Gwen Stefani | The Thread

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

3 minutes ago, Delusional said:

I know this is a Gwen specific thread and meant to be positive, but if @Franch Toast wasn’t on this site I genuinely would have had NO clue what ‘No Doubt’ was. It absolutely boggled by mind when I found out she was previously in a band that was basically just as successful as her solo career. No Doubt seems like such a US-local thing, it’s honestly crazy and the fact that it’s not your usual 90s band (a woman and the rest men) had me shook more. Insane! She really seems so talented to me and I know like 2 songs 

I’ll be listening to LAMB for the first time soon, and I’ll probably have a look at ND’s stuff too.
 

Does only Gwen sing the vocals in ND songs? 

Basically, yes. In the very beginnings of the band, they had another vocalist, but he took his own life. There occasionally are some songs where some of the guys chime in on vocals, and they have two male background singers (Stephen Bradley & Gabriel McNair) who also play horns. @blankpaper would know more than I do, as she's the one who's an expert on early No Doubt. I'm less familiar with their early days. I'm just an evangelist because I rediscovered their music during the pandemic after not listening to them for like 10 years. 

[blankpaper Pronounsshe/her]

Just now, Franch Toast said:

Basically, yes. In the very beginnings of the band, they had another vocalist, but he took his own life. There occasionally are some songs where some of the guys chime in on vocals, and they have two male background singers (Stephen Bradley & Gabriel McNair) who also play horns. @blankpaper would know more than I do, as she's the one who's an expert on early No Doubt. I'm less familiar with their early days. I'm just an evangelist because I rediscovered their music during the pandemic after not listening to them for like 10 years. 

Oop I forgot about John Spence. Didn’t Eric do vocals in the early days too?

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

Just now, blankpaper said:

Oop I forgot about John Spence. Didn’t Eric do vocals in the early days too?

Yes! I remember him doing the vocals on "Paulina," for example, and I think a couple of other songs. (And then Tony took over the "Paulina" vocals when Eric left.) Those were the fun, accordion- and kazoo-filled days. 

 

6 minutes ago, blankpaper said:

I don’t think I knew any of that so it wasn’t me who said it haha

the part about the boys being upset about the spotlight being on her more is so ridiculous since that’s what happens with bands? Like most bands are just known for their lead singers 

 

Some of their really early stuff has her brother’s vocals (she was originally just a backup singer). They also have some features on Rock Steady but other than that it’s just her I think 

And yeah, I'd forgotten about their features in response to @Delusional's question –– Lady Saw and others. 

Oops, I think I got that info from the site that shan't be named –– there are a few ND fans there –– and perhaps elsewhere. Yeah, apparently she learned about DREAMCAR from the guys' social media pages, which must have hurt. And there are rumblings that the guys are less than thrilled that she performs a bunch of No Doubt hits at her Vegas residency.

I agree it's ridiculous that they got upset about her being in the spotlight. How many people can name members of a band other than the lead singer (excluding the Beatles)? I think I can only name 2 members of U2, 1 from the Chili Peppers, and I have no idea who else is in Maroon 5 other than Adam Levine. Also, even when she did go solo, she was so self-deprecating about her work, saying that it was just for fun and "not serious." She doesn't strike me as someone who intentionally stole the spotlight from the rest of the band. 

I'm glad she's finally comfortable in her own skin, but I wish they could get over their differences, though of course we have no idea what's really gone on behind the scenes. 

[nynj nights Pronounsshe/her]

Thanks for sharing that article @Franch Toast! You and @blankpaper have really made me interested in Gwen again. Even if a reunion with No Doubt is not looking likely, how do you feel about the upcoming album, now that it is confirmed? I applaud her for giving it another go, instead of "hanging up the hat." Seems like she is doing it more for the fans at this point

 

[nynj nights Pronounsshe/her]

Also I found it interesting that she brought up anti-racism but her answer sounded shallow and more aligned with the "not racist" narrative rather than her taking the extra step and calling out the recent acts of racial injustice and even admitting where she might have been misguided in the past such as with the Harajuku girls which she brought back into one of the most recent music videos. I know we discussed this before and I'm not a POC, but the whole thing still doesn't sit well for me and I don't think the quote from the article (below) helps her case:

"We were very inspired by the ska movement that happened in the ’70s. It was all about anti-racism, that’s why they wore checkerboards — black and white, everything was about unity. When we were kids, we just caught onto that and thought it was really cool. During quarantine when… there was this whole racism conversation going on again, I was just thinking a lot about my youth.”

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

27 minutes ago, NYNJ Nights said:

Thanks for sharing that article @Franch Toast! You and @blankpaper have really made me interested in Gwen again. Even if a reunion with No Doubt is not looking likely, how do you feel about the upcoming album, now that it is confirmed? I applaud her for giving it another go, instead of "hanging up the hat." Seems like she is doing it more for the fans at this point

 

I'm hopeful that she's out of her country phase (which, to be fair, wasn't that bad, and she actually has a great voice for country, but it's just not my fave), but her first two singles have been less than inspiring to me. "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" has grown on me, and it's actually what got me back into Gwen & No Doubt, but I have mixed feelings about "Slow Clap." I think the message is good (supporting each other), but musically, the song is just blah to me. I think the problem is she's trying to return to the ska/reggae sound, but she's missing 3/4ths (4/5ths if you count Eric, who worked on the first couple of albums)  of the people who helped her create the songs that people associate with that sound. Also, as bad is this might be to say, I think she's really happy right now, and some of her best music has been written out of heartbreak. That said, of course I'm going to listen to the new album, and I'm eager to hear what she's cooking up, and I want to support her. If she extends her Vegas residency, I'd consider going. 

It's funny though, because I didn't really pay attention to her other solo albums. I hated L.A.M.B. when it first came out because I missed her No Doubt Sound, and then I forgot about her for like a decade, other than the references to her and Gavin (Rossdale, not McGraw as we've established) on Gilmore Girls.  I'm still playing catch-up (I haven't even listened to all of her solo stuff in full), which is why I seem enthusiastic. Half of it is nostalgia, and the other half is newness. 

8 minutes ago, NYNJ Nights said:

Also I found it interesting that she brought up anti-racism but her answer sounded shallow and more aligned with the "not racist" narrative rather than her taking the extra step and calling out the recent acts of racial injustice and even admitting where she might have been misguided in the past such as with the Harajuku girls which she brought back into one of the most recent music videos. I know we discussed this before and I'm not a POC, but the whole thing still doesn't sit well for me and I don't think the quote from the article (below) helps her case:

"We were very inspired by the ska movement that happened in the ’70s. It was all about anti-racism, that’s why they wore checkerboards — black and white, everything was about unity. When we were kids, we just caught onto that and thought it was really cool. During quarantine when… there was this whole racism conversation going on again, I was just thinking a lot about my youth.”

I agree that her answer sounded shallow. I believe she is well-intentioned, but she probably would've been better off not saying anything. From interviews I've watched with her, she seems really naïve and sheltered. (I think that's even apparent from this one, where she talks about how she relied on Tony for everything, even into her mid-20s.) I think she doesn't realize the ramifications of certain things, which isn't an excuse at all, but an explanation. 

One thing I was thinking about the other day though was how Asian American men generally are portrayed by Western media as undesirable, and yet here is this fantastic album, Tragic Kingdom –– one of the defining albums of the 90s –– and this mega-hit song, "Don't Speak," which are basically about how Gwen (who was almost every straight guy's dream girl in the 90s and early 2000s) can't get over this amazing Asian American guy. In interviews she's given about the album, she still gushes over him and about how all she wanted to do was have his kids. 

(Still doesn't make up for the Harajuku stuff though.)

My brain is tired, so I don't think I'm expressing myself that well. 

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

So this video just popped up in my YouTube recs:

It's the first time I've ever seen No Doubt perform one of Gwen's solo songs. @blankpaper, have you ever seen them perform her non-ND music together? Somehow, her performing with them makes the song so much better, and Tony is surprisingly into it. (Tom is there, but he's not shown from this angle, but I saw him in the other video from this performance). 

@NYNJ Nights, I'm sure you'll have thoughts on her attire.  It is a benefit concert for Japan after the tsunami, but that look is certainly a choice. 

[nynj nights Pronounsshe/her]

6 minutes ago, Franch Toast said:

 

@NYNJ Nights, I'm sure you'll have thoughts on her attire.  It is a benefit concert for Japan after the tsunami, but that look is certainly a choice. 

I also liked this live version of Sweet Escape, thanks for sharing! 

The look though  I get why she went with it like you said and maybe if it was just a one-time thing it would be okay, but it hits differently coming off of her L.A.M.B. era obsession with Asian culture. I don't think the Celebrity Colors judges would have approved either 

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

19 minutes ago, NYNJ Nights said:

I also liked this live version of Sweet Escape, thanks for sharing! 

The look though  I get why she went with it like you said and maybe if it was just a one-time thing it would be okay, but it hits differently coming off of her L.A.M.B. era obsession with Asian culture. I don't think the Celebrity Colors judges would have approved either 

She just has so much more chemistry with her No Doubt band members than with her solo back-up band (though Stephen, who does back-up vocals and plays the keyboard here, also has gone on tour for her solo shows). 

I don't know enough about the background of this outfit, such as whether the designer is Japanese, etc., so I don't want to come at her for it, but it does give me pause. I know that kimono fabric is used to make other types of clothing, but it's really the hairstyle that does it for me. I think if she just wore the outfit with a "non-Geisha" hairdo that the look  would look cool without necessarily coming off as Orientalist. 

Fun fact: I almost chose this as my Pride look for Celebrity Colors, but I knew I'd get blasted. 

[nynj nights Pronounsshe/her]

omg @Franch Toast you just reminded me that Gwen came out with an alternative music video to Slow Clap a week ago. Did you see it?!?

 

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

2 minutes ago, nynj nights said:

omg @Franch Toast you just reminded me that Gwen came out with an alternative music video to Slow Clap a week ago. Did you see it?!?

 

I did. I prefer it to her video with Saweetie. I like the Saweetie remix more than the regular song, but the storyline of this video (with Gwen as a guardian angel cheering on an underdog in school) makes me understand appreciate the song more. 

It's still not my favorite song though. I'm glad she wants to make feel-good music, but I hope her next single is less Disney Channel-esque. 

[nynj nights Pronounsshe/her]

1 minute ago, Franch Toast said:

I did. I prefer it to her video with Saweetie. I like the Saweetie remix more than the regular song, but the storyline of this video (with Gwen as a guardian angel cheering on an underdog in school) makes me understand appreciate the song more. 

It's still not my favorite song though. I'm glad she wants to make feel-good music, but I hope her next single is less Disney Channel-esque. 

Same thinking about the video and remix. I hope the rest of the album she has planned sounds more like "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" which is starting to grow on me. And I would love something like 4 in the Morning which came on my YouTube Music shuffle the other day and I forgot how much I liked that song. How about you? I feel like it is the type of Gwen song that you would like too from your past preferences

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

1 hour ago, nynj nights said:

Same thinking about the video and remix. I hope the rest of the album she has planned sounds more like "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" which is starting to grow on me. And I would love something like 4 in the Morning which came on my YouTube Music shuffle the other day and I forgot how much I liked that song. How about you? I feel like it is the type of Gwen song that you would like too from your past preferences

I love 4 in the Morning. I love this performance of it, which she sang a month after filing for divorce from her cheating ex-husband. It's so raw, and when she screams "it's not fair" and "WTF?",  I really feel for her. I assume the song is about Gavin Rossdale. (I just assume all the songs about terrible men post-Tragic Kingdom are about him because he was so terrible to her.) Fun fact: Tony Kanal, her band member from No Doubt and ex-boyfriend (and subject of most of the Tragic Kingdom songs) co-wrote 4 in the Morning with her, even though it was for her solo album, and he also played keyboard for it (and his brother worked on the song too). 

There's a short video of them working on it together:

Spoiler

 

LMRM grew on me as well, especially the video with all her past looks. 

[blankpaper Pronounsshe/her]

9 minutes ago, Franch Toast said:

I assume the song is about Gavin Rossdale. (I just assume all the songs about terrible men post-Tragic Kingdom are about him because he was so terrible to her.)

It’s weird looking back at songs like that (and Early Winter too) and realizing now that they were likely about Gavin while they were still putting on a happy face for everyone. I used to think she just kept writing about Tony for 10 years 

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

1 minute ago, blankpaper said:

It’s weird looking back at songs like that (and Early Winter too) and realizing now that they were likely about Gavin while they were still putting on a happy face for everyone. I used to think she just kept writing about Tony for 10 years 

That made me chuckle. I don't think Tony was ever a d*ck like Gavin was (he just broke her heart by not wanting to date her anymore). If you look at the Return of Saturn and Rock Steady lyrics, not to mention some of the lyrics to her solo stuff (like 4 in the Morning), you realize what an a$$hole Gavin was. I think she said she can't even listen to Return of Saturn anymore because it ended up being too autobiographical and painful. 

[blankpaper Pronounsshe/her]

No Doubt opinion—I feel like Platinum Blonde Life and Don’t Let Me Down could have been hits if they were singles 

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

39 minutes ago, blankpaper said:

No Doubt opinion—I feel like Platinum Blonde Life and Don’t Let Me Down could have been hits if they were singles 

yes, especially Don't Let Me Down! They have a lot of songs in my opinion that could've been hits if they were singles. Even Push & Shove, which was considered a flop commercially, had a lot of untapped potential –– Dreaming the Same Dream (sounds like it could've been on one of Gwen's first two solo albums), Undone, and Sparkle –– though maybe the timing was wrong for that kind of music. 

Technically, Don't Speak isn't considered a single because there was never a physical copy released, which I think is just crazy.

 

[blankpaper Pronounsshe/her]

3 minutes ago, Franch Toast said:

yes, especially Don't Let Me Down! They have a lot of songs in my opinion that could've been hits if they were singles. Even Push & Shove, which was considered a flop commercially, had a lot of untapped potential –– Dreaming the Same Dream (sounds like it could've been on one of Gwen's first two solo albums), Undone, and Sparkle –– though maybe the timing was wrong for that kind of music. 

Technically, Don't Speak isn't considered a single because there was never a physical copy released, which I think is just crazy.

 

Push and Shove had a lot of potential! One More Summer was probably my favorite. And never forget when they performed Stand and Deliver on Gossip Girl as the fictional band Snowed Out 

That’s crazy about Don’t Speak, it’s their biggest hit. It’s even on their singles collection 

[Franch Toast PronounsShe/her/hers]

32 minutes ago, blankpaper said:

Push and Shove had a lot of potential! One More Summer was probably my favorite. And never forget when they performed Stand and Deliver on Gossip Girl as the fictional band Snowed Out 

That’s crazy about Don’t Speak, it’s their biggest hit. It’s even on their singles collection 

I also really love One More Summer and their Stand and Deliver cover. 
 

Snowed Out makes me chuckle every time 

[Dirkje PronounsShe/her/hers]

I hope this time we actually get an album!

And I want her to go on tour! I wanna see her!