blink-182 Band • Page 718

Tom’s voice has a much lighter tone that I think will take away from the force of it. I agree that it’s a very classic Blink line compositionally, but I doubt Tom’s ability to deliver it in the same way as Skiba. To me that song was so exciting because it demonstrated what bringing a darker, grittier singer could do for the band. Then they used him for songs like “She’s Out of Her Mind” and I got disillusioned lol

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like it will be as much of a disaster as “No Heart to Speak Of” or “Los Angeles” would be, but there are Skiba-era tracks that are far more suited to their current set up (“The First Time”, “Pin the Grenade”, “Built this Pool”)

 

All I’m saying is it would be weird to write a song about songwriting that includes lines like “is there the slightest trace of what you once believed?”, after your co-singer has left the band to search for aliens — and use it to open the record(!)— if it wasn’t about him. It would also be weird to give the most powerful line to the new co-singer, demonstrating that the band could excel without the old, if the song wasn’t about him.

I wonder if they’re being a little evasive here. Maybe those songs aren’t *about* Tom in the sense that they are addressed directly to him, but are about Mark’s feelings about the band’s years of inaction. San Diego is different because it’s about their friendship.

 

Probably my favourite songs post first Tom reunion.

 

I take that "slightest trace" line to be Mark talking to himself, wondering if there's any meaning or purpose in his writing anymore.

Always seemed straightforward to me that the song is about Mark dealing with the voice in his head saying give up. Even Skiba's part: "Lost my voice while fighting my way out." I took it all as being stuck in writers block and just exhausting themselves trying to get out of it.

 

That makes sense, but then what would the preceding line to be referring to (“don’t wake me up before you leave”)?

I suppose it’s important to consider the fact that Mark might not have had a clear intention in his head before writing these songs. Songwriters don’t always plan to write about something specific before they start and, in my own (amateur) experience, I often don’t really know what a song is about until I’ve had time to reflect on the emotions I was working through while writing it.

To me it seems really obvious that Cynical and Bored to Death express Mark’s publicly stated feelings about the second break up — namely, that it was really difficult to get Tom to commit to anything and they couldn’t pin him down for writing sessions after Dogs Eating Dogs —, even if he didn’t intend to write about them. I’m not trying to go full ‘death of the author’ here, but I think it’s important to consider what songwriters were going through at the time — especially when the lyrics are kind of vague.

 

In my opinion, if any Skiba era songs are directly or indirectly about Tom or the split in any way, Tom won’t play them. I don’t blame him either, that would be awkward.

 

Oh and also, Black Rain is a top 10 blink song. ;)

 

Black Rain rules

 

I'd kill to hear Black Rain and No Heart again the first time. Those were goosebumps

 

Really hoping Toronto dates aren’t affected by the playoffs. Not sure how that actually works but I’ll be crushed if my show gets cancelled

 

If they stick to the game every other day format they mostly have thus far, neither date should be affected.

 

Ask Janet Jackson, she learned what happens recently

 

I will murder

 

I’m right there with you LOL

 

I mean they have played Obvious and Hearts All Gone which are songs rumored to be about Mark and Tom.

I never heard of BTD being a reference to Tom before. I think it’s a stretch. Sometimes songs aren’t about anyone or anything specific. But again without being in the head of the writer who knows.

 

What's this about Obvious and Heart's All Gone being about Mark and Tom? Where do people come up with this shit?

 

Internet gonna internet

 

Obvious is about Mark cheating on Tom with Travis

 

San Diego is the most obvious one

 

Happy Holidays is about Mark’s experience on Christmas Eve and his Grandpa’s intestinal issues on Labor Day.

 

No idiot it's about Tom. Duh.

 

Built This Pool is about Mark’s existential crisis and missing Tom

 

Aliens exist is about aliens existing

 

Family Reunion are all the words exchanged right before the hiatus (Tom had a time machine that Mark used to record this one)