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.
Stricken
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess I'm kinda mad about you
I love you, I love you I do
Love overcomes all of my senses
Lowers all of my defenses, yeah
And all of your faults vanish to a blind daze
Your bitterness erased by my sense of taste
And harsh words are deafened by love
I love you completely
I couldn't be madder about you
I love you, I love you I do
I love you completely
There's nothin' I see bad about you
I love you, I love you I do
Love welcomes me to every new day
The stars are all falling down my way, yeah
And all of the planets are lined in the sky
The lights are shining down upon you and I
My world is stricken by love
Kiss me over and over forever and ever my love
Kiss me all over and over forever and ever my love
The love I have for you
Makes me blind I can't see
The love I have for you
Cuts my throat I can't speak
The love I have for you makes me numb
I can't feel
The love I have for you makes me numb
I can't feel
But boy, oh boy, oh boy
I love you
Completely, yeah
I love you, I love you, I do do do do
I love you, I love you, I do do do do
I love you, I love you, I do do do do
I love you
I love you, I love you, I do do do do
I love you, I love you, I do do do do
I love you do do do do do do do do do
I love you do do do do do do do do do
I love you, I love you, I do do do do
I love you, I love you, I do do do do
No Doubt's song, Stricken, is a love song about being completely consumed by love. The lyrics express the feeling of being in love to the point where flaws and negative traits of a partner become irrelevant, and everything else in life pales in comparison to being with the person you love. The repetition of "I love you, I love you I do" emphasizes the depth of the emotions being felt.
The line "Love overcomes all of my senses, lowers all of my defenses" represents the way love can have a powerful effect on the mind and body, making it impossible to resist. The reference to "harsh words deafened by love" refers to the way negativity can be drowned out by feelings of positivity and affection.
The chorus touches on the idea that this love is all-consuming, to the point where the singer's senses are almost disabled. The repetition of "I love you, I love you, I do" is a declaration of absolute commitment and devotion.
Overall, the song expresses the power that love can have over people, and the overwhelming emotions it can inspire.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you completely
The singer is completely smitten with the person they are addressing.
I guess I'm kinda mad about you
The singer is so in love with the person they're addressing that their behavior is causing them to act erratically.
I love you, I love you, I do
The singer reiterates their love for the person they're addressing.
Love overcomes all of my senses
The artist's love for the person they're addressing is so strong that it affects all of their senses.
Lowers all of my defenses, yeah
The artist's love for the person they're addressing causes them to let down their usual guard.
And all of your faults vanish to a blind daze
The singer is so in love that they can't see any faults or negative aspects of the person they're addressing.
Your bitterness erased by my sense of taste
The singer's love for the person they're addressing erases any bitterness or negative emotions they may feel towards that person.
And harsh words are deafened by love
The artist's love for the person they're addressing causes them to not be bothered by harsh words or criticism.
There's nothin' I see bad about you
The artist is so in love that they can't see any flaws or negative qualities in the person they're addressing.
Love welcomes me to every new day
The artist's love for the person they're addressing makes every new day feel like a fresh start.
The stars are all falling down my way, yeah
The singer's love for the person they're addressing makes them feel lucky and like everything is going their way.
And all of the planets are lined in the sky
The artist's love for the person they're addressing is so intense that it feels like it's affecting the entire universe.
The lights are shining down upon you and I
The singer's love for the person they're addressing is so strong that it feels like there is a spotlight on them both.
My world is stricken by love
The singer's love for the person they're addressing is so all-consuming that it feels like nothing else in the world matters.
The love I have for you / Makes me blind I can't see / Cuts my throat I can't speak / Makes me numb I can't feel
The singer's love for the person they're addressing is so intense that it makes them feel overwhelmed and unable to function properly.
But boy, oh boy, oh boy / I love you / Completely, yeah
Despite the overwhelming feelings they're experiencing, the artist is steadfast in their love for the person they're addressing.
I love you, I do do do do
The artist reiterates their love for the person they're addressing.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Eric Matthew Stefani, Gwen Renee Stefani, Thomas Dumont, Tony Ashwin Kanal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind