Album: Enema Of The State (1999)

License This Song 

Songfacts®:

• In this punk breakup tune, blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus begs his girlfriend not to leave him. She seems to have trouble dealing with his track record, as he pleads, "Don't let your future be destroyed by my past." According to bandmate Tom DeLonge, Hoppus didn't actually have a girlfriend at the time, so who he's singing about is a mystery. But he must have felt inspired because it only took him around 10 minutes to write.
  
• DeLonge shared his perspective on the song's meaning in a track-by-track commentary. "Sometimes you write a relationship song that really doesn't have that much deep meaning," he said. "I think it's just like that feeling when you're really in love with a girl, you're just thinking 'Please, please, please don't stop liking me.' That's the gist of the song. All the times you put your feelings into liking a girl, and she doesn't like you at all, and she thinks you're a scumbag. So therefore that song's like a prayer to a girl. Always hoping that you won't make the girl throw up forever, always hoping that the girls will love you. We speak for all males, we write songs hoping that girls will like us dirty rotten boys for a long time."
• Bolstered by the hit singles "What's My Age Again?" and "All The Small Things," Enema Of The State was blink-182's big commercial breakthrough. They also got a lot of exposure when they appeared in the raunchy teen comedy American Pie in July 1999, a month after the album dropped. They recorded the tune "Mutt" for the soundtrack.

Comments: 5

• Evan from Philadelphia, Pathanks Kaleen that's really informative I appreciate it
• Chrissy from Westmont, Ili have the mark tom and travis show cd and i love it it rocks!
• Sarah from Quito, South Americablink 182 rocks...hehehe. im sure every single person gets annoyed with people all they say is that a band rocks, but they really are. they've got some awesome songs, and the fact that the are inspired by The Cure, makes it even better.
• Arkady from London, EnglandMark: 'This song is about my herpes [an STD], it's called "Don't Leave Me" and it goes like this'
  -Mark, Tom And Travis Show
• Weng from Los Angeles, CaTom DeLonge: "Mark wrote that song, so I can't really speak about what was going through his mind when he wrote that one. But I can judge on the lyrics. He wrote that song when he didn't even have a girlfriend, so I don't know who he's talking to. Sometimes you write a relationship song that really doesn't have that much deep meaning. I think it's just like that feeling when you're really in love with a girl, you're just thinking 'Please, please, please don't stop liking me.' That's the gist of the song. All the times you put your feelings into liking a girl, and she doesn't like you at all, and she thinks you're a scumbag. So therefore that song's like a prayer to a girl. Always hoping that you won't make the girl throw up forever, always hoping that the girls will love you. We speak for all males, we write songs hoping that girls will like us dirty rotten boys for a long time."

More Songfacts:

Don't You Want MeThe Human League

Phil Oakey of The Human League recorded his vocals for "Don't You Want Me" in the studio bathroom. The recording was disrupted by guitarist Jo Callis reaching through an open window from outside to repeatedly flush one of the toilets.

Let's DanceDavid Bowie

David Bowie's "Let's Dance" is about more than just dancing. It's about dishonesty, particularly when we mask our true feelings.

You Get What You GiveThe New Radicals

"You Get What You Give" by The New Radicals was the first hit song to use the word "frenemies" in the lyrics.

Touch MeThe Doors

At the end of the Doors song "Touch Me," Jim Morrison chants, "Stronger than dirt!" The line is from an Ajax commercial where a white knight rides around destroying dirt.

JetPaul McCartney & Wings

The Australian band Jet took their name from the 1973 song of the same by Paul McCartney and Wings.

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill MeU2

U2's "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" from Batman Forever was nominated for both a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and a Razzie for Worst Original Song.

Editor's Picks

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.