Happy Now?

Album: Tragic Kingdom (1995)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Don't Speak" is the most famous song No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani wrote about her breakup with the group's bass player Tony Kanal, but "Happy Now" is the most scathing. "It's the perfect revenge song of someone who got hurt in love," she explained in a video. "It really was meant to be painful."
  • Their love affair was no longer, but Stefani and Kanal maintained a surprisingly functional working relationship at this time. In fact, Kanal wrote the music for "Happy Now?" with No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont. How did he pull it off? Kanal says he didn't really process it at the time; it really sunk in later when he heard the song on the radio and the DJ said, "Take that, Tony."
  • This was a popular live song when the band toured for Tragic Kingdom. It was their third album, but first to make an impact, and that impact was huge: It went on to sell over 10 million copies in America.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rupert Hine

Rupert HineSongwriter Interviews

Producer Rupert Hine talks about crafting hits for Tina Turner, Howard Jones and The Fixx.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80s

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."