It’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years since No Doubt first blasted onto the charts with their great album Tragic Kingdom, propelled by the singles ‘Just a Girl’ and especially today’s Song of the Day, ‘Don’t Speak.’

Even harder to believe is that the band actually formed nearly a decade before that release and made a living solely on their energetic live shows while hoping to be signed by a label. Yes, it was 23 years ago that a 17-year-old Gwen Stefani first picked up a microphone and embarked on a career that continues to evolve in surprising ways.

I remember watching those Tragic Kingdom videos and not being entirely sure what to make of this athletic beauty with the Marilyn hair and abs of steel. She was sexy and scary with a huge voice perfectly suited for thrash punk and love ballads and everything in between.

Today she’s half of a celebrity power couple with her own clothes line, a couple of adorable kids and a legion of girl power followers who’ve grown up right along with her.

I think ‘Don’t Speak’ was the song that really hinted at the potential Stefani had to be a special sort of superstar. It’s passionate and supremely catchy, and the sight of her all girled up in a summer dress wearing her emotions on her sleeve — as contrasted to the stage-diving maniac in high tops and tube socks — was a delicious shock. She’s both of those things, and a lot more, and there are few performers today who can pull that off.