The song "Don't Speak" was about Gwen Stefani's relationship with whom?

“Don't Speak” was about Gwen Stefani's breakup with Tony Kanal, No Doubt's bassist and her longtime partner. The song became one of the defining emotional tracks from the band's breakthrough album, Tragic Kingdom.

Stefani originally wrote the song with her brother Eric Stefani as a love song. After her relationship with Kanal ended, she substantially rewrote the lyrics into a breakup song about the pain and awkwardness of losing a close relationship. Stefani and Kanal had been together for about seven years, and their separation affected the band as well as the song's subject matter.

Released internationally in 1996, “Don't Speak” became a major worldwide hit. It topped Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart for 16 weeks, although it did not appear on the U.S. Hot 100 because songs not released as physical singles were then excluded. The song is sometimes mistakenly described as being about a general friendship breakup, but its central inspiration was Kanal.