We've already examined the original sound of pop punk (see the post with the analysis of "Burnout" if you have not), but before determining how today's music is different, we must first examine the sound of the second wave. These bands served as a bridge between the old and new, and typically provided a sound geared towards speed and energy with humorous lyrics. Two of these songs will be looked at in this post, both conveniently on blink-182's Enema of the State album. First, the faster, energetic opening track, "Dumpweed", followed by the classic "What's My Age Again?" that served as a good example to the mainstream side of late 90's pop punk.
"Dumpweed" is the first chronological track by the band to feature Travis Barker, and he makes his presence known from the start. The song is just over two minutes long, and is extremely fast, driven by Barker's insane ability behind the kit, a powerful Mark Hoppus bass track, and a technically sound, rather complicated guitar riff from Tom DeLonge. DeLonge takes care of the vocals, using his unique vocal tone to introduce the first verse very well. The lyrics tell the story of a man who needs to get rid of his girlfriend, using lines in the chorus such as "She's a f****** nightmare" and "I need a girl that I can train" to express that his girlfriend is a problem to him. This shows the humor that blink was capable of while conveying a sense of being serious, which contributes to the passion and energy of the song. The speed of the song and the drumming complexity is what generally stands out among listeners, but the song "What's My Age Again?" displays that blink-182 also had the melody to be a pop punk icon.
"What's My Age Again?" tells the story of an adult who still acts like a child. Mark Hoppus sings, and describes the adult's night with his girlfriend and how he basically ignores her to watch television. While it is not as fast as "Dumpweed", the song is a very melodic hit that was actually the first single from the album. The song has extremely humorous lyrics that give a vivid image of this person's experiences, and following a slower middle portion, Hoppus caps the song off with the question, "What's My Age Again?", basically showing that the man can't help but be immature. These two combine to form the late 90's pop punk sound. Energetic, funny, and melodic, these are the ways that bands of this era manipulated their music to keep the genre alive and well.
REFLECTION: Try to think of another song by blink-182 or any other band that fits into this late 90's to early 2000's category. How does that song further express the elements of the wave's music?
(Song analysis done by listening to and memorizing lyrics and instrumental tracks)
CITATION: Blink-182 | Bands & Artists | Rock Sound - New Music First. (n.d.). Rock Sound Magazine Online | Rock Sound - New Music First. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://www.rocksound.tv/artists/article/blink-182
I feel as if blink-182 has many songs that do not fit into the early 2000's category. In my perspective, being in the early 2000's category consists of scream o, metal, as well as toxic music. Blink-182 is obviously more of a punk rock genre, then rather the metal or toxic kind of music genre.
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