Top 10 Blink-182 Songs

These enemas of the state have a strong soft side

With California, Blink-182’s first album in five years, arriving in July 2016, we wanted to take a look back at their zany journey. From punk-pop upstarts in the San Diego scene to multi-platinum superstars, the threesome became Green Day’s heir apparent. Their speed, agility and way around a pun entertained youths, and their current balance of melodic rock and reflective lyrics make Blink one of the most vital bands around. Here are their 10 best songs.

10
of 10

"Adam's Song"

Blink-182 at the 1999 Teen Choice Awards
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic, Inc / Getty Images

Most of the songs off the mega-hit album Enema of the State were daffy vignettes of adolescence (“What’s My Age Again?,” “The Party Song”). This third single from the 1999 collection apparently tackled teenage suicide and the loneliness of touring. “I can’t wait till I get home / to pass the time in my room alone,” bassist-singer Mark Hoppus lamented over Tom DeLonge’s signature plucking and Travis Barker’s drum rolls. “Adam’s Song” peaked at number two on Billboard’s Modern Rock charts in 2000.

Watch the video for “Adam’s Song” at YouTube.

09
of 10

"M+M's"

Blink-182 - "Cheshire Cat"
Cargo

Blink’s 1995 debut single shot out of the clubs and the skate parks like a rocket. DeLonge’s lightning-quick arpeggios and chugging verse riffs poised “M+M’s” as an essential lesson for young punks learning how to play guitar. And let’s not discount former drummer Scott Raynor’s snare-firic intro. The track was a charmer where Hoppus longed to take his girlfriend on exotic vacations to Madagascar, yet fit in boyhood malaise with lines like “Sometimes I want to take my toaster in the bath.”

Watch the video for “M+M’s” at YouTube.

08
of 10

"Man Overboard"

Blink-182 - "The Mark, Tom and Travis Show"
MCA

Speaking of Raynor, this 2000 studio accompaniment to the live Mark, Tom and Travis Show allegedly dealt with with his alcoholism. He vacated the drummer’s seat in 1998 and Barker left his gig with ska goofballs the Aquabats to come aboard. In later years, DeLonge and Barker would cop to their own prescription drug addictions. The song itself is an ace example of the vocal interplay between the two front men, with Hoppus’ deep tone calling and responding to DeLonge’s brasher tenor.

Watch the video for “Man Overboard” at YouTube.

07
of 10

"Up All Night"

Blink-182 - "Interscope"
DGC/Interscope

“Up All Night” was significant in that it was Blink-182’s first single together after an approximate five-year hiatus. Its conversational verses and gigantic chorus mirrored those on their 2003 self-titled album, suggesting maturation and a burying of the hatchet between the members. (Albeit temporary— it turns out the 2011 Neighborhoods album was mostly recorded by Hoppus and Barker in one studio and by DeLonge in another.)

Watch the video for “Up All Night” at YouTube.

06
of 10

"Josie"

Blink-182 - "Josie"
Cargo/MCA

Sometimes you just need reassurance that “Everything’s gonna be all right.” Blink provided that aural hug in 1997’s “Josie,” an ode to an ideal girlfriend. She was the kind of rad woman who would make late-night Mexican food runs, watch old Chevy Chase films and “doesn’t get all jealous when I hang out with the guys.” The fellows found their real-life Josie in actress Alyssa Milano for the madcap music video.

Watch the video for “Josie” at YouTube.

05
of 10

"Stay Together for the Kids"

Blink-182 - "Stay Together for the Kids"
MCA

For an album cheekily called Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, it was Blink’s first grown-up record. Especially heartrending was “Stay Together for the Kids,” an anthem for those from a broken home. The parents in the story tried to manage their relationship seemingly for the benefit of their children, but DeLonge and Hoppus traded lines about feeling haunted and pathetic. “We get along, so why can’t they?” the bassist pleaded, giving voice to teens who feel helpless in the wake of divorce.

Watch the video for “Stay Together for the Kids” at YouTube.

04
of 10

"Always"

Blink-182 - "Always"
Geffen

At the intersection of DeLonge and Barker’s side project, Box Car Racer, and the juvenile lust of Enema stood “Always.” This track was truly one of guitarist’s babies on Blink’s eponymous album, full of desperate love, nostalgia and some fantastically frantic rattling by Barker. “Come on, let me hold you / Touch you / Feel you / Always,” DeLonge begged his misbegotten girl. Hoppus’ bass acted like a staircase for his band mate to reach his beloved. It was a grand gesture and a last gasp for romance that “Always” brought tears to our eyes.

Watch the video for “Always” at YouTube.

03
of 10

"Dammit"

Blink-182 - "Dude Ranch"
MCA

Another Blink track that’s instantly recognizable thanks to DeLonge’s opening lick, “Dammit” was their breakthrough. It touched upon the envy and heartbreak of teenage love, as well as the fickleness of friends. Not content to be rebound dudes, Blink took this giddy yet powerful tune all the way to 10 on the Modern Rock charts between 1997 and 1998. It must have been its spunky “timing and structure.”

Watch the video for “Dammit” at YouTube.

02
of 10

"I Miss You"

Blink-182 - "I Miss You"
Geffen

Who knew that Blink-182’s members were gothic at heart? This macabre ballad speaks of a Tim Burton-inspired matrimony, carnivorous spiders and “the voice inside my head.” The ghostly vibe was born of Barker’s taste for hip-hop and DeLonge’s devotion to the Cure. And much to the men’s delight, Robert Smith sang lead on another Blink-182 track, “All of This.”

Watch the video for “I Miss You” at YouTube. 

01
of 10

"I'm Lost Without You"

Blink-182 self-titled 2003 album
Geffen

In the ’90s, we would have never imagined bawling our eyes out to a band that sang about bestiality and bodily functions. But when Blink’s 2003 album came about, so did a sweet side to the sarcastic group. Blink-182 has numerous heartbreakers, but it’s the mammoth closing track that takes our top spot. “I swear that I could go forever,” DeLonge professed over ambient strings. “I’m Lost Without You” was a stepping-stone toward his U2-influenced Angels and Airwaves, much like Blink but with more reverb. And fittingly, Barker wrapped the album – and an era of Blink-182 – with a killer solo.

Watch a 2013 live performance of “I’m Lost Without You” at YouTube.