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.
Start the Fire
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The army of words is in me
Silent the soldier weeps
Lying here back to back
Waiting for you to be react
And sometimes all I need is a good push
Roll over and whisper some goodness
Now can we go back to zero
Go on and get the lighter
We're gonna need some fire
Let's get a little higher
The battlefield is tired
And why all that?
Go on baby and get the lighter
We're gonna start the fire
Just come here and cuddle up
I feel a little rough
I missed you in my sleep
Are you still mad at me?
The moon must have mended my bad mood
Come kiss me the way you're meant to
Last night I was just playing
Let's put it all away and
Go on and get the lighter
We're gonna need some fire
Let's get a little higher
The battlefield is tired
And why all that?
Go on baby and get the lighter
We're gonna start the fire
Go on baby and get the lighter
We're gonna start the fire
Go on baby and get the lighter
We're gonna start the fire, start the fire
(Murder)
Climb in, love with me
Climb in and love me
Go on now baby you get it
Had quite a heavy night
So girl look it all up and bright
The most stubborn girl around
You really know how to bring me down
One more famous night to remember
Let's laugh at my silly temper
Now let's spend the morning sweetly
Get over here and complete me
Go on and get the lighter
We're gonna need some fire
Let's get a little higher
The battlefield is tired
And why all that?
Go on baby and get the lighter
We're gonna start the fire
Go on baby and get the lighter
We're gonna start the fire
Go on baby and get the lighter
We're gonna start the fire
Go on baby and get the lighter
We're gonna start the fire
Whooo!
Whoaw!
Go on now baby you get it
Whooo!
Whoaw!
The lyrics of No Doubt's song "Start the Fire" are about rekindling a passion in a relationship that has lost its spark. The singer is asking her partner to light a fire and bring excitement back into their relationship, which has become stagnant and worn-out. The phrase "start the fire" serves as a metaphor for reigniting the passion that once existed.
The song's opening line "Come on baby get the lighter, we're gonna start the fire" sets the stage for the rest of the song. The phrase references the common ritual of starting a fire using a lighter, but the line is used symbolically as a call to action, urging the other person to take charge and help bring their relationship back to life.
The song's dreamy and sultry melody also mirrors the theme of the lyrics, as the rhythm is both smooth and playful in parts, while still emphasizing a sense of urgency and desire.
In summary, "Start the Fire" is ultimately a song about how important it is to keep the passion alive in a relationship and how sometimes all it takes is a simple gesture to reignite that flame.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on baby get the lighter, we're gonna start the fire
Let's light a fire and ignite a spark between us.
The army of words is in me
I have a lot to say, but I struggle to express myself.
Silent the soldier weeps
I'm fighting a battle within myself, and it's causing me to feel emotional.
Lying here back to back
We're sleeping in the same bed, but there's distance between us.
Waiting for you to be react
I'm hoping for a response or reaction from you.
And sometimes all I need is a good push
I need a little encouragement to take a risk or make a move.
Roll over and whisper some goodness
Show me affection and say sweet things to me.
Go on baby you be the hero
Take the lead and show me what you're capable of.
Now can we go back to zero
Let's start fresh and leave behind any negative history.
Just come here and cuddle up
Let's get physically close and be affectionate.
I feel a little rough
I'm not feeling my best emotionally or physically.
I missed you in my sleep
I long for you even in my dreams.
Are you still mad at me?
I'm unsure if you're still upset with me for something.
The moon must have mended my bad mood
After feeling down, seeing the moon has improved my mood.
Come kiss me the way you're meant to
Give me a kiss that truly shows your love and desire for me.
Last night I was just playing
I didn't mean to cause any harm or upset last night.
Let's put it all away and
Let's forget about any issues or negativity from the past.
Had quite a heavy night
I had a lot to drink and may have acted foolishly.
So girl look it all up and bright
Let's focus on the positive and have a good time together despite any negativity.
The most stubborn girl around
You can be difficult at times, but I still love you.
You really know how to bring me down
Your negative energy or words can hurt me deeply.
One more famous night to remember
Let's make tonight one to remember, and create more happy memories together.
Let's laugh at my silly temper
Let's find humor in my mistakes or flaws, and not take things too seriously.
Now let's spend the morning sweetly
Let's enjoy each other's company and show affection in the morning.
Get over here and complete me
Come closer to me and make me feel whole or complete.
The battlefield is tired
Our relationship has been through a lot, and needs a break from conflict or stress.
Go on baby and get the lighter
Take action and light the fire to ignite our passion.
We're gonna need some fire
Our relationship needs passion and excitement to thrive.
Let's get a little higher
Let's raise the stakes and take our relationship to new heights.
And why all that?
Why should we settle for anything less than true love and passion?
Whoaw!
An exclamation of excitement and enthusiasm.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gwen Renee Stefani, Thomas Dumont, Tony Ashwin Kanal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind