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.
It
No Doubt Lyrics
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If I could buy my reasoning I'd pay to lose
One half won't do
I've asked myself
How much do you commit yourself?
It's my life
Don't you forget
It never ends
Funny how I blind myself
I never knew
If I was sometimes played upon
Afraid to lose
I'd tell myself what good do you do
Convince myself
It's my life
Don't you forget
It's my life
It never ends
I've asked myself
How much do you commit yourself?
It's my life
Don't you forget
Caught in the crowd
It never ends
It's my life
Don't you forget
Caught in the crowd
It never ends
It's my life (it's my life)
Don't you forget (don't you forget)
Caught in the crowd (caught in the crowd)
It never ends (it never ends)
The lyrics to No Doubt's "It's My Life" are focused on self-realization and independence. The opening lines state how the singer finds herself in love with someone, perhaps feeling conflicted about committing herself fully to the relationship. She speaks of reasoning she would pay to lose and of how one half won't do, indicating that she is not willing to compromise her decisions for someone else. These lines essentially speak of a need to be true to oneself rather than blindly following what society or others expect of us.
The chorus of the song further emphasizes this message, with the singer proclaiming that it is her life and it never ends. She speaks of sometimes blinding herself, of playing herself and being afraid to lose, perhaps indicating that she has made mistakes in the past and doesn't want to repeat them. Yet, she knows that in order to be happy, she must live her life on her own terms and not let anyone else dictate her happiness.
The repetition of the chorus, with "It's my life" becoming almost mantra-like, brings home the message of self-reliance and individual choice. The line "Caught in the crowd, it never ends" may suggest that it can be difficult to stand up for oneself and embrace independence when everyone else is following the crowd, but the singer is determined to do so regardless.
Overall, "It's My Life" is a powerful message about the importance of self-realization and the courage it takes to live life on one's own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
It's funny how I find myself in love with you
I am surprised at how I have fallen in love with you.
If I could buy my reasoning I'd pay to lose
I am willing to give up my logic for this love.
One half won't do
I am not satisfied with only a portion of your love.
I've asked myself/How much do you commit yourself?
I am questioning how much commitment you have to this relationship.
It's my life/Don't you forget/It's my life/It never ends
This is my life, my decisions, my path, and it will never stop being so.
Funny how I blind myself/I never knew/If I was sometimes played upon/Afraid to lose/I'd tell myself what good do you do/Convince myself
I have been ignorant to the times I have been taken advantage of, but I justify it to protect myself from loss.
Caught in the crowd
I feel trapped and overwhelmed by society's expectations.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARK DAVID HOLLIS, TIMOTHY ALAN FRIESE-GREENE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind