Greatest Hits (Blink-182 album)

Blink-182: Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by Blink-182
Released	October 31, 2005
Recorded	1994–2005
Genre	Pop punk punk rock skate punk alternative rock
Length	54:38
Label	Geffen
Producer	O Mark Trombino Jerry Finn Blink-182
Blink-182 chronology
Blink-182 (2003) Greatest Hits (2005) Neighborhoods (2011)
Singles from Greatest Hits
"Not Now" Released: November 28, 2005 "Another Girl, Another Planet" Released: December 23, 2005 (Airplay)

Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album of American rock band Blink-182. It was released on October 31, 2005 by Geffen Records. Greatest Hits was created by Geffen shortly after the band's February 2005 breakup, termed an "indefinite hiatus" by the label. Tensions had risen in the group and guitarist Tom DeLonge desired to take time off. Bassist Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker argued with DeLonge regarding the band's future and their possible next album, and heated exchanges led to DeLonge's exit. In the interim, Hoppus and Barker continued playing together in +44, and DeLonge formed his new outfit Angels & Airwaves.

The compilation collects the band's most successful singles with one new song and a non-album track. The collection covers tracks from the band's debut album Cheshire Cat (1995) to their most recent studio effort to that time, Blink-182 (2003). Greatest Hits features numerous hit singles by the band, including "Dammit", "What's My Age Again?", "All the Small Things", "The Rock Show", "First Date", "Feeling This" and "I Miss You". The B-side "Not Now", which was recorded during the Blink-182 sessions, makes its first appearance on this compilation and was released as its lead single; a cover of "Another Girl, Another Planet" by the Only Ones was sent to radio as an airplay single.

Greatest Hits peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 album chart. Critics were generally very positive regarding Greatest Hits, viewing it a suitable, reflective compilation of the band's hits. Andy Greenwald of Blender called it a "flawless compilation," covering the group's transition from "nudists to near-geniuses."^[1] The compilation was released alongside a DVD of the same name, a collection of the trio's music videos to that point in time. Greatest Hits has been certified platinum in Canada and triple platinum in Australia.

Background

Tom DeLonge performing in 2004 with Blink-182. He left the group the following year.

By 2004, Blink-182, consisting of guitarist Tom DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker, had emerged as the biggest pop punk act of the era, releasing the seven-times-multiplatinum Enema of the State (1999) and number one album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001).^[2] The band took a brief break in 2002 when DeLonge suffered a herniated disc in his back,^[3] during which time he collected several darker musical ideas he felt unsuitable for Blink-182, compiling them into a record, Box Car Racer. The album, recorded with the help of Hazen Street guitarist and longtime friend David Kennedy, was intended as a one-time experimental project but evolved into a full-fledged band with Barker behind the kit. The side project would cause great division between DeLonge and Hoppus, who was not included and felt betrayed.^[4] The moody subject matter and music on Box Car Racer edged its way into the Blink sound as well, and the band explored experimentalist elements on their next effort, an eponymous fifth studio album (2003).^[5][6][7] Geffen Records, after the success of Box Car Racer, offered DeLonge a solo recording deal, which he declined, feeling that it would cast a negative shadow over the band. Nevertheless, the possible deal loomed over the band, contributing to internal tension.^[8]

The trio embarked on a European tour the following fall, during which DeLonge felt increasingly conflicted both about his creative freedom within the group and the toll touring was taking on his family life.^[9] "It became [that] we weren't a band, it wasn't the three of us working together for a goal," said Hoppus, "it was like me and Travis having to pull his along, and be like, 'Come on, let's go, let's do this that we all created and that we love.'"^{[10]:150–51} DeLonge eventually expressed his desire to take a half-year respite from touring in order to spend more time with family.^[11] Hoppus and Barker were dismayed by his decision, which they felt was an overly long break.^[12] In addition, DeLonge was not fond of Barker's new reality television series, Meet the Barkers; he disliked television cameras everywhere, feeling as though his personal privacy was invaded.^[13] Following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, DeLonge agreed to perform at Music for Relief's Concert for South Asia, a benefit show to aid victims. Further arguments ensued during rehearsals, rooted in the band member's increasing paranoia and bitterness toward one another.^[14] DeLonge asserted he would only record another album at his home in San Diego, suggesting he mail Pro Tools files back and forth to Hoppus and Barker in Los Angeles. The duo were flexible regarding DeLonge's time off, but became angry when he began deciding "when we can and can't tour, when and how we can record."^{[10]:150–51}

He considered his bandmates priorities "mad, mad different," coming to the conclusion that the trio had simply grew apart as they aged, had families, and reached fame. The breakdown in communication led to heated exchanges, resulting in his exit from the group.^[4] Manager Rick DeVoe phoned Hoppus and Barker the next day to tell them that DeLonge had quit the band, stating: "As of today, Tom DeLonge is no longer a member of Blink-182."^[15] DeLonge subsequently changed his telephone number to avoid discussing the matter with Hoppus and Barker.^{[10]:150–51} Rumors had already begun to swirl when the band unexpectedly pulled out of the benefit show, and intensified when Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction posted on his blog that the band had indeed broken up.^{[10]:138–39} The band's label, Geffen, announced on February 22, 2005 that Blink-182 would be going on an "indefinite hiatus".^[16]

Songs

	"Not Now" "Not Now", the lead single central to this compilation.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Greatest Hits opens with "Carousel", which was the very first song Hoppus and DeLonge wrote together upon their meeting in August 1992.^[17]:10 It has been described by journalist Joe Shooman as "a satisfyingly fast-assed punk song in the vein of NOFX with some very adept dynamic breakdowns." The band's first promotional single, "M+M's", follows, which is based around power chords and Hoppus' lead vocal of a vacation elsewhere.^[10]:24–25 "Dammit", which was the band's first major-label single and also their first radio hit, is themed around maturity and the refrain, "Well I guess this is growing up."^[17]:42 The distinctive riff of "Dammit" was created when Hoppus was forced to skip over the missing two strings on an acoustic guitar.^[17]:70 It reached number 11 on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1998, and received heavy radio airplay.^[18] "Josie" is about "being stoked on a girl."^[19] It contains references to the bands Unwritten Law and Dance Hall Crashers ("My girlfriend likes UL and DHC"), two groups the band toured with in the mid-1990s.^[10]:44

Drummer Travis Barker, who joined the group in 1998, performs on the majority of songs on Greatest Hits.

"What's My Age Again?" was originally titled "Peter Pan Complex", referencing the subject matter: one who refuses to grow up.^[20] Its music video features the band running in the nude through the streets of Los Angeles and became an MTV staple.^[21][10]:69 The power pop-inspired "All the Small Things" was composed by DeLonge as both an ode to his girlfriend and one of his favorite bands, the Ramones.^[22][23] The single, released in early 2000, was the band's biggest mainstream hit, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[21] "Adam's Song," the piano-laced seventh track of the compilation, was written primarily based on the loneliness that Hoppus experienced during unending days of touring in 1997-98.^[17]:83 "Man Overboard" is based on former drummer Scott Raynor and his firing from the band for alcohol abuse.^[10]:80

"The Rock Show" details two teenagers meeting a rock concert, and, despite failing grades and disapproving parents, the two remain in love.^[10]:84 Hoppus wrote the song based on memories of the San Diego club Soma.^[24] "First Date" was inspired by DeLonge and wife Jennifer Jenkins' first date at SeaWorld San Diego.^[2] The track was written as a summary of neurotic teen angst and awkwardness.^[2] "Stay Together for the Kids" is written from the point of view of a helpless child of divorce.^[25] DeLonge wrote the song based on his parents' own divorce.^[26] "Feeling This" follows, and "illustrates a scenario of lust, ambivalence and regret," according to journalist Jon Wiederhorn.^[7] Its lyrics were intended to represent the lustful side of sex during the verses, the passionate side in the bridge and the romantic side in the chorus.^[2]

"I Miss You" was recorded entirely acoustic,^[27] and covers vulnerability in relationships.^[28] "Down" continues the theme of longing, set to a rain-drenched soundscape.^{[10]:122–24} "Always" was inspired by 1980s music in its tone;^[29] its lyrics, according to DeLonge, are about "wanting to hold a chick all night long."^[30] "Not Now", a B-side from the band's 2003 album and first included on this compilation, features a church organ in its verses and guitar riffs reminiscent of the Descendents; its subject matter continues the theme of complicated miscommunication and fading love.^{[10]:122–24} The album closes with "Another Girl, Another Planet", which is a cover of the song by the Only Ones and was used as the title theme for Barker's MTV reality series, Meet the Barkers.

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[31]
Blender	[1]
Rolling Stone	[32]

Greatest Hits was first announced on August 29, 2005; it was initially slated to have a live version of "Man Overboard".^[33] The album's artwork is a smilie surrounded by arrows, which was first introduced on the band's 2003 album; it was illustrated by Mister Cartoon, a friend of drummer Travis Barker. In addition, the photography for Greatest Hits was supplied by another friend of Barker, Estevan Oriol.^[34] SA Studios handled the art direction for the compilation.^[35]

"Not Now" was selected to be the lead single, but was contested by the management between the former band members at the time. DeLonge's manager and original Blink manager Rick DeVoe supported "Not Now", while Hoppus and Barker's new management, Irving Azoff, lobbied for "Another Girl, Another Planet".^[36]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Greatest Hits peaked at number six on both the Billboard 200 and the magazine's Top Internet Albums chart.^[37] Greatest Hits charted highest in Canada, where it peaked at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart.^[38] The collection's second best performance arrived on Australia's ARIA Charts, where it peaked at number four.^[39] In the United Kingdom, the album also peaked at number six.^[40] The album also peaked at number nine in Austria,^[41] and number 12 on the French Albums Chart.^[42] The album charted lower in areas such as Japan, Germany, and New Zealand, but still within the top 40 of each respective country.^[43][44][45]

Critical reception

Andy Greenwald of Blender called it a "flawless compilation," covering the group's transition from "nudists to near-geniuses."^[1] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic found the collection ran a little long, but overall deemed it an "intermittently entertaining collection."^[31]

Track listing

Standard edition[46]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Carousel"	Mark Hoppus Tom DeLonge	3:11
2.	"M+M's"	Hoppus DeLonge	2:35
3.	"Dammit"	Hoppus DeLonge Scott Raynor	2:45
4.	"Josie"	Hoppus DeLonge Raynor	3:05
5.	"What's My Age Again?"	Hoppus DeLonge	2:28
6.	"All the Small Things"	Hoppus DeLonge	2:51
7.	"Adam's Song"	Hoppus DeLonge	4:06
8.	"Man Overboard"	Hoppus DeLonge	2:47
9.	"The Rock Show"	Hoppus DeLonge Travis Barker	2:48
10.	"First Date"	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	2:50
11.	"Stay Together for the Kids"	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	3:52
12.	"Feeling This"	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	2:53
13.	"I Miss You"	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	3:47
14.	"Down"	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	3:12
15.	"Always"	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	4:17
16.	"Not Now"	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	4:23
17.	"Another Girl, Another Planet" (originally performed by The Only Ones)	Peter Perrett	2:41

Greatest Hits DVD
No.	Title	Director(s)	Length
1.	"Dammit"	Darren Doane Ken Daurio	2:51
2.	"Josie"	Doane Daurio	3:36
3.	"What's My Age Again?"	Marcos Siega	2:27
4.	"All the Small Things"	Siega	2:53
5.	"Adam's Song"	Liz Friedlander	4:14
6.	"Man Overboard"	Siega	2:56
7.	"The Rock Show"	The Malloys	3:08
8.	"Stay Together for the Kids" (original version)	Samuel Bayer	3:32
9.	"First Date"	The Malloys	3:58
10.	"Feeling This"	David LaChapelle	3:09
11.	"I Miss You"	Jonas Åkerlund	3:50
12.	"Down"	Estevan Oriol	3:17
13.	"Always"	Joseph Khan	4:12

Deluxe edition bonus DVD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"What's My Age Again?" (live in Chicago)	3:36
2.	"Anthem Part Two" (live in Chicago)	2:34
3.	"Carousel" (live in Chicago)	2:39
4.	"Feeling This" (making of the video)	2:01
5.	"I Miss You" (making of the video)	2:01
6.	"Down" (recording and the video)	5:06
7.	"Greatest Hits Trailer"	3:03

International version
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
18.	"Aliens Exist" (live in Los Angeles)	Hoppus DeLonge	3:13

UK version
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
18.	"I Won't Be Home for Christmas"	Hoppus DeLonge Raynor	3:17
19.	"Go" (BBC Radio 1 session)	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	1:51

Japanese version
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
18.	"I Won't Be Home for Christmas"	Hoppus DeLonge Raynor	3:17
19.	"Don't Tell Me It's Over"	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	2:33
20.	"I Miss You" (live in Minneapolis)	Hoppus DeLonge Barker	3:58

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[35]

Blink-182 Mark Hoppus – vocals, bass guitar, production Tom DeLonge – vocals, guitars, production Travis Barker – drums, percussion, production Scott Raynor – drums, percussion on "Carousel", "M+M's", "Dammit", "Josie" and "I Won't Be Home for Christmas" (on international edition) Additional musicians Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – keyboards Artwork SA Studios – art direction Estavan Oriol – photography Rob Abeyta – design Mister Cartoon – illustration Production Jerry Finn – producer, mix engineer of "Feeling This", "Not Now", and "Another Girl, Another Planet" Mark Trombino – producer and keyboards on "Dammit", "Josie", producer on "I Won't Be Home for Christmas" (on international edition) O – producer of "Carousel" and "M+M's" Miti Adhikari – producer of "Go" (BBC Radio 1 Session) (on international edition) Tom Lord-Alge – mix engineer

Steve Kravac – mix engineer of "Carousel" and "M+M's" Ryan Hewitt – mix engineer of "Always" and on "I Miss You (Live in Minneapolis)" (on Japanese edition) Joe McGrath – engineer on "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" (on Japanese edition) Brian Gardner – mastering Dave Collins – mastering on "I Miss You (Live in Minneapolis)" (on Japanese edition)

Charts

Album Chart (2005) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 4 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[41] 4 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[47] 61 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[38] 3 French Albums (SNEP)[42] 12 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[44] 26 Irish Albums (IRMA)[48] 22 Italian Albums (FIMI)[49] 28 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[43] 28 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[45] 23 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[50] 45 UK Albums (OCC)[40] 6 US Billboard 200[37] 6

DVD Chart (2005) Peak position Australia Top 40 DVD (ARIA)[51] 7

Certifications

^[52]

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[53]	3× Platinum	210,000^^
Canada (Music Canada)[54]	Platinum	100,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[55]	2× Platinum	600,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Greenwald, Andy (November 2005). "Mile-High Club". Blender. Alpha Media Group: 163.
2. Browne, Nichola (November 20, 2005). "Punk Rock! Nudity! Filthy Sex! Tom DeLonge Looks Back On Blink-182's Greatest Moments". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1083). ISSN 0262-6624.
3. Moss, Corey (2002-04-09). "Box Car Racer about end of the world, not end of Blink-182". MTV (MTV.com). Retrieved 2010-05-15.
4. James Montgomery (October 28, 2005). "Tom DeLonge: No More Compromises". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
5. "Tom DeLonge talks guitar tones, growing up and Blink". Total Guitar. Bath, United Kingdom: Future Publishing. October 12, 2012. ISSN 1355-5049. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
6. Sean Richardson (May 23, 2002). "Blink 183: Box Car Racer go for a spin". The Phoenix. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
7. Jon Wiederhorn (August 11, 2003). "Blink-182 Tone Down Pranks, Get Down to Real 'Action' on Next LP". MTV News. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
8. Scott Heisel (May 2006). "Here We Go, Life's Waiting to Begin". Alternative Press. Cleveland, Ohio: Alternative Press Magazine, Inc.: 136–140. ISSN 1065-1667.
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10. Shooman, Joe (June 24, 2010). Blink-182: The Bands, The Breakdown & The Return. Independent Music Press. ISBN 978-1-90619-110-8.
11. Tom Bryant (May 2006). "Jesus Christ Pose". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group: 20–24. ISSN 0262-6624.
12. Spence D. (April 8, 2005). "+44 Interview". IGN. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
13. "AVA Article". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group. October 2005. ISSN 0262-6624.
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19. Bell, Carrie (February 21, 1998). "The Modern Age". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
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25. Greg Heller (June 2001). "All the Big Things". Alternative Press. No. 155. Alternative Magazines Inc. pp. 56–64. ISSN 1065-1667.
26. William Shaw (August 2002). "Why Are America's Rock Bands So Goddamned Angry?". Blender. Archived from the original on September 11, 2002. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
27. Richard Harrington (June 11, 2004). "Seriously, Blink-182 Is Growing Up". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
28. Jon Wiederhorn (December 1, 2003). "Coincidence? Blink-182 Releasing 'I Miss You' When Barker Takes Break". MTV News. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
29. Joe D'Angelo (November 12, 2004). "Blink-182 Celebrate Longevity With '80s-Sounding 'Always'". MTV News. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
30. Moss, Corey (August 10, 2004). "Blink-182's DeLonge Expects 'Always' To Change Life As We Know It". MTV (MTV.com). Retrieved July 26, 2016.
31. Greatest Hits at AllMusic
32. Brackett, Nathan (ed.) (2008). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Fireside, 904 pp. First edition, 2004.
33. "For The Record: Quick News On Ashlee Simpson, 3 Doors Down, Blink-182, Axl Rose, Deftones & More". MTV News. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
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40. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
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External links

• Greatest Hits at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)