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.
Dark Blue
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From exploring you
I'm sorry
You've had some scary days
I'm lucky
They had me on a leash
Exposing, sometimes you frighten me
You're so sad
I wish you could have had what I had
I'm loathing
Most of your history
Hesitation
But then you siphon me, yeah
Your potential
Well I'll indulge in that
Violent timing
Explains the aftermath
And it's too bad
You're so sad
I wish you could have had what I had
And it's so sad, it's too bad
Maybe I can make you feel better
Oh maybe I'm supposed to make you feel better
I want to comfort you
I want to comfort you
I want to comfort you
Unlike you I had it easy
You're dark blue
Stained from previous days
And you're so sad
It's too bad
I wish you could have had what I had
And it's too bad you're so sad
Maybe I can make you feel better
I'm sorry
I'm sorry
I want to comfort you
I want to comfort you oh oh
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
You're dark blue, yeah yeah
The song “Dark Blue” by No Doubt is a ballad that delves into the complexities of a relationship that is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. The singer is expressing their fatigue and anxiety from constantly exploring and exposing their partner's dark past. The opening lines, "I'm tired, from exploring you, I'm sorry", indicate that the singer may feel guilty for overindulging in this person's life, perhaps even to the point of being smothering. The second and third lines, "You've had some scary days, I'm lucky, they had me on a leash", suggest that the singer has been a stabilizing force in the relationship, but still feels overwhelmed by their partner's emotional baggage. The line "exposing, sometimes you frighten me" implies that the singer has uncovered some dark secrets about their partner, which could be the root of their internal struggle between their desire to comfort and their own discomfort.
The chorus of the song, "And it's too bad, you're so sad, I wish you could have had what I had", expresses the singer's empathy towards their partner, recognizing that their partner has not had an easy life. The second verse talks about the singer's own trepidation towards their partner's past, "I'm loathing most of your history, hesitation, but then you siphon me, yeah". The line "your potential, well I'll indulge in that" suggests that the singer is hopeful for their partner's future potential but is still wary of their past.
The song relies on a recurring metaphor, "you're dark blue, stained from previous days". This line emphasizes the metaphor of the color blue, which is often associated with sadness and melancholia. Additionally, “stained from previous days” implies that the pain and sadness are a result of past experiences rather than present circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm tired
I'm exhausted from trying to understand you
From exploring you
From trying to uncover your true self
I'm sorry
I apologize for what you've been going through
You've had some scary days
Your past has been filled with frightening experiences
I'm lucky
I was fortunate to not go through what you did
They had me on a leash
I was sheltered from experiencing the same things you did
Exposing, sometimes you frighten me
When you reveal more of yourself, it can be alarming
And it's too bad
It's unfortunate
You're so sad
You're deeply unhappy
I wish you could have had what I had
I wish you could have had the same privileges and advantages that I did
I'm loathing
I dislike
Most of your history
A lot of your past
Hesitation
Uncertainty or reluctance
But then you siphon me, yeah
But then you absorb me or drain me of my energy
Your potential
Your untapped talent or capabilities
Well I'll indulge in that
I'll focus on that aspect of you
Violent timing
Intense or aggressive timing
Explains the aftermath
Clarifies what happened after something was done
And it's too bad
It's unfortunate
You're so sad
You're deeply unhappy
I wish you could have had what I had
I wish you could have had the same privileges and advantages that I did
And it's so sad, it's too bad
It's even more unfortunate
Maybe I can make you feel better
Perhaps I can improve your mood or situation
Oh maybe I'm supposed to make you feel better
Perhaps it's my duty to improve your mood or situation
I want to comfort you
I hope to give you solace or support
Unlike you I had it easy
I didn't face the same challenges you did
You're dark blue
You're burdened with sorrow and melancholy
Stained from previous days
Impacted by past experiences
And you're so sad
You're deeply unhappy
It's too bad
It's unfortunate
I wish you could have had what I had
I wish you could have had the same privileges and advantages that I did
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gwen Renee Stefani, Thomas Dumont
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind