Tragic Kingdom

Tragic Kingdom is the third studio album by the American rock band No Doubt, released on October 10, 1995, by Trauma Records and Interscope Records. It was the final album to feature original keyboardist Eric Stefani, who left the band in 1994. The album was produced by Matthew Wilder and recorded in 11 studios in the Greater Los Angeles area between March 1993 and October 1995. Between 1995 and 1998, the album spawned seven singles, including "Just a Girl", which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, and "Don't Speak", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and reached the top five of many international charts.

The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics and became the band's most commercially successful album, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 as well as topping the charts in Canada and New Zealand. At the 39th Annual Grammy Awards, No Doubt earned nominations for Best New Artist and Best Rock Album. The album has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, and was certified Diamond in the United States and Canada, Platinum in the United Kingdom, and quadruple Platinum in Australia. Tragic Kingdom helped facilitate the ska revival of the 1990s, increasing the visibility and commercial success of other ska bands. The album was ranked number 441 on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

No Doubt embarked on a tour to promote the album. It was designed by Project X and lasted two and a half years. An early 1997 performance at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim was filmed and released as Live in the Tragic Kingdom on VHS and later DVD.

Background

No Doubt released their self-titled debut album in 1992, a year after being signed to Interscope. The album's pop-oriented sound contrasted with grunge music, which was popular in the United States when No Doubt was released.<ref name="allmusicalbum">Template:Cite web</ref> The album sold 30,000 copies;<ref name="ocw">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="timeline">Template:Cite web</ref> the program director of KROQ radio station, on which the band aspired to be played, said, "It would take an act of God for this band to get on the radio."<ref name="timeline"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The band began work on Tragic Kingdom in 1993,<ref name="timeline"/> but Interscope rejected most of their material<ref name="allmusicbio">Template:Cite web</ref> and paired the band with producer Matthew Wilder. Keyboardist Eric Stefani eventually stopped recording with the band because he disliked having to relinquish creative control.<ref name="btm">Template:Cite episode</ref> He encouraged other members of the band to write songs but sometimes felt threatened when they did. Eric became increasingly depressed, and in September 1994, he stopped attending rehearsals, though they were usually held at his house.<ref name="rs">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Bassist Tony Kanal then ended his seven-year relationship with Gwen Stefani.<ref name="muchmusic">Template:Cite episode</ref>

The band decided to produce their next album independently and recorded their second album, The Beacon Street Collection, in a homemade studio.<ref name="timeline"/> No Doubt's first two singles were released for The Beacon Street Collection: "Squeal" and "Doghouse", under their own record label, Beacon Street Records. Despite limited availability, the album sold 100,000 copies in the year of its release.<ref name="timeline"/> Their independence attracted Interscope's attention and ensured that the label would fund a third album.<ref name="allmusicbio"/>

Production

The title "Tragic Kingdom" is a play on words for Disneyland's nickname, The Magic Kingdom.

Tragic Kingdom was recorded in 11 studios in the Greater Los Angeles area,<ref name="timeline"/> starting in March 1993 and released in October 1995.<ref name="timeline"/> During one of these recording sessions, the band was introduced to Paul Palmer, who had previously worked with Bush and was interested in working on No Doubt's new album. After mixing the first single with David J. Holman, "Just a Girl", Palmer and Holman went on to do the same to the rest of the record. He wanted to release the album on his own label, Trauma Records, which was already associated with Interscope, and succeeded in getting the contract.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The album is named after guitarist Tom Dumont's seventh-grade teacher's nickname for Disneyland, which is in Anaheim, California, where the band members grew up.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album photography and portraits were taken by photographer fine artist Daniel Arsenault. Gwen is featured in the foreground while the rest of the band members are standing in an orange grove in the background. Gwen pushed for Eric to be included on the album cover—a source of tension for the band—reasoning that although he had left the band, he had still contributed substantially to the album. Eric is seen near the back of the picture, looking away from the camera.<ref name="rs"/> The pictures on the cover and in the liner notes were taken on city streets in their native Orange County (namely Anaheim and the City of Orange) and in orange groves. The red dress Gwen wears on the cover was loaned to the Hard Rock Cafe and was later displayed at the Fullerton Museum Center in an exhibit titled "The Orange Groove: Orange County's Rock n' Roll History".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The dress, appraised as high as US$5,000, was stolen from the exhibit in January 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Music and lyrics

Tragic Kingdom has been described as pop rock,<ref name="ABC genres">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Louder Sound genres">Template:Cite web</ref> alternative rock,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Sputnik rev">Template:Cite web</ref> ska punk,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> new wave,<ref name="elhunt"/> and pop-punk.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album also uses elements of pop,<ref name="Erlewine">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="villagevoice">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Fricke"/> funk,<ref name="Louder Sound genres"/><ref name="Browne"/> punk,<ref name="Louder Sound genres"/><ref name="Erlewine"/> dancehall,<ref name="Louder Sound genres"/> disco,<ref name="ABC genres"/> third-wave ska,<ref name="Erlewine"/> post-grunge,<ref name="Erlewine"/> ska,<ref name="villagevoice"/><ref name="Fricke"/> reggae,<ref name="villagevoice"/> flamenco,<ref name="villagevoice"/> and Tejano, among others.<ref name="villagevoice"/>

Many of the lyrics on Tragic Kingdom were written by lead vocalist Gwen Stefani and were about her experiences in life. Those from No Doubt and The Beacon Street Collection were written mainly by Eric Stefani, who left the band after Tragic Kingdom was finished.<ref name="zelig"/> Therefore, the style of music changed from what the band had previously produced. Dumont explained the change in sound in an interview for Backstage Online:

Singles

The first single released from Tragic Kingdom was "Just a Girl", which details Gwen Stefani's exasperation with female stereotypes and her father's concerned reaction to her driving home late from her boyfriend's house. It peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 10 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.<ref name="AMcharts">Template:Cite web</ref> The song also charted on the UK Singles Chart, where its original release peaked at number 38 and its reissue at number three.<ref name="UK-singles">Template:Cite web</ref> The second single was "Spiderwebs", written about an uninterested woman who is trying to avoid the constant phone calls of a persistent man. It reached number five on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart,<ref name="AMcharts"/> number 11 on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart,<ref name="AMcharts"/> and number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, but not until it was released after Don't Speak hit number one.<ref name="UK-singles"/>

The third single was "Don't Speak", a ballad about the breakup of Stefani and Kanal's relationship. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and maintained that position for 16 consecutive weeks, a record at the time, although it was broken in 1998 by the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" with 18 weeks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The song was not eligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 because no commercial single was released, which was a requirement at the time.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The song also peaked at number two on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, at number six on the Adult Contemporary chart, at number one on the Adult Top 40 chart, and at number nine on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart.<ref name="AMcharts"/> The song also appeared on several international charts, reaching number one in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom; number two in Austria, Germany, and Spain; and number four in Finland and France.<ref name="UK-singles"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

"Excuse Me Mr." and "Sunday Morning" were released as the album's fourth and fifth singles, respectively. "Excuse Me Mr." reached number 17 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart<ref name="AMcharts"/> and number 11 in New Zealand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "Sunday Morning" peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart,<ref name="AMcharts"/> number 21 in Australia, number 42 in New Zealand, and number 55 in Sweden.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Composing the song began when Kanal was having a fight with Stefani, then his girlfriend, through the bathroom door of his parents' house in Yorba Linda, California. Stefani later changed the lyrics to discuss dealing with her breakup with Kanal.<ref>Montoya, Paris; Lanham, Tom. "Sunday Morning". 2003. The Singles 1992–2003 liner notes.</ref> "Happy Now?" was released as the album's sixth single on September 23, 1997, but failed to chart anywhere.<ref name="AMcharts"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "Hey You!" was released as the seventh and final single from Tragic Kingdom; it peaked at number 51 on the Dutch Single Top 100.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite being a Dutch-only single, a Sophie Muller-directed music video was filmed to promote the single.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Release and promotion

Tragic Kingdom was first released by Trauma and Interscope on October 10, 1995. To promote the album, Trauma launched a street campaign that targeted high school students and the skateboarding community. No Doubt performed on the Warped Tour, which was sponsored by several skateboarding companies, and at several skateboarding festivals. The album entered the Billboard 200 on January 20, 1996 at No. 175 and did not enter the top 100 until February 3, 1996, when it jumped to number 89. Palmer attributed the jump to a Channel One News program that Stefani hosted in January 1996, which was broadcast in 12,000 classrooms, and the band's subsequent performance at a Blockbuster store in Fresno, California.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In May 1996, the band worked with HMV, MuchMusic, and the Universal Music Group to put on a global in-store promotion. The band performed and answered questions in MuchMusic's studios in Toronto, Ontario. The session was broadcast live to HMV stores worldwide and on a webcast so that fans could watch and ask the band questions through MuchMusic's VJs. Sales of Tragic Kingdom doubled the week after the event. The event's sponsors lobbied Guinness World Records to create a category for the largest virtual in-store promotion to recognize the event.<ref name="marketing">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

No Doubt embarked on the Tragic Kingdom Tour after the release of the album. It chose Project X, headed by Luc Lafortune and Michael Keeling, to design the stage. No Doubt suggested decorating the stage as a clearing in a forest. Project X created three anthropomorphic trees with glowing oranges. The show included clear and mylar confetti designed to look like rain. Lighting design was difficult because there were only four rehearsals, so the show was arranged to be flexible to allow for what Lafortune referred to as "a very kinetic performance".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The band expected to tour for two months, but the tour ended up lasting two and a half years.<ref name="vogue"/>

An early 1997 performance at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim was filmed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and was released as Live in the Tragic Kingdom on VHS on November 11, 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was re-released on November 25, 2003, on DVD as part of the box set Boom Box,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which also contained The Singles 1992–2003, Everything in Time, and The Videos 1992–2003; and again on June 13, 2006, as a stand-alone DVD, containing bonus material of extra songs, a photo gallery, and an alternative version of "Don't Speak".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Critical reception

Tragic Kingdom received generally positive reviews from critics. David Fricke of Rolling Stone was mostly enthused by the album, describing it as "ear candy with good beats, not just bludgeon-by-numbers guitars" and its music as "a spry, white-suburban take on ska and Blondieesque pop".<ref name="Fricke"/> He nonetheless singled out "Don't Speak" as "irritating swill" with "high-pitched rippling" from Gwen Stefani.<ref name="Fricke">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Entertainment WeeklyTemplate:'s David Browne was more critical, attributing the album's sales to Stefani's "leggy, bleached-blond calling card" and concluding that "sex still sells". Browne described the music as "a hefty chunk of new-wave party bounce and Chili Peppers-style white-boy funk, with dashes of reggae, squealing hair-metal guitar, disco, ska-band horns", and the band as sounding like "savvy, lounge-bred pros". Individual songs were singled out and commented on: "Just a Girl" was described as "a chirpy, ska-tinged bopper", "Don't Speak" as "an old-fangled power ballad", "Sixteen" as a "song of solidarity with misunderstood teenage girls", and "Spiderwebs" and "End It on This" as "[Stefani] acknowledg[ing] obsessions with losers and tr[ying] to break free".<ref name="Browne"/>

Calling the album a marked improvement over "the diffuse, rambling songwriting of [No Doubt's] two previous CDs", Mike Boehm of the Los Angeles Times said that on Tragic Kingdom, "The band is bright, hard-hitting and kinetic, as sharp production captures the core, four-man instrumental team and adjunct horn section at their best".<ref name="Boehm"/> In a favorable review for The Village Voice, critic Chuck Eddy felt that although "[the album] turns pretentious ... No Doubt resurrects the exuberance new-wave guys lost when '80s indie labels and college radio conned them into settling for slam-pit fits and wallflower wallpaper".<ref name="villagevoice"/> His Village Voice colleague Robert Christgau was less impressed, calling Stefani "hebephrenic" and the album "hyped up" and not "as songful as its fun-besotted partisans [claim]".<ref name="Christgau"/> In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "pure fun" and described the music as something "between '90s punk, third-wave ska, and pop sensibility" and a mix of "new wave melodicism, post-grunge rock, and West Coast sunshine", noting the songs "Spiderwebs", "Just a Girl", and "Don't Speak" as having "positively ruled the airwaves".<ref name="Erlewine"/> Yahoo! Music reviewer Bill Holdship referred to the album as a "phenomenon" containing "hit after hit", also highlighting "Spiderwebs" as "a terrific opener".<ref name="yahoo">Template:Cite web</ref>

At the 1997 Grammy Awards, No Doubt was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rock Album.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2000, Tragic Kingdom was voted number 436 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> while in 2003, it was ranked number 441 on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> NME included Tragic Kingdom on its 2020 list of "The best new wave albums ever".<ref name="elhunt">Template:Cite web</ref>

Commercial performance

After entering the Billboard 200 at number 175 in January 1996,<ref name="Bronson">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Tragic Kingdom eventually reached number one in December 1996, with 229,000 copies sold,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> spending nine non-consecutive weeks atop the chart.<ref name="Bronson"/> It was listed second on the 1997 Billboard 200 year-end chart, behind the Spice Girls' Spice.<ref name="billboard1997"/> On February 5, 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album diamond,<ref name="RIAA"/> and as of July 2012, it had sold 8,167,000 copies in the United States;<ref name="US sales">Template:Cite magazine</ref> it sold an additional 1.32 million copies through BMG Music Club.<ref name="bmgclub">Template:Cite web</ref> Tragic Kingdom topped the Canadian Albums Chart in December 1996,<ref name="can"/> and it was certified diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) in August 1997.<ref name="CRIA"/> In Europe, the album topped the chart in Belgium, Finland, and Norway, while reaching the top five in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, and the top 20 in France.<ref name="ultratop"/> By April 2004, the album had sold 16 million copies worldwide.<ref name="vogue">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The commercial success of Tragic Kingdom prompted record labels to sign ska bands, and more independent labels released ska records and compilations. Save Ferris's guitarist and vocalist Brian Mashburn stated that No Doubt helped allow bands like his to receive attention from the mainstream.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Track listing

All tracks produced by Matthew Wilder. Template:Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tragic Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

No Doubt

• Gwen Stefani – vocals
• Tom Dumont – guitar
• Tony Kanal – bass
• Adrian Young – drums, percussion
• Eric Stefani – piano, keyboards

Additional musicians

• Phil Jordan – trumpet and flugelhorn
• Gabrial McNair – trombone, additional percussion
• Gerard Boisse – saxophone Template:Small
• Stephen Perkins – steel drum Template:Small
• Aloke Dasgupta – sitar Template:Small
• Melissa Hasin – cello Template:Small
• Bill Bergman – saxophone Template:Small
• Les Lovitt – trumpet Template:Small
• Greg Smith – baritone saxophone Template:Small
• Nick Lane – trombone Template:Small
• Matthew Wilder – additional keyboards Template:Small
• Albhy Galuten – director of paradigm Template:Small

Technical

• Matthew Wilder – production
• Phil Kaffel – recording Template:Small
• George Landress – recording Template:Small
• Matt Hyde – recording Template:Small
• John "Tokes" Potoker – recording Template:Small
• Ray Blair – recording Template:Small
• David J. Holman – mixing at Cactus Studios (Hollywood)
• Paul Palmer – mixing at Cactus Studios (Hollywood)
• Robert Vosgien – mastering at CMS Digital (Pasadena)

Artwork

• Morbido / Bizarrio – creative direction, design, digital imaging
• Dan Arsenault – photography
• Shelly Robertson – photography
• Patrick Miller – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Weekly chart performance for Tragic Kingdom

Chart (1996–1997)	Peak position
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	5
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
European Albums (Music & Media)<ref name="BB-1997-02-22">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2
Greek Albums (IFPI)<ref name="MM-1997-02-15">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	1
Irish Albums (IRMA)<ref name="BB-1997-02-22"/>	1
Italian Albums (FIMI)<ref name="BB-1997-02-22"/>	13
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	71
Portuguese Albums (AFP)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	5

Year-end charts

1996 year-end chart performance for Tragic Kingdom

Chart (1996)	Position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	16
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	28
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	19

1997 year-end chart performance for Tragic Kingdom

Chart (1997)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	6
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	21
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	4
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	6
European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3
French Albums (SNEP)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	42
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	13
Spanish Albums (AFYPE)<ref>Template:Cite webOpen the 2000 directory, click on "entrar" (enter) and select the section "Música grabada".</ref>	14
Swedish Albums & Compilations (Sverigetopplistan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	23
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	11
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	26
US Billboard 200<ref name="billboard1997">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2

Decade-end charts

Decade-end chart performance for Tragic Kingdom

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	22

All-time charts

All-time chart performance for Tragic Kingdom

Chart	Position
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	67
US Billboard 200 (women)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	21

See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United States
• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1996
• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1997
• List of number-one albums of 1996 (Canada)
• List of number-one albums of 1997 (Canada)