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.
Trapped in a Box
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It distorts my vision, it closes my eyes
Attracts filthy flies and pollutes in the skies
It sucks up our lives and proliferates lies
Trapped in a box
Trapped in a box, four walls as sky
Got a screen for a window about two feet wide
My mind rides and slides as my circuits are fried
No room for thought, use the box as my guide
Trapped in a box
Ooh, trapped in a box
Watch the world as it flocks
To life's paradox
And we're all trapped in a box
Oh, trapped in a box, I'm not alone
I know of others with a box as their home
A light only enters from a crack or a hole
Oh, this is not enough for a human to grow
Trapped in a box
Ooh, trapped in a box
Watch the world as it flocks
To life's paradox
And we're all trapped in a box
Always wanting a different view
Instant gratification for you
Reality gone with a single click
I just hope that, that switch won't stick
Ah trapped in a box my life becomes void
And all of the thought for myself's now destroyed
Controlling my mind, what to eat, what to buy
Subliminal rules, how to live, how to die
Trapped in a box
Ooh trapped in a box
Watch the, the world as it flocks
To life's paradox
And we're all, we're trapped in a box
Ooh, trapped in a box
Watch the world as it flocks
To life's paradox
We're all trapped in a box
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh
(We're all trapped in a box)
The song Trapped in a Box by No Doubt is a critique of the banality and conformity of modern living, where people are trapped inside their own personal boxes or bubbles, unable to break free from the confines of their technology and consumer culture. The lyrics describe the experience of being trapped in a box of tremendous size which distorts vision and closes eyes. The box attracts filthy flies and pollutes the skies, sucking up lives and proliferating lies. The walls of the box limit free thought and movement, with no possibility for personal growth. The chorus repeats the phrase "Trapped in a box" highlighting the idea that we are all trapped and unable to escape our technological, consumerist society.
The song raises the issue of how people are becoming increasingly disconnected from the natural world and each other. The box represents our modern lifestyle, with the screen acting as a window, limiting our view and providing a false sense of reality. The lyrics suggest that we are becoming increasingly isolated and reliant on our technology, which is ultimately limiting our ability to live fully.
Overall, Trapped in a Box is a powerful message against conformity and encourages people to break free from their boxes and embrace the world beyond their screens, striving for real connection and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
You're trapped in a box of tremendous size
The world that you live in is so vast that it's almost impossible to escape from it.
It distorts my vision, it closes my eyes
The world you exist in can be overwhelming and it often obscures the truth from view, blinding you to what's really going on.
Attracts filthy flies and pollutes in the skies
The world that we've built around ourselves is full of negative elements that poison our lives and corrupt our environment.
It sucks up our lives and proliferates lies
The world consumes us and feeds us lies that distract us from finding true fulfillment.
Trapped in a box
Repetition of the chorus to emphasize being stuck in a confining world.
Trapped in a box, four walls as sky
Continuing to describe the surroundings as a bleak space with very few opportunities for growth.
Got a screen for a window about two feet wide
The only way to see beyond the walls is through a limited, technology-based interface.
My mind rides and slides as my circuits are fried
The technology-driven world you inhabit has drained your creativity and control, leaving you at the mercy of your devices.
No room for thought, use the box as my guide
The world leaves little space for critical thinking and encourages the acceptance of what's presented through technology-based means.
Ooh, trapped in a box
Repetition of the chorus to emphasize being stuck in a confining world.
Watch the world as it flocks
Observing the masses as they mindlessly follow the status quo.
To life's paradox
The ironic nature of the world's oppressive and limiting nature.
And we're all trapped in a box
We're all affected by the world we live in and its limitations.
Oh, trapped in a box, I'm not alone
There are others that feel and experience the same confinements and limitations.
I know of others with a box as their home
Others have made the same choices and become limited by the greater world around them as well.
A light only enters from a crack or a hole
Even the tiny sparks of hope and inspiration are difficult to find when the rest of the world is so overwhelming.
Oh, this is not enough for a human to grow
Even when humans cling to hope, it's not enough to achieve overall growth in a confining world.
Always wanting a different view
The innate desire of humans to seek out new experiences and escape from the confining world they inhabit.
Instant gratification for you
The world around us encourages instant gratification and immediate pleasure as opposed to genuine fulfillment through self-discovery.
Reality gone with a single click
The world we live in is so fluid and changing that what feels like reality is always subject to change.
I just hope that, that switch won't stick
Hope that we don't become so entrenched in the confined world that we can no longer see a way out.
Ah trapped in a box my life becomes void
The world drains the passion and spirit from our lives and leaves a void in its place.
And all of the thought for myself's now destroyed
Individual thought and exploration of self are lost in a world that encourages blind acceptance and technological consumption.
Controlling my mind, what to eat, what to buy
The world regulates our choices and consumption to encourage greater control and extension of its reach.
Subliminal rules, how to live, how to die
The subtle, insidious regulations of the world that shape and control our entire lives.
Ooh trapped in a box
Repetition of the chorus to emphasize being stuck in a confining world.
Watch the, the world as it flocks
Observing the masses as they mindlessly follow the status quo.
We're all, we're trapped in a box
We're all affected by the world we live in and its limitations.
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Instrumental break.
Ooh
Conclusion of instrumental break.
(We're all trapped in a box)
Reiterating the theme that the world constrains us all.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Eric Matthew Stefani, Gwen Renee Stefani, Thomas Dumont, Tony Ashwin Kanal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@edithvega8127
Trapped in a box of tremendous size
It distorts my vision, it closes my eyes
Attracts filthy flies and pollutes in the skies
Sucks up our lives and proliferates lies
Trapped in a box
Trapped in a box, four walls as sky
Got a screen for a window about two feet wide
My mind rides and slides as my circuits are fried
No room for thought, use the box as my guide
Trapped in a box
Trapped in a box
Watch the world as it flocks
To life's paradox
We're all trapped in a box
Trapped in a box I'm not alone
I know of others with a box as their home
Light only enters from a crack or a hole
This is not enough for a human to grow
Trapped in a box
Always wanting a different view
Instant gratification for you
Reality gone WITH a single click
Just hope that that switch won't stick
Trapped in a box my life becomes void
All I thought for myself is now destroyed
Controlling my mind, what to eat, what to buy
Subliminal rules: how to live, how to die
Trapped in a box
Always wanting a different view
Instant gratification for you
Reality gone WITH a single click
Just hope that that switch won't stick
@DancemomsGirlys
my funeral song
@gildedsinn
+DancemomsGirlys lmao xD
@AwestaKhalid
+DancemomsGirlys lol that was hilarious!
@dirtyx4241
You made my night!
@_swampfirefae1087
What a truly original comment. ._."
@AwestaKhalid
_ sampfirefae lighten up, Francis
@lilymae7516
Her brother was an amazing song writer as well. This family is talented! Never forget Eric Stefani.
@rachaelb.
Yes, never forget! I believe he might have been one of her inspirations to start her singing career.
@eltravo2112
And he casually just builds an amazing career as an animator for the Simpsons. So much talent in their family!
@munkieblues2474
@Rachael B. from what i read years ago her brother wanted a band but didnt want to sing so he got Gwen to sing them, would you belive she was shy first few times on stage.
i love the wackiness too the songs, makes you wanna be a inflatable waving hands car sale thing XD