3 Songs From the 90s That Were Written About Real Relationship Drama

The 90s brought us plenty of great songs about relationships. I mean, come on, we’ve got “My Heart Will Go On”, “I Will Always Love You”, what’s not to love? However, I’d like to argue that some of the best songs speak from personal experience. Here are some 90s songs that were inspired by real relationship stories.

“Don’t Speak” by No Doubt

“Don’t Speak” partly chronicles the breakup between band members Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal. Stefani wrote this song with her brother, Eric.

This hit by the band No Doubt was originally supposed to be a love song, but as Stefani explained to The Independent, “It used to be more upbeat, more of a Seventies rock-type thing. [When] Tony and I broke up… it turned into a sad song.”

Listening to the lyrics, it’s honestly really hard to imagine “Don’t Speak” as anything other than a breakup song.

Don’t speak
I know just what you’re sayin’
So please stop explainin’
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts.

No, no, no, don’t speak
I know what you’re thinkin’
And I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts.

“Linger” by The Cranberries

Although “Linger” started with different lyrics, Dolores O’Riordan used her own lyrics when she auditioned for The Cranberries. Her lyrics were based on a romance she had with a 17-year-old soldier. Fergal Lawler told Rolling Stone, “We gave her a tape of the music for ‘Linger’, which she took with her. The following week she came back, and she had lyrics written out and melodies, and she sang along to what we were playing, and it was like, ‘Oh, my God. She’s great.’”

As O’Riordan told Songfacts, she saw “Linger” as a love song, “Because it’s about being broken-hearted by a love situation. You love somebody but they reject you.”

“Hey Jealousy” by Gin Blossoms

Although “Hey Jealousy” was originally released in 1989 on Gin Blossoms’ 1989 album, it was rerecorded for their 1992 album, New Miserable Experience. Apparently, the inspiration came from the band’s guitarist, Doug Hopkins, who wrote it about wanting to get back together with his ex. The song was originally supposed to reference drinking, but thanks to lead singer Robin Wilson’s suggestion, the word “drink” was changed to “think.”

“Yes, because there were so many references to drinking, you know, in our songs,” he explained to Jim Clash. “I would try to steer it away from that all the time. The band was called Gin Blossoms, which, as you know, is a reference to heavy drinking. We had all of these lyrics about it, and it was something we seemed to be talking about too much. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal to change one word.”

Hopkins was eventually dismissed from Gin Blossoms due to his alcoholism.

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