Post #14 - "Don't Speak"

For the past day I've had this song running through my head for God-knows-what-reason. I admit that I'm no ska fan and have never listened beyond the singles on TV of No Doubt (maybe I should get into it sometime), but I'm sure that this song is great music.

Off their album Tragic Kingdom, this is the song that elevated No Doubt to popularity in 1996. The album was ranked number 441 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and has sold approximately 16 million copies worldwide since its release. It was also nominated for Best Rock Album at the 1997 Grammy Awards.

The song itself was co-written by Eric and Gwen Stefani about the ending of a seven year relationship between the latter and bassist Tony Kanal. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for 16 weeks, a testament to its power and a validation of No Doubt as one of the greatest bands of the 90s. What I really liked about the song was the raw honesty in its lyrics, without the need for any sugar-coating as the dark atmosphere of the song is what makes it great. Here's the chorus:

"Don't speak/I know just what you're saying/So please stop explaining/Don't tell me cause it hurts."

"Don't speak/I know what you're thinking/I don't need your reasons/Don't tell me cause it hurts."

The video I've chosen off YouTube is the official music video with the band, among other things, performing in a garage. It's a nice video, so I won't delay you any further and let you hop off to watching it. Enjoy!