Spiderwebs (song)

was inspired to write "Spiderwebs" after an admirer had attempted to woo her with poetry.|alt=A color photograph of Gwen Stefani performing live against a purple-pink background. "Spiderwebs" was written by Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal. The majority of the songs on Tragic Kingdom, including "Spiderwebs", did not receive co-writing credits from Eric Stefani, which was unusual for No Doubt as Eric had written most of the group's songs prior to his departure due to creative differences in early 1995. Due to this, the remaining band members took up songwriting, which made the songs they created more intimate and personal. The entire group was highly satisfied with how "Spiderwebs" turned out. Dumont remarked: "I just remember taking that cassette tape home, and it was just Tony on bass and then Gwen singing in the bedroom, and I was like, ‘Oh my god this song is really good.’ You get that feeling like ‘This is a great song. How’d they write this?’." however, a promotional CD single was created and sent to radio stations in that country. The Australian CD maxi single featured the album and live versions of "Spiderwebs", the music video for "Just a Girl", and a cover of Bad Brains's "Sailin' On", written by Darryl Jenifer and Dr. Know. A two-part CD single series released in the United Kingdom in 1997 includes No Doubt (1992) track "Let's Get Back", The Beacon Street Collection (1995) track "Doghouse", a live version of Tragic Kingdom track "The Climb", the music videos to both "Spiderwebs" and "Excuse Me Mr.", and their cover of Sublime's "D.J.'s". == Music and lyrics ==

According to Diffuser.fm's Brendan Manley, the song is a blend of "'80s new wave and West Coast pop-punk". Rolling Stones Brittany Spanos described "Spiderwebs" as the "dark [and] reggae-infused opener" to Tragic Kingdom. Mike Boehm from the Los Angeles Times disagreed, stating that "Spiderwebs" is an example of "the band's improved craft". He also wrote that it correlates well to the lyrical themes of Tragic Kingdom, in which "No Doubt depicts flawed people and relationships breaking under the test of stress". In a modern review of Tragic Kingdom, Nick Levine from Noisey wrote that "'Spiderwebs' is essentially Destiny Child's 'Bug a Boo' for the pre-cellphone era". The key of the song is in B♭ major with Stefani's vocal range spanning from F3 to C5 in scientific pitch notation. In effort to ignore the attempts of the pursuer, Stefani sings about constantly having to screen her phone calls. Entertainment Weeklys David Browne said that with "Spiderwebs" and Tragic Kingdom album track "End It on This", the lyrics have Stefani "acknowledg[ing her] obsessions with losers and decides to break free" from them. During the song's refrain, Stefani sings with a "semi angry scowl": "Sorry I'm not home right now / I'm walking into spiderwebs / So leave a message and I'll call you back." == Critical reception ==

In addition to several other tracks from Tragic Kingdom, Noisey's Nick Levine praised "Spiderwebs" for having a chorus "that will bounce round your brain for days". Tom Breihan from Stereogum praised No Doubt for managing to get radio stations to select "Spiderwebs" for airplay, writing: "kids like me still wound up thinking it was cool that ska was getting onto the radio." He also claimed that the song's "central melody [...] will get stuck in your head for days and days". Kenneth Partridge, from the same publication, acclaimed Stefani's "beautiful and slender voice" in the track. He also stated that the lyrics of the song made it "hard to call the nineties anything else but classic". == Chart performance ==

In the U.S., "Spiderwebs" was not released as a commercial single, and therefore was ineligible to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, as an album cut, and later as a promotional CD single, it received heavy airplay on alternative and mainstream pop radio stations, resulting in appearances in several other Billboard charts. On Billboards Modern Rock Tracks chart, "Spiderwebs" peaked at number five, becoming their second of five entries within the top ten and second consecutive entry from Tragic Kingdom, after "Just a Girl" which peaked at number 10. On the issue dated November 25, 1996, the song reached a peak of number 11 on the Top Singles Chart, during its eleventh consecutive week on the chart. "Spiderwebs" also entered the Top Rock/Alternative Tracks chart, peaking at number eight, improving on the number 25 position that "Just a Girl" earned in May 1996. Elsewhere in Europe, "Spiderwebs" reached lower positions on record charts. Although it peaked within the top 40 of the charts in Scotland and Sweden, it only reached number 84 in the Netherlands on the Single Top 100 chart. == Music video ==

for designing her own wardrobe in the "Spiderwebs" video. The accompanying music video for "Spiderwebs" was directed by film director and producer Marcus Nispel. The video opens with a newlywed couple engaging with the attendants of their wedding reception. No Doubt occupies a stage within the same room and begins performing "Spiderwebs" to the largely Japanese crowd. The music captures the attention of the partygoers who are preparing to participate in the bouquet toss. The bride throws her bouquet of flowers and Stefani catches it, but she pricks her finger on a thorn in the process. As a result, the video cuts to a black-and-white sequence where wireline telephones knock down the large windows in the room and begin wrapping around No Doubt and the wedding patrons and trapping them. An unexpected gust of wind travels throughout the room and disturbing the party. The band members eventually free themselves from the entanglement and then finish performing. The video ends with No Doubt departing the party and exiting through an alley behind the building. Much like her attire in the previous music video for "Just a Girl", Stefani received attention for her outfit. In the video, she wore a white tank top, tartan pants, and a wallet attached to her pants with a chain. Much's Allison Bowsher analyzed her appearance: "Combining elements of femininity and masculinity in her look and performance, Stefani was unabashedly original." Stefani drew comparisons to Madonna for designing her own wardrobe for the video. In 2004, the video was featured on No Doubt's compilation The Videos 1992–2003. == Live performances ==

concert residency in 2019.|alt=A color photograph of Gwen Stefani performing live. On September 5, 1996, No Doubt returned as the musical guests on Late Night with David Letterman and performed "Spiderwebs". It was the second time the group appeared on the show within the same year, previously performing "Just a Girl" during the March 28th episode; the band remarked that a "mutual admiration [had been] established" between No Doubt and David Letterman. "Spiderwebs" was performed as the fifteenth song of their 1995–97 Tragic Kingdom World Tour. The performance of the song at the July 1, 1997 show in Anaheim, at The Arrowhead Pond, was recorded and released in No Doubt's first live album, Live in the Tragic Kingdom (1997). No Doubt also performed "Spiderwebs" at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards in 1997. During the rendition, Stefani wore a black-and-white crop top and black pants. At the ceremony, the group also received their first two Grammy nominations, in the Best New Artist and Best Rock Album categories. For the 2002 Rock Steady Tour, "Spiderwebs" was performed during the concert's final segment, in between singing "Rock Steady" and "Don't Speak". The performance of "Spiderwebs" at the November 22–23 and 29, 2002 shows in Long Beach at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center were recorded and featured on the group's second live album, Rock Steady Live (2003). During the dates of the show, Stefani performed "Spiderwebs" as the concert's fifth song. For the performance, the stage is set up as a house party and decorated with speakers and neon-colored objects. Stefani's look during the promotional campaign for the concert series mimics her looks from the music video for "Spiderwebs"; she wears a tank top stylized with her name in black, sports red lipstick, and her signature platinum blonde hair. No Doubt performed "Spiderwebs" on January 30, 2025 at Kia Forum in Inglewood, California for FireAid to help with relief efforts for the January 2025 Southern California wildfires. == Cover versions and usage ==

Four Year Strong recorded a cover of "Spiderwebs" for their second studio album, Explains It All (2009). Their rendition features an interpolation of Pantera's 1992 single "This Love" towards the end. "Spiderwebs" appears as a playable track in the video games Guitar Hero World Tour and Guitar Hero: On Tour, and was released as downloadable content for Rocksmith 2014 as well as the Rock Band video game series. It was also included on the soundtrack to the American video game NBA 2K15. At the June 6, 2015 show of Kenny Chesney's The Big Revival Tour, supporting artist Miranda Lambert performed a surprise cover of "Spiderwebs". Lambert wore a tank top displaying "I Love Joe's on Weed" in a black font and jorts. Chris Parton from Taste of Country enjoyed her cover, writing: "her regular show might come off a little more refined, but nothing can compare to the simple fun of cover songs in a cramped bar full of rowdy fans." In October 2020, Stefani performed a "countrified version" of "Spiderwebs" as part of a skit on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where Fallon portrayed the character Buck Pinto promoting a fictitious album ''Gwen's Gone Country''. == Track listings and formats ==

Australia CD maxi-single • 1. "Spiderwebs" (LP version) – 4:27 • 2. "Spiderwebs" (live from KROQ) – • 3. "Sailin' On" – 3:36 • 4. "Just a Girl" (music video) – 3:27 Sweden CD single • 1. "Spiderwebs" (LP version) – 4:27 • 2. "Sailin' On" – 3:36 UK CD single (Part 1) • 1. "Spiderwebs" (LP version) – 4:28 • 2. "The Climb" (live) – 7:54 • 3. "Doghouse" – 4:26 • 4. "Spiderwebs" (music video) – 4:08 UK CD single (Part 2) • 1. "Spiderwebs" (LP version) – 4:28 • 2. "D.J.'s" (live) – 4:10 • 3. "Let's Get Back" – 4:13 • 4. "Excuse Me Mr." (music video) – 3:30 == Credits and personnel ==

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Tragic Kingdom. • Gwen Stefaniwriter, vocals • Tony Kanalwriter, bass • Matthew Wilderproducer • Adrian Youngdrums, percussion • Tom Dumontguitar • Eric Stefanikeyboards, piano • Stephen Perkinssteel drums • Phil Jordantrumpet • Robert Vosgienmastering • David Holmanmixing • Paul Palmermixing • Phil Kaffelrecording • George Landressrecording == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==