I have a theory that musical trends always come in twos. Grunge had Pearl Jam and Nirvana. Heavy metal had Guns N Roses and Metallica. Glam metal had Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. Nu Metal had Limp Bizkit and Korn. Boy Bands had Backstreet Boys and *Nsynce. Girl pop had Britney and Christina. The duo trend goes on and on…Tupac and Biggie, The Beatles and the Stones, Michael Jackson and Prince, Boston and Journey, The Beastie Boys and Run DMC, Skrillex and Deadmau5, U2 and R.E.M., Depeche Mode and the Cure, Katy Pery and Lady Gaga, the White Stripes and the Black Keys. Sure there are a lot of other grand bands that fill out the rest of a musical trend…but it always comes down to two who lead the pack…and it always split the fans.
In 1994, it was Green Day and The Offspring, when these two bands broke out into the mainstream with their albums Dookie and Smash. It was a pop punk revolution that quickly silenced the grunge. Loyalties split…you either liked Green Day or The Offspring. You couldn’t like both or people would think you had no taste in music. Green Day was seen as the Berkeley stoner punks who had one shtick in their arsenal…and that was to sound as much like the Clash and the Ramones as possible (note: another duo). The Offspring were a bunch of white Orange County slackers who sang songs about the perks of being ghetto trash (ironically, the lead singer was a PHD candidate in molecular biology at USC). Picking between these two bands said a lot about who you were personally. Were you an earthy pothead or a surf dude looking for a fight?
Neither band was really given too much respect. Though they exploded on the mainstream…both bands were viewed as being moderately talented and lacked range to sustain a real career. Both bands have now been making music for twenty years consistently. And to be even more impressive…both bands are as equally trendy and popular among fans as they were when they came out. To survive twenty years in the music industry and still be trendy is an incredibly hard feat. Most of the bands in the rock n roll hall of fame couldn’t even do that. As cheesy and ridiculous as some of the Offspring’s songs are…maybe it’s time we start giving them a little respect.
Here are the 11 Best songs By The Offspring:
- The Kids Aren’t Alright (Americana)
- Self-Esteem (Smash)
- Gone Away (Ixnay on the Hombre)
- Forever And A Day (Ignition)
- All I Want (Ixnay on the Hombre)
- Bad Habit (Smash)
- Vultures (Conspiracy of One)
- Totalimmortal (Me, Myself, and Irene)
- A Lot Like Me (Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace)
- Smash It Up (Batman Forever)
- Session (Ignition)
Buy the Offspring’s new album, Days Go By…now!!!