Every year seems to need a punkish band that comes along, has one hit that captures the zeitgeist, another that is good but not quite as good, and then vanishes into the ether. Weezer turned the trick in the early part of 2001, OPM did it late last year, now Texas group Bowling For Soup slot into the niche.
What is the formula? Scuzzy guitars, male singer who could pass for 17, at least on record. Lyric about a lass who is too classy for the performer. Cute, funny, and/or self-referential in jokes are a bonus. Virtuosity is rare. Teenage Dirtbag
remains the recent leader in the market.
So, how does this entry measure up? 4/4 beat, scuzzy guitar. "Her name is Mona, she's a rocker with a nose ring" is a direct copy of the opening lines to Wheatus' hit: "Her name is Noelle, I have a dream about her." Interesting bridge, staccato in parts, leading to a rock-by-numbers chorus.
References to the lady doing drugs and fancying wrestlers are also familiar: OPM and Alien Ant Farm, respectively. "She broke my heart, I wanna be sedated, all I wanted was to see her naked" cleverly combines a Ramones reference with large amounts of unrequited lust.
When you think about it, repetition can be no bad thing. This is a prime example. Every element here has been done before, but rarely with as much bare cheek. Can we put this down as the most entertaining but utterly derivative song of the summer? Thought so.
The album Too Drunk To Dance
is in stores now.