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.
Oi to the World
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he never had no trouble 'til he started up his oi band
Safe in the garage or singing in the tub
'Til Haji went too far and he plugged in at the pub
'Twas a cold Christmas Eve when Trevor and the skins
Popped in for a pint and to nick a bag of crisps
Trevor liked the music but not the Unity
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what He'd say
He'd say oi to the punks and oi to the skins
But oi to the world and everybody wins
Haji was a bloody mess, he ran out through the crowd
He said, "We'll meet again we are bloody but not unbowed"
Trevor called his bluff and told him where to meet
Christmas day on the roof down at twenty Oxford Street
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what He'd say
He'd say oi to the punks and oi to the skins
But oi to the world and everybody wins
On the roof with the nun chucks Trevor broke a lot of bones
But Haji had a sword like that guy in Indiana Jones
Police sirens wailing, a bloody dying man
Haji was alone and abandoned by his band
Trevor was there fading and still so full of hate
When the skins left him there and went down the fire escape (oi oi)
And Haji saw the north star shining more then ever
So he made a tourniquet from his turban saving Trevor
They repelled down the roof with the rest of the turban
And went back to the pub where they bought each other bourbon
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what He'd say
He'd say oi to the punks and oi to the skins
Oi to the world and everybody wins
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what He'd say
He'd say oi to the punks and oi to the skins
But oi to the world and everybody wins (oi oi)
The No Doubt song "Oi to the World" tells the story of two young men, Haji and Trevor, who represent two different subcultures of punk rock - oi and skinhead. Haji forms an oi band, but when he decides to play at a pub, Trevor - a skin - becomes angry and violent, ultimately knocking Haji to the ground. On Christmas Day, the two confront each other on a rooftop, with Trevor breaking bones with his nun chucks and Haji using his turban as a tourniquet to save Trevor's life. The song concludes with the idea that if God came down on Christmas Day, they would say "oi to the punks and oi to the skins, but oi to the world and everybody wins."
Line by Line Meaning
Haji was a punk just like any other boy
Haji was a typical punk, not different from any other youth in the subculture
And he never had no trouble 'til he started up his oi band
Until he formed an Oi band, Haji never had any problems
Safe in the garage or singing in the tub
Haji was safe practicing in the garage or singing in the bathroom
'Til Haji went too far and he plugged in at the pub
However, Haji took it too far by performing in front of people in the pub
'Twas a cold Christmas Eve when Trevor and the skins
On a frigid Christmas Eve, Trevor and his gang came by
Popped in for a pint and to nick a bag of crisps
They dropped in to grab a pint and steal a bag of crisps
Trevor liked the music but not the Unity
Trevor liked the music but didn't appreciate the unity mongering of Haji and his band
He unwound Haji's turban and he knocked him to his knees
Trevor violently removed Haji's turban and forced him to his knees
If God came down on Christmas Day
The singer is speculating about what God would say on Christmas Day
I know exactly what He'd say
The artist is very confident in this imagined scenario
He'd say oi to the punks and oi to the skins
God would address punks and skinheads with 'Oi'
But oi to the world and everybody wins
However, 'Oi to the world' would be universal and benefit all humans
Haji was a bloody mess, he ran out through the crowd
Haji was hurt and bloody, so he fled by running through the crowds
He said We'll meet again we are bloody but not unbowed
Haji promised to meet again despite being wounded and hurt
Trevor called his bluff and told him where to meet
Trevor didn't believe Haji and gave him an exact location and time for them to meet
Christmas day on the roof down at 20 Oxford Street
They were to meet on the roof of a building on Oxford Street on Christmas Day
On the roof with the nun chucks Trevor broke a lot of bones
On the rooftop, Trevor used nun chucks to harm Haji and his comrades
But Haji had a sword like that guy in Indiana Jones
Haji was equipped with a sword, similar to the singer of the Indiana Jones movie
Police sirens wailing, a bloody dying man
As a man was dying from his wounds, police sirens could be heard in the background
Haji was alone and abandoned by his band
Haji was left alone by his bandmates as he lay dying
Trevor was there fading and still so full of hate
Trevor was present and close to death but was still filled with hatred
When the skins left him there and went down the fire escape (oi oi)
When his fellow skinheads abandoned him to escape via the fire exit
And Haji saw the north star shining more then ever
Haji saw the north star brighter than ever as he neared death
So he made a tourniquet from his turban saving Trevor
Haji made a tourniquet with his turban, which helped save Trevor's life
They repelled down the roof with the rest of the turban
They used Haji's remaining turban to descend from the rooftop
And went back to the pub where they bought each other bourbon
Then, they headed to the pub together to share bourbon
If God came down on Christmas Day
The repetition of this line emphasizes the hypothetical nature of the song
I know exactly what He'd say
Again, the singer is confident in his imagined scenario
He'd say oi to the punks and oi to the skins
Once more, the artist concludes that God would use 'Oi' to address the punk and skinhead communities
Oi to the world and everybody wins (oi oi)
The singer reiterates that a universal 'Oi to the world' would be beneficial for all
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Joseph Patrick Escalante
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
missmissMelissa
Haji was a punk just like any other boy
And he never had no trouble till he started up his Oi band
Safe in the garage or singing in the tub
Till Haji went too far and he plugged in at the pub
'Twas a cold Christmas eve when Trevor and the skins
Popped in for a pint and to nick a bag of crisps
Trevor liked the music but not the unity
He unwound Haji's turban and he knocked him to his knees
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what he'd say
He'd say "Oi to the punks and Oi to the skins
But Oi to the world and everybody wins"
Haji was a bloody mess, he ran out through the crowd
He said "We'll meet again we are bloody but not unbowed"
Trevor called his bluff and told him where to meet
Christmas Day on the roof down at 20 Oxford Street
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what he'd say
He'd say "Oi to the punks and Oi to the skins
But Oi to the world and everybody wins"
On the roof with the nun chucks Trevor broke a lot of bones
But Haji had a sword like that guy in Indiana Jones
Police sirens wailing, a bloody dying man
Haji was alone and abandoned by his band
Trevor was there fading and still so full of hate
When the skins left him there and went down the fire escape
(Oi, Oi)
And then Haji saw the north star shining more then ever
So he made a tourniquet from his turban saving Trevor
They repelled down the roof with the rest of the turban
And went back to the pub where they bought each other bourbon
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what he'd say
He'd say "Oi to the punks and Oi to the skins
But Oi to the world and everybody wins"
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what he'd say
He'd say "Oi to the punks and Oi to the skins
But Oi to the world and everybody wins"
(Oi, Oi)
Valtamerisielu
One of the most '90s-sounding songs ever. (I absolutely love it)
Israeliana NG
Ska was founded in Jamaica in the 50s...
𖤐𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈_𝒰𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓁𝓎 𖤐
I LOVE 90’s PUNK SKA
𖤐𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈_𝒰𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓁𝓎 𖤐
ITS CALLED 90’s PUNK SKA
Joe Sickler
It’s a vandals cover.
Fuḉk Susan. Fuḉk Censorship.
@Randill its ska not punk
WickedDragon86
The only Christmas song I will never get tired of!
Winston Smith the third
Bring the Vandals back!
Winston Smith the third
@MST3Killa grandpa's last Christmas, here I am lord, well, the whole album actually !
Brandi
Check out Psychostick. They do some badass holiday songs and Helix doing Jingle Bell Rock is pretty good too