It’s been 15 years since “All The Small Things” first conquered radio waves in June of 1999. “Enema of the State” was met with both mainstream popularity as well as a backlash from self-proclaimed “actual punks,” who generally thought the band’s music was childish, over-produced and gave punk rock a bad name.
And perhaps it did. Frontman of the Sex Pistols called Blink-182 “a bunch of silly boys.” But those silly boys, singers Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus, along with their talented drummer Travis Barker, only fed off the negative reviews. Their track record up to that point had proved they enjoyed nothing more than pissing off the critics and those folks who thought they were above quality dick jokes, an attitude which, to me, seems to fit pretty well into the punk ethos.
What the album did was create a new generation of punks. A younger, less politically driven and violent-prone demographic, who really just wanted to rebel against their parents and get laid in the parking lot behind their high school’s football field. It’s immature, sure. Despite their parodying of boy bands and pop singers, it’s very much a pop album. But nobody can deny the profound effect Blink-182 has had on their fans, both those who have been loyal since the 1994 “Buddha” demo and the new fans — kids who are just now realizing their favorite bands were formed in basements after dreaming of being in a Blink-182 cover band. Bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco and All Time Low would not exist if weren’t for these silly boys. “Enema of the State” took them from being a small SoCal skate punk band to an international super band, whose popularity arguably rivals that of any legendary band of the past. I’d be willing to bet people can sing along to more Blink songs than Ramones songs.
Unlike the porn star featured on the “Enema of the State” album cover, Janine Lindemulder, the Blink boys are impervious to aging (read maturing), so here are the 15 most timeless Blink-182 songs that defined, and continue to define, the music behind the world’s most disturbingly funny fart jokes.
15) “Not Now” from “Greatest Hits”
The song originally appeared on the UK edition of “Blink-182” and then in the U.S. on their greatest hits album. The song and the video feel nostalgic, so this is a good place to start.
14) “Up All Night” from “Neighborhoods”
“Neighborhoods” didn’t get as good of a reaction as their previous albums. It was said it sounded like an album by Angels and Airwaves, Tom Delonge’s side project, that happened to feature Mark Hoppus. But this song is catchy enough to make the cut.
13) “Romeo & Rebecca” from “Cheshire Cat”
This song comes from the debut studio album “Cheshire Cat,” back in 1995. It’s raw and driving, with both bass and guitar driving the song behind Delonge’s sloppy vocals. While it’s no Black Flag, it is obvious Blink had yet to fully embraced the ‘pop’ side of pop punk.
12) “Feeling This” from self-titled
This song was created when Hoppus and Delonge went into separate rooms and wrote lyrics, without knowing what the topic was. What came out? Girls, of course. The difference was Hoppus wrote about love, while Delonge wrote about shagging. Typical.
11)”Give Me One Good Reason” from “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket”
Despite their being two songs by Blink called “Anthem” and “Anthem pt. 2,” this song seems a more appropriate anthem for teenage angst in the early 2000’s. “I hate the jocks, the preps, the hippie-f***ing-scumbags, heavy metalers with their awful pussy hair bands. Counting second until we can get away. Ditching school almost every single day.” Oh yeah!
10)”Adams Song” from “Enema of the State”
Hoppus read an article about a kid who’d committed suicide and felt inspired to write a serious song for once. It ended up being one of the better songs on the album, proving Blink could handle heavy subject matters mashed in between your daddy jokes and lessons in sodomy.
9)”Man Overboard” from “The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show”
This song was written about the band’s founding member and former drummer Scott Raynor, who supposedly had a bit of a drinking problem. He was kicked out of the band for it. And that was after Delonge was expelled from high school for drinking booze under the bleachers.
8) “Stay Together for the Kids” from “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket”
Another sad song. This time it was about being raised in a family broken by divorce. This is the originally recorded music video. It was re-shot after the 9/11 attacks because the band felt the video was too close in imagery to what was coming from the news.
7) “Always” from self-titled
This video is freaking rad. And that chick is Sophie Monk, an Australian pop singer. The song, like much of their self-titled album, is ’80s-inspired with plenty of synth sounds that would eventually send Delonge to the dark side (aka Angels and Airwaves).
6) “M+M’s” from “Cheshire Cat”
Another old school hit. This one demonstrates the super fast, somewhat complex-sounding, guitar work that Delonge is capable of. And plenty of masturbation references from the infallible goofball Hoppus.
5) “What Went Wrong” from “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket”
There aren’t too many acoustic songs in the Blink-182 arsenal, but this song makes you wonder why that is. If you’re into it, also check out “Boxing Day” off their latest release, the “Dogs Eating Dogs” EP. Or try Delonge and Barker side project Box Car Racer’s song “There Is.”
4)”Rock Show” from “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket”
Half these songs could have gotten onto this list just by their music videos alone, but when paired with mind-blowingly catchy riffs and uberly unforgettable lyrics you get modern classics like “Rock Show.” This is Blink-182’s “Black Dog.” Too far?
3) “What’s My Age Again?” from “Enema of the State”
Every person who has turned 23 since 1999 has cringed because of this song, which assured them nobody was going to like them. But then they turned 24 and wished nobody liked them again. Life’s more fun when nobody expects anything from you. And when you’re naked.
4) “First Date” from “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket”
The Bee Gees inspired this gem. To this day, Boomer is asking kids, “How deep is your love?” …Weird…
3) “Dammit” from “Dude Ranch”
You pick up a guitar for the first time, destined to become the world’s next Jimi Hendrix. What are the first songs you learn to play? “Stairway to Heaven.” “Seven Nation Army.” And freaking “Dammit.”
2) “I Miss You” from self-titled
If you have a pulse, you know this song. “I Miss You” will be heard echoing through time until computers have taken over everything and humans have become distant bubbles in the fabric of time. Every teen girl in the more than 10 years since the “Blink-182” album has been out has gone ape-shit listening to Delonge’s crooning, despite his strange tendency to skip over letters. The stand up bass and recorded strings give this song an eerie, but beautiful vibe, while Barker pounds out a simplistic yet memorable beat. No matter what you think about the band, you have to admit they’ve mastered the art of making a hit song and “I Miss You” is a shining example. And throw in a “Nightmare Before Christmas” reference for good measure.
1) “Carousel” from “Buddha”
Hoppus has said himself that they no longer consider themselves punk. But this is proof that there was a where they were very much punk. The band still plays this song at most shows and the crowd loves it just as much, if not more, than over-played songs like “All The Small Things” or the aforementioned “I Miss You.” It’s neat that one of their first songs sits so proudly next to their latest work. It’s not quite a “Hey Jude,” but dammit if it doesn’t get a crowd rowdy as all hell.
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James Garcia is a community reporter at the Loveland Reporter-Herald and a new blogger at Reverb. Follow him on Twitter @JamesGarciaRH.
