drinking sexy tomboy
With a natural way of thinking crazy
Then she kissed him and she went away
Far across to San Francisco Bay
You'd think that she would think again
And only want to be with him
Regardless of the things that pull her far away, she's far away
A crazy independent Spanish speaking
Arty flirty red wine drinking sexy tomboy
With a natural way of thinking crazy
By the way she's far away and by the way she's far away
A crazy independent Spanish speaking
Arty flirty red wine drinking
By the way she's far away, yeah, ooh and far away
A crazy independent Spanish speaking
Arty flirty red wine drinking
By the way she's far away, hey yeah
The lyrics to No Doubt's song "By the Way" are about a man who is infatuated with a woman who is independent, arty, flirty, and from another country. He is enamored by everything about her, from the sound of her voice to the way she looks. He wishes that they could be together all the time and holds onto the warm feeling he gets when he thinks about hugging her. However, she is far away, across San Francisco Bay, and although they have shared a kiss, she has not committed to being with him despite his desires.
The lyrics capture the longing and desire felt by the man and the idea that sometimes people are drawn to others who are different from themselves. The woman is portrayed as confident and carefree in her way of thinking, which adds to her appeal. The man's desire to be with her is so strong that her image is embedded in his mind, and he can't explain why her voice excites him so much.
Overall, the lyrics of "By the Way" provide a snapshot into a love that might not be feasible due to distance and other circumstances, but the desire and longing for that person continue to linger.
Line by Line Meaning
By the way, every little thing about her face
He is captivated by her entire physical appearance
Fills him up, the image so pleasing it could never be erased
He is completely infatuated with her and cannot forget about her
Here to stay, embedded in his mind,
He cannot stop thinking about her
He wishes they could be together
He wants to be in a relationship with her
All the time
Constantly and without interruption
By the way she says things, the tone,
He is also drawn to the sound of her voice
Just to hear her voice
The pleasure of listening to her is enough
He can't explain, the sound so exciting to him a perfect choice
He cannot rationalize why her voice is so appealing, but to him it is perfect
Crazy independent Spanish speaking
She is a unique, free-spirited person
Arty flirty red wine drinking sexy
She is creative and flirtatious, but also confident and sensual
Tomboy
She has a boyish, carefree charm to her
With a natural way of thinking carefree
She has a laid-back and spontaneous approach to life
Innocent she's slightly sneaky
Although she appears innocent, she can be a bit mischievous
Confident and proud from another country
She is proud of her cultural background and is self-assured in her identity
Has her way lives for today
She lives life on her own terms and in the moment
By the way, holding her,
He also imagines embracing her
Hugging her can feel so warm
Physical contact with her is comforting and pleasurable
Creating love in this form
Their embrace expresses their romantic feelings for each other
Then she kissed him and she went away
They shared a moment of intimacy, but she left afterwards
Far across to San Francisco Bay
She is geographically distant from him, in San Francisco Bay
You'd think that she would think again
He assumed she would reconsider leaving him after their moment together
And only want to be with him
He wants her to choose him over anything else
Regardless of the things that pull her far away, she's far away
Despite any obstacles, she remains distanced from him
By the way she's far away and by the way she's far away
He cannot help but think about how far apart they are
Crazy independent Spanish speaking arty flirty red wine drinking
He reminisces on her unique and free-spirited qualities
By the way she's far away and by the way she's far away
He is fixated on the fact that distance separates them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sam M. Lewis, Lew Pollack, Lew White, Joe Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MakeupLush
I have to say this album is my one of my favs of No Doubt.. So unique in their sound!!!
TurquoiseStar17
Agreed. I've noticed nobody ever talks about this album. I'd guess because it was released in the same year as in the same year as their legendary Tragic Kingdom, so it got overshadowed and a lot of people in the No Doubt fandom sadly never heard of it.
Too bad, because it's an amazing album for being all recorded in a garage.
Jessica Because
Aside from tragic kingdom, this is second. and self titled.
RejectedSpiritX
The solo at 2:50 is my ring tone. I just love the sound and flow of it
Jessica Because
Tony Kanal made me appreciate bass in this song. Thank you for making me appreciate every instrument in music from here on.
jjwp 1988
Jessica Because
Listen to
Snakes
Dark Blue
That’s just me
Trapped in a Box
Jay 88
Jessica Because he is an amazing bassist. Simple as that.
Tom Thornton
A video with no dislikes!? That's sadly a rare occurance, and what a great song for that to happen to!
jjwp 1988
Still only 2 dislikes mate.
Jay 88
Tom Thornton only discovered this after only knowing "don't speak" by them for years. Coversolutions covered the bass line, and since then I've looked more into No Doubt. They're great. Especially this early stuff. Can't believe I haven't heard it before....