Don't Speak

"Don't Speak" is a song by American rock band No Doubt, featured on their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). Released in Europe in November 1996 by Interscope Records, the song was written by lead singer Gwen Stefani, and former band member Eric Stefani. The song was intitally written as a love song, but after several revisions, Gwen reworked the lyrics into a breakup song to reflect on the end of her seven-year relationship with bandmate Tony Kanal. "Don't Speak" topped the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart for 16 weeks, but did not appear on the Billboard Hot 100, which at the time excluded songs that were not issued in the US as a physical single. Outside the United States, the song topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, becoming No Doubt's most successful international single. "Don't Speak" was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 40th Grammy Awards. "Don't Speak" was ranked at number 495 on Blender magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". The song is a playable track in the video games Band Hero (2009), Rock Band 2 (2008), and Guitar Hero III (2007). The song has been sampled by multiple hip hop artists, including in Rakim's song "Dedicated" and Ice Cube's "War & Peace".