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.
Cellophane Boy
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I can't accept, cause I am uptight
And the smokes getting into my eyes are burning
My concern is I just might give you a life
And I can't relate to the hypnotist
And I can't get close , cause the plastic wrap
And I want to have kids, but their father's up inside the
The distance between is on my mind
Up Until now things have been fine, temporarily
You're cute, but the circumstance has changed
Your substitution method, crutch
Your whole protection from your pain
This presentation of my ploy
Is to change my cellophane boy
Oh, it's not the 70's
Let your future fly with me
Up until now things have been fine, temporarily
Your cute, but the circumstance has changed
Your substitution method, crutch
Your whole protection from your pain
This presentation of my ploy
Is to change my cellophane boy
And I want your habit to be me
Your harbor and your refugee
In No Doubt's song Cellophane Boy, the lyrics are a reflection of the singer's internal struggle with their own identity and their relationship with the person they are addressing. The lines "And I'm not the Judge or the referee / And I can't accept, cause I am uptight" suggest that the singer is grappling with their own judgement of themselves and perhaps their own inflexibility. The repetition of the phrase "Up Until now things have been fine, temporarily / Your cute, but the circumstance has changed" hints at a shift in the dynamic of their relationship, and the singer's dissonance with what they perceive to be the other person's reliance on a crutch or coping mechanism.
The chorus "This presentation of my ploy / Is to change my cellophane boy" reveals the singer's desire to be the one that brings change and adds meaning to their partner's life. They want to take the other person from being a "cellophane boy" or someone who's emotional depth is obscured behind a plastic veneer, and truly understand them. The final lines, "And I want your habit to be me / Your harbor and your refugee" express a deep longing for closeness and security in the relationship.
Overall, the lyrics to Cellophane Boy are a poignant reflection of the challenges of understanding oneself and others, and the desire for genuine connection in spite of those challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
And I'm not the Judge or the referee
I am not in a position to judge or make decisions for you.
And I can't accept, cause I am uptight
I have difficulty accepting things because of my uptight nature.
And the smokes getting into my eyes are burning
I am being affected by the smoke and it is causing discomfort in my eyes.
My concern is I just might give you a life
I am worried that I might end up being the reason for you changing your life around.
And I can't relate to the hypnotist
I cannot connect or identify with the hypnotist.
And I can't get close , cause the plastic wrap
I am unable to get closer to you because of the barriers we have between us.
And I want to have kids, but their father's up inside the
I desire to have children, but the potential father is not available or present, since he is lost or unreachable.
clouds
(continued...)
The distance between is on my mind
The physical and emotional separation between us is something that concerns me and is always on my mind.
Up Until now things have been fine, temporarily
Things have been okay for a while, but it is not a sustainable situation.
You're cute, but the circumstance has changed
You are attractive, but the situation has evolved and is no longer the same as before.
Your substitution method, crutch
Your coping mechanism or substitute for dealing with problems in life is not healthy or effective.
Your whole protection from your pain
Your means of protecting yourself from emotional pain is not beneficial or sustainable.
This presentation of my ploy
My attempt to change things by creating a plan or scheme...
Is to change my cellophane boy
...is to transform my partner's superficial and emotionless tendencies into a more genuine and loving interaction.
Oh, it's not the 70's
The present is not the same as the past.
Let your future fly with me
Trust me and let us move forward together towards a better future.
And I want your habit to be me
I want to be what you turn to instead of your current habits and addictions.
Your harbor and your refugee
I want to be your safe haven where you can find comfort and peace in times of need and distress.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GWEN STEFANI, THOMAS DUMONT, TONY KANAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind