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.
You Can Do It
No Doubt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since you've been unglued
It's hard to figure out
Your next move
One minute here
The next you're gone
Let's make an end
To this sad, sad song
For you it's hard to take
'Cause the pill has an awful taste
Just open up and swallow down
Once it hits bottom
Things may turn around
Unfortunately this is the case
You've got to catch up
And win the race
Straighten yourself out
You can do it
Nobody knew it
You've been through it
Everything you say has been taken wrong
Enough to say it's a sad, sad song
They can't understand that you mean to do good
I guess you could say you're misunderstood
I know you're meaning well
But you've been shot to hell
Just come back and join us now
'Cause I know that you know how
Unfortunately this is the case
You've got to catch up
And win the race
Straighten yourself out
You can do it
You gonna do it
Jumpin' through it, yeah, yeah
I know it seems
They're messing with your mind
But you don't have to go
Forward blind
So let the bygones be bygone
And let's make an end
To this sad, sad song
Unfortunately this is the case
You've got to catch up
And win the race
Straighten yourself out
You can do it
You gonna do it
Jumpin' through it
You gonna do it
Jumpin' through it
You gonna do it
Jumpin' through it
You gonna do it
You can do it
You gonna do it
You can do it
You gonna do it
You can do it
You can do it
You can do it
You gonna do it
You can do it
You can do it
You can do it
You can do it
You can do it
The lyrics to No Doubt's "You Can Do It" are all about encouragement and support for someone who is struggling. The song begins by acknowledging that the person has been gone, and seems lost or unsure of their next move. The lyrics encourage the person to swallow the "pill" they are struggling with (whatever that may be) and to straighten themselves out, as they are capable of doing so.
The second verse touches on the fact that the person has been misunderstood or has had trouble communicating their intentions. Despite this, the lyrics offer support and remind the person that they have been through a lot but are capable of catching up and winning the race.
Overall, the song is an uplifting message of hope for anyone who is going through a tough time. It encourages them to believe in themselves and their ability to overcome the challenges they face. The repetition of "you can do it" throughout the song serves as a powerful reminder to the person that they are not alone and that they have the strength to get through whatever obstacles come their way.
Line by Line Meaning
Since you've been gone
Since you left, things have changed.
Since you've been unglued
Since you lost your stability, things have changed.
It's hard to figure out
It's difficult to understand what to do next.
Your next move
Your following action.
One minute here
One moment you're present.
The next you're gone
The next moment you're missing.
Let's make an end
Let's finish.
To this sad, sad song
To this melancholic state of affairs.
For you it's hard to take
It's difficult for you to tolerate.
'Cause the pill has an awful taste
Because it's unpleasant to accept the truth.
Just open up and swallow down
Just accept and take it in.
Once it hits bottom
Once you've fully accepted it.
Things may turn around
Things might improve.
Unfortunately this is the case
Unfortunately, this is the situation.
You've got to catch up
You need to catch up with what you've missed.
And win the race
And come out on top.
Straighten yourself out
Get yourself together.
You can do it
You're capable of doing it.
Nobody knew it
Nobody realized it.
You've been through it
You've experienced it.
Everything you say has been taken wrong
Your words have been misunderstood.
Enough to say it's a sad, sad song
To the extent that it's become a mournful state of affairs.
They can't understand that you mean to do good
They can't comprehend that your intentions are pure.
I guess you could say you're misunderstood
One could say that you're misinterpreted.
I know you're meaning well
I know that you have good intentions.
But you've been shot to hell
But you've had a rough time.
Just come back and join us now
Just return to us and be a part of us once again.
'Cause I know that you know how
Because I know you're capable of it.
You gonna do it
You're going to do it.
Jumpin' through it, yeah, yeah
You're going to do it with enthusiasm.
I know it seems
I understand it appears.
They're messing with your mind
They're manipulating your thinking.
But you don't have to go
But you don't have to proceed.
Forward blind
Without knowing where you're going.
So let the bygones be bygone
So let the past be the past.
You can do it
You're capable of doing it.
You gonna do it
You're going to do it.
Jumpin' through it
You're going to do it with enthusiasm.
You can do it
You're capable of doing it.
You gonna do it
You're going to do it.
Jumpin' through it
You're going to do it with enthusiasm.
You gonna do it
You're going to do it.
You can do it
You're capable of doing it.
You can do it
You're capable of doing it.
You gonna do it
You're going to do it.
You can do it
You're capable of doing it.
You can do it
You're capable of doing it.
You can do it
You're capable of doing it.
You can do it
You're capable of doing it.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Eric Matthew Stefani, Gwen Renee Stefani, Thomas Dumont, Tony Ashwin Kanal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind