These days, blink-182 are regarded as pop-punk elder statesmen, but they’re nowhere near originators of the subgenre. That honor belongs to NYC legends Ramones, whom the blink boys lovingly impersonate in the music video for their brand-new single “DANCE WITH ME,” the fourth offering from their forthcoming album ONE MORE TIME…
Written by the three members of blink-182, as well as Aaron Rubin and Nick Long, and produced by the trio’s drummer, Travis Barker, “DANCE WITH ME” is a raging punk earworm about struggling to make a love connection. In the opening verse, guitarist Tom DeLonge tries to approach a woman who’s smarter and better looking than he is.
Don’t think, maybe she won’t refuse
She knows everything that I think
That girl, prettiest I could lose
My game’s shittiest it could be
Bassist Mark Hoppus adds his voice to the pre-chorus, as the girl in question begins tearing up the dance floor.
Telling your friends you know you want to (dance with me)
Shaking those hips like the devil’s got you (dance with me)
Then comes the chorus, which seems to promise a full evening of this cat-and-mouse game. Tom and Mark don’t sound mad about it.
OLÉ, OLÉ, OLÉ, OLÉ
Yeah, we’re doing it all night long
On the second verse, DeLonge wears his heart on his sleeve. He wants romance, darn it, and maybe a little more.
Hey you, would you just fall in love?
Like me or am I just too naive?
Tonight it’s getting a bit too rough
But now, really wanting to make her scream
The “DANCE WITH ME” music video plays like one giant homage to the Ramones, and in particular, it nods to the ’80s-era music video for their 1978 classic “I Wanna Be Sedated.”
ONE MORE TIME… is the band’s first album with Hoppus, DeLonge, and Barker since 2011. It’s slated to arrive on October 20. In the meantime, you can read all the lyrics to “DANCE WITH ME” on Genius now.
