Ranking The Songs On Enema Of The State
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Friends, I’ve been working on this blog for the better part of 4 years. It’s almost impossible to do. I’ve revised it hundreds if not thousands of times. A song slides up, another song slides down. I re-open it, take a look at my list, and I start all over again. Ok, maybe it hasn’t been quite that extreme, but ranking the songs of Enema Of The State is no easy task. This is the album that changed my life, your life, all our lives. I often wonder how much better of a person and worse of a blogger I’d be without Enema Of The State. But thankfully, this album came into my life at a young age, and then Take Off Your Pants And Jacket, and then The Mark, Tom, And Travis Show, and together they helped warp my brain into what it is now. I remember being a young lad, putting The Mark, Tom, And Travis Show into my CD player, and being mesmerized by what I was hearing. I heard the jokes about fucking each other’s dads, drinking dog semen, and so forth at much too young of an age, and now here we are. And none of that would have been possible without the masterpiece that is Enema Of The State. So without further ado, I have ranked the 12 songs, from worst to best, in my opinion, including my favorite lyric from each. And here we go:
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12) Aliens Exist
It’s the only song I will skip on the album. I’ve never liked it. It’s funny in retrospect now that we know how crazy Tom’s alien obsession has turned into, but the song itself does nothing for me. It actually hurts my brain to listen to. Easily my least favorite on the album.
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11) Anthem
The biggest issue with Anthem is if you’re going to name a song “Anthem” it better fucking GO. And while I like the song, Anthem kind of fall flat in terms of being a big time anthem that everyone goes crazy for. For example, Good Charlotte’s “Anthem” kicks the doors right off Blink’s. I don’t dislike the song, and it’s a great closer to the album, but history hasn’t been kind to it, especially because Anthem Pt 2 from TOYPAJ is much better. It’s a great prequel to Part 2 though, and it hurt me to rank it here, but so it goes.
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10) The Party Song
This is sign #1 that making this list is really, really hard. The Party Song actually bangs. It’s different, but it’s fun to listen to. And everyone has been to a party they don’t want to be at with people they don’t like with girls who think they’re hot shit. But in terms of how it fits on the CD and how much better other songs are, it’s the 10th best.
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9) Dysentery Gary
The song itself is fine, I guess. It touches on everything Blink was at the time- mostly angsty, losing girls, hating other guys. But the song just doesn’t fit together. You listen to it and you get it, but you just wish it was…better. The lyric “where’s my dog/cause girls are such a drag” is all time though. Amen.
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8) Mutt
I really like Mutt..I just think there are 7 songs better than it. But being the 8th best out of 12 on an all time classic album isn’t terrible. It’s a good song. It’s a reliable song. 8 seems low, but the 7 I have above it earned their keep. But Mutt doesn’t stink, Enema is just that good.
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7) Don’t Leave Me
It’s simple, yet effective. It’s what Dysentery Gary wants to be. Same sort of song, but much catchier and all around better. There’s not a ton more I can say about it, it’s a sweet song that goes very under the radar. As I said, simple yet effective.
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6) What’s My Age Again?
Now we’re getting to the really difficult parts. Because What’s My Age Again is an all time classic. It’s pretty much the reason Blink 182 blew up. It’s the reason we all fell in love with them to begin with. Listing WMAA at number 6 is painful. I want to move it up just based on what it is and what it means. But part of the equation is how much I enjoy listening to the song right now. And the fact is, I’ve heard it a kabillion times, and it doesn’t do it for me the way 5 other songs do. I had it at 7 at first, but I moved it up a slot because of the nostalgia factor. I like “Don’t Leave Me” more as a song, but I could live my life without it, I can’t live my life without What’s My Age Again.
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5) Wendy Clear
I love the above lyric so much. I love the song so much. And I love how when I tweeted about doing this blog, a ton of people put Wendy Clear near the top of their own lists. The premise and lyrics are so relatable- “Is it something I’ll regret/Why do I want what I can’t get”…we’ve all been there, and that summarizes it so perfectly. And of course the repeating line “I wish it didn’t have to be so bad”. Awesome song.
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4) All The Small Things
All The Small Things was easily the most difficult song to rank. I am ok with you ranking it anywhere from 8-1. It’s polarizing because at heart, it’s a cheesy pop song. But while it’s the most pop song on the album, play it on a juke box anywhere and people lose their minds. When a cover band plays it, it always sounds amazing and gets the crowd going. “Work Sucks, I Know” speaks to anyone who is just trying to get blacked out on a Friday night at the bar. Chances are if you’re between the ages of 27 and 34, you voted for All the Small Things on TRL. It saddens me that Blink still performs ATST without Tom. It just ain’t right.
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3) Adam’s Song
Adam’s Song is a brilliant song. Somehow Blink was able to take a song about teenage suicide and make it into a smash hit without coming off as preachy or forced. The song resonated with every teenager at one time or another, I guess except for those who actually were happy or whatever, if those exist. The lyrics are strong and obviously much different than the rest of the album, and almost foreshadowing of the future self-titled Blink album.
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2) Dumpweed
I mean Dumpweed kicks off Enema Of The State and holds nothing back. From the opening riff, you know you’re in for a treat. When you think about the production value of Dude Ranch (no offense) and then hear the beginning of Dumpweed, you’re hooked. Plus the message of the song “she’s a dove, she’s a fuckin nightmares”, amen my friend Tom, amen. Add in that it crushes when they kick off their live sets with it, and it’s the full package.
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1) Going Away To College
Quite simply, it’s the best song on the CD and one of the best Blink songs of all time. It reminds me of the predecessor to “Not Now” (my fave Blink song of them all). The music is great, the lyrics are great, and it’s another one of those super-relatable songs. Sure on the surface it’s about a high school relationship, but it’s also about missing someone, taking them for granted, and realizing how much you actually care about someone. “Don’t depend on me to ever follow through on/Anything but I’d go through hell for you” encompasses the message of not just the song, but the entire album as well. Being painfully immature and woefully aware of it at the same, it’s just so realistic, it’s perfect.
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And so there you have it. It was no easy task, and just like any time anyone makes a list, some people will agree, and more will disagree. Shit, I already disagree with myself on half of them. I was showing Frankie the rankings and while going through it, I was like “shit, maybe I’ll swap those two, move that one up a slot, move that one down a slot”. I followed my heart and feel good about this ranking, but there really is no wrong way to rank them.
As for my 10 favorite Blink songs of all time not on EOTS (I think, again, this shit is impossible to do): Not Now, Dammit, Man Overboard, Carousel, Always, I Miss You, Dick Lips, The Rock Show, Feeling This, Untitled.