Blink-182, Happy Days | Track Review

Veteran pop-punk collective Blink-182 returns with its third single of 2019, “Happy Days” following “Generational Divide” and “Blame It on My Youth.”

According to blink-182, specifically Mark Hoppus, “I wanna feel happy days, happy days.” “Happy Days” serves as a single from the band’s forthcoming album.  The song is upbeat and as the aforementioned, key lyrics from the chorus suggest, looks to find happiness in spite of pain.

The chorus, the centerpiece, goes something like this in its entirety:

“I wanna feel happy days, happy days

Happy days, happy days

Walls of isolation inside of my pain

And I don’t know if I’m ready to change

I wanna feel happy days, happy days

Happy days, happy days

All of this frustration inside of my brain

And I don’t know if I’m ready to change.”

Prior to that, Hoppus sets things up respectably on the verses.  On the first, he encourages the “kid” not to “quit your daydream yet” as well as “don’t listen to your head.” Interestingly, the second verse is written differently, referencing the adversity.  A perfect example is the powerful opening line, “Some nights, you call for the jaws of life / To pull you out of the crash.”  Despite the slightly different approaches between verses, the sentiment is the same, and it all comes back to the aforementioned, spirited chorus.  Later, a bridge further amplifies the spirit (“We faced all our demons / We chased all our dreams and…”) leading into the final, major-key chorus.

Final Thoughts

All in all, “Happy Days” is an enjoyable, well-rounded blink-182 record.  It’s energetic and optimistic in the sense that the band encourages keeping dreams alive and ultimately showing resolve despite adversity.  Does the pop-punk band reinvent the wheel? No. Is “Happy Days” another “All the Small Things?” Also no. But, “Happy Days” is respectable by all means.

Blink-182 • Happy Days [Single] • Viking Wizard Eyes / Columbia • Release: 7.1.19

Photo Credits: Viking Wizard Eyes / Columbia