Self Titled or It's been 25 years since a little band from Anaheim changed everything.
Good Morning Darlings, Let me paint you a picture. The year is 1992.We live in a beautiful house on a tree lined street in the best city on earth. My grandparents live next door, my parents are still married and I have a two year old baby sister who is completely annoying and completely adorable at the same time. My mom walks me to school every morning and our babysitter picks me up in the afternoon. My general interests include swimming, arts and crafts, playing with scarves and eating (always eating).
I mean, I loved these albums. The two latter albums were on vinyl and I distinctly remember dancing around the living room pretending to be a jellicle cat or a ahem, woman of the night, I suppose? I'm sure my parents suffered many a 6 year old LCF attempts at cooking to the soundtrack of this year. Bless them for it.Thats's what was going on on Van Pelt Street in 1992.--------------------------------------------------------------------------But let's take a trip all the way across the country to the West Coast. There was something brewing there that would not only permanently effect my the way I listen to music, but also have an incredible influence on me. In general.The place is Anaheim, California.25 years ago!!!!!!!Stefani (x2). Kanal. Dumont. Young.
So let's make one thing clear. In 1992, I was not some wunderkind with an ear for underground music discovery. I like every other millennial woman discovered the cool sounds of Gwen and the boys in 1996 with the release of Tragic Kingdom. But we all know how good Tragic Kingdom was. The beauty of Tragic Kingdom was that it forced me (as a 10 year old) to go search for more. I heard something in that album that I had never heard before. In Tragic Kingdom, I heard some kind of menagerie of sound - something that I would come to realize was a mishmosh of ska, new wave, pure pop and something else - something wildly empowering.When I first heard Self Titled, I must have been about 11 or 12. The formative years of musical growth, the time that you either begin to define yourself as normal or not. To define yourself as the masses or define yourself on the fringe. I think the album was a part of wanting to define myself through the fringes. I had never heard anything like this before. I have great parents with great musical tastes - through them, I have an appreciation for everything from folk to broadway to disco to soul to true blue rock and roll. But they are from the east coast. How could they possibly know from ska?I actually remember the feeling of the first time I heard No Doubt. All I wanted was more of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DccmKKnizFY Something that I realize looking back on those early years of listening to ND is that Gwen is a force. Perhaps subconsciously as a young girl, I could hear how much stronger she came across than any other females on the radio. I mean, when I first heard ND, it was in a sea of girl groups and boy groups and weird pop solo acts. It was "Now, That's what I call Music" hey day. And here was a girl. Standing in front of a group of incredibly handsome and weird and wonderful men and leading them in a sound that was just so different from what America was listening to. And now you can read stuff all around the internet about how Gwen wasn't a good role model, about how her red lips were too schticky, about how she played the victim. I disagree, darlings. As another strong female once mused "Like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind."To me, Gwen is, was and always will be an idol. I mean, she took a breakup and turned it into an album that has sold like 16 million copies. I'm still waiting to turn my first breakup into a million dollar story. She is my idea of a feminist. But darlings, as much as I love Gwen - it's not all about Gwen. It never has been. No Doubt is only as good as the sum of it's parts and while Gwen's voice is maybe the most distinguishable feature, it would be nothing without Adrian's drama infused rhythm, Tom's cool and collected melody making and Tony's killer bass pickups. But do I really like the idea of a lady band leader? you bet I do.In self titled, ND gives us ska-pop at it's finest. It reminds us that life is a treat, and that maybe we shouldn't take it so seriously all the time. I mean from a historical perspective, it came out when all you older Americans were listening to Nirvana and wearing bad flannel. Apparently no-one had time for the ridiculously important bass lines, synth breaks and Sax cuts that self titled has to offer because they were too busy cutting holes in their jeans and figuring out how to get backstage to be best friends or lovers with Scott Weiland (RIP).When I listen to it now, it reminds me of the moment that I realized I'd much rather be a Rude Girl than a Spice Girl. And I appreciate it for giving me that option. We all know that Gwen is beautiful, but back then she didn't look like anyone else and I think that for someone who will never be the prettiest girl in the room, she made me feel like there was a place for me.And honestly, the most important thing about this album for me is that it opened up the door to the music that would help define my adolescence and the music that helped create bonds and relationships with some of the best people in my life. When I feel shitty, I listen to this album because it makes me want to move, because it makes me feel empowered, because it reminds me of the first time I heard No Doubt - of that feeling that I wanted more of and it makes me want to take that incredible, indescribable energy and put it into something real and meaningful. It makes me want to write, to cook, to paint, to love. I love that this album still does all of these things for me.When I hear newer No Doubt tracks, I have to say, they don't give me that feeling that I first had when I heard Tragic Kingdom or Self Titled, but you can hear flashes of what was and I get it - they've grown up. The landscape has changed. Their influence has changed - they've become the influencer.What I'm realizing is that we can't all be lost boys. We can't stay 16 forever. BUT it's important to carry a piece of your 16 year old self with you. I just turned 31, darlings, which is a weird year for me because it's the age my mom had me. In some ways I feel like I should be much more grown up than I am. In other ways, I feel like it's OK to take my time. I certainly don't have crazy hair anymore, nor do most of my outfits come in the form of band merch, and I try with every ounce of my being to cover up the nautical stars on my back - but I gotta say there are certain things that as I get older I find myself not willing to give up. I'd be hard pressed to take a job that asked me to take out my nose ring or stop wearing Vans to work. Little pieces of your past are important to keep close.When does the influenced become the Influencer? Who can really say? All I know is that I will never be able to shake that feeling from when I heard ND for the first time. And it's kind of like the smell of the ocean - you can't beckon it, but when it comes to you, everything is better.Almost every year for my birthday I get a new pair of vans, it's just kind of a thing. And this year, I've been feeling especially inclined to embrace my own eccentricities. So I got a new pair of classic checkerboards. And I intend to wear them with as much seriousness as I did when I got my first pair at 16.So darlings, thank you for listening to me go on and on and on and on about music and feelings and NO DOUBT!xoxo lcfps - if you had any doubt about how I really feel about No Doubt, I'd just like to remind you that I've got a permanent reminder.
pps - those are Starting Line gym shorts.ppps - those lyrics are from this song:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdTRawtNYuI
So let's make one thing clear. In 1992, I was not some wunderkind with an ear for underground music discovery. I like every other millennial woman discovered the cool sounds of Gwen and the boys in 1996 with the release of Tragic Kingdom. But we all know how good Tragic Kingdom was. The beauty of Tragic Kingdom was that it forced me (as a 10 year old) to go search for more. I heard something in that album that I had never heard before. In Tragic Kingdom, I heard some kind of menagerie of sound - something that I would come to realize was a mishmosh of ska, new wave, pure pop and something else - something wildly empowering.When I first heard Self Titled, I must have been about 11 or 12. The formative years of musical growth, the time that you either begin to define yourself as normal or not. To define yourself as the masses or define yourself on the fringe. I think the album was a part of wanting to define myself through the fringes. I had never heard anything like this before. I have great parents with great musical tastes - through them, I have an appreciation for everything from folk to broadway to disco to soul to true blue rock and roll. But they are from the east coast. How could they possibly know from ska?I actually remember the feeling of the first time I heard No Doubt. All I wanted was more of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DccmKKnizFY Something that I realize looking back on those early years of listening to ND is that Gwen is a force. Perhaps subconsciously as a young girl, I could hear how much stronger she came across than any other females on the radio. I mean, when I first heard ND, it was in a sea of girl groups and boy groups and weird pop solo acts. It was "Now, That's what I call Music" hey day. And here was a girl. Standing in front of a group of incredibly handsome and weird and wonderful men and leading them in a sound that was just so different from what America was listening to. And now you can read stuff all around the internet about how Gwen wasn't a good role model, about how her red lips were too schticky, about how she played the victim. I disagree, darlings. As another strong female once mused "Like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind."To me, Gwen is, was and always will be an idol. I mean, she took a breakup and turned it into an album that has sold like 16 million copies. I'm still waiting to turn my first breakup into a million dollar story. She is my idea of a feminist. But darlings, as much as I love Gwen - it's not all about Gwen. It never has been. No Doubt is only as good as the sum of it's parts and while Gwen's voice is maybe the most distinguishable feature, it would be nothing without Adrian's drama infused rhythm, Tom's cool and collected melody making and Tony's killer bass pickups. But do I really like the idea of a lady band leader? you bet I do.In self titled, ND gives us ska-pop at it's finest. It reminds us that life is a treat, and that maybe we shouldn't take it so seriously all the time. I mean from a historical perspective, it came out when all you older Americans were listening to Nirvana and wearing bad flannel. Apparently no-one had time for the ridiculously important bass lines, synth breaks and Sax cuts that self titled has to offer because they were too busy cutting holes in their jeans and figuring out how to get backstage to be best friends or lovers with Scott Weiland (RIP).When I listen to it now, it reminds me of the moment that I realized I'd much rather be a Rude Girl than a Spice Girl. And I appreciate it for giving me that option. We all know that Gwen is beautiful, but back then she didn't look like anyone else and I think that for someone who will never be the prettiest girl in the room, she made me feel like there was a place for me.And honestly, the most important thing about this album for me is that it opened up the door to the music that would help define my adolescence and the music that helped create bonds and relationships with some of the best people in my life. When I feel shitty, I listen to this album because it makes me want to move, because it makes me feel empowered, because it reminds me of the first time I heard No Doubt - of that feeling that I wanted more of and it makes me want to take that incredible, indescribable energy and put it into something real and meaningful. It makes me want to write, to cook, to paint, to love. I love that this album still does all of these things for me.When I hear newer No Doubt tracks, I have to say, they don't give me that feeling that I first had when I heard Tragic Kingdom or Self Titled, but you can hear flashes of what was and I get it - they've grown up. The landscape has changed. Their influence has changed - they've become the influencer.What I'm realizing is that we can't all be lost boys. We can't stay 16 forever. BUT it's important to carry a piece of your 16 year old self with you. I just turned 31, darlings, which is a weird year for me because it's the age my mom had me. In some ways I feel like I should be much more grown up than I am. In other ways, I feel like it's OK to take my time. I certainly don't have crazy hair anymore, nor do most of my outfits come in the form of band merch, and I try with every ounce of my being to cover up the nautical stars on my back - but I gotta say there are certain things that as I get older I find myself not willing to give up. I'd be hard pressed to take a job that asked me to take out my nose ring or stop wearing Vans to work. Little pieces of your past are important to keep close.When does the influenced become the Influencer? Who can really say? All I know is that I will never be able to shake that feeling from when I heard ND for the first time. And it's kind of like the smell of the ocean - you can't beckon it, but when it comes to you, everything is better.Almost every year for my birthday I get a new pair of vans, it's just kind of a thing. And this year, I've been feeling especially inclined to embrace my own eccentricities. So I got a new pair of classic checkerboards. And I intend to wear them with as much seriousness as I did when I got my first pair at 16.So darlings, thank you for listening to me go on and on and on and on about music and feelings and NO DOUBT!xoxo lcfps - if you had any doubt about how I really feel about No Doubt, I'd just like to remind you that I've got a permanent reminder.pps - those are Starting Line gym shorts.ppps - those lyrics are from this song:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdTRawtNYuI