Today was a beautiful autumn day. Somewhat warm out, a slight breeze going. An awesome day in Buzzards Bay that only could be made better by one of my all time favorite bands, Blink-182.
The past few days of the countdown have consisted of grunge rock which is a category of alt rock. Now today we’ll take a detour into punk rock, also a category of alt rock with the song First Date by Blink-182.
I also knew I wanted to throw some Blink on here soon because lead vocalist Mark Hoppus just announced he was cancer free around a week ago. Back in June, he was diagnosed with stage four large B-cell lymphoma. Congrats on being cancer free Mark.
First Date dropped in 2001 on the Take off Your Pants and Jacket album. It’s the third and probably most famous song from the album.
It charted fairly well in 2001 and 2002. It hit number six on both the U.S. Alternative Airplay and U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100 charts.
Internationally, the jam received a lot of love in the UK as it climbed to number two on the UK Rock and Metal charts and also hit fifteenth on the Belgium charts. The song old over two hundred thousand copies in the UK making it Silver.
Take off Your Pants and Jacket is almost a forgotten album from Blink-182 because it came after two monster projects in Dude Ranch and Enema of the State, but First Date is a beloved song by any Blink-182 fan.
The lyrics of being nervous about a first date with your dream girl pair beautifully with the heavy guitar and drum play. An immediate banger that makes you want to dance, bang your head, or even do both simultaneously.
First Date fits so great for a day like this because when I listen to it on a beautiful day, I feel as if I’m staring in my own version of an early 2000’s high school film like American Pie. It gives me main character vibes.
Blink-182 did an amazing job on their music video for the punk anthem as they throw it back to a 70’s vibe in El Segundo, California.
The video shows the band in their garage jamming out in wigs and 70’s attire while also showing them at a burger joint where they spot an absolute smoke-show girl. Strong, very strong Dazed and Confused vibes from the band here.
It’s simply a great song that makes you want to have a good time with friends, or even on your own.