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.
Paulina
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's on the cover of a magazine
Paulina
A woman in my nightly dreams
Paulina
Who makes me grin in any pose
Paulina
I wish she'd take off all her clothes
Paulina
Well, I stare at her pictures all day long
Paulina
And as I do I sing this song
Paulina
My father says to act my age
Paulina
As I single handily turn the page
Paulina
Well, I paste her pictures on the wall
Paulina
Sit by the phone and hope she'll call
Paulina
Although I know she never will
Paulina
To indulge myself is such a thrill
Paulina
She's the big red apple of my eye
Paulina
I wish she'd lay down by my side
Paulina
But if she ever knew my pursuit
Paulina
She would probably file a huge lawsuit
Yeah yeah, oh oh oh oh oh
The song "Paulina" by No Doubt is a humorous and upbeat track that revolves around a fan's obsession with supermodel Paulina Porizkova. The lyrics describe how the singer is enamored with Paulina and fantasizes about her, pasting her images on the wall and staring at them all day, hoping she'll call, and dreaming of her laying down by his side. Despite the disapproval of his father, the singer continues to indulge in his obsession with Paulina, even though he knows nothing will ever come of it.
The song highlights the absurdity of celebrity worship and how fans can easily become obsessed with famous people, especially models and other beautiful individuals. Gwen Stefani's vocals add a playful and sassy touch to the song, adding to the humor and lightheartedness of the lyrics. The chorus is catchy and repetitive, further emphasizing the singer's infatuation with Paulina.
Overall, "Paulina" is a fun and catchy song with a relatable theme that many people can relate to, especially those who have a celebrity crush or have found themselves obsessed with someone famous.
Line by Line Meaning
Paulina
Referring to a person named Paulina
She's on the cover of a magazine
Paulina is a model and has appeared on magazine covers
A woman in my nightly dreams
The person singing dreams of Paulina regularly
Who makes me grin in any pose
Seeing Paulina in different poses makes the singer happy
I wish she'd take off all her clothes
The singer finds Paulina attractive and wishes to see her naked
Well, I stare at her pictures all day long
The singer spends a lot of time looking at photos of Paulina
And as I do I sing this song
The singer is inspired by Paulina and sings about her
My father says to act my age
The singer's father tells them to stop acting immature
As I single handily turn the page
The singer continues to look at photos of Paulina despite their father's advice
Well, I paste her pictures on the wall
The singer puts up posters of Paulina in their room
Sit by the phone and hope she'll call
The singer is obsessed with Paulina and hopes to hear from her
Although I know she never will
The singer is aware that Paulina is out of their reach
To indulge myself is such a thrill
Even though the singer knows they can't be with Paulina, they enjoy fantasizing about her
She's the big red apple of my eye
The singer is completely infatuated with Paulina
I wish she'd lay down by my side
The singer longs to be close to Paulina
But if she ever knew my pursuit
The singer realizes that their obsession with Paulina is unhealthy and could lead to legal trouble
She would probably file a huge lawsuit
If Paulina found out about the singer's behavior, she would likely take legal action against them
Yeah yeah, oh oh oh oh oh
A repeated vocal refrain with no specific meaning
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Chris R Leal, Eric Matthew Stefani, Gabriel Gonzalez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind