Formed in 1986 in Anaheim, California, United States as a ska punk band ins… Read Full Bio ↴Formed in 1986 in Anaheim, California, United States as a ska punk band inspired by Madness, the lineup of No Doubt initially comprised John Spence as lead vocal, Gwen Stefani on back-up vocals, and her brother Eric Stefani on keyboards. While playing the party-band circuit around Anaheim, the trio picked up bassist Tony Kanal. Hardened by the suicide of Spence in December 1987, No Doubt nevertheless continued; Gwen became the lone vocalist and the group added guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young. During their early years on the party scene, they played with Sublime, and Brad Nowell sang on No Doubt's Total Hate 95. Gwen Stefani returned the favour on Saw Red.
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.

Home Now
No Doubt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm hanging out with me
And you're a vacant chair
A chosen compromise
This space we rarely share

And if you lived here you'd be home now

So what you givin' up for me?

And what shall I give up for you?
Aimless expectations passing by

If you lived here you'd be home now
If you lived here you'd be home now

Oh oh oh
And to make it real
I need to have you here
I need to have you
I need to hold you

Barren wasted heart
Neglect of normalcy

And if you lived here you'd be home now
Oh, if you lived here you'd be home now

Oh oh
And to make it real
I need to have you here
I need to have you
Oh oh oh oh
It can't be sincere
Unless you spend time here
I need to see you

A supervision is what I need
(Is what I need)
Some consistence, tangibility (tangibility)
Some casual light days
Part of the furniture
I want to take you for granted
And see you regular

So what you givin' up for me?
And what shall I give up for you?
The separations tired, it's been too long

Oh oh
And to make it real
I need to have you here
I need to have you
Oh oh oh oh
It can't be sincere
Unless you spend time here
I need to see you
I need you
(I need you)
(I need you)
(I need you)

If you lived here
If you lived here
If you lived here

Come home now

Overall Meaning

In No Doubt's song "Home Now", the singer sings about being with themselves and imagining what it would be like if their loved one was with them. The lyrics reflect the loneliness that one feels when they want to share their space with someone important to them, but that person is absent. The vacant chair signifies the space that their loved one occupies in the singer's heart, but not in their physical reality. The singer wonders what they need to do to make this imagined reality a permanent one. The use of the phrase "if you lived here, you'd be home now" emphasizes that the ideal situation is for the loved one to be present with them, and that would make it "home".

The singer also reflects on the sacrifices they have to make to be with their loved one. They ponder the compromises they have to make when they are with each other, noting that it's not always easy, but it's worth it. They want their loved one to be a constant presence in their life, like furniture that is always there. The lyrics convey a sense of longing and yearning for a deeper connection with their loved one, one in which they can truly be themselves, and not just a chosen compromise.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm hanging out with me
I am spending time with myself

And you're a vacant chair
You are not here, and your absence is felt

A chosen compromise
We have made a compromise to be apart

This space we rarely share
We do not spend enough time together

And if you lived here you'd be home now
If you were with me, we would be together right now

So what you givin' up for me?
What sacrifices are you making for me?

And what shall I give up for you?
What am I willing to sacrifice for you?

Aimless expectations passing by
We have no clear goals set for our relationship

Oh oh oh
Vocals

And to make it real
To make our relationship genuine

I need to have you here
I need you to be physically present