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.
Hey You
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Made of white chiffon blowing in the wind
Hey you with the dreams in your head
You've been so misled by your heart's pull
I know your waiting for your ship to come in
You anxiously wait for such a long time
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
Your name will never change
Hey you with your eyes full of hope
You think you can rope your desire
Hey you, you naive thing
Your patience in time will tire
I know you're thinking that your tide will roll in
How did you ever get such high hopes?
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
You dress up and play the game
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
Your name will never change (Your name will never change)
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
In a plastic world of make believe
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
You know he's just gonna leave
Hey you
Hey you
Hey you
I know you're waiting for your life to begin
Well wake up girl, you've got it all wrong
You want a prize that you're not gonna win
Well face it girl, you've got it all wrong
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
You dress up and play the game
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
Your name will never change
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
In a plastic world of make believe
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
You know he's just gonna leave
The lyrics to No Doubt's song "Hey You" criticize the unrealistic expectations that society often imposes on women. The song addresses a woman, described as wearing a wedding dress made of white chiffon blowing in the wind, and possessing dreams in her head that she has been misled by her heart's pull. The singer admits that she knows the woman is waiting for her ship to come in and has been doing so for a long time.
The singer compares the woman to a Ken and Barbie doll, explaining that she dresses up and plays the game of trying to catch her desired partner. The singer says that the woman's patience will ultimately tire, and she will realize that her expectations are not realistic. The woman is described as being naive and having high hopes for the man she desires.
The chorus repeats the idea of the woman being like a Ken and Barbie doll in a plastic world of make-believe, where she believes that he is just going to leave. The lyrics end with the singer telling the woman to wake up and realize she has it all wrong. She won't win the prize she is looking for, and the man will leave.
Overall, the song is an insightful interpretation of the societal expectations placed on young women to find the perfect man, get married and start their life, despite the reality that love and relationships rarely happen in the way we expect.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey you with the wedding dress on
Made of white chiffon blowing in the wind
You're wearing a beautiful dress that symbolizes purity and innocence, but you're being blown around by external forces.
Hey you with the dreams in your head
You've been so misled by your heart's pull
You have aspirations that are clouded by romantic notions and emotions.
I know your waiting for your ship to come in
You anxiously wait for such a long time
You're eagerly anticipating something that may never come, and waiting for it for an extended period of time.
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
You dress up and play the game
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
Your name will never change
You're conforming to societal norms and playing a role assigned to you, lacking authenticity and originality. Your identity is based on superficial traits.
Hey you with your eyes full of hope
You think you can rope your desire
Hey you, you naive thing
Your patience in time will tire
You have an optimistic outlook and expect to achieve your goals easily, but you lack realistic expectations and will become impatient with time.
I know you're thinking that your tide will roll in
How did you ever get such high hopes?
You believe that fortune will come easily and in great amounts, but this is unrealistic.
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
In a plastic world of make believe
You're just like my Ken and Barbie Doll
You know he's just gonna leave
You're living in a false reality where appearances matter more than substance, and the person you're with will eventually leave you because they see through the facade.
I know you're waiting for your life to begin
Well wake up girl, you've got it all wrong
You want a prize that you're not gonna win
Well face it girl, you've got it all wrong
You believe that your life will only start when you get what you desire, but this is a mistaken belief, and you're pursuing something that's unattainable.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gwen Renee Stefani, Tony Ashwin Kanal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind