Mark Hoppus Reveals His ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Blink-182 Songs
With a new album on the horizon and Tom DeLonge back in the band, now seems like a perfect time to reflect on Blink-182's past before their future becomes the present. Recently, Blink fans has been asked to text in questions and the band has been turning them around in short video segments. In a newly posted one to TikTok, Mark Hoppus reveals what would go on his "Mount Rushmore" of Blink-182 songs.
In the video below, he notes "Speed Round" before quickly rattling off "Feeling This," "Dammit" and "What's My Age Again?" without any hesitancy. But the fourth, after taking a beat, he reveals that it's "One More Time," the new song that's set to arrive this Thursday (Sept. 21) off their upcoming album of the same name.
While Hoppus didn't elaborate on why each of the songs ended up being his picks, we'll take a closer look below his video posting.
@blink182 @Mark ♬ ONE MORE TIME Song Out Thu Sep 21 - blink-182
Why "Feeling This"?
"Feeling This" was the first track Blink-182 recorded for their untitled 2003 album. Both Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge worked separately on lyrics for the song, eventually combining their efforts to deliver a track that represents the lustful, passionate and romantic sides of sex. The track was written over the course of a single day, with Travis Barker revealing the spontaneity of the song in a chat with Drum Magazine, noting, "I think if I sit there and try to analyze everything, what would be cool here or there, I just feel like I get so far away from what I would do, and I think your gut instinct is usually the best thing."
Back in 2020, Mark Hoppus was challenged by record store / label Smartpunk to rank his favorite songs in a bracket. In completing the exercise, Hoppus placed "Feeling This" in the No. 1 spot, later explaining on Twitter (per NME), “It’s the apex of blink-182. The best of all of us. It was different and new and (in my opinion) groundbreaking.”
The track climbed to No. 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and has since been certified as a gold single in the U.S.
Blink-182, "Feeling This"
Why "Dammit"?
Well, it's easy to point to as it was the band's first breakout single. "'Dammit' is about when you break up with someone and then you see them all over town with someone new," Mark Hoppus told Billboard around the time of its release. "It really hurts when you aren't the person feeling the love, but you have to act like it's cool to save face."
He also recalled the song coming together quickly, noting, "I was sitting at home plucking a guitar when a moment of inspiration hit. In only 10 minutes, I wrote the lyrics and music."
The track hit No. 26 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 11 Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Blink-182, "Dammit"
Why "What's My Age Again?"
You could say this was another milestone for the band on their ascent in the music world. After cracking radio with "Dammit" on their previous album, "What's My Age Again?" proved that Blink-182 were ready for a broader audience.
"What's My Age Again?" was initially conceived by Hoppus, though he and DeLonge share writing credits on the song. The musician revealed, per Billboard, that he was actually attempting to play the song "J.A.R." from Green Day on bass when he came up with his own riff while fumbling his attempt at the other song.
While "Dammit" had the line about "this is growing up," "What's My Age Again?" served as another coming of age song, humorously pointing out the issues of failing to act maturely after reaching a certain age. The song proved to be their commercial breakthrough, not only hitting No. 2 on the Alternative Airplay chart, but also climbing to No. 58 on Billboard's Hot 100.
Blink-182, "What's My Age Again?"
Why "One More Time"?
That we don't quite know yet as the song has yet to be released, but we can log a few guesses from what we've heard so far. The band has been dropping teasers ahead of the song release on Thursday (it arrives at 10AM ET / 7AM PT for those wanting to hear it immediately).
In one of the teasers, which featured the music played in the background of an interview with Zane Lowe, you can clearly hear Hoppus singing the vocal lines, "I wish they told us / It shouldn't take a sickness / Or airplanes falling out the sky."
READ MORE: Tom DeLonge Admits He Didn't Think He'd Return to Music Until Mark Hoppus' Cancer Battle
It's easy to draw a line between that and Hoppus' cancer battle, Travis Barker surviving a plane crash that instigated their first reunion and Tom DeLonge returning to the band and mending relationships in the process. The personal nature, especially given what it's take to get the band to this place in their career, no doubt hits home with the members, making it one of their more autobiographical tracks. One more day and we'll be able to hear One More Time.
In the meanwhile, you can go ahead and place your pre-orders for the newly announced Oct. 20 release date for Blink-182's One More Time album.