Tom DeLonge is not a member of Blink-182 anymore. Seems strange just typing that sentence. I was confused as everyone else when the events leading up to his departure starting appearing on Twitter, and still am weeks later. Doesn’t seem right not having the three guys together. But that’s how it goes I guess.
Let’s go back to a more simple and happier time by discussing today’s track, “Going Away to College”. The song is track four on Blink’s breakthrough album Enema of the State from 1999. The notes at the end of “Aliens Exist” merge straight into the lone guitar by Tom which starts “College” off before the Mark and Travis join in. It is mainly written by Mark Hoppus, I assume as he takes the lead vocals on it, and is from the perspective of a guy who we’ll guess is going away to college soon and is having all these feelings about leaving his loved one behind. There’s nothing much else to it. It’s a very sweet three-minute pop punk love song. One of my favourites from that album. So much so that I added it to my version of their Greatest Hits compilation which I then went to upload on YouTube. You won’t find it. That account got terminated.
Just a note, you might want to listen to this and “What’s My Age Again?” together. Makes it a bit more complete if you ask me.
Well, no one answered my question that I raised in yesterday’s post. Eh, who needs ya anyway? I’ve just taken it upon myself to not do that post, which means that today is the last track from the ‘D’ section. It’s Blink-182 with the song “Dumpweed”, the opening track from their popular album “Enema of the State”.
“Enema of the State” is a good album. Quite a short one too, but filled with fast pop-punk songs about relationships, adolescence and aliens at one point. “Dumpweed” kicks the album off with tremendous pace and urgency. It’s one about a relationship too. The track has Tom detailing the problems of being with a girl who is unpredictable. Cute one time, and crazy the next. He wishes to have a girl ‘that he can train’ which I’m sure has gotten him into problems with some people. But it isn’t meant to be taken seriously, guys. Look at the album title.
The track also marked the introduction of a certain Travis Barker, then the new drummer for the band, who keeps the track’s energy alive with his versatility and rapid drum fills. Certainly a change for the better, I think every Blink-182 fan will agree on that.
So yeah, those are the “D” songs – bar one that I have on my iPod. I normally take a break after covering a letter of the alphabet. When the next one is coming…. I don’t know. But you can take the time to read the rest of the tracks I have on here.
Well… shit. Late for two days in a row? I’m sorry. Almost half past nine GMT too? Oh damn.
I apologise. I went out with my friends to Leicester Square today. One of them turned 18 on Wednesday, so we celebrated by going to the cinema, watching ‘Side Effects’ starring Jude Law and Rooney Mara, stuffing our faces at ‘Planet Hollywood’ and finally watching a dance act outside Picadilly Circus Station whilst making fun out of them.
‘Side Effects’ was good. It kinda dragged on for a bit, but I do recommend it for fans of Jude Law and those into psychiatric stuff.
‘All the Small Theeengs’, as sung by Tom DeLonge, was released as the second single from their ‘breakthrough’ album ‘Enema of the State’.
I can’t really say much, I’ve heard it for years and years, you’ve probably all heard it for years and years. Jedward then butchered it a few years ago, but no one cares about them anymore so don’t even try and look for that cover.
It’s just a love song really, it was made to be a song for the radio, and for good reason. Who can’t resist singing to the ‘Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-nanana’ chorus, or just generally making out during the song. You can’t stop that. It’s just instinct. It’s a very nice song, you can’t be angry whilst listening it.
If you want a girlfriend you could probably just play this song for her, then she’s allllll yours. Guaranteed. Coming from someone who doesn’t have one right here.
Mark Hoppus met his wife during the making of the video for the song, so that’s saying something right?
The year was 2005. My mum was driving me to my 11+ tutors house. And the news came up on the radio….. that Blink-182 had just split up.
How did I feel? I don’t think I cared, I was only ten at the time. In fact, I wasn’t even listening at the time. I only heard something about Blink-182, and then ‘I Miss You’ started to play. It was only later that I realised, when the video for ‘Not Now’ started showing on MTV.
I had probably first heard Blink-182 when I was about four due to ‘All the Small Things’, but at the time I would have had no idea who it was by. And I think I liked ‘The Rock Show’ too…. but really I can’t remember. Let’s just say I had a vague idea of who they were.
I think the first video I ever sat down and watched on the TV was the one for ‘Always’. I liked that song, and the girl in it was hot too, so it was a win-win situation. I was probably nine.
But anyway, back to ‘Adam’s Song’.
The video for ‘Not Now’, as you may or may not know, is basically clips of all of their past music videos from ‘Dammit’ to ‘Always’ and miscellaneous footage of antics on tour.
Clips from the video for ‘Adam’s Song’ appear in the video, and I had never really watched Blink videos before. I knew they had a thing for being naked, but I wondered what else they had.
Back then, YouTube didn’t exist. I watched videos on this site Yahoo owned called ‘Launchcast’ or ‘UK Launch’ where you could customise your own radio based on your favourite bands and watch music videos for free. It was good shit. It’s gone now, but at the time I had never been on any other site like it.
‘Adam’s Song’ gives you a strong dose of mood whiplash if you’re listening to ‘Enema of the State’, the album the song is on.
Blink are known for really fast, and poppy punk rock songs with bass chords, brilliant drumming, and tag-team vocals between Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus. Especially by Tom DeLonge.
But here….. you basically have a song about suicide. Which isn’t cool. The song is cool. But suicide is not.
The video is pretty tame compared to other Blink videos too. There are no midgets playing instruments and there’s not an arse in sight. It’s a performance video with a few still-photo flashbacks, but it is a much more serious video.
Maybe that’s what made me like it. It’s not my favourite song of theirs, but it was quite different to anything that I had heard from them.
It’s all fine though, on the album it’s followed by ‘All the Small Things’, and in video chronology terms the video for ‘Man Overboard’ was released after this one. And that video is funny as shit!
The Music in My Ears 