When Blink-182 released “Dammit” in September 1997, they were still a band trying to break out of the punk scene they had spent years building their reputation in.
The single arrived a few months after the release of Dude Ranch, the band’s second album, and quickly became the song that introduced Blink-182 to a much wider audience. While tracks like “Josie” and “Apple Shampoo” would become fan favourites, it was “Dammit” that put the San Diego trio on radio stations, MTV and the radar of millions of new listeners.
Written by Mark Hoppus, the song was based around a fictional breakup rather than a real experience. Hoppus imagined the awkward situation of running into an ex-partner who had already moved on with somebody else, a feeling that connected with listeners far beyond the band’s existing fanbase.
One of the most famous parts of the song almost happened by accident. The opening guitar riff was created while Hoppus was playing an acoustic guitar that was missing two strings. Forced to work around the limitation, he stumbled upon the melody that would become one of the most recognisable riffs in pop punk history.
Recording the track presented its own challenges. The song sat slightly outside Hoppus’ natural vocal range, forcing him to push his voice harder than usual. Combined with heavy touring, smoking and long recording sessions, the strain became significant enough that Blink-182 had to cancel part of the Dude Ranch recording schedule while he recovered.
The band recorded “Dammit” between December 1996 and January 1997 at Big Fish Studios in California with producer Mark Trombino. Tom DeLonge later described the song as a breakthrough in Blink-182’s songwriting, and it quickly became clear that the track stood out from everything the band had released previously.
MCA Records began promoting the single during the second half of 1997, with Southern California radio stations among the first to embrace it. The song gained even more momentum when influential Los Angeles station KROQ added it to rotation. MTV soon picked up the music video, helping introduce Blink-182 to audiences who had never attended a punk show or picked up a copy of Dude Ranch.
The response surprised almost everyone involved. Assistant manager Liza Bermingham later recalled watching 10,000 fans erupt during a Warped Tour performance in Australia as soon as the opening notes of “Dammit” were played. Tom DeLonge admitted the band could hardly believe what was happening as the song continued to spread.
By the end of its chart run, “Dammit” had reached number 11 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart and spent 28 weeks there. It also helped push Dude Ranch towards platinum certification in the United States and established Blink-182 as one of the most exciting young bands in alternative music.
Nearly three decades later, “Dammit” remains one of the defining songs of Blink-182’s career. It is still a staple of the band’s live set, regularly appears on lists of the greatest pop punk songs ever written and continues to be the track many fans hear first when discovering Blink-182.
For a song written quickly on a guitar missing two strings, it ended up doing far more than anyone expected!
If you’re a Blink 182 fan, you might want to take a look at the newly launched Reckless Press Shop. We’ve just released a limited run of officially licensed pennants celebrating three iconic eras of the band’s career, with only a small number available.