Songfacts®:

• According to frontman Dexter Holland, this song "came up quickly." He explained to Spinner: "We wanted to write something straightforward. The idea of trying to make your own way, do your own thing, and be your own person but feeling pressured to be somebody else or act like somebody else is a universal feeling. You could talk about it when you're in high school all the way up to the corporate world. It's about resisting it. There's an old school punk sentiment to resist the pressure of what people tell you to be or tell you to do. You're deciding for yourself what you want to be."
• The song features a drum loop, which according to guitarist Noodles, "is very not punk, but it works well." He told Spinner: "I really like that. It's a cool juxtaposition, and it adds some tension to that song. You might enjoy somebody's company, but they're really not so reciprocal. You end up trying to please somebody and all you do is end up losing yourself in a relationship. Some relationships can be toxic, and it may take a while to realize it."