Welcome to the first edition of the Wichitan’s Song of the Week for this semester. This week’s pick is “All the Small Things” by American rock band Blink-182. Released June 1, 1999, as the second single and the eighth track of their third studio album “Enema of the State,” “All the Small Things” is an expression of the band’s lead guitarist and vocalist feelings towards his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Jenkins. In the song, lead singer Tom DeLonge sings about how he cared for Jenkins and loved her so much that he found joy and happiness in all the small things she did. He based the lyrics of the song on real life events that happened between him and Jenkins to show her how much he cared for her, like when she left him roses by his staircase one night when he came home late from work. The band originally composed the song to be just a catchy and basic song that they can use to promote their third album on radio stations, but after recording it and putting it together, they realized the potential the song had and made it the centerpiece of their album.
Formed in Poway, California, Blink-182 is an American rock band that consists of the three core members: lead vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, drummer Travis Barker and bassist Mark Hoppus. The band has had several additional members over time like drummer Scott Raynor, singer and guitarist Matt Skiba and more. The band is well known for several hits like “All the Small Things” which won several awards, nominations and domestic and international recognition. In Aug. 1992, DeLonge was expelled from Poway High and transferred to Rancho Bernado high school, where he met founding drummer Scott Raynor in a Battle of the Bands competition. He met founding bassist Mark Hoppus after he started dating Hoppus’ sister, Anne Hoppus. On Aug. 2, 1992, Anne Hoppus introduced DeLonge to her brother because she knew of their shared love for punk rock, and the trio grew close, co-writing and playing songs in DeLonge’s garage. Weeks after Hoppus, Raynor and DeLonge become friends, they created the band known today as Blink-182. Before becoming Blink-182, the trio were called Figure 8, then Duck Tape, then Blink. The band had to change their name from Blink to Blink-182 following their growing popularity and a potential legal battle with an Irish band who was already operating under that name. After the band signed on to MCA Inc, they went through a couple changes to their lineup including the addition of Travis Barker.
“All the Small Things” is my favorite song from Blink-182’s entire discography. In “All the Small Things” the band expresses DeLonge’s love for his then girlfriend, Jennifer Jenkins. Toward the end of the 1990s, the band was becoming one of the biggest rock bands of the century. Following this success, they signed onto MCA Inc., and worked with Green Day’s sound engineer, Jerry Finn on their third album, “Enema of the State.” The origins of the song can be traced back to when they would practice in their recording space at DML Studios in San Diego. They began to work on “Enema of the State” before signing with MCA. After signing onto MCA and writing most of the songs on the album, DeLonge felt that the album needed a song that was both catchy and basic that their record studio could use to promote their album on radio stations. DeLonge began the song with a vision. He knew that he wanted the song to be two things. First of all, he wanted the song to have the words “Na na, na na’s” as an ode to one of his favorite bands ever, The Ramones. Secondly, He wanted it to be a love song to his girlfriend at the time. After writing the song, the trio began composing, and didn’t originally like it because it was so simple. After recording the song and realizing the potential of it, the song became both one of the band’s and fans’ favorite songs. “All the Small Things” is a song that DeLonge needed to tell.
As stated in previous editions of the Song of the Week, lyricism is an important aspect of any song and DeLonge and Hoppus understood that when writing “All the Small Things.” In the song, they utilize personal memories and pathos to narrate DeLonge’s love for Jennifer Jenkins. My favorite lyric in the entire song is:
“All the small things
True care, truth brings
I’ll take one lift
Your ride, best trip
Always, I know
You’ll be at my show
Watching, waiting
Commiserating”
Expressing feelings through music is a recurring theme in Blink-182’s discography. In “All the Small Things,” they sing about DeLonge’s love for Jennifer Jenkins and how he loved her so much that all the small things she does make him happy. They created a song about love and appreciation.”All the Small Things” is a great listen with a powerful message.
