Diction

There is no doubt in my mind, that No Doubt is one of the more unique success stories of the '90s. They were a punk band from California, and to this day, their corky style and fresh lyrics always catch attention. No Doubt's lyrical talents, show a great deal of diction, or use of words. Songs like "Ex-girlfriend", "Trapped in a box", and "brand new day" are all examples of how their music intertwines and relates to diction.

"Trapped in a box", was a single released on their self titled album, No Doubt, on March 17, 1992 on the Interscope Records, record label. Diction is widely used throughout this song. In the second verse, Gwen Stefani sings, "Oh trapped in a box I'm not alone, I know of others with a box as their home, Light only enters from a crack or a hole, Oh this is not enough for a human to grow, Trapped in a box." This diction expressed in these lyrics says to me that they are trying to get across the point that not all people have the best lives. "Oh this is not enough for a human to grow," These lyrics make me think about a miserable surrounding, and the urge to escape from this surrounding. This song is an example of the diction No Doubt uses in their lyrics.

"Ex-Girlfriend," off of the same album as trapped in a box, was a big turn out. It was one of the many videos featured on the hit show, Trl, and the radio broadcast called, American Top 40. The lyrics in "Ex-girlfriend" tells the story of a girl who "kinda always knew" she'd end up his ex girlfriend. It talks about how she and he both knew how different the two were and how they never should have ended up dating in the first place. She goes on to say,"I'm another ex-girlfriend on your listBut I should have thought of that before we kissed." Here they are insterting their corky, funny, sarcastic way of getting the point across to the listener. The diction in this song is expressed through the lyrics.

Diction is everywhere around us. It can be in music, poetry, or even the equivalent to language. The band No doubt is famous for their diction in many songs. Ex girlfriend, and trapped in a box, are off of the same album, but have little connection between the two songs. Trapped in a box is kind of a sad, melonchaoly song with a lot of different connections to being stuck somewhere with no way of getting free. The song has many connections to literaly being trapped. Ex girlfriend is more described by a mistake waiting to happen. It is said that the boy and the girl both know that the relationship is not going to work, but then they just end up dating and breaking up and wasting all that time.