Don't Speak

This article is about the No Doubt song. For other uses, see Don't Speak (disambiguation).

"Don't Speak"
Artwork for non-US commercial releases
Single by No Doubt
from the album Tragic Kingdom
B-side
  • "Hey You!" (acoustic version)
  • "Greener Pastures"
Released1996
GenreAlternative rock
Length4:24
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Matthew Wilder
No Doubt singles chronology
"Spiderwebs"
(1995) 		"Don't Speak"
(1996) 		"Excuse Me Mr."
(1996)
Music video
"Don't Speak" on YouTube

"Don't Speak" is a song by American rock band No Doubt, featured on their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). Released as the album's third single in 1996 by Interscope Records, the song was initially written as a love song by lead singer Gwen Stefani and her brother, former band member Eric Stefani. However, after several revisions, Gwen reworked the lyrics into a breakup song, reflecting the end of her seven-year relationship with bandmate Tony Kanal.[1][2]

Despite the song's popularity and substantial airplay, "Don't Speak" failed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 (as rules of the times required commercial singles for charting and one was not issued for the song), but it did reach number one on the Hot 100 Airplay chart for 16 weeks.[3] Outside the United States, it topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, becoming No Doubt's most successful international single. "Don't Speak" was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 40th Grammy Awards.[4][5]

"Don't Speak" was ranked at number 495 on Blender magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[6] The song is a playable track in the 2009 video game Band Hero,[7] and is also included as a downloadable song in 2008's Rock Band 2,[8] as well as part of the No Doubt Track Pack for Guitar Hero III.[9] The song has been sampled by multiple hip hop artists, including in Rakim's song "Dedicated"[10] and Ice Cube's "War & Peace".[11]

  1. ^ Nostro, Lauren (September 25, 2012). "No Doubt Tells All: The Stories Behind Their Classic Records". complex.com. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  2. ^ Sieczkowski, Cavan (September 24, 2012). "Gwen Stefani And Tony Kanal Talk About 'Brutal' Breakup & The Pain Of Performing 'Don't Speak'". HuffPost. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Billboard hot-100 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Strauss, Neil (January 7, 1998). "Grammy Nominations Yield Surprises, Including Newcomer's Success". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  5. ^ "List of Grammy award nominations". CNN. January 6, 1998. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  6. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 451–500". Blender. Alpha Media Group Inc. October 2005. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
  7. ^ Reilly, Jim (October 19, 2009). "Band Hero Track List Revealed". IGN. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  8. ^ Burg, Dustin (December 9, 2008). "No doubt, No Doubt Rock Band DLC now available". Engadget. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  9. ^ Hryb, Larry (February 28, 2008). "Guitar Hero III: No Doubt Track Pack". Major Nelson's Blog. Archived from the original on March 1, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  10. ^ "Album Review: Rakim – The Seventh Seal (2009)". November 22, 2009. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  11. ^ Hodari Coker, Cheo (December 1998 – January 1999). "Ice Cube – 'War & Peace, Vol 1. (The War Disc)'". Vibe. p. 182. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved August 11, 2020.[permanent dead link‍]