Remember middle school? A period of our lives characterized by strange haircuts that covered half of your face, raging acne, bright colored pants, studded belts, Converse, haphazard makeup application and the ever-beloved braces. Middle school is clearly when we all peaked—it’s been a horrible, downward spiral ever since we graduated from the eighth grade.
All right, I’m being terribly facetious.
I know, middle school was terrible and we’re all still trying to forget the days we went to school without brushing our hair and not wearing deodorant. But, if there is anything we should remember from those three awkward years, it’s the music. I’m talking about pop-punk. The genre that justified our inexplicable preteen angst and “rebel-without-a-cause” attitude.
With The All-American Rejects coming to campus in less than a week, it is only appropriate for me to curate a playlist of major pop-punk throwbacks for your auditory pleasure. And by “auditory pleasure” I mean: you’re going to be freaking the f*ck out when you remember how much you loved this song when you were younger. Don’t pretend you’re too cool for pop-punk and your thirteen year old self.
“Fat Lip” by Sum 41, off of their record, All Killer, No Filler.
Sum 41, aka, the band with the lead singer who married Avril Lavigne. The opening notes of “Fat Lip” are iconic—you know the song even if you don’t know the song. YOU’RE STILL NOT COOL ENOUGH TO PRETEND THAT YOU NEVER LISTENED TO THIS, MAN. With great lyrics such as, “I don’t want to waste my time / Become another casualty of society / I’ll never fall in line / Become of victim of the conformity,” you’re going to want to break out the studded belt and arm bands from Hot Topic again.
“The Rock Show” by blink-182, off of their album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket.
You all know blink-182. “All The Small Things?” You get it. In terms of “hits,” “The Rock Show” is one of blink-182’s lesser known ones. The guitar, simple and quick, will get you off of your feet in no time. That’s the beauty of pop-punk. It doesn’t have to be overly flashy and technical—the genre is literally about getting into some inexplainable shit with your best friends. What else could you want for your Springfest/Jasper Days (whatever they’re calling it these days) soundtrack?
“Hero/Heroine” by Boys Like Girls, off of their eponymous debut.
Remember when Boys Like Girls came to our school for Quadstock last semester and everyone’s hearts exploded in pure joy? Remember when you thought you weren’t going to remember every word to this song, and then, lo and behold, you were uncontrollably singing along with Martin Johnson and Paul DiGiovanni?
You’re lying if you didn’t think that this was the most romantic song your young, thirteen year old ears ever heard. Just listen to the sheer passion and intensity Johnson brings in the chorus. You cannot deny how awesome that shit is.
“Check Yes, Juliet” by We The Kings, off of their eponymous debut.
Okay, so potentially this song could displace “Hero/Heroine” as the most romantic song your thirteen year old ears ever heard. Maybe when you were twelve? You get the point. With an anthemic “ay, oh, ay, oh” preceeding the chorus, We The Kings is setting you up for the perfect sing along. This is not a song you can just listen to. You have to sing along, dammit.
In an unrelated note, I’m still laughing that Travis Clark, the lead singer, has that crazy red hair he did way back when We The Kings just broke into the pop-punk scene. You go, dude. You go.
“Face Down” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, off of their debut record, Don’t You Fake It.
Arguably, the longest freakin’ band name ever. And in an unrelated note, who the hell knew what an “apparatus” was in middle school? That’s some vocabulary quiz nonsense.
“Face Down,” a song that tells the dark story of a woman being abused, was played quite a lot on the radio way back when. I always found that really strange. That being said, the entrance of the guitar will forever be the most epic. Name another song that begins with the descending scale of guitar string scratches. That’s right, you can’t.
This song branches a bit into “screamo” territory during the bridge, something that I had totally forgotten existed until I put this playlist together! Woo hoo!
“The Boys of Summer” The Ataris, off of their album, So Long, Astoria.
OKAY, I STILL FULL-HEARTEDLY BELIEVE THAT THE ATARIS IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED BANDS OF ALL TIME.
OF. ALL. TIME.
“The Boys of Summer” is a cover of Don Henley’s 1984 track. While the original is good, I’m sorry, this one blows it out of the f*cking water. This song has extreme attitude whereas Henley’s original is too slow—it feels incomplete, somehow. But this one? Jesus Christ! The Ataris kick up the tempo immensely, begging for you to headbang in the car whilst screaming the lyrics at the top of your lungs.
“Welcome To My Life” by Simple Plan, off of their record, Still Not Getting Any.
I’ve been generous in that I haven’t put on especially angsty pop-punk songs from days of yore (I’m talking like “Ohio Is For Lovers” by Hawthorne Heights). In a time where we thought break downs were warranted when we had two tests scheduled on the same day, or the “preps” were making fun of you for wearing all black—ring any bells? With dramatic lyrics such as “Are you sick of everyone around? / With their big fake smiles and stupid lies / While deep inside you’re bleeding,” you, too, can relive the glory of your middle school era.
“Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard, off of their album, Ocean Avenue.
Last semester, I had the pleasure to see these guys play at the Best Buy Theatre with a friend. The moral of the story is: if someone offers you tickets to see Yellowcard, you go. You f*ckin’ go.
I’ve always been a fan of Yellowcard for the sole reason that they never changed their appearance to be your typical “pop-punk” band of long, black, straight hair (emphasis on the straight), obscenely tight pants and excessive screaming. But, enough about my opinion. “Ocean Avenue” is a classic track from the noughties. It is as summer-stained as a song can get. Between playing the air guitar and then air violin, I know you are unashamedly singing along because you know every lyric.
“That’s What You Get” by Paramore, off of their record, RIOT!.
If you’re like me, you know Paramore as that band with the female lead singer who has that crazy cool fire hair. I think its blue now, or something.
All I’m trying to say is that we need more female-fronted rock bands. It’s 2015, ladies! Where the hell are we?
“That’s What You Get” is your quintessential pop-punk track. It is instrumentally simple, but the message is profoundly vague, thus allowing you, the loyal listener, to make the message whatever you need it to be. What is it that you get when you let your heart win? Well, that’s up to you.
“Move Along” by The All-American Rejects, off of their album, Move Along.
This is the second song with the same title as the album it is off of. That’s interesting.
Anyway! We have waited weeks upon weeks for Manhattan College just to let us know when Springfest/Jasper days is happening and now, thank God, it is this weekend. Unleash that inner middle schooler and let him or her run wild. You probably had dreams about seeing The All-American Rejects live when you were younger. And now? Well, your dreams are coming true.
You cannot deny the positivity of this song. “When all you got to keep is strong / Move along / Move along / Like I know you do.” The All-American Rejects believe in you! Even when “everything is wrong” (namely, your exams, your essays, whatever), you can move along to the end of the semester and finish with a bang.
But before then, let’s all just sit out and enjoy the sun, Springfest/Jasper Days and, of course, The All-American Rejects. See you in Draddy.