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.
Starting Problem
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They wander, I follow
I keep staring, I can't stop it
I know I shouldn't
But I can't stop it
Such a cute girl
I'm so jealous
What's it like to have that body?
I'm gawking while I wonder
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
With my envy I steal glances
Resentful fault finder
This peek-a-boo's become a problem
Predisposed cat fighter
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S
T
A
R
I
N
G
P-R-O-B-L-E-M
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
S-T-A-R-I-N-G
I can't stop staring
The lyrics to "Starting Problem" by No Doubt seem to be addressing issues with jealousy and insecurity, particularly when it comes to comparing oneself to others. The singer mentions staring at someone who they find attractive or enviable, and feeling resentful or predatory as a result. The repetition of the letters for "staring" spells out the central issue, implying that this behavior has become a problem for the singer.
The song explores a common human experience: the tendency to compare ourselves to others and feel inadequate as a result. In this case, the singer seems to be struggling with self-esteem issues and possibly even body image concerns. The lyrics don't offer any solutions or resolutions, but instead simply describe the problem in detail.
Line by Line Meaning
My eyes are so rootless
I have no control over where my eyes go
They wander, I follow
My eyes move around on their own, and I can't help but look
I keep staring, I can't stop it
I'm continuously fixated on what I'm looking at
I know I shouldn't
I'm aware that I should not be looking this way
But I can't stop it
Despite my knowledge, I can't control my actions and keep looking
Such a cute girl
I'm admiring someone that I find attractive
I'm so jealous
I'm envious of their appearance
I wish I looked exactly like her
I desire to have the same appearance as the person I'm looking at
What's it like to have that body?
I am curious about the physical sensations that come with someone else's appearance
I'm gawking while I wonder
I'm staring intently while contemplating the other person's appearance
Peek-a-boo's become a problem
My habit of staring is starting to become an issue
Predisposed cat fighter
My tendency to compare myself to others is causing me to feel aggressive or defensive
S-T-A-R-I-N-G PROBLEM
The constant staring has become a serious issue for me
Contributed by Annabelle S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.