This song is about the relationship lead singer Gwen Stefani had with bassist Tony Kanal for seven years. She's saying that what they had was real, and it's a pity it couldn't last - don't bother explaining because it hurts. It didn't work out between Stefani and Kanal, but she didn't give up on musicians. She married Bush lead singer Gavin Rossdale in 2002; when they split in 2015, she took up with country star Blake Shelton, her co-star on the singing competition The Voice. They got married in 2021.
Gwen Stefani wrote this song with her brother, Eric Stefani, before he left the band - originally it was a love song. After Tony Kanal dumped Gwen, it became a song about heartbreak. Eric Stefani founded the group but left in 1994 just before they hit it big. He's not exactly wracked with regret: he left to take a job with The Simpsons as an animator.
Stefani and Kanal broke up during the making of the Tragic Kingdom album, which took about two years to record (1993-1995). Gwen was with the band when they started in 1986; Kanal joined in 1987, and they started dating soon after.
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