The 90's US One-Hit Wonders Rate: WINNER REVEALED - Goodbye, farewell and amen
- Thread starter Ironheade
- Start date
she/her
I've grown on I Got 5 On It a bit since the Us trailer came out. I wonder how if its scores would change if that trailer had come out before the voting period?
I was in a pub for a quiz night last night, the music playlist had Breakfast at Tiffany's, Love in an Elevator and Du Hast in succession. Made me proper nostalgic for 90s rock nights.
he/him
I will keep pulling for a New Radicals win until I'm blue in the face. I go into it in a little more detail in my commentary, but what a fucking song.
An ideal Top 5 for me (although as I've said before, there are so many good songs still in that this is nearly impossible to come up with):
5. Counting Blue Cars or Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth.... or I Touch Myself
4. Sleeping Satellite
3. Criminal
2. Fade Into You
1. You Get What You Give
An ideal Top 5 for me (although as I've said before, there are so many good songs still in that this is nearly impossible to come up with):
5. Counting Blue Cars or Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth.... or I Touch Myself
4. Sleeping Satellite
3. Criminal
2. Fade Into You
1. You Get What You Give
Last edited:
she/her
That top 2 would be absolute heaven!
My dream top 5:
5. Criminal
4. Lovefool
3. Wicked Game
2. You Get What You Give
1. Fade Into You
But really I’d be delighted with any of those five winning. So many brilliant songs in this rate!
I don't see Mazzy Star leaving anytime before the top 20. I mean, the competition isn't especially fierce here.
she/her
I think its chances are quite good. I assume it's gonna be one of the least divisive songs. The worst complaint I could think of is that it's boring or goes on too long, so I feel like even the lowest scores will be near the middle.
Last edited:
So, we embark on the Top 50. Now here's an artist who never had to knock on wood...
...but they probably should have to improve their chances.
50. THE IMPRESSION THAT I GET
Average score: 5.705
Highest scores: 4 x 10 (@WowWowWowWow , @Filippa , @unnameable , @Andy French )
Lowest scores: 4 x 0 (@soratami , @əʊæ, @Daniel_O , @Empty Shoebox )
Chart positions: #23 Radio Songs, #19 Mainstream Top 40, #17 Adult Top 40, #1 Modern Rock
Year-End Hot 100: N/A
Who? Oh yeah, them...
The 90's were a time of short-lived fads and trends, and this is particularly the case for the alternative rock of the decade's latter half – the aftermath of the angsty grunge years, where upbeat summery pop-rock suddenly became the norm as far as the mainstream was concerned. The thing was, exactly what flavour that would take was never quite decided. One of those flavours, of course, was ska. And this is where the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who were in fact one of the genre's most significant acts in the United States at the time.
As you might have guessed from their name, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones hail from – guess where? - Boston, where they formed in 1983 when most of their members were teenagers (some still in high school at the time). Originally, they were just called the Bosstones, but they eventually had to add the “Mighty Mighty” to their name to avoid any possible legal action with the 50's a cappella group also called the Bosstones. Like a lot of ska bands, they have seen their fair share of lineup turmoil, though lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittelman, and saxophonist Tim Burton (not that one) have been constants throughout. Oh yes, and a fourth band member who's been there all along should be mentioned, even though he doesn't play anything: Ben “Bosstone” Carr, their dancer (and road manager). According to this interview with Noisey from 2014, this was how he got into it:
So let that be an inspiration to you, kids. You too can be in a band without having to do that whole pesky “musician” thing!
Nah, I can't snark, I love that guy so much.
Anyway, the Bosstones were a key part of the Boston punk scene, with Gittelman also being a member of the popular skate-punk-cum-crossover-thrash outfit Gang Green for three years. From the very beginning, they were an influential act, helping to drive the American ska underground in a heavier and more punk-influenced direction than the more openly 2 Tone inspired material that had largely populated it before them. Specifically, they were pioneers of its subgenre “ska-core”, a mixture of ska and hardcore punk, and they also had minor influences from heavy metal and 70's hard rock. They got signed to the popular local punk label Taang!, releasing their first album Devil's Night Out in 1989, followed by the Where'd You Go? EP in 1991 and More Noise and Other Disturbances the next year. The Bosstones actually met some resistance from hardcore ska fans, who resented their more openly punk stylings and accused them of straying too far from the genre's roots. But they became top dogs in their local scene in fairly short order, with fans adopting the band's distinctive plaid clothing en masse, as well as the suits that they would later adopt by the time of “The Impression That I Get”. Their popularity was such that the band was even seen in TV commercials promoting Converse Chuck Taylors – a pretty big coup for an independent artist, hein? (Speaking as a man who has worn out many a pair of Chuck Taylors in his time, I must congratulate them on their taste.)
Poor Tai.
Of course, with local popularity like that, it couldn't be too long before the major labels came a-knocking, and the Bosstones found themselves signed to Mercury Records in 1993. And the hits just kept on comin' – well, after a fashion anyway, with the band selling well for artists in a niche genre. “Someday I Suppose”, the lead single from their first major label LP Don't Know How to Party, did respectably well for them, reaching #19 on the Modern Rock chart and getting some MTV play. Most famously, the band appeared in Clueless, performing “Someday I Suppose” and a new version of their earlier song “Where'd You Go?” during the college frat party scene. Something pretty unusual for a band in this rate, as it happens, is that most of the alt-rock acts here had their one hit off their first major-label record. But for the Bosstones, it took them until their third one, 1997's Let's Face It. By then, they were already something of a known quantity in the mainstream: not only did they have their Clueless appearance under their belts, but they had played on two successive editions of the Warped Tour, contributed the famous Kiss tribute album Kiss My Ass covering “Detroit Rock City”, made some TV appearances, and even opened for Aerosmith at their 1994 New Year's Eve concert in Boston. They also started their own festival, Hometown Throwdown, held every year around Christmastime in Boston. So a breakthrough pop hit was only a matter of time – and in 1997, with ska being at its peak of mainstream popularity thanks to the two blockbusters that were Tragic Kingdom and Sublime, they got it...
So what do I think?
8! Something I may have mentioned before is that my dad is a huge fan of reggae (he was a 70's punk who got old, it kind of comes with the territory); that's what soundtracked a lot of my early childhood, and so I've always had a real soft spot in my heart for reggae and ska. And “The Impression That I Get” is certainly a good fine slab of ska-punk, with a massive gang-shout chorus that could topple an aircraft carrier and some punchy, relentlessly catchy lines from the horn section throughout. There's some interesting changes of pace lurking within its thrusting tempo too – the verses speed by in an efficient manner on the back of a jaunty ska chop, while the chorus feels a bit more expansive, with its backing of horns and slightly cleaner single-note guitars that blend in with the distortion. Surprisingly clever, for such a seemingly uncomplicated fastball. Dicky Barrett's vocals, gruff and limited in range as befitting his hardcore punk background, might be a bit of a sticking point for some, but he's charismatic enough delivering the surprisingly intriguing lyrics, and his bellow of “IIIIIIIIIII!” leading into the chorus is what we in the business call a moment. The impression that I get, in other words, is of a song that should have lasted longer.
Where Are They Now?™
Legends.
Once again, the Bosstones are another act that aren't quite one-hit wonders, at least within their own genre or on the rock charts. “The Rascal King” was another successful single from Let's Face It, going to #7 on the Modern Rock chart, and even getting some minor pop radio airplay, peaking at #68 on the Radio Songs chart (like “The Impression That I Get”, it did not get a physical single release). The album campaign was rounded out by a #22 Modern Rock single, the slower reggae tune “Royal Oil”. And I can say, I liked both those songs – the Bosstones only really have one string to their bow, but they do what they do well and have a knack for a catchy tune. The band kept touring relentlessly and playing to crowds all over the US, and for a while, they were at the top of the ska heap. They even got onto Sesame Street, and if there's any better way of knowing you've “made it”, I don't know of it. But then, all of a sudden, people decided to throw their checkered fedoras and suspenders onto the trash pile, and that more or less put a stop to it.
Like so many of their peers in this rate, the Bosstones were victims of the changing times. The vogue for ska in the mainstream only lasted a few short years before it became seen as deeply, deeply uncool, the domain of band geeks and pothead fratboys (from the kind of movies that ska bands often soundtracked). A lot of pop-punk bands like the Offspring would include ska-flavoured tunes on their albums for variety, but the vogue for that was fairly short-lived, further limiting the genre's exposure outside its core scene. Even the mega-platinum superstars No Doubt were beginning to move on, and Sublime had broken up on the back of Bradley Nowell's too-early demise. So when the Bosstones released their next album Pay Attention in 2000, they suddenly found themselves adrift in a mainstream rock scene that had no time for ska any more – not to mention, they had been shunted over to Island Records after Mercury had been bought out. The single “So Sad to Say” was reasonably successful on the Modern Rock charts, reaching #11, but their shot at a mainstream pop hit on the level of “The Impression That I Get” had long since passed. So it was unsurprising, after Pay Attention stiffed at #74 on the Billboard 200, that the Bosstones soon announced that they would be returning to the independent world, specifically the LA-based label SideOneDummy (the label that launched the careers of Flogging Molly and Gogol Bordello among others, and also releases the annual Warped Tour compilation album).
"As soon as you turn that camera off, I'm flaying you alive." - Dicky Barrett
But this wouldn't last too long for them, either. They dropped A Jackknife to a Swan in 2002, but it was their last musical work for seven years, as the Bosstones announced that they were going on hiatus in 2003. They had been touring non-stop since 1991 and were severely burned out, and the band members wished to work on other projects, so that was it for a few years, other than an appearance at a 2004 tribute concert to Johnny Ramone, the proceeds from which went to cancer research. Since 2004, a year after the show began, Dicky Barrett has been the announcer for Jimmy Kimmel Live – you may have spotted him among the cast of that “I'm Fucking Matt Damon” video. (Does that qualify as the biggest hit he's had since “The Impression That I Get”?) The other members of the Bosstones played in various bands. But arguably the most interesting path belongs to their former guitarist Nate Albert, who had left the band shortly before the release of Pay Attention in order to pursue a degree. He then returned to the music world as the Senior Vice President of A&R at Republic Records, where he was responsible for signing The Weeknd and working with Florence and the Machine; he is now the Executive VP of A&R for Capitol. Now that's quite a way he's come!
The Bosstones got back together in 2007 for that year's revival of the Hometown Throwdown, and they've gone back to playing live ever since. Hometown Throwdown also remains an annual event, still around Christmas at the House of Blues in Boston. Since the reunion, the Bosstones have released three full-length albums through their own indie label Big Rig (which was first formed as a vanity label while they were under Mercury, in order for them to release their albums on vinyl); their most recent effort While We're At It came out in 2017, after a six-year gap. The band appears to exist on something of a part-time basis these days (according to that Noisey interview I cited above, they were only playing around 10 shows a year in the long gap between albums I mentioned), in between the band members' side projects and other commitments, but they appear to be playing shows more often in recent years. Skank on, rudeboys.
OVER TO THE PEANUT GALLERY
Rudie Can Fail
əʊæ (0): There is no strength left in me. (NO! BUT YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!)
Seventeen Days (5): Oh… right. That point in the late 90s when ska and swing were a thing again. (Thanks a WHOLE bunch, Swingers! - Ed.) This was always just one of those “just there” songs - I wouldn’t change the station if it came on, but I didn’t have any strong feelings about it.
pop3blow2 (6): My score is kinder to this song than I was as the time. That whole mini ska revival…. sheesh, what was that? Anyways, there is certain catchiness to this song, I suppose. I still find it somewhat irritating, though.
yuuurei (6): I have to admit the ska-ness is kinda fun, but it's not a big fave.
Sprockrooster (5): If this was send in by Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest I would have believed you. (Oh, Moldova wishes they could ever send something this good.)
Empty Shoebox (0): Horrible vocals mixed with horrible brass. Lovely. (Hey, nobody said you ever had to be a good singer to front a punk band!)
Blond (1): This is like the poor man’s Barenaked Ladies.
ModeRed (4): Reminds me of Madness in places. If only it were as good as one of theirs! (Sheesh, that's a tough ask though. Madness are one of those bands I've never heard people say they hate with any conviction, and for good reason!)
4Roses (1): My dad would love this. (He might like to meet my dad.)
chanex (3): I'd hate it a lot more if I hadn't just had to just consider that Sister Hazel abomination. (Hey, don't kick an eliminated band while they're down!)
ONE! STEP! BEYOND!
Ganache (7): Fun ska bop.
Hudweiser (9): Love a bit of ska.
DominoDancing (6.5): Good for them to get some coin out of the short-lived ska revival, but it's just an okay pop-punk song in the end.
iheartpoptarts (7): All over the place but fun but all over the place. (IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!)
Auntie Beryl (7.9): I do like a brass section on my third-generation Madness/Pogues hand-me-down records. (Always appreciated.)
berserkboi (9.8): I forgot this gem! A bop and then some!!
DJHazey (9): Ha, these guys are probably the reason why the band Rustic Overtones became a bit of a locally big act here in Maine. This is definitely a bop I had on a number of mixtapes.
Filippa (10): What a feel-good song! Love the sax, the horn! (Funny how a song about insecurity can make me feel so happy, but there you go.)
unnameable (10): Remember when ska was huge and done by people other than No Doubt? (Those were good times.)
Andy French (10): I don't fucking care, I love The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and this song is a fuckin jam.
WowWowWowWow (10): A band from my hometown, F yes! This is so not the music I get down to on a regular basis, but for whatever reason (maybe Chumbawamba chilled me out a bit?), this will never not bring a smile to my face. (And that's pretty much what we all want out of our incredibly perky late 90's pop-rock tunes. BEANTOWN REPRESENT!)
...but they probably should have to improve their chances.
50. THE IMPRESSION THAT I GET
Average score: 5.705
Highest scores: 4 x 10 (@WowWowWowWow , @Filippa , @unnameable , @Andy French )
Lowest scores: 4 x 0 (@soratami , @əʊæ, @Daniel_O , @Empty Shoebox )
Chart positions: #23 Radio Songs, #19 Mainstream Top 40, #17 Adult Top 40, #1 Modern Rock
Year-End Hot 100: N/A
Who? Oh yeah, them...
The 90's were a time of short-lived fads and trends, and this is particularly the case for the alternative rock of the decade's latter half – the aftermath of the angsty grunge years, where upbeat summery pop-rock suddenly became the norm as far as the mainstream was concerned. The thing was, exactly what flavour that would take was never quite decided. One of those flavours, of course, was ska. And this is where the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who were in fact one of the genre's most significant acts in the United States at the time.
As you might have guessed from their name, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones hail from – guess where? - Boston, where they formed in 1983 when most of their members were teenagers (some still in high school at the time). Originally, they were just called the Bosstones, but they eventually had to add the “Mighty Mighty” to their name to avoid any possible legal action with the 50's a cappella group also called the Bosstones. Like a lot of ska bands, they have seen their fair share of lineup turmoil, though lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittelman, and saxophonist Tim Burton (not that one) have been constants throughout. Oh yes, and a fourth band member who's been there all along should be mentioned, even though he doesn't play anything: Ben “Bosstone” Carr, their dancer (and road manager). According to this interview with Noisey from 2014, this was how he got into it:
So let that be an inspiration to you, kids. You too can be in a band without having to do that whole pesky “musician” thing!
Nah, I can't snark, I love that guy so much.
Anyway, the Bosstones were a key part of the Boston punk scene, with Gittelman also being a member of the popular skate-punk-cum-crossover-thrash outfit Gang Green for three years. From the very beginning, they were an influential act, helping to drive the American ska underground in a heavier and more punk-influenced direction than the more openly 2 Tone inspired material that had largely populated it before them. Specifically, they were pioneers of its subgenre “ska-core”, a mixture of ska and hardcore punk, and they also had minor influences from heavy metal and 70's hard rock. They got signed to the popular local punk label Taang!, releasing their first album Devil's Night Out in 1989, followed by the Where'd You Go? EP in 1991 and More Noise and Other Disturbances the next year. The Bosstones actually met some resistance from hardcore ska fans, who resented their more openly punk stylings and accused them of straying too far from the genre's roots. But they became top dogs in their local scene in fairly short order, with fans adopting the band's distinctive plaid clothing en masse, as well as the suits that they would later adopt by the time of “The Impression That I Get”. Their popularity was such that the band was even seen in TV commercials promoting Converse Chuck Taylors – a pretty big coup for an independent artist, hein? (Speaking as a man who has worn out many a pair of Chuck Taylors in his time, I must congratulate them on their taste.)
Poor Tai.
Of course, with local popularity like that, it couldn't be too long before the major labels came a-knocking, and the Bosstones found themselves signed to Mercury Records in 1993. And the hits just kept on comin' – well, after a fashion anyway, with the band selling well for artists in a niche genre. “Someday I Suppose”, the lead single from their first major label LP Don't Know How to Party, did respectably well for them, reaching #19 on the Modern Rock chart and getting some MTV play. Most famously, the band appeared in Clueless, performing “Someday I Suppose” and a new version of their earlier song “Where'd You Go?” during the college frat party scene. Something pretty unusual for a band in this rate, as it happens, is that most of the alt-rock acts here had their one hit off their first major-label record. But for the Bosstones, it took them until their third one, 1997's Let's Face It. By then, they were already something of a known quantity in the mainstream: not only did they have their Clueless appearance under their belts, but they had played on two successive editions of the Warped Tour, contributed the famous Kiss tribute album Kiss My Ass covering “Detroit Rock City”, made some TV appearances, and even opened for Aerosmith at their 1994 New Year's Eve concert in Boston. They also started their own festival, Hometown Throwdown, held every year around Christmastime in Boston. So a breakthrough pop hit was only a matter of time – and in 1997, with ska being at its peak of mainstream popularity thanks to the two blockbusters that were Tragic Kingdom and Sublime, they got it...
So what do I think?
8! Something I may have mentioned before is that my dad is a huge fan of reggae (he was a 70's punk who got old, it kind of comes with the territory); that's what soundtracked a lot of my early childhood, and so I've always had a real soft spot in my heart for reggae and ska. And “The Impression That I Get” is certainly a good fine slab of ska-punk, with a massive gang-shout chorus that could topple an aircraft carrier and some punchy, relentlessly catchy lines from the horn section throughout. There's some interesting changes of pace lurking within its thrusting tempo too – the verses speed by in an efficient manner on the back of a jaunty ska chop, while the chorus feels a bit more expansive, with its backing of horns and slightly cleaner single-note guitars that blend in with the distortion. Surprisingly clever, for such a seemingly uncomplicated fastball. Dicky Barrett's vocals, gruff and limited in range as befitting his hardcore punk background, might be a bit of a sticking point for some, but he's charismatic enough delivering the surprisingly intriguing lyrics, and his bellow of “IIIIIIIIIII!” leading into the chorus is what we in the business call a moment. The impression that I get, in other words, is of a song that should have lasted longer.
Where Are They Now?™
Legends.
Once again, the Bosstones are another act that aren't quite one-hit wonders, at least within their own genre or on the rock charts. “The Rascal King” was another successful single from Let's Face It, going to #7 on the Modern Rock chart, and even getting some minor pop radio airplay, peaking at #68 on the Radio Songs chart (like “The Impression That I Get”, it did not get a physical single release). The album campaign was rounded out by a #22 Modern Rock single, the slower reggae tune “Royal Oil”. And I can say, I liked both those songs – the Bosstones only really have one string to their bow, but they do what they do well and have a knack for a catchy tune. The band kept touring relentlessly and playing to crowds all over the US, and for a while, they were at the top of the ska heap. They even got onto Sesame Street, and if there's any better way of knowing you've “made it”, I don't know of it. But then, all of a sudden, people decided to throw their checkered fedoras and suspenders onto the trash pile, and that more or less put a stop to it.
Like so many of their peers in this rate, the Bosstones were victims of the changing times. The vogue for ska in the mainstream only lasted a few short years before it became seen as deeply, deeply uncool, the domain of band geeks and pothead fratboys (from the kind of movies that ska bands often soundtracked). A lot of pop-punk bands like the Offspring would include ska-flavoured tunes on their albums for variety, but the vogue for that was fairly short-lived, further limiting the genre's exposure outside its core scene. Even the mega-platinum superstars No Doubt were beginning to move on, and Sublime had broken up on the back of Bradley Nowell's too-early demise. So when the Bosstones released their next album Pay Attention in 2000, they suddenly found themselves adrift in a mainstream rock scene that had no time for ska any more – not to mention, they had been shunted over to Island Records after Mercury had been bought out. The single “So Sad to Say” was reasonably successful on the Modern Rock charts, reaching #11, but their shot at a mainstream pop hit on the level of “The Impression That I Get” had long since passed. So it was unsurprising, after Pay Attention stiffed at #74 on the Billboard 200, that the Bosstones soon announced that they would be returning to the independent world, specifically the LA-based label SideOneDummy (the label that launched the careers of Flogging Molly and Gogol Bordello among others, and also releases the annual Warped Tour compilation album).
"As soon as you turn that camera off, I'm flaying you alive." - Dicky Barrett
But this wouldn't last too long for them, either. They dropped A Jackknife to a Swan in 2002, but it was their last musical work for seven years, as the Bosstones announced that they were going on hiatus in 2003. They had been touring non-stop since 1991 and were severely burned out, and the band members wished to work on other projects, so that was it for a few years, other than an appearance at a 2004 tribute concert to Johnny Ramone, the proceeds from which went to cancer research. Since 2004, a year after the show began, Dicky Barrett has been the announcer for Jimmy Kimmel Live – you may have spotted him among the cast of that “I'm Fucking Matt Damon” video. (Does that qualify as the biggest hit he's had since “The Impression That I Get”?) The other members of the Bosstones played in various bands. But arguably the most interesting path belongs to their former guitarist Nate Albert, who had left the band shortly before the release of Pay Attention in order to pursue a degree. He then returned to the music world as the Senior Vice President of A&R at Republic Records, where he was responsible for signing The Weeknd and working with Florence and the Machine; he is now the Executive VP of A&R for Capitol. Now that's quite a way he's come!
The Bosstones got back together in 2007 for that year's revival of the Hometown Throwdown, and they've gone back to playing live ever since. Hometown Throwdown also remains an annual event, still around Christmas at the House of Blues in Boston. Since the reunion, the Bosstones have released three full-length albums through their own indie label Big Rig (which was first formed as a vanity label while they were under Mercury, in order for them to release their albums on vinyl); their most recent effort While We're At It came out in 2017, after a six-year gap. The band appears to exist on something of a part-time basis these days (according to that Noisey interview I cited above, they were only playing around 10 shows a year in the long gap between albums I mentioned), in between the band members' side projects and other commitments, but they appear to be playing shows more often in recent years. Skank on, rudeboys.
OVER TO THE PEANUT GALLERY
Rudie Can Fail
əʊæ (0): There is no strength left in me. (NO! BUT YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!)
Seventeen Days (5): Oh… right. That point in the late 90s when ska and swing were a thing again. (Thanks a WHOLE bunch, Swingers! - Ed.) This was always just one of those “just there” songs - I wouldn’t change the station if it came on, but I didn’t have any strong feelings about it.
pop3blow2 (6): My score is kinder to this song than I was as the time. That whole mini ska revival…. sheesh, what was that? Anyways, there is certain catchiness to this song, I suppose. I still find it somewhat irritating, though.
yuuurei (6): I have to admit the ska-ness is kinda fun, but it's not a big fave.
Sprockrooster (5): If this was send in by Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest I would have believed you. (Oh, Moldova wishes they could ever send something this good.)
Empty Shoebox (0): Horrible vocals mixed with horrible brass. Lovely. (Hey, nobody said you ever had to be a good singer to front a punk band!)
Blond (1): This is like the poor man’s Barenaked Ladies.
ModeRed (4): Reminds me of Madness in places. If only it were as good as one of theirs! (Sheesh, that's a tough ask though. Madness are one of those bands I've never heard people say they hate with any conviction, and for good reason!)
4Roses (1): My dad would love this. (He might like to meet my dad.)
chanex (3): I'd hate it a lot more if I hadn't just had to just consider that Sister Hazel abomination. (Hey, don't kick an eliminated band while they're down!)
ONE! STEP! BEYOND!
Ganache (7): Fun ska bop.
Hudweiser (9): Love a bit of ska.
DominoDancing (6.5): Good for them to get some coin out of the short-lived ska revival, but it's just an okay pop-punk song in the end.
iheartpoptarts (7): All over the place but fun but all over the place. (IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!)
Auntie Beryl (7.9): I do like a brass section on my third-generation Madness/Pogues hand-me-down records. (Always appreciated.)
berserkboi (9.8): I forgot this gem! A bop and then some!!
DJHazey (9): Ha, these guys are probably the reason why the band Rustic Overtones became a bit of a locally big act here in Maine. This is definitely a bop I had on a number of mixtapes.
Filippa (10): What a feel-good song! Love the sax, the horn! (Funny how a song about insecurity can make me feel so happy, but there you go.)
unnameable (10): Remember when ska was huge and done by people other than No Doubt? (Those were good times.)
Andy French (10): I don't fucking care, I love The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and this song is a fuckin jam.
WowWowWowWow (10): A band from my hometown, F yes! This is so not the music I get down to on a regular basis, but for whatever reason (maybe Chumbawamba chilled me out a bit?), this will never not bring a smile to my face. (And that's pretty much what we all want out of our incredibly perky late 90's pop-rock tunes. BEANTOWN REPRESENT!)
Last edited:
he/him
Have you ever had the odds stacked up so high
You need a strength most don’t possess?
Or has it ever come down to do or die?
You’ve got to rise above the rest
You need a strength most don’t possess?
Or has it ever come down to do or die?
You’ve got to rise above the rest
he/him
I figured this voting pool wouldn't be here for the ska sound, so I can't say I'm surprised but damn there are much worse songs still alive. I kind of remember it being called 'skacore' -- there have been many variations of '-core' genres in hard rock. My favorite was always metalcore in the early 00s. Atreyu (first three albums), Avenged Sevenfold (first two), From Autumn to Ashes, Unearth, Diecast, etc.
he/him
I still and completely unironically enjoy ska (Reel Big Fish 4 lyf). Y’all did this song so fucking wrong!
For me and my friends it was all about Melodycore in the late 90s, especially if it came out of Sweden.