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.

Tragic Kingdom
No Doubt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

"Remain seated please
Permanecer sentados por favor"

Once was a magical place
Over time it was lost
Price increased the cost
Now the fortune of the kingdom
Is locked up in its dungeon vaults

The castle floor lies in traps
With coiled wires set back
Decoyed by old cheese, now the drawbridge
Has been lifted as the millions
They drop to their knees

They pay homage to a king
Whose dreams are buried in their minds
His tears are frozen stiff
Icicles drip from his eyes

The cold wind blows as it snows
On those who fight to get in
On heads that are small
Disillusioned (disillusioned) as they enter (as they enter)
They're unaware what's behind castle walls
But now it's written in stone
The king has been overthrown
By jesterly fools
And the power (and the power) of the people (of the people)
Shall come to believe they do rule

They pay homage to a king
Whose dreams are buried in their minds
His tears are frozen stiff
Icicles drip from his eyes
Welcome to the tragic kingdom
Cornfields of popcorn
Have yet to spring open

Have they lost their heads
Or are they just all blind mice
We've heard all their stories
One too many times
Hypnotized by fireflies
That glow in the dark
Midgets that disguise themselves
As tiny little dwarves
The parade that's electrical
It serves no real purpose
Just takes up a lot of juice
Just to impress us

They pay homage to a king
Whose dreams are buried in their minds
His tears are frozen stiff
Icicles drip from his eyes

Ooh, they drip from his eyes into an eye
They drip from his eyes

They're paying homage to a king
The king who's buried, buried in their minds
They drip from his eyes
Welcome to the tragic kingdom
Cornfields of popcorn
Have yet to spring open

(Welcome to the tragic kingdom)
(Welcome to the tragic kingdom)
(Welcome to the tragic kingdom)
(Welcome to the tragic kingdom)
(Welcome to the tragic kingdom)
(Welcome to the tragic kingdom)

(Welcome to the tragic kingdom)
(Welcome to the tragic kingdom)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to No Doubt's song "Tragic Kingdom" paint a vivid picture of a once-magical place that has fallen into disrepair and despair. The opening lines, "Remain seated please / Permanecer sentados por favor," evoke the feeling of a theme park ride, but also suggest that the listener is about to embark on a journey through a darker, more troubling place.

As the song progresses, we learn that the "Tragic Kingdom" was once a place of great wealth and power, but is now controlled by a king who has lost touch with his people and is ruled by jesterly fools. The people who visit the kingdom are unaware of the horrors that lie behind its walls, and are instead hypnotized by the bright lights and flashy parades that serve no real purpose.

Throughout the song, the imagery is dark and unsettling, with references to frozen tears, coiled wires, and dungeon vaults. The overall effect is a feeling of disillusionment and loss, as if the listener has stumbled upon a forgotten place that was once great and mighty, but has now been relegated to the past.

Line by Line Meaning

Once was a magical place
The kingdom was once a beautiful and enchanting place.

Over time it was lost
Gradually, the beauty and magic of the kingdom disappeared.

Price increased the cost
The increased cost of visiting the kingdom led to its decline.

Now the fortune of the kingdom is locked up in its dungeon vaults
The wealth of the kingdom is now hidden and inaccessible.

The castle floor lies in traps with coiled wires set back
The castle is rigged with traps to prevent intruders.

Decoyed by old cheese, now the drawbridge has been lifted as the millions they drop to their knees
The people are lured into the castle by false promises and cheap tricks.

They pay homage to a king whose dreams are buried in their minds
The people worship a king who they no longer truly understand or follow.

His tears are frozen stiff, icicles drip from his eyes
The king is sad and unfeeling, shedding tears that have turned to ice.

The cold wind blows as it snows on those who fight to get in
The people struggle to enter the kingdom in difficult, cold conditions.

On heads that are small disillusioned as they enter
The people are disappointed and disillusioned as they enter the small and unimpressive kingdom.

They're unaware what's behind castle walls but now it's written in stone
The secrets of the kingdom are now revealed and well-known to the people.

The king has been overthrown by jesterly fools, and the power of the people shall come to believe they do rule
A foolish group has taken over the kingdom, and the people will eventually revolt and take power.

Cornfields of popcorn have yet to spring open
There is still potential for growth and development in the kingdom.

Have they lost their heads or are they just all blind mice
The people are either crazy or blindly following the foolish leaders.

Hypnotized by fireflies that glow in the dark, midgets that disguise themselves as tiny little dwarfs
The people are easily influenced and misled by small and unimportant things.

The parade that's electrical it serves no real purpose, just takes up a lot of juice just to impress us
The kingdom makes useless displays of power to awe and distract the people.

They're paying homage to a king the king who's buried, buried in their minds
The people are still honoring a king who is dead and only lives on in their memories.

Ooh they drip from his eyes into an eye, they drip from his eyes
The king's frozen tears continue to fall even when he is no longer alive.

Welcome to the tragic kingdom
The kingdom is a sad and tragic place.

(Welcome to the tragic kingdom)
The repeated welcome emphasizes the sadness and tragedy of the kingdom.