21 February 1997
The song is about Gwen Stefani’s break-up with the band’s bass player. The video is about the band, including bass player ex, resenting all the attention on Stefani at their expense. The song’s co-writer, Stefani’s brother Eric, had left the band after the song and its parent album had been recorded. Tell us if we’re intruding, won’t you?
What’s a Californian ska-punk band and their interpersonal problems doing at number one across the Earth anyway? Well, it’s because ‘Don’t Speak’ is actually a soft rock power ballad, and if I’ve learned anything from this walk across the rooftops of the Irish singles charts it’s that stadium audiences love soft rock and radio stations love power ballads, ergo hit. In fairness, though, ‘Don’t Speak’ is better than most soft rock power ballads. Stefani’s gulping, wailing Britney’s-older-sister delivery gives the song’s unshowy lyrics a genuine heft. True, it gets a bit melodramatic at times: the big pre-chorus of “As we die / Both you and I” and climactic “You and me / I can see us dying” are needlessly OTT, plus we get strings and a plucked acoustic guitar as shop-worn signifiers of feels. Otherwise, it’s relatively restrained and spacious as a record. If we must have a soft rock power ballad at number one and on endless radio airplay, better this than others. The video ends with reconciliation, the song makes Gwen Stefani a star, and the band get their few years in the sun: a happy ending all round.
