The world of music never stops surprising us and this week, those of us who grew up in the nineties have seen one of the most exciting comebacks of 2024: the return of Do not doubt, nine years after giving their last live show, which was in 2015. Now, the Coachella festival has returned them to the stage as one of its highlights, so we will see Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young together again.
Known for hits like Just a girl or Don’t Speakthe band redefined the rules of the game in the nineties with a forceful commitment and its own style that ranged from ska to pop-punk, including reggae and dancehall. The case of No Doubt is curious because they did not succeed with their first albums. The boom came with the fabulous, Tragic Kingdom (1995), the band’s third album and the album that would change everything. Almost thirty years have passed since then.
Some complicated beginnings
The band, formed in Orange County (California) in 1986, had very erratic beginnings. The seed was laid by Eric Stefani (Gwen’s brother) and John Spence, but the latter committed suicide just one year after creating the group, in 1987. After the hard blow, the group dissolved, but decided to continue with the project, although It was not until 1992, with Gwen leading the vocals and having added Tony Kanal on bass, that their self-titled debut album would arrive via Interescope Records. It was a huge commercial failure and the presentation tour continued along the same path.
By then, Gwen and Tony had consolidated their relationship and, although at first they kept it secret so as not to destabilize the band, it ended up being an essential part of the group until 1994, when Tony decided to end it. The love breakup was the best thing that happened to No Doubt, because after a tough argument, Gwen Stefani transformed her anger into a song. She was born Don’t Speak, a heartbreaking ballad and one of the biggest heartbreak hits of the ’90s.
Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, Gwen Stefani and Adrian Young of No Dobut. / Jeff Kravitz
Don’t Speak and Just a Girl, songs that changed everything
As a result of that heated discussion, the refrain of Don’t Speak. His verses were really powerful and perfectly reflected the pain you feel when someone decides to break up with you. That abyss, that emptiness and that which you don’t want to face. She sang Gwen: “Don’t talk / I know what you’re saying / So please stop explaining / Don’t tell me, ’cause it hurts.” This is what she said, in an interview for The Independent, How the lyrics of the song came about: “I went with my brother Eric to the garage. Very irritated by the situation, I sat down with him to rewrite all the verses.” That’s when the lyrics we all know now were born.”
Following in the wake of Don’t Speak, Gwen Stefani shaped another of the great songs on that majestic album. Just A Girl, in which the artist says she feels trapped, captivates her: “When I wrote ‘Just A Girl’ I was very innocent,” she told the magazine. Vogue in 2020. “But it was about that moment when you realize the power of being a woman, but also the vulnerability of being a woman, and the things you can’t do in case you put yourself in danger or in case people don’t.” takes you seriously.”
But not just those songs, the entire album, song by song, was an open letter about the relationship and breakup of the couple between Stefani and Kanal. In this context, Gwen became a true riot girl, perhaps without being aware of it. But the worst was yet to come for both of them: going on a very extensive tour (which lasted 27 months) separated emotionally, but together as bandmates and exposing their relationship on stage.
The success of Tragic Kingdom was dilated in time and in February 1999 the RIAA certified the disc with the distinction of diamond. In addition, the band was nominated for several Grammy Awards, although they did not win any for this album. It was in 2000, when he released his fourth album Return of Saturnwhen industry recognition came from the Recording Academy, getting two gramophones for the singles Hey Baby and Underneath It All. Then came Rock Steady (2001) and several compilation albums that left the band in a compositional fallow for years.
In 2009 they reunited and announced new material, which was finally released in 2012. The album Push and Shove became No Doubt’s last studio album as a band, and although it had good singles like Settle down, this work did not have a long journey. In 2015 they gave her last concert as a group and a year later, Stefani was focused on her career as a soloist, releasing This is What the Truth Feels Like. MMeanwhile, Dumont, Kanal and Young formed a band called dream car alongside AFI singer Davey Havok.
Their reunion for Coachella, almost 10 years after their last concert, is a historic milestone for music. For now, this return is punctual, but who knows if No Doubt is cooking up an international tour to satisfy the nostalgia of all of us who enjoyed their music in the late nineties.
