Feeling This by blink-182

Album: blink-182 (2003)

Charted: 15

License This Song

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

This is a song about sex. Bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge had an idea to go into two separate rooms and write, and an hour later come out with what they had. When they left each room, they discovered that they had both written about sex. Tom had written the verses about the physical aura ("I wanna take off her clothes"), while Mark wrote about the chorus and bridge about the passionate side ("Place your hand in mine"). >>
Suggestion credit:
Jon - Cape May, NJ
In 2020, Mark Hoppus named this as his favorite blink-182 song. He tweeted: "It's the apex of blink-182. The best of all of us. It was different and new and (in my opinion) ground-breaking."
The lead single from the band's fifth studio album, it was also the first track they recorded for the project. It peaked at #2 on the Modern Rock chart.
After years of entertaining their fans with gross-out humor and juvenile antics, Blink was ready to grow up and wanted to prove they had more to offer on their new album with more mature lyrics and sonic experimentation.

"We were the joke band. We were the dudes that ran naked in the video," Hoppus told the Los Angeles Times. "We needed to prove that there was something deeper than that. We wanted to treat our music as a form of art and see what we could really do."
Travis Barker took inspiration from Led Zeppelin drummer Jon Bonham on the song's drum track, particularly the opening eighth-note triplets on the bass drum that are reminiscent of Bonham's work on Zep's "Good Times, Bad Times." Barker told Drum! magazine how he came up with the idea.

"We were kind of messing around with the verse," he explained. "It's like, 'Well, I want to do a four-bar drum intro and just see how it works for the song.' And we never second-guessed it. We were like, 'That sounds rad.' It was super in respect to John Bonham."
In the music video, the band plays outside of a strict juvenile corrections facility while the kids inside rebel against authority. Boys and girls are kept separated and can only interact between a pane of glass, which does little to mitigate their sexual frustration. By the end of the video, the escapees are free to touch each other for the first time and release their pent-up sexual energy.

Hoppus explained the concept to MTV News: "The idea is that it's a very institutionalized school. It's kind of a combination of prep school and reform school, and it's very repressed and kids are being held down. There is a lot of authority and a lot of strict regimen, and the kids lash out and take over the school and destroy the place."

Filmed at the abandoned Lincoln Heights Jail in Los Angeles, the clip was directed by David LaChapelle, a renowned photographer known for his surreal portraits of celebrities, including a snap of Blink-182 dressed like garbage men. The band wanted the video to be like a work of art, so LaChapelle - who also created promos for Christina Aguilera ("Dirrty") and Avril Lavigne ("I'm With You") - seemed like a perfect fit.

Said Hoppus: "He does these crazy, crazy photos of all different types of things that take you to a different place, and the videos always resemble his vision. His vision is completely wacked out and twisted, which is exactly what we love."

LaChapelle's vision was directly inspired by his own nightmarish experience as a student. "Prison is a metaphor for school," he told Kerrang. "When I was growing up I had a hard time in high school. I still have nightmares about it. I wanted to do something really upbeat with crazy energy. There's a certain age where kids just have so much energy that they’ll just go nuts and rage, and I wanted to capture that."
In the album's liner notes, DeLonge explained that the chorus was recorded by "screaming at a 30-foot long living room with microphones that were 10 to 15 feet away from me."
Barker added a cowbell to the chorus as a joke because he figured his bandmates would hate it. To his surprise, they loved it and kept it in.
The opening line "Get ready for action!" was sampled from the 1990 superhero movie Captain America. It inadvertently inspired an alternate song title when someone at the record label sent out copies as "Action," which is how it's listed on the soundtrack to the videogame Madden NFL 2004. According to Barker, band thought the name was "kind of dorky" and insisted on the original title, "Feeling This."

Comments: 42

KeeganReminds me of a person I like
Tony from Long IslandTruly one of the Greatest songs from blink-182 of all time
Shane from Rochester, NyThis song is truly perfect.. nothing else to it just perfect.
Klint from Prairie, WiI love the chorus and the lyrics make for a much interesting song!!
Ollie Gillespie from Wakefield, United Kingdomthis is my fave song ever,i lisn to it all the time to bring me back up,i love it that much i got it tattooed to my skin with the blink logo coz there sick
Alyssa. from Whoknowsss?, AlReminds me of me and my so called "boyfriend".

:]
Nady from Adelaide, AustraliaYet another Blink song that I associate with my ex. heh heh. It's too good, its a perfect song. *sigh*
Alexa from Revere, Mablink-182 is totally boss.
Gabe from Borger, Txwow. going into high school and being a small freshmen, blink 182 is my only real friend. all the songs they do r exactly like some point in my life. i'd do anything to see them in concert for once. learning this song currently.
Courtney from Attleboro, MaWho knew a song about sex could be so intense.? !
Sara from Medford, Nj I miss blink 182......i remember hearing all the small things right around when it came out on valentines day in the car with my dad. i was 1st grade at the time back in like 1998. i didn't know who they were but i do now being a sophmore in HS obviously. I really want blink 182 to come back, punk rock isn't very cool anymore it all kinda change. they really were the band that kept it alive. all the other bands kinda gave into fame and it sounds different like good charlotte and stuff but not blink.
Max from Loveland, Cothis is a very good song.. but how the **** could someone think this was about a prostitute?!?!?
Sara from Austin, Txthis song is amazing. i had no idea that it was written seprately! that explains so much.
i never paid the song that much attention 'til recently and now i listen to it over and over. Blink's awesomeness cannot be put into words. i think that's why they write music ;)
but if you look in the liner notes of the Greatest Hits album, you can find the correct lyrics. i adore how they overlap Tom and Mark. that effect is so cool!
Spencer from Mcbride, Canadamark and tom are both great singers mixed with travis unique and awesome drumming makes one sweet band
Jeff from Sothington, CtDude Travis Barker has some slick sick drumming...especially in the bridge thing with all the dampering...i like the ending...were they all harmonize
Rose from Roma, TxMy boyfriend thinks this song is about a guy falling for a prostitute.
Lyzz from Kyle, Txi love this song, i love the video...awsomeness...it reminds me of a relationship i have, my boyfriend moved away to colege, but we still care alot about each other...
Faith from Perth, AustraliaThis song is awesome. The words are really great especially "I'm not in this scene, I think I'm fallin asleep but then all that it means is I'll always be dreaming of you" Blink 182 is amazing.
Alex from Loveland, Coi have this song on repeat for HOURS!!!!!!!!!
Chrissy from Westmont, Ilthis song is so cool!!!!
so is salad fingers and john w.
i love you!
Chrissy from Westmont, Ili love salad fingers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kaylee from Marysville, WaTessa, its what they're talking about in the box above. Mark anf Tom both wrote different lyrics, but then they sang them over eachother. one is "Are we alone, do you fell it so lost and disallusioned"-Tom and the other "Fate fell short this time, your smile fades in the summer. place youre hand in mine, I'll leave when i wanna."-Mark. Help any? i dont think anyone;s talking backwards...
Alex from Loveland, CoThis song was the spark that started my passionate love for Blink-182. Every time I listen to this song, I smile because I think of my stupid ex boyfriend and how I still like him.
Gary from Elkton, MdThis is the first song i really liked by blink-182 so i bought the album loved it and bought every other album they ever made
BUt now theyre gone and all in other bands but there is always hope for the future
Kimberly from BellmereTOM IS HOT AS NETHING WHOO HOOO!!! i love blink 182. love them. i love this film clip specially when tom screams into the mike. FATE FELL SHORT THIS TIME UR SMILE FADES IN THE SUMMER PLACE UR HAND IN MINE ILL LEAVE WHEN I WANA!!!! new album coming out in 23 days. rock on love blink182 fan
Tubby from Hexham, EnglandWell sine Tom is in Angels and Airwaves, and Mark and Travis are now in Plus 44, Blink wont come back for a long time, if at all.
Isaac from Sd, Cagreat song but really tired of all the sex songs these days
Alex from Austin, Txthey were so good for so long, and then "poof" they split up, with a record like that, you've got to make something better, not stop.
Matt from Newfoundland, Canadai feel really cool everytime i hear this song
Charlotte from Leeds, EnglandI also cried when i found out that they'd split! I was totaly devastated!
Charlotte from Leeds, EnglandI never really used to be into blink 182 untill i got out with a lad who is really into them so when i first heard this song it was sung to me by him, it made me want to listen more so i went out and baught there album Blink 182 and im so glad i did because they are just... i can't describe how amazing they are!
Casie from Denver, CoBlink 182 rocks the house! I love em,alot of ppl say their pop but their punk. The video was realy cool,I love the song. For them it ment that the person left and misses her but he doesnt feel anything anymore because he is never with her but still dreams of her but when their back toegether they think of the old times and fall back in love again. Thats what happend to me,I fell in love with someone so deep and it hurt but I moved and I dont feel the same anymore but I dream of him but it doesnt feel the same because Im not with him.
Jade from England, Englandthe dudes rock and nearly close to break down wen heard they 'split'
Martha from Boringville, CaI love this song.I cant find any words that describe how awesome this song is!!
Luke from Maple Grove, MnWow what a catchy song. I dont really care for them but wow they can write great catchy songs.
Chris from Melbourne, Australiathis song is easilly their best song ever! blink 182 are an awesome band and i contemplated suicide when i heard they were having a 'break'.
Ginette from Richmond Hill, CanadaThe intro to this song sounds suspiciously like that of "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin.
Elle from Uk, United StatesIts the emotional sentimental side of love then the lusting, over rated sex with the lust in it. mark and tom just took thier own ideas and made this hit!
Ashley from London, Englandi love feeling this best song ever i think and if you leave me your number i can send you the ring tone for it (polyfonic one)
Clairey from Belfast, IrelandI like chorus where Tom screams. it was done in a huuuge living room and Tom was about 20ft away from the mic and was screaming it at the top of his lungs. according to my friend Gemz, it sounds like he's in the loo straining, ha ha!
Liz from Chico, CaI love this song!!! Even the music video is awesome. This is one of the songs that actually made me look more at Blink-182 thought I already had a cd of theirs. But this song made me want them all!!!
Gabe from Utica, NyThis is the best song on the album! I love Blink-182! The old blink is just as good. They really didn't change a lot. The only difference in that they don't have sick lyrics in most of their songs. This song and "All The Small Things" are the songs tht got me into Blink-182

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Party Rock AnthemLMFAO

"Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO was only the second #1 hit on the Hot 100 with "Party" in the title. The first was Lesley Gore's "It's My Party."

The chorus of "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir" in "Lady Marmalade" is French for "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" When Labelle performed it on television, they had to change it to "Voulez-vous danser avec moi ce soir" (Do you want to dance with me tonight?).

Don't Stop Believin'Journey

The "Don't Stop Believin'" lyric was inspired by Sunset Boulevard, making it perfect for the Rock of Ages musical.

SummertimeDJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

"Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince is built on a sample of a Kool & The Gang instrumental from 1974 called "Summer Madness," which gets a shout in the line, "This is the Fresh Prince's new definition of summer madness."

All Of MeJohn Legend

John Legend wrote "All Of Me" about his fiancée Chrissy Teigen. He sang it to her at their wedding ceremony in Como, Italy.

Coming HomeDiddy - Dirty Money

"Coming Home" by Diddy - Dirty Money was originally iwritten for for T.I., who was getting out of prison at the time.