Blink-182’s 10 Best Songs
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The post Blink-182’s 10 Best Songs appeared first on Consequence.
This feature originally ran in February 2015. We’re revisiting it in celebration of Blink-182’s upcoming reunion tour and new music.
“What is it about 20-somethings?” asks the title of a New York Times Magazine article published in 2010. The subtext to that question is another question: “Why are people in their 20s finding it so hard to grow up?” The answers range from changing social mores to an uncertain job market, but maybe it’s even simpler than that. Maybe a new generation of so-called “millennials” is finally starting to understand a line they heard in a song back in 1999: “Nobody likes you when you’re 23.”
If you’re a sociologist searching for Ground Zero — that time when the 20s shifted from a life stage of “emerging adulthood” to one of “prolonged adolescence” — an album called Enema of the State isn’t the worst place to start. Gleefully irreverent and self-consciously juvenile, that record was most people’s introduction to Blink-182, a Southern Californian pop-punk band whose members refused to act their own age.
At the prime of their career, Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker — who replaced original drummer Scott Raynor in 1998 — were twentysomethings stuck in a strange dream of high school that never quite ended. It’s a story that’s all too familiar these days and one that most people would even find sort of pathetic. But Blink beat the odds and found a way to make it cool, largely by appealing to a younger generation of music fans who simply didn’t know any better. Talk to those fans today, and they’ll recall with misty eyes the roller rink they were at when they first heard “What’s My Age Again?” or the hours they spent plunking out the opening riff of “Dammit” on guitar.
The boys of Blink-182 never seemed to care much about their place in music history, their minds preoccupied with botched relationships and brainstorming sexual puns for their next album title. But they found one anyway. Three decades on, many of Blink’s biggest fans are stumbling into their own versions of adulthood and realizing the appeal of extended adolescence. It’s hard growing up; it’s even harder to admit it when you’re finally there.
How to Get Tickets to Blink-182’s 2023 Reunion Tour
As Blink-182 announces yet another reunion, we’ve decided to compile the very best songs from the band’s 30-year career. They might make you cringe, or they might make you cry, but in any case, they’ll take you back to a time when growing up felt more like an option than a rite of passage. Check out the list below, and scroll to the end for a playlist of all 10 tracks.
— Collin Brennan
Ed. note: Grab tickets to Blink-182’s 2023 reunion tour here.
10. “M+M’s”
Cheshire Cat (1995)
Blink-182’s debut studio album Cheshire Cat isn’t exactly the grand, polished, and refined introduction that, say, The Blue Album was for Weezer. Instead, the California trio sounded just as scrappy and rough around the edges as they did on their demo tape Buddha. And, honestly, thank god for that, because the record now stands as a perfect encapsulation of the band before they became a hit machine.
“M+M’s,” one of the album’s singles, captures the balance of rawness and irreverence that would go on to make the act so influential. It’s most certainly a product of the ’90s, but listening to the track in 2022, there’s something timelessly authentic about it. No wonder the song became the blueprint for modern acts like Mom Jeans or Modern Baseball. Nearly 30 years on, “M+M’s” is still irresistible. — Jonah Krueger
09. “Josie”
Dude Ranch (1997)
By the time Blink-182 unleashed Dude Ranch, they had made the jump to a major label, cleaned up the more lo-fi aspects of their sound, and scored a radio hit with the single “Dammit.” But even with growing resources and new studio pressures, Blink couldn’t help but retain their innate sense of raw energy. “Josie,” with its relentless drumming, driving bassline, and self-deprecating lyrics proves as much.
At its core, “Josie” is a quintessential Blink-182 cut. It’s fast-paced, melodic, and features a refrain about how “everything’s gonna be fine.” They even manage to sneak in a penis joke amist what is otherwise one of the band’s more romantic tunes. If not for “Dammit,” “Josie” might have gone down in the Blink-182 canon as the pre-Enema of the State cut. — J.K.
08. “Mutt”
Enema of the State (1999)
Enema of the State is a lot of things. It’s the formal introduction of Travis Barker, the record Blink-182 first started to “mature” (whatever that means for a group like this), and, of course, the one with “What’s My Age Again” and “All The Small Things.” But, put simply, it’s a collection of songs that saw the band creatively firing on all cylinders. Take “Mutt,” a song from deep in the track list that wasn’t included on either of Blink-182’s greatest hits compilations. Even still, it’s a supremely catchy, intensely listenable song that manages to upkeep the band’s signature energy even as it features one of the album’s more low-key vocal deliveries. “Mutt” showcases the magic the band had tapped into, and it’s a deserving dark-horse pick as a fan favorite. — J.K.
07. “Always”
Blink-182 (2003)
Despite the smiley face on its cover, 2003’s Blink-182 does not find Mark, Tom, and Travis at their mischievous best. It’s a self-serious album that can’t quite figure out what it wants to be, and in that respect it mirrors its creators, all hovering in a state between post-adolescence and thirtysomething adulthood. Blink-182 doesn’t entirely ditch the trappings of pop punk, but it does complement the band’s knack for bubblegum hooks with a touch of ‘80s new wave a la The Cure. Robert Smith himself shows up for a few verses on “All of This,” but his influence is felt more acutely on “Always.”
Far and away the best track on the album, it features a locked-in DeLonge, whose nasally vocals match up perfectly with the narrator’s desperate plea for one last chance. It’s a song about not being ready for a good thing to end, even when it’s clearly run its course. Longtime fans of Blink know the feeling all too well. — C.B.
06. “What’s My Age Again?”
Enema of the State (1999)
“What’s My Age Again?” isn’t just the name of a song; it’s the question underpinning the entire Blink ethos. The truth is that it was always a little strange for grown men to be writing songs about prom night and other high-school pitfalls, but “What’s My Age Again?” works so well because it tackles that strangeness head-on. Aside from featuring Blink’s most recognizable riff this side of “Dammit,” the song is an honest, relatable assessment of what it feels like to be dragged kicking and screaming into adulthood. It’s rock and roll as escape, yes, but also as a kind of backpedaling. Let the rock bands of the ‘70s champion sex and drugs; these guys just want to remember what it feels like to be kids again. — C.B.
05. “All the Small Things”
Enema of the State (1999)
“All the Small Things” may have been Enema of the State‘s second single, but it quickly eclipsed all their previous efforts to become the biggest Blink-182 song ever. And it’s easy to see why: the track is incredibly succinct, constructed with every pop-forward impulse that the band has, and filled with ecstatic energy.
It’s rare to find a song where all three major elements — the verses, the descending chorus line, and the “na-na-nas” — are all equally iconic. But “All the Small Things,” and its legendary nudist music video, is a crowning achievement for a band that started off playing scrappy punk music in San Diego. It represents the pure, unified energy of its members, who are somehow able to conjure a perfect pop song out of thin air and still make it sound absolutely electric, and proved that their major label move was, in fact, necessary. Selling out never sounded so damn good. — Paolo Ragusa
04. “Feeling This”
Blink-182 (2003)
Amid a sea of salacious 2000s pop-punk jams, “Feeling This” best imparted the queasy thrill of early sexual encounters. Ushered in by Barker’s relentless flanged drums and a sample of Captain America insisting you “get ready for action!”, DeLonge and Hoppus exchange wide-eyed musings on the physical gratification of sex juxtaposed with its emotional casualties; When DeLonge shouts, “I wanna take off her clothes,” it doesn’t sound aggressive, but endearing.
“Feeling This” is unabashedly horny, but it’s devoid of lewd machismo or luxury, instead evoking sex in its most innocuous form: Fumbling and giggling your way through whatever time window your parents aren’t home, most likely on a blue plaid comforter. But with a crush as staggering as Blink’s narrator, even those commonplace rendezvous can feel miraculous in the moment. — Abby Jones
03. “Man Overboard”
The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!) (2000)
It’s generally understood that “Man Overboard” — a song recorded for Enema of the State but released as a single on their subsequent live album — is about the firing of original Blink drummer Scott Raynor due to his alcoholism, though it’s hard not to see the song’s modern resonance in the wake of DeLonge’s recent departure. Anything but vague, the lyrics point to a fractured friendship and the dual difficulty and relief that comes with letting that person go. Equal parts regret, concern, and bitterness fuel the song, ensuring “Man Overboard” never becomes too scolding in its assessment. Such straight-faced commentary on friendship was fairly uncharted territory for Blink at the time, and that “Man Overboard” transcends the band’s relationship with Raynor speaks to the strength of the songwriting.
It’s also one of the finest displays of one of Blink’s more indelible musical touches: Hoppus’ bass. When given the spotlight, as on “Don’t” or “Mutt,” it can all but trump DeLonge’s power-chord prowess. For all the mealiness of its material, however, “Man Overboard” ultimately feels triumphant, which, for anyone who’s ever escaped a mutually destructive relationship, should make all the sense in the world. — Randall Colburn
02. “Going Away to College”
Enema of the State (1999)
“Don’t depend on me to ever follow through on anything, but I’d go through hell for you.” How fucking perfect is that? How succinctly does that capture the complete helplessness and blind devotion of puppy love? My girlfriend was still in high school when I went away to college. I said similar shit to her. We made it about two months. And what I love about “Going Away to College” is that it’s no mere love song; basically, it all but predicts such a scenario. Hoppus’ lyrics ping-pong between romantic immediacy and indifference; sometimes he’s singing directly to his girlfriend, and sometimes she exists only in the past tense.
It’s the sound of two people growing apart: the widening gulf, moments of renewed connection, the eventual drift. It’s not linear, however. There’s no clear emotional progression. And that’s usually how it goes in real life, right? “Why does it feel the same to fall in love or break it off?” Hoppus sings, and the answer is because, when you’re young, both are so easy to do. I saw Los Campesinos! cover this song back in the day, and I almost immediately began welling up. I had no idea it would have such an effect, but that’s the power of “Going Away to College.” It grows with you. — R.C.
01. “Dammit”
Dude Ranch (1997)
I was 13 when I bought Dude Ranch at the appropriately un-punk Circuit City, and like many other kids my age, “Dammit” was the song that ushered me into the store. It didn’t matter that, as a middle schooler, I had never really dated anyone, let alone run into an ex at a movie sneak preview. That was just Hoppus’ version of growing up at a very specific time in his life. To me, growing up meant just trying to figure out how to talk to a girl in the first place. To someone younger, it might have meant switching schools in the middle of the year. To someone older, it might have meant getting divorced. Or almost dying in a plane crash. Or losing a bandmate. Or finding a new band.
To the past and present members of Blink-182, it’s meant all of these things at some point, which is why it still resonates with all of us. The best songwriters don’t capture what you’re going through individually in your life — they capture the things that are common to all humanity, and there’s something about “Dammit”‘s chorus, something about its opening C, D, E riff that sounds universal, something that makes you feel like you’re still growing up. Because you are. — Dan Caffrey
Blink-182’s 10 Best Songs:
Blink-182’s 10 Best Songs
Consequence Staff
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