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.

That' s Just Me
No Doubt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You think that I will change
But you know that will never be
I'm just that way and that's just me
Well it's just the way I am
And I am doing all I can
Why can't you see I just can't change
Well I could care less what you see
I'm just nevertheless here for me

You're always getting what you want
But you still keep looking
I guess you're just never getting what you need
With your eyes wide open
You still keep looking for your dream
That's just me

It doesn't matter what you say
'Cause my confidence will lead the way
Words will never do, sad but true

Well and if I didn't act this way
Well it just wouldn't be the same
That wouldn't do 'cause I'm not you
I'm not you, no

And I could care less what you see
I'm just nevertheless here for me

You're always getting what you want
But you still keep looking
I guess you're just never getting what you need
With your eyes wide open
You still keep looking for your dream
That's just me
With your eyes wide open
You still keep looking for your dream
That's just me
That's just me
That's just me

Well it's just the way I am
I am no Larry or a Sam
Why can't you see,
I'm just that way

Well there it is
It's right here, so crystal clear
Well there it is, it's right here
So crystal clear in front of

You're always getting what you want
But you still keep looking
I guess you're just never getting what you need
With your eyes wide open
You still keep looking
Eyes wide open,
You still keep looking
With your eyes wide open
You still keep looking for your dream yeah

That's just me, hey
Ah, you're always getting what you want
But you never get what you need
You want it
I guess you just, well you're nevertheless
Just looking for your dream
A dream, you're looking for your dream
You're looking for your dream, ah

I could care less what you see

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of No Doubt's song "That's Just Me" seem to express the singer's resistance to changing her core self in order to please someone else. She acknowledges that the other person believes that she can change, but asserts that she is who she is and will not change. She tells the other person that she could care less about what they're seeing, and that she's simply here for herself. She recognizes that the other person is always getting what they want, but still looking for something else, and acknowledges that she herself is also looking for her dream. The lyrics seem to convey a deep sense of individuality and self-reliance, mixed with a desire for personal fulfillment.

The repeated refrain, "That's just me", is a powerful assertion of the singer's identity and a refusal to be molded into someone else's vision. The song seems to be a defense of individuality in the face of pressure to conform to others' expectations. The line "Words will never do, sad but true" suggests that there may be no way to fully express the depth of one's personality and selfhood in language, and that the singer's resistance to changing is something that can only be understood through action.

Line by Line Meaning

You think that I will change
You believe that I can be different and do things your way

But you know that will never be
But you're aware that it's impossible for me to change, and that's a fact

I'm just that way and that's just me
I have a certain personality and behavior that defines me, and that's just who I am

Well it's just the way I am
It's just my nature to do things in a certain way

And I am doing all I can
I am doing my best, but it doesn't necessarily mean it will lead to the results you want

Why can't you see I just can't change
Why don't you understand that no matter how much you want me to change, I am who I am and I can't change that

Well I could care less what you see
What you think of me or how you perceive me doesn't really matter to me

I'm just nevertheless here for me
I am still here living my life for myself, regardless of your expectations or opinions

You're always getting what you want
You seem to always get what you desire without trouble

But you still keep looking
But you're not satisfied, and you're still searching for something else

I guess you're just never getting what you need
You seem to overlook what truly fulfills you and keep searching in vain

With your eyes wide open
You're fully aware of your situation

You still keep looking for your dream
Despite your awareness, you still look for your unachievable dream

It doesn't matter what you say
Your words have no impact on me or my decisions

'Cause my confidence will lead the way
I have the self-assurance to make my own choices without regard for your opinion

Words will never do, sad but true
Plain words are not sufficient to convince me to change my behavior or personality

Well and if I didn't act this way
If I wasn't true to myself and acted differently, to please you or someone else

Well it just wouldn't be the same
It would feel contrived and unnatural for me to be someone I'm not, and it would change who I am

That wouldn't do 'cause I'm not you
Trying to become someone else just to be accepted and fit in is not an option for me, since I am my own unique person

Well there it is
The truth is clear and evident

It's right here, so crystal clear
It's right in front of you, it's obvious and can't be missed

You're always getting what you want
You seem to always get what you desire without trouble

Eyes wide open, You still keep looking
Despite your awareness, you still look for your unachievable dream

That's just me
This is who I am, and I won't change for anyone

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stefani Eric Matthew, Keyes Eric

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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