Return of the Blink!!

Think back about 10 years ago. The world was a different place. Music was a different world. There were boy bands, bubblegum pop, Limp Bizkit and a small band known as Blink-182!  They were the manifestation of my youthful thoughts and the ideal rock band I wanted to be a part of.

They weren’t pretentious nor did they make crappy music. Taking a page out of the playbook of the Ramones, Blink-182 wrote music that was fun, clever and poppy. They were the quintessential punk-pop band of the late 90s early millenium. They were phenomenal, everything they did wreaked of pure energy and enjoyment. They made music for the fun of music, for the fans, for themselves.

As time progressed, so did their sound. They evolved from their youthful nuances to a more sincere and driven sound. Which they definitely hinted at previously with songs such as Adam’s Song. They released their self-titled album in 2003 and all was right with the world. They had grown up in a big way and the best part was that their fans were growing up right along side them. Then.. it happened. The ground below the band and their loyal fans fell out. The band decided to call it quits to “focus on family” and individual projects. On February 22, 2005, the band decided to call it in and that was the so-called end of Blink 182.

Present day 2009! The world is definitely a different place. Music is a different world! There are no longer boy bands, instead there are auto-tuned lunatics, crappy rappers, emo-toting rockers and an unworldly fascination with everything marketed by Disney (I am talking about you Cyrus and Jonass Bros.)!  It seems as though the music world needed a little kick in the butt.. and it came.. Blink 182 has thrown their names back in the ring one more time by announcing their return to face melting stardom with the resurrection of the band. It’s safe to say that this fanboy lost his shi* and had himself a fieldday when the news broke. I think this is great for everybody involved and I am extremely excited to hear what these guys can bring to the table. Sure there will be nay sayers! Anyone who has kept up with Tom Delonge and Angels and Airwaves knows that he has a penchant for echoed vocals and.. well echoed everything. But this isn’t new to any Blink fan. Tom has been delving into the forces of space sounds ever since he sang about Aliens Existing way back in Enema of the State. Mark and Travis have kept busy with +44 and I think that sound was a desire to delve into things they loved growing up. It’ll be interesting to see how all their newly developed harmonies and techniques will mesh during recording. I have faith and so should you young padawans!

So, in honor of Blink 182, I give to you my top 10 blink songs that made my youth so enjoyable. I will leave the comments opened for your thoughts, memories and your top 10s:

10. The Rock Show – This song was released right before summer and became the anthem for my summer vacation. Reminds me of driving around with friends, working at McDonalds and drinking the nights away at parties. It’s hard not to get excited when this song pops up on shuffle. The highlight for me is the layering of vocal melodies at the end of the song, plus the video rocked!!

9. Going Away To College – Blink were never one for love songs, but this one hit me right where it hurt….my heart! I was too young to be thinking about college, but something about that opening guitar riff and that bombastic nature of the drum intro that makes this one of my all-time favs.

8. Pathetic – Teenage angst never sounded so good. This was part of the pre-Travis era, but stood out as one of my favs on Dude Ranch. This song was one that I think really showed the harmony styles of both Tom and Marks voices. This was also the first song I remember moshing to at a party back when I was a young’in. ahhh memories..

7. Feelin This – This was the first single off of Blink’s self-titled release and helped sell this album out of the stratosphere. Awesome harmonics, great melody and Blink finally indulged their creative side using multiple vocal recording samples. Totally awesome. The song highlighted a piece of each band member, Travis’ amazing drumming, Tom’s penchant for echoes and octaves and Mark’s awesome melodies and harmonies.

6. Dammit – This song was the reason I found out about Blink and Dude Ranch. It was full of excitement and highlighted my graduating summer. On a side note, this was also the first cover song my 8th grade band played at a graduation party…..we played it 7 times…..

5. Adam’s Song – The first song Blink wrote with a serious tone. Supposedly it was a suicide note written by a fan who decided not to go through with it after listening to the band. Whatever the song is. It’s safe to say it’s heavy-hitting chorus and meaningful lyrics make this one of the best Blink songs they’ve written.

4. First Date – Another summer anthem of mine and quite possibly the exact feeling everyone goes through on a first date. They nailed it! Not to mention the video is their funniest to date.

3. I Miss You – I love this song for the simple fact that it’s so unexpected. In the past you would have never thought that Blink could and would write a song like this. Most impressively, Tom and Mark wrote their verses individually in separate rooms. After discussing what they wrote they came to the realization that they wrote about similar themes. This song has an extremely haunting appeal, sliding bass lines and drums that never quit. This song is definitely top 5. How can you not love a song that references a beloved Tim Burton inspired cartoon?

2. What’s My Age Again? – This song was huge! When it came out you couldn’t escape it! I remember it was all people played one summer, it was an anthem for my teenhood and definitely inspired many nights of drunken streaking down multiple neighborhoods. Most importantly, I love the message of the song – life is too short to take it too seriously!

1. All The Small Things – If What’s my age again was big.. this was BIGGER. This song, along with its video made Blink 182 stars. It boosted them off the planet and made everyone take notice. It was an ode to the Ramones (na,na,nas) and was written as a joyous rock anthem. It became their biggest hit and probably one that has been played out way too many times. Regardless of that statistic, it’s still probably one of my all-time favorites.

Would love to hear your thoughts and your ideas on the re-emergence of a great force in rock history and look forward to what these three maniacs bring to our ears in the future!