Essential Blink 182 Songs

10. "Natives" (Neighborhoods)
I like the frantic pace of the song with the lyrics matching it perfectly. For the band being a bit splintered during the recording process, I think the whole album turned out pretty well, carrying on from expanding their sound as on the self-titled record.


9. "All The Small Things" (Enema Of The State)
I feel like perhaps listening to Blink-182 is actually a wave of nostalgia that's come over me this summer. While getting into the TV series Friends this year, I feel I've become a little more nostalgic for the 1990's, so much that I even bought Alanis Morrissette's debut album, too. I don't know how I can be nostalgic for things I didn't like back then, although I suppose these are things that remind me of that time. My favorites in the late 90's/early 2000's were firmly in the hard rock genre, (which were my high school years) bands like Rage Against The Machine, Metallica, Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack, and Sevendust. Perhaps I overlooked so much more because it didn't fit into my narrow teenage scope.


8. "Dammit" (Dude Ranch)
Well I guess this is growing up......


7. "Stay Together For The Kids" (Take Off Your Pants And Jacket)
A "power ballad" of sorts for punk band Blink-182, which could be an anthem for any kid growing up in a divorced family in the 1990's.


6. "Violence" (Blink-182)
While I was familiar with "Feeling This" from it's time as a radio single in 2003, I hadn't ever listened to this self-titled album before (nor any other albums either.) This summer I pulled it up on Apple Music and had it playing as background music, so I wasn't really paying too much attention to song titles and such as I was focusing on work. However "Violence" caught me off guard with it's interesting song structure. The song starts with clicking and odd percussion, before the swirling guitars take over. The odd percussion returns during the verses while Tom DeLonge's vocals sound like he's reciting a poem. 

5. "Bored To Death" (California)
Blink-182 was a band I'd never had much interest in until hearing their new single this summer. The brief intro reminded me of a song from The Cure, and I remembered they'd even recorded a song with Robert Smith from The Cure, so I thought I'd finally give these guys a chance. The song instantly hooked me and I was anticipating the release of the full album, which later turned into seeing them live with friends. I'd always thought Blink-182 were all about teenage-styled humor in their lyrics but they surprised me with their depth.

4. "I Miss You" (Blink-182)
Even though this album was released in 2003, it sounds a LOT like The Cure's 2004 self-titled album. I'm a fan of that album so maybe that's why I've taken a strong liking to this album from Blink-182. Coincidentally, both are self-titled albums and this album also features The Cure's Robert Smith, so maybe it had an influence on him.

3. "Feeling This" (Blink-182)
I'd heard a few of Blink-182's previous singles on the radio, but when this was released, I was actually working at a radio station. I remember it getting brief airplay but nothing beyond the initial release. It always stuck with me as being a cool song, with the guys trading off vocals, so maybe it ranks highly due to nostalgia.

2. "Always" (Blink-182)
For being a band in the punk genre, I really love their ballads. Their self-titled 2003 album seems to have plenty and is pretty musically diverse all-around. I'm not really a "punk rock guy" but I do like bands that seem to go beyond their genre, much like The Clash. I'd say 2003's Blink-182 is their masterpiece and it's not a surprise since that album comprised half of my list.

1. "Adam's Song" (Enema Of The State)
After getting hooked on "Bored To Death", I pulled up their Greatest Hits album, and was totally caught off guard by this song. I had completely forgotten about it, having only recalled "Dammit", "All The Small Things", and "What's My Age Again", which are still in rotation on radio in Peoria. I think most people can relate to this song- the feeling of being alone, isolation, and for me, the sense that life passed me by. I also like the line, "I traced the cord back to the wall, No wonder it was never plugged in at all."