Billboard (Dec. 9th 1995)

The Modern Age

After lead singer John Spence killed himself in 1987, No Doubt found itself with a reluctant front woman in Gwen Stefani. Originally unsure whether the band's Orange County, Calif., punk audience would accept a female lead singer, Stefani's misgivings have proven to be a blessing.

The singer/songwriter's distinctive perspective shines through in "Just A Girl," No. 22 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Stefani says the song was inspired by her father's overzealous concern for his daughter's safety during her younger years. "I wrote this song just a little over a year ago, which is kind of funny. Here I was, 25 years old, and I'm writing a song about my dad telling me not to drive late at night," she says.

"I came up with the title first, because it's such a pathetic or sarcastic phrase. Sometimes I do find myself saying, 'Don't make me do that. I'm just a girl! I can't carry that. I'm just a girl!' But I also use it in a sarcastic way.

"I'm really not the type of person that's a big feminist. I'm a more old-fashioned kind of girl, a real girly girl. At the same time, being in a band for eight years with all these guys, you really see the differenees between being a girl and a guy. The song kind of reflects those differences with a sarcastic twist."

To illustrate that diversity and underscore song lyrics directed at the frustrations and fears of living in a male-dominated society, Stefani offers a story from one of the band's tours.

"We were on tour playing at this college during the day, and I had to go to the bathroom, so I walked to the building across the street that had the restrooms in it. The building is empty and dark, and I'm thinking, 'I'm scared. What if someone tries to get me? No one would know. I'm all by myself.'

"I don't think guys, unless they're going down a dark alley and there are gangsters around, get that scared. I mean, I'm just going to the restroom, and I'm getting super-paranoid."