In a new chat with the Guardian, Gwen Stefani answered fan questions and talked about the No Doubt song she thinks God gave her.
“That song is a gift from God because I just received it,” the singer replied when someone said they love ‘Simple Kind of Life’ because it feels so honest and real, and asked what makes a great Gwen Stefani song— inspiration or hard work.
She went on to explain, “I was just learning to play guitar, started strumming the chords and ran upstairs and said: ‘Guys, I think I just wrote a song!’ It’s the only song I’ve ever written on my own or on guitar, but I love it.”
“I can’t listen to the ‘Return of Saturn’ album now because there’s too much PTSD and too much truth for me. I was revealing everything, yet at the time I couldn’t even see it, but I’m so happy that that song resonates with somebody,” Stefani also shared about the track.
‘Simple Kind of Life’ reveals her wish to start a family and her dedication to the band. It was released as the second single in June 2000. The lyrics also touch on Stefani’s relationship with Gavin Rossdale. She talks about wanting to get married and have kids but feeling torn because of her music career.
The music video shows Stefani in emotional scenes. She runs in a wedding dress, has a nightmare, and dreams of getting pregnant. She finds a baby but gives it away. It ends with her removing her makeup.
“Our ‘Simple Kind of Life’ video is one of my favorites and is the one closest to my heart,” Stefani previously commented on working with Sophie Muller. “When I first wrote the song and I played it to her in my living room (she had been staying with me at the time), it was obvious that she would be the one to do the video.”
The vocalist added, “She loves to collaborate and is motivated and inspired by the creativity of the artists she works with. We both had the same goal of wanting to make something that could emotionally affect people when they saw it and we did everything together to try to make that happen.”
‘Simple Kind of Life’ was the most successful U.S. single from ‘Return of Saturn.’ It peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the U.S., it performed poorly.