Wasting Time

Album: Cheshire Cat (1994)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about a guy who has a huge crush on a girl but is wondering if he is just wasting his time thinking about her. He questions whether she is even interested in him, and thinks of the things he could do that might get her attention: "Maybe I'd impress her, by being in a band... maybe I'll win her heart, by writing a song about her." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    John - Salt Lake City, UT
  • As he's contemplating asking the girl out, Blink vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus slips in a reference to his first car, a beat-up Nissan Stanza nicknamed the Cougar. "You know that the Cougar would never make it," he laments, followed by the line, "And in my town you can't drive naked." The latter bit was suggested by engineer Jeff Forrest while Hoppus was recording his vocals at Doubletime Studios in San Diego.

    According to then-drummer Scott Raynor, the band adopted the lyric without question. "Jeff never offered any further insight into what may have been the source material for this pro-active free association, and we never asked," he explained in the 2010 book Blink-182: The Bands, The Breakdown & The Return by Joe Shooman.
  • This is the second single from blink-182's debut studio album, Cheshire Cat, following "M+M's."
  • While the album didn't break the charts in the US, it reached #73 in Australia and marked the beginning of a long line of successful releases Down Under. Their next album, Dude Ranch, climbed to #25, and all of their subsequent releases made the Top 10. Back home, it caused enough of a stir to land the band a major contract with MCA.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")Songwriter Interviews

A top country songwriter, Barry talks about writing hits for Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.