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.
Happy Now?
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you gave her up
'Cause dependency might interrupt
Idealistic will so hard to please
Put your indecisive mind at ease
You broke the set
Now there's only singles
There's no looking back
Are you happy now?
Oh tell me how?
Are you happy now?
(Are you happy?)
The uncertainty you had of me
Brought clouded shady company
The tenderness habitual
A seldom-fading ritual
You killed the pair
Now only one is breathing
There's no looking back
This time I mean it
Are you happy now?
Oh tell me how?
Are you happy now?
(Are you happy?)
Are you happy now?
How is it now?
Are you happy now?
(Are you happy?)
No more leaning on your shoulder
I won't be there, no more bother
If you feel you just might want me
That's too bad, I'm not that easy
The contemplator all those years
No you must adhere
To your new career of liberation
You've been cast all by yourself
You're free at last
You broke the set
Now there's, there's only singles
There's no looking back
This time I mean it
Are you happy now?
Oh tell me how?
Are you happy now?
(Are you happy?)
Are you happy now?
How is it now?
Are you happy now?
(Are you happy?)
You're by yourself,
All by yourself
You got no one else,
You're by yourself
All by yourself
All by yourself
All by yourself
All by yourself
No one else
No one else
By yourself
By yourself
The song "Happy Now?" by No Doubt seems to be a break-up song, where the singer is asking her former partner if they are happy with the decision they made to leave her. The lyrics suggest that the person had the best but they let her go due to fear of dependency and a will to please themselves. The singer tells them that they are now free from the dependency they feared, but at what cost? The singer seems to be asking if the ex-partner is truly happy with their new situation or if they regret the decision they made.
The second verse seems to suggest that the uncertainty the former partner had of the singer led them to seek comfort from someone else, who was not the singer. The singer suggests that the former partner ritualistically chose tenderness, which led to killing the pair and only one breathing. The singer seems to be trying to tell the former partner that they made their choice, and they can't have their cake and eat it too. The singer is no longer leaning on their shoulder, and they won't be there to bother them anymore. If the former partner wants them back, it's too bad because the singer is no longer easy.
In conclusion, "Happy Now?" is a song that seems to depict a relationship gone wrong. The singer seems to be asking their former partner if they are happy with their new situation and if they regret their decision. The lyrics suggest that the former partner may have sought solace elsewhere, and the singer has moved on, leaving the former partner alone.
Line by Line Meaning
You had the best
You once had someone great in your life
But you gave her up
But you let her go
'Cause dependency might interrupt
Because you were afraid of being too dependent on her
Idealistic will so hard to please
Your idealistic nature made it hard to find someone who could satisfy you
Put your indecisive mind at ease
You finally made a decision to end the relationship
You broke the set
You ended the relationship
Now there's only singles
Now you are alone
There's no looking back
You are determined to move on
This time I mean it
This time, you are serious about letting go
Are you happy now?
Are you satisfied with your decision?
Oh tell me how?
Can you tell me honestly?
(Are you happy?)
The uncertainty you had of me
Your doubts about me
Brought clouded shady company
Made you spend time with bad people
The tenderness habitual
My affection was something you took for granted
A seldom-fading ritual
A rare and fleeting act of showing affection
You killed the pair
You ended our relationship
Now only one is breathing
Now only you are alive
There's no looking back
You are committed to moving forward
This time I mean it
This time, you are serious about leaving me behind
No more leaning on your shoulder
I won't rely on you anymore
I won't be there, no more bother
I won't be in your life anymore
If you feel you just might want me
If you ever feel like you want me back
That's too bad, I'm not that easy
I won't be easy to win back
The contemplator all those years
You spent years contemplating your decision
No you must adhere
Now you have to stick to your decision
To your new career of liberation
Your new path of freedom and independence
You've been cast all by yourself
You are alone now
You're free at last
You finally have the freedom you were seeking
You broke the set
You ended the relationship
Now there's, there's only singles
Now you are alone
No one else
Nobody else is there with you
You're by yourself
You are alone
All by yourself
Completely alone
How is it now?
Do you feel better without me?
Are you happy now?
Are you satisfied with your decision?
(Are you happy?)
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: WILL YOUNG, PASCAL GABRIEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind