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.
Comforting Lie
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the wrong foot
Now I'm not myself
I am Jekyll, I am Hyde
Found this place to hide
Come seek me
Oh, so up and down
So insecure
Can't get this taste out of my mouth
Swallow it down
Pretend
Hold it, hold it all in
Let it build up
Build a bomb
Blow it, blow it away
Clear it all out
Just end it
I'm just a normal person
Without those problems
When did it change?
Admissions so embarrassing
I'm on the verge of tears again
Hold it, hold it all in
I'll let it build up
Build a bomb
And blow it, blow it away
Clear it all out
Just end it
Oh look I took the Band-Aid off
Did I take it off too soon?
Hysterical confession
My big courageous move
Don't gasp at the predictable
A comforting lie can't last
Preordained checklist of this awkward love
It's so sad
Hold it, hold it all in
Let it build up
Build a bomb
Blow it, blow it away
Clear it all out
Just end it
Sort it, sort it out
Just give it back
No thank you
Toss it, toss it away
Eliminate
Just give up
I can't decide
This tug of war
I'm feeling weak, yeah
The lyrics of No Doubt's song Comforting Lie captures the emotions of someone struggling internally. The opening lines, "I started out on the wrong foot, now I'm not myself" suggests that the person feels like they have made mistakes that have led to them feeling disconnected from their true selves. The following lines, "I am Jekyll, I am Hyde, found this place to hide, come seek me," indicate that they are struggling with a split personality, where they present a different persona to the world than what they are actually feeling inside. The reference to "this place to hide" could suggest they are struggling with mental health issues, and are trying to conceal their emotions.
The song explores the feeling of being emotionally unstable, with the lyrics "So up and down, so back and forth, so insecure." The person feels like they can't escape their negative emotions and tries to suppress them by "holding it all in, letting it build up, building a bomb." The line "Swallow it down, pretend" implies that they are pretending to be okay to avoid letting others see their vulnerability. The chorus, "Hold it, hold it all in, let it build up, build a bomb, blow it, blow it away, clear it all out, just end it," conveys the person's overwhelming desire to just let everything out and end the struggle they are going through.
The song concludes with the bridge, "Oh look, I took the Band-Aid off, did I take it off too soon? Hysterical confession, my big courageous move," which suggests that the person is trying to face their problems and be vulnerable, but is unsure if it's the right thing to do. The final lyrics, "I can't decide, this tug of war, I'm feeling weak," indicate that the struggle continues, and the person is caught between wanting to open up and wanting to keep their problems hidden.
Line by Line Meaning
I started out
I began something in a bad way
On the wrong foot
I started this journey on the wrong path
Now I'm not myself
I feel out of character
I am Jekyll, I am Hyde
I am experiencing two very different personas
Found this place to hide
I have found somewhere to retreat
Come seek me
I invite someone to come find me
Oh, so up and down
I'm feeling very indecisive
So back and forth
I'm constantly changing my mind
So insecure
I'm lacking confidence
Can't get this taste out of my mouth
I can't seem to forget what I have experienced
Swallow it down
I'm trying to suppress my emotions
Pretend
I'm acting like everything is okay
Hold it, hold it all in
I'm trying to ignore my feelings
Let it build up
I'm allowing all my emotions to accumulate
Build a bomb
I'm creating a dangerous situation
Blow it, blow it away
I'm trying to find a way to get rid of everything
Clear it all out
I'm trying to clear my head
Just end it
I want to be done with this situation
I'm just a normal person
I'm just like everyone else
Without those problems
Without the issues I'm currently facing
When did it change?
When did everything start to shift?
Admissions so embarrassing
This is hard to admit
I'm on the verge of tears again
I'm about to cry
Oh look I took the Band-Aid off
I exposed the truth
Did I take it off too soon?
Did I reveal too much too early?
Hysterical confession
This admission is causing me to become emotional
My big courageous move
This was a big step for me
Don't gasp at the predictable
This reaction is normal
A comforting lie can't last
Lies eventually come to light
Preordained checklist of this awkward love
This relationship isn't going as planned
It's so sad
This situation is very upsetting
Sort it, sort it out
I need to organize everything
Just give it back
I don't want this anymore, you can have it
No thank you
I don't want it and I won't take it back
Toss it, toss it away
I'm getting rid of everything
Eliminate
I'm trying to cut this out of my life
Just give up
I'm done with this, I can't keep holding on
I can't decide
I'm struggling to make a decision
This tug of war
This back and forth is exhausting
I'm feeling weak, yeah
I'm feeling drained and powerless
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gwen Renee Stefani, Thomas Dumont, Tony Ashwin Kanal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind