Blink 182’s self-titled album is anything but care-free pop anymore. That’s what they were known for with Enema of the State and Take off Your Pants and Jacket. However, I think their self-titled album will be remembered as one of the great break-up song collections of its time and one of the tunes that supports that idea is “Always.”
Like most of the tunes on Blink 182’s serious album, “Always” touches base on awkwardness of fading relationships. There’s no more witty anger and puns as before in Dude Ranch or Enema of the State, but more of a familiar sadness that most teenagers can relate to. Those familiar emotions are most likely what supports Blink 182’s gigantic fan base across the world.
Right from the beginning of “Always” Tom Delonge sings “I’ve been here before a few times and I’m quite aware we’re dying.” This line identifies the speaker as a realist within a struggling relationship. Whoever it is, that Blink 182 establishes, they know that things aren’t going well.
Delonge finishes the first verse of “Always” with “So here I am. I’m trying. So here I am. Are you ready?” Obviously the speaker doesn’t want to end the relationship, but “Are you ready?” almost makes me think that the mate might not feel the same reparable emotions about their present situation. I sometimes wonder how true-to-life Blink 182’s lyrics really are.
The rest of the song basically touches on the same subject over and over again about wanting to repair a relationship that’s doomed to continue. Blink 182 says “I’ll admit I’m wrong if you tell me” which is a refreshing line to use. I say this because it’s actually shedding some light on a stereotypical man’s inability to talk about communication issues. There you go guys. Listening to “Always” by Blink 182 can save your relationship!
It’s not enough that “Always” is a great song to listen to, but Blink 182 creates one of the most original music videos that I’ve ever seen. If anyone has viewed a similar video where the screen is cut into multiple sections playing the same scene please let me know. I’m sure that one’s great too.
Just to watch Hoppus, Delonge, and Barker stumble around with alternate limbs and gestures is so cool since none of Blink 182 receives quite the same reaction from the lead actress in “Always”. And as much as I’ve seen it, when Travis Barker pokes his head out from under the bed, I giggle just a bit.
“Always” has such a smooth and fluent feel to it, similar to every other Blink 182 song. They do a great job of adding more subtleties to the song as it progresses in time to increase interest in the listener. If you’ve paid attention to the last chorus of the song, you’ll notice that there’s a phantom keyboard player. Neat huh?
So this is another soulful tune by Blink 182 that speaks to the troubled youth of America once again. This repeat of similar lyrical content might seem redundant at times, but it’s what sells, and personally keeps me loving the band. “Always” is a simple tune with a strong meaning, a great video, and appealing melodies. They’ve done it again.