Thursday, October 22, 2015

Gwen is my Taylor

A generation of girls younger than me are obsessed with Taylor Swift. They like her style. They want to be her friend. Her lyrics speak and communicate their feelings in ways that are personal and relatable. Before Taylor was writing thinly-veiled lyrics about a Jonas brother and a Directioner, Gwen was pouring her heart out over a bandmate.

Young gals, keep your T-Swizzle. For me, it's Gwen Stefani.  Gwen will forever be my queen.

As she releases a new single filled with angst and heartache, there is no question who her lyrics are directed to (I'm looking at you, Mr. Rossdale.)

I was inspired to write a post sharing ten times that Gwen Stefani spoke for me:

 

Sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about being "Just A Girl" (1995's Tragic Kingdom):

Oh  I'm just a girl, take a good look at me
Just your typical prototype
Oh...I've had it up to here!

Oh...am I making myself clear?


  
A break-up anthem; from Happy Now? (1995's Tragic Kingdom)

You had the best 
But you gave her up  
'Cause dependency might interrupt 
Idealistic will so hard to please 
Put your indecisive mind at ease 


The uber-popular heartfelt break-up ballad; from Don't Speak (1995's Tragic Kingdom)

I really feel that I'm losing my best friend
I can't believe this could be the end
It looks as though you're letting go

And if it's real, well I don't want to know



The time as women when we are questioning our life, our choices, our future, our goals (past & present); from Simple Kind of Life (2000's Return of Saturn)

Now all those simple things are simply too complicated for my life
How'd I get so faithful to my freedom?
A selfish kind of life
When all I ever wanted was the simple things
A simple kind life



And a time as a woman, we question our choices in men; from Bathwater (2000's Return of Saturn)

So why do we choose the boys that are naughty?
I don't fit in so why do you want me?
And I know I can't tame you...but I just keep trying



This one...I can personally remember singing these lyrics to a particular guy from my past...it still kinda hurts reading these lyrics and having that memory; from Don't Let Me Down (2001's Rock Steady)


Crying so deep
That I think I might die

Your mistakes I keep in the back of my mind

So hard to let go but I'm comin' round

The scars are still fragile

Don't let me down

When we think we've found "the one"; from The Real Thing (2004's Love.Angel.Music.Baby.)

Heaven knows what will come next
So emotional, you're so complex

A rollercoaster built to crash
But I still love to have you around



Oh, another memory of shedding tears during a relationship that was bringing me angst; from Early Winter (2006's The Sweet Escape)


You, you know how to get me so low
My heart had a crash when we spoke

I can't fix what you broke

You, you always have a reason

Again & again this feelin'

Why do I give in?

& I always was, always was one for crying
I always was one for tears


Fighting for a relationship; from 4 in the Morning (2006's The Sweet Escape)

And all I know is
You've got to give me everything
Nothing less 'cause
You know I give you all of me


From my first listen, I knew this song was Gwen in true Gwen form, pouring out her heart; Gwen, I've been there...I feel ya; from Used to Love You (yet to be released album)



Yeah, boy
Never thought this would happen
I let it sink in, you're gone
I don't know, know what I'm feeling
I must be dreaming, you're gone

Oh, this video...this video...this video...



Do you have a female artist that speaks for you?  Who is it?  What lyrics? 

All pics pulled from official facebook pages of Gwen Stefani and No Doubt...and tumblr.com.  All lyrics pulled from metrolyrics.com

23 comments:

  1. I honestly don't know too many of her songs (just the ones that were always on the radio and such) but I've always thought she was super talented and seemed like a real, normal person. I haven't listened to her new song but I need to!

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  2. I was never a huge No Doubt fan, just a casual listener but I have always been a huge Gwen fan. She's a badass. She's what Taylor and the rest WISH they could be. And I always wanted to be able to rock red lipstick like she does.

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  3. I love her. She is unapologetic for being a strong, independent, and emotional woman. She's an artist, a mom, a business woman, a style icon. Plus, she never ages. She's pretty damn rad.

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  4. Great post. I don't follow a lot of contemporary music but Gwen's given some great music over the years.

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  5. I just love Gwen Stefani. I was obsessed with No Doubt years ago. Don't Speak spoke to me deeply, and plus I loved wailing out the tune totally off key, but whatever. That's besides the point. Lol

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  6. i LOVE her so hard. she def speaks to me. i love taylor too but gwen is just different. honest, raw, emotional and fun - all wrapped into one friggen talented woman!

    xoxo cheshire kat

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  7. LOVE the new song! Gwen is the shit. Always has been, always will be.

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  8. Can I please just go ahead and agree with you like 1 trillion percent!! Gwen has always been my jam and we are the same age so I have idolized her forever!!! Thank you for saying what so many of us gaga over Gwen are feeling!! ;-)

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  9. I love Gwen! She really did write some powerful lyrics!

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  10. I'm not a huge fan of hers, but I do like her and respect her as an artist and a woman.

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  11. Yes to all of these!!! Tragic Kingdom was sooo overplayed in my little CD player and was probably my favorite album from No Doubt as a group. I even had Spiderwebs on my answering machine haha.

    The only time I wasn't in love with Gwen was when she was rocking the bindi, because I felt like she was trying to be trendy or make a statement with something that already holds religious meaning to many, and it seemed slightly disrespectful to the culture. But OTHER than that short time period, love her.

    I think I'd add Artificial Sweetener, Underneath It All, and Marry Me to this list!

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    1. Oh, nd to answer your question, Nelly Furtado spoke to me for awhile, the title of my blog are her lyrics :)

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  12. This! Exactly this!!! I was all about Gwen when I was in high school! Just a Girl was my anthem and she had THE BEST style!

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  13. I like Taylor but Gwen is way cooler, I'm glad I'm from the Gwen generation!

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  14. I really like her and she has evolved over the years. I liked the song but I really didn't like the video, it creeped me out.

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  15. I wanted to like No Doubt so much, but I just never go into them. That said, I also don't like Michael Jackson and I know I'm in the minority there. These are the reasons I'll never be a cool kid, lol.

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  16. She's really made a name for herself over the years, hasn't she?
    & who doesn't want her abs? Even after babies!
    Love her new song!

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  17. I love posts like this (as you probably already know, based on my many music related posts)!

    I've never been a huge Gwen Stefani fan, but I did really like Tragic Kingdom as a whole.

    The female artists I love and feel really "get" me are Fiona Apple and Tori Amos. (Surprise, surprise.) I've actually thought about doing a similar post relating to one or both of them. One day I will, I'm sure.

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  18. Gwen Stefani is so much cooler than Taylor Swift.

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  19. YES!! Taylor gets so much credit for honest lyrics, but Gwen has been doing it for decades. Her songs really resonate with me too. I can pin each song to a guy or feeling or situation going on in my life at that time, especially from Return to Saturn. I love her new song, but the video is so awkward. Haha!

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  20. aww can't i like them both? haha. i love taylor and gwen. i like gwen a lot more now compared to when i was younger, but she is amazing. i'm still sad her and her husband broke up :(

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  21. Tragic Kingdom is one of the best albums ever. Ever.

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