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.

Sad for Me
No Doubt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Please, Miss Fried
He don't mean to be mean
He just needs to leave
He hopes he does not cause you inconvenience
Why can't you see?

He says, "Please, don't be sad for me"

Oh, Miss Fried
Please believe you're his queen
He must fight for his dreams
Lovely Miss Fried
He will too miss you
He just needs to be free

He says, "If I should ever cause you to bleed
Don't pretend to be naive"

Don't be naive

Don't take him wrong, let him be
Sometimes he feels like he ought to be alone, alone
Don't take him wrong, let him be
Sometimes he feels like he ought to be alone, alone

He says, "Please, don't be sad for me"
"Please, don't be sad for me"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Sad for Me" by No Doubt explore the pain of a breakup from a man's perspective who is struggling with leaving his partner, Miss Fried. He is torn between staying with her, whom he believes is his queen, and pursuing his dreams which require him to be free. He tries to express his feelings to Miss Fried, explaining that he doesn't mean to be mean, but he needs to leave even though he hopes it won't inconvenience her. He pleads with her not to be sad for him, trying to ease her pain as he knows how much she cares for him.

The man tries to explain to Miss Fried that he must fight for his dreams, and this is the reason he has to be on his own. He tells her that he will miss her too, but sometimes he feels like he ought to be alone. He tries to reassure her that if he ever causes her pain or to bleed, she shouldn't pretend to be naïve. He wants her to understand that he has to make his choices, and he hopes she respects them.

Overall, "Sad for Me" takes a sympathetic look at a difficult breakup, exploring the emotions of both parties involved. The lyrics convey a sense of regret and pain on the man's part, as he struggles to reconcile his love for Miss Fried with his desire to pursue his dreams. The song reminds us that breakups are never easy and can be painful for everyone involved.

Line by Line Meaning

Please, Miss Fried
He addresses Miss Fried to ask for understanding

He don't mean to be mean
He explains that he doesn't mean to hurt her

He just needs to leave
He needs to go and follow his own path

He hopes he does not cause you inconvenience
He wishes not to trouble her with his departure

Why can't you see?
He wonders why she doesn't understand him

He says, "Please, don't be sad for me"
He implores her not to feel sad for him

Oh, Miss Fried
He continues to address her with respect

Please believe you're his queen
He wants her to know how important she is to him

He must fight for his dreams
He has to pursue his own goals and aspirations

Lovely Miss Fried
He repeats his appreciation for her

He will too miss you
He acknowledges his own feelings about leaving her