"Don't Speak" Gwen Stefani and Eric Stefani

"Basically, it's a break-up song," says Gwen Stefani about "Don't Speak." Her lyrics, based on the breakup of her seven year romance with No Doubt guitarist Tony Kanal, were composed over a melody written by older brother and band keyboardist Eric Stefani. It's one of many songs from the multi-platinum breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom that articulates the heartbreak of loss. It's a subject Gwen knows well.

First came the suicide of founding member John Spence, followed by Eric's departure (he left to work as an animator on TV's "The Simpsons"), and finally Gwen's break-up with Kanal, who remains in the band. "Let's face it, my whole life fell apart," she told Mojo magazine. "My brother Eric left the band and Tony broke up with me. But at the same time, you get the good with the bad. Every song on Tragic Kingdom is about Tony basically. There's some really cool songs that came out of the break-up."

No Doubt, who began as a ska-based band from Anaheim, have the distinction of instituting the first-ever mosh pit at Disneyland. They released their eponymous debut in 1992, followed in 1995 by the self-produced Beacon Street Collection, and in 1996, the chartbusting Tragic Kingdom. "You can't make a record that's sincere and honest unless it's coming from your heart," says Kanal. "And obviously this came from Gwen's heart."

- Paul Zollo