Gwen Stefani wrote the lyrics to "Don't Speak" about the painful end of her seven-year relationship with bassist Tony Kanal. She initially struggled with releasing such a deeply personal song, but it became No Doubt's biggest hit, spending 16 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. Because it was never released as a commercial single in the US, it was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 under Billboard's rules at the time.