No Doubt- the lyrics of my love life

            I should start with when I first discovered No Doubt. I was in the Record Alley, a record store in my local mall when I first saw the album. Its bright blue cover, and Gwen posing like a throwback pin up- I knew I had to have it. I took it home that day, and fell in love with every track on the album.

            Little did I know No Doubt would become the sound track of my love life.

            It’s been 18 years since the first time I heard them, and through the years as they added one album after another, I found more lyrics to sing my truths to. They didn’t only sing about love for me, but that’s the subject I’m pursuing here. So here they are, the songs that help describe how I feel when I fall for the world’s greatest addiction- love.

            “New”- Off the Return to Saturn album, is the song I think of every time I discover a new love. The lyrics speak of that rush I get everytime. The burning feeling in the pit of my stomach, and the flutter of my heart in my chest when I realize I’m falling for someone new. “Don’t let it go away, this feeling has got to stay.”

            “Bathwater”- another song off the Return of Saturn album, this song speaks of infatuation. The unhealthy moment when I have longed for something I should not and could not have. The imbalance there can be when I care for someone too much, even when the object of my infatuation has a, “museum of lovers, the precious collection you’ve housed in your covers.” 

            “Don’t Speak” – from the Tragic Kingdom album, this song crystalizes that moment right before the breakup when I know it’s coming to an end, but I dig my heels in anyway. I can feel it, and I can see it, but that doesn’t mean I want to believe it. The heart breaking way Gwen sings the lyric, “You and me- I can see us dying. Are we?” gets me each time I play it.

            “Settle Down”- off the Push and Shove album, this song for me details what it feels like when I’m not sure what the hell is going on in a relationship. When I’m at a loss for what the other person is thinking and feeling, and I sure would love a hint. Maybe two. It talks about how someone, (me) can still feel secure in themself, and have no idea what’s going on in their own relationship. “… you can see it in my eyes, you can read it on my lips- I’m tryin’ to get a hold on this.”

            “Sunday Morning” track nine off the Tragic Kingdom album, is the tale of a lover who was brutally burned, recounting how it felt to be broken up with, and what it feels like to stand on the other side of that with a little bit of access anger. Great track to turn up in the car and sing at the top of my lungs when I’m still in the angry stage of the after break up. Best lines are the bridge, “Thank you for turning on the lights. Thank you, now you’re the parasite. I didn’t think you had it in you? Now you’re looking like I used to.” There really is no better revenge then seeing a former lover standing in the same place you were.

            “Simple Kind of Life” a track off the return of Saturn album, about the dream life Gwen wishes she had. She tells a tale of all the things she wants, and still at the time did not have. “All I wanted was the simple things, a simple kind of life.” She details the things she felt she was missing, including, “I always thought I’d be a mom. Sometimes I wish for a mistake.” I would be lying if I said I haven’t had all the same feelings Gwen had. Hopefully one day I get all the things I dream of, just like she did.

            “Ex-girlfriend” Return of Saturn- details the feelings felt by a woman scorned, by her now ex-boyfriend. “ I kinda always knew I’d end up your ex-girlfriend. I hope I hold a special place with the best of them. It makes me feel sick to be on that list, but I should have thought of that before we kissed.” Ah, regret. I can think of a very specific relationship when I felt this way. Gwen’s anger and frustration with herself bleeds through each word, the same way mine did every time I sung along with her.

            “Magic’s in the Makeup”- Return of Saturn- “ Can you tell I’m faking it? But I want to be myself. A counterfeit disposition, can’t be good for my health.” A song all about hiding behind a façade of her, and in fact my own making. What we project into the world is what we want people to see, just like applying make up hides what we really look like. “If you bore me than I’m comfortable. If you interest me, I’m scared.” So true for me. Heaven forbid I really like you. Nothing like trying to protect ourselves from heartbreak.

            “Running”- Rock Steady- Love isn’t all rainbows and unicorn kisses. The ups and downs are what make love real, and gives it depth when you really fight for it. Gwen sings to her lover, asking them to reassure her that their love will last. During the trials of any relationship, it’s good to remember what brought the two of you together in the first place, and to remind you of what you’re fighting for. “Be. Be the one I need. Be the one I trust most. Don’t stop inspiring me.”

           

            “Underneath it all” -Rock Steady- I really love this song, because it talks about how the one we love isn’t perfect, but underneath all the b.s. they are the person we love the most. “There’s times when I want something more, someone more like me. Sometimes this dress rehearsal seems incomplete, but – you see the colors in me like no one else.” Appreciating what you have can be difficult, but trying to look at the person you love and not wring their neck for all their faults, is something we should all try to do. Especially because using temporary insanity as a defense doesn’t work that often in court.

BONUS ROUND

            “Cool” -Love. Angel. Music. Baby. -A song all about how we can go through a bad break up, and hopefully years later reunite with a loved one and realize you can be happy for one another. I’ve been lucky enough to have this happen more than once. “We have changed but we’re still the same. After all that we’ve been through, I know we’re cool.”

            “4 in the morning” –The sweet Escape- the moment you realize you’ve fallen so deeply for someone, that you’ve lost the power- and you’re ok with it. You want someone so completely, you’re not afraid to voice it. Gwen repeats one chorus after the other begging her beloved to give her everything. “Cause I wanna have a really true love, don’t ever want to have to go and give you up.”

            “Early Winter” -The Sweet Escape- for me this song talks about knowing it’s all coming to a head. Heartbreak is on the horizon, and how it feels looking it in the face. I know every woman has felt this, “Why? Why do you act so stupid? You know I’m always right.” The heart wrenching way she sings this one really hurts.  Betrayal and anger wrapped into one song. “My heart had a crash when we spoke. I can’t fix what you broke.”

            Lyrics have always been as important to me as the strumming of the guitar, and the plucking of the base. I’m one of those people who loves to hear the story behind a song, and if the song speaks to me, make it all my own. Thanks No Doubt for being part of the soundtrack of my life.