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.
D.J.'s
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Start talking trash and I'll come with my Smith and Wesson
A little competition comes my way
Bittybye but it always winds up the same
Ah, but the stone that the builder refuse
Shall be the end cornerstone
And there ain't nothin' wrong, ain't nothin' right
Ooh, all of the D.J.s surely have taken a lesson
Try talking trash and I'll come with my Smith and Wesson
Enough D.J.s come, enough, enough stylee
But when I bust my lyrics, we all know it's wicked and wily
Ain't nothin' wrong, ain't nothin' right
And still I sit and lie awake all night
Ooh, you finish that with your gat if you wanna walk with me
You bound to come down with the new stylee
Rock a rubadub known as reggae music
You gonna come down with the new lyrics
'Cause it just ain't no thing, oh, I said, it's been a real long time
Ain't nothin' wrong, ain't nothin' right
And still I sit and lie awake all night
Ah, Dreddy's got a job to do, but he might fulfill his mission
To see his pain will be his greatest ambition
We will survive in this world of competition
Truly, God set around the nation, bo bo bo
I won't wait so long, ooh
I said, I won't wait so long for you, ooh, ooh
See now, ooh, woh
Stop your messing around
Better think of your future
Time you straighten right out
Or you'll wind up in jail
The lyrics of No Doubt's song D.J.s seem to be a response to other D.J.s talking trash and possibly taking shots at No Doubt. The singer warns these D.J.s that if they continue with this behavior, they will have to deal with her "Smith and Wesson," indicating that she will defend herself and her music by any means necessary. The singer acknowledges that there is competition in the music industry, but she reminds everyone that the stone that the builder refuses will become the cornerstone, meaning that those who are underestimated or undervalued will eventually become the most important. Despite the singer's confidence, she admits that she still lies awake at night, worrying about the competition and the future of her music.
The song takes a turn towards calling for unity and working together to survive in the world of music competition. The singer references the "new stylee" and "new lyrics" that she brings to the table, indicating that she is not afraid to push boundaries and innovate. However, she also acknowledges that Dread's (presumably another artist or reggae figure) mission is to reveal his pain through his music. Overall, the song seems to be a call to action for other artists to work together and innovate, rather than fighting and tearing each other down.
Line by Line Meaning
All of the D.J.s surely have taken a lesson
All the DJs have been warned
Start talking trash and I'll come with my Smith and Wesson
If you talk back, I'll be ready with my gun
A little competition comes my way
I face a little competition
Bittybye but it always winds up the same
It always ends the same way
Ah, but the stone that the builder refuse
Something that people don't pay attention to may end up being the most important
Shall be the end cornerstone
It will become the foundation
And there ain't nothin' wrong, ain't nothin' right
Everything is neutral
And still I sit and lie awake all night
I can't sleep at night
Ooh, all of the D.J.s surely have taken a lesson
The DJs have been warned again
Try talking trash and I'll come with my Smith and Wesson
If you talk back, I'll be ready with my gun
Enough D.J.s come, enough, enough stylee
There are enough DJs and styles
But when I bust my lyrics, we all know it's wicked and wily
My lyrics are impressive and captivating
Ooh, you finish that with your gat if you wanna walk with me
If you want to be with me, be prepared to use your gun
You bound to come down with the new stylee
You will follow my new style
Rock a rubadub known as reggae music
Sing reggae music
You gonna come down with the new lyrics
You'll learn my new lyrics
'Cause it just ain't no thing, oh, I said, it's been a real long time
It's not that hard, it's been a while
Ah, Dreddy's got a job to do, but he might fulfill his mission
Dreddy has a mission to complete
To see his pain will be his greatest ambition
He wants to see his pain
We will survive in this world of competition
We'll survive in this competitive world
Truly, God set around the nation, bo bo bo
God is with us
I won't wait so long, ooh
I won't wait forever
I said, I won't wait so long for you, ooh, ooh
I won't wait forever for you
See now, ooh, woh
Look now
Stop your messing around
Stop playing around
Better think of your future
Think about your future
Time you straighten right out
It's time to get straight
Or you'll wind up in jail
Or you'll end up in prison
Contributed by Aaron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Master Rain
All of the D.J.'s surely have taken a lesson
Start talking trash and I'll come with my Smith and Wesson
A little competition comes my wayBittybye but it always winds up the same
Ah but the stone that the builder refuse
Shall be the end corner stone
And there ain't nothin' wrong, ain't nothin' right
And still I sit and lie awake all night
Oooh all of the D.J.'s surely have taken a lesson
Try talking trash and I'll come with my Smith and Wesson
Enough D.J.'s come, enough, enough stylee
But when I bust my lyrics we all know it's wicked and wily
Ain't nothin' wrong, ain't nothin' right
And still I sit and lie awake all night
Oooh you finish that with your gat if you wanna walk with me
You bound to come down with the new stylee
Rock a rubadub known as reggae music
You gonna come down with the new lyrics
'Cause it just ain't no thing, oh, I said it's been a real long time
Ain't nothin' wrong, ain't nothin' right
And still I sit and lie awake all night
Ah Dreddy's got a job to do but he might fulfill his mission
To see his pain will be his greatest ambition
We will survive in this world of competition
Truly God set around the nation, bo bo bo ...
I won't wait so long, ooh
I said I won't wait so long for you, ooh, ooh
See now, ooh, woh
Stop your messing around
Better think of your future
Time you straighten right out
Or you'll wind up in jail
Jovanna
This is fucking epic! Only No Doubt can cover a Sublime song and own it!
Blake Matthews
She nailed it with this one. Her jumpy vocal style fit it perfect
Diogo Pace
This is the most epic Sublime cover ever, hands down.
Kevin K
Just when I thought I couldn't love No Doubt anymore I discovered this classic and learnt about their ska origins. Wow!
Daniel Sandoval
This is a cover of a Sublime song
Bryan L
As cool as this is, it kind of pains me that Bradley never got to perform this song himself to an audience this big.
Mariano Grande
This version is sublime
Leila Cornipple
One of my favorite Sublime songs😭this makes me so emotional. Love this❤️
Daniel Sandoval
Love this DVD!
tienaldt
This recording gets me every time!