Many people know Gwen Stefani for her mid-2000s hits like Hollaback Girl or Sweet Escape, but there is not enough love for her music from when she was in the band No Doubt. My personal favorite album from this era is, hands-down, Return of Saturn. The album was released in 2000, with an eye-catching cover featuring Stefani sporting pink hair, with her bandmates more in the background. It is one of my favorite albums ever with its unique sound and woman-focused lyrics supported by Stefani’s strong vocals.
The title, Return of Saturn, is a reference to Saturn returning, which is an astrological moment that happens about every 30 years. Astrologers believe that when Saturn returns to the position it was in when you were born, you enter a period of self reflection. I discovered Return of Saturn when I wasn’t even halfway to my own Saturn return. I was a freshman in high school, fresh off a very-needed breakup from my weird ex-boyfriend. As a young angsty teen, I was torn up about the whole breakup, and decided I’d revisit some nostalgic music by Gwen Stefani. I put on a Gwen Stefani/No Doubt blended playlist and heard the bold intro to “Bathwater.” I was immediately into the style of the music, and promptly clicked through to the album it was from. 59 minutes and 48 seconds later, I had finished the album. Throughout the entire next year, I managed to get over half the songs onto my most listened to songs on the Apple music account I shared with my mom. I was in love.
Stefani just gets it. “Bathwater” is about being infatuated with someone who you know has a long list of exes. “Artificial Sweetener” is about convincing yourself you love someone because you know they expect it of you “Simple Kind of Life” is about craving domesticity but being stopped by a fear of being trapped (which is echoed later in the album with “Marry Me”). “Home Now” explores the desperation of a long distance relationship.
These topics don’t mean the album is dreary and slow, though. Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, and Adrian Young backed Gwen Stefani’s reflections with upbeat drums, guitar, and occasional trumpet. What I love the most about the album and all of Gwen Stefani’s work is how unapologetically feminine and girly it is. She explores the pressures of being a woman and wanting to be a mother, wife, independent, and beautiful. While critics didn’t like Return of Saturn as much as Tragic Kingdom, I find it to be a beautiful album unlike anything else from No Doubt’s discography.