From starting her career as No Doubt’s lead singer to a solo pop career that’s spanned four albums with 10 million albums sold overall, Gwen Stefani is a pop dynamo whose songs defined both the late ‘90s and early 2000s.

Breaking down her success though, there’s a very clear formula at play that involves, like Diddy once did, “taking hits from the ‘80’s” making them “sound so crazy.” Of his many hits, these are the five that really exemplify what made her sound be so infinitely catchy and define one of the biggest pop-hit decades of all time.

1. Hollaback Girl – #1 US single released in 2005 – PURCHASE HERE

Sound-alike: “Mickey” by Toni Basil – #1 US single released in 1982 – PURCHASE HERE

Dancer/vocalist Toni Basil’s ode to teenage love and cheerleading has been sampled for numerous songs, including Gwen Stefani’s super-catchy 2005 hit that was her first solo number one song. The success of “Hollaback Girl” is made even more impressive when noting that with nearly three million digital and physical copies of the song sold to this day, it’s literally twice as commercially successful as it’s sound-alike. This beat, unquestionably bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

2. Wind It Up – Top 10 single in 17 countries released in 2006 – PURCHASE HERE

Sound-alike: “Lonely Goatherd” by Julie Andrews – from the 1965 film version of The Sound of Music – PURCHASE HERE

While not a hit from the 80s, Julie Andrews’ yodel-centric ballad from the Sound of Music was definitely sampled by both the Muppets and Weird Al Yankovic in the 80s. Regarding some public push-back against the Pharrell-produced single, Stefani noted, “I still think it’s brilliant and I stand by it. Why can’t you do something weird for a while? These songs are all about having fun, silly records that are to be enjoyed and not taken too seriously.” The “weird” smash spawned a mashup with the original take that was a viral YouTube sensation.

3. Luxurious – European hit single released in 2005 – PURCHASE HERE

Sound-alike: “Between The Sheets” by The Isley Brothers – Top 10 R & B single released in 1983 – PURCHASE HERE

“Between The Sheets” has been sampled 44 other known times including for A Tribe Called Quest’s 1991 jam “Bonita Applebum” and Notorious B.I.G’s 1994 breakout smash “Big Poppa.” For Gwen Stefani’s duet with Houston-based emcee Slim Thug, digging into the song’s rap roots make sense and allowed for a song that married Stefani’s pop-meets-hip-hop chic branding with Thug’s well-established rap superiority.

4. Hella Good (by No Doubt) – #1 US Dance chart single released in 2002 – PURCHASE HERE

Sound-alike: “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen – #1 American Pop, #2 Disco and Soul Chart single released in 1980 – PURCHASE HERE

No Doubt’s pop/rock flexibility allowed the band to have hit singles in genres including, but not limited to ska, reggae, punk and in the case of “Hella Good,” vamping disco-soul. Interestingly enough, the song has been both a platinum release in it’s physical form and reached gold status in the digital age. The song’s sales pale by comparison to it’s sound-alike, but as a concept, No Doubt going disco allowed for an an unexpected chart topper.

5. It’s My Life (by No Doubt) – Top 10 single in 14 countries released in 2003 – PURCHASE HERE

Sound-alike: Talk Talk’s original version of “It’s My Life” was released in 1984 – PURCHASE HERE

“It’s My Life” was released as new, unreleased material on No Doubt’s 2003 Greatest Hits album. The release was the last No Doubt album until 2008. English new wave band Talk Talk’s original was a #1 Billboard dance single, No Doubt’s cover hit #1 on the Adult charts, which is interesting only in the sense that the songs are separated by 20 years. Likely the same people that danced to the song in their 20s make it a hit in their 40s. Amazing.