Enema of the State
Enema of the State is the third studio album by American rock band Blink-182, released on June 1, 1999, by MCA Records. After a long series of performances at various clubs and festivals and several indie recordings throughout the 1990s, Blink-182 first achieved popularity on the Warped Tour and in Australia following the release of their second album Dude Ranch (1997) and its rock radio hit "Dammit." To record their third album, Blink-182 turned to veteran punk rock producer Jerry Finn, who previously worked on Green Day's breakthrough album Dookie (1994). Enema was the band's first album to feature drummer Travis Barker, who replaced original drummer Scott Raynor.
Not to be confused with Enemy of the state.Enema of the State
June 1, 1999
January–March 1999[nb 1]
- Signature Sound, Studio West
- (San Diego, California)
- Mad Hatter, the Bomb Factory
- (Los Angeles, California)
- Conway Recording
- (Hollywood, California)
- Big Fish
- (Encinitas, California)
35:17
The group recorded with Finn over a period of three months at numerous locations, including their hometown of San Diego and in Los Angeles. Finn was key in producing the fast-paced, melodic mixes, creating a pop-punk sound with a more radio-friendly, accessible polish. Lyrically, the album is inspired by adolescent frustration and relationships. Guitarist Tom DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus primarily culled stories from friends and autobiographical situations to craft summer-related tracks revolving around breakups, suburban parties and maturity, as well as more offbeat subject matter such as UFO conspiracy theories. The cover artwork for Enema of the State features porn star Janine Lindemulder famously clad in a nurse uniform; the title is a pun on the term enemy of the state.
Enema of the State was an enormous commercial success, although the band was criticized as synthesized, manufactured pop only remotely resembling punk, and pigeonholed as a joke act due to the puerile slant of its singles and associating music videos. The album sold over 15 million copies worldwide, catapulting the band to become one of the biggest rock bands of the turn of the millennium. "What's My Age Again?", "All the Small Things", and "Adam's Song" became hit singles and MTV staples, generating heavy radio airplay. Enema of the State has retrospectively been hailed as a quintessential pop-punk album and had an extensive impact on the genre and beyond, reinventing it for a new generation, influencing numerous bands as well as artists from other genres, and spawning countless tributes and accolades.
Singles[edit]
To promote Enema of the State, MCA Records released three singles in support: "What's My Age Again?," "All the Small Things," and "Adam's Song." The singles were bigger than anyone in the band expected, crossing over into Top 40 radio format and experiencing major commercial success.[64] "What's My Age Again?" became an "airplay phenomenon," achieving mass success on both radio and television. Its television success made it into an MTV staple.[65][66] It achieved the highest success on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it peaked at number two. It registered within the top 20 on UK Singles Chart as well, peaking at number 17.[66] The music video for "What's My Age Again?," directed by Marcos Siega, famously depicted the band running naked through the streets of Los Angeles.[40][67] A clip of the band streaking opened the 1999 Billboard Awards and the band's affinity for nudity would be referenced in interviews for years to come.[55][68]
"All the Small Things," released in early 2000, became an even bigger success — it crossed over from alt-rock radio to contemporary hit radio, peaking at number six on Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[65] This track stayed at the top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart for eight weeks and remained in the top 10 for 20 weeks.[69] It also peaked at number two on the official UK charts, and within the top ten in Italy, Ireland, Austria, Sweden and Australia.[70] The music video for "All the Small Things" parodies boy bands and contemporary pop videos, and features the trio participating in choreographed dancing and dressing up as members of Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, and 'N Sync.[70] "I was a little surprised it went over so well," recalled Marcos Siega, director of the clip, commenting that he felt it would offend viewers of Total Request Live (TRL) and boy band fans. "I think we had the opposite effect. In some ways, I think that video put Blink at that sort of pop level with those other bands. We were making fun of them, but it kind of became [what it was making fun of]."[70] At the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, it was nominated for Video of the Year and Best Pop Video, and won Best Group Video.[40][71][72]
The third and final single, "Adam's Song," performed less substantially than the first two but still managed to peak at number two on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. The band was engulfed in controversy when Greg Barnes, a survivor of the Columbine High School massacre, set "Adam's Song" on repeat on his stereo and committed suicide in May 2000. Hoppus was very upset when he got the call from band manager Rick DeVoe explaining what happened, as he intended the track as an anti-suicide song.[50][73] Rolling Stone later compared the controversy to that of Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution."[74] Despite that controversy, it managed to connect deeply with fans of the band, who wrote letters to the band remarking the track saved their lives during difficult situations.[75] The constant airplay of the three videos on MTV and TRL cemented the band's image as video stars, amid a climate of teen pop and boy bands.[41]