Mix Tape of the Day: February 4, 2015 - The Offspring! Finally!

Hey, it's time to talk about the Offspring!  I like a lot of Offspring songs!  Let's enjoy this pessimistic view of youth culture!

1. Come Out and Play - The Offspring (1994) Hard to believe that for a time, this was the only Offspring song.  I mean, obviously, they had other songs, but I was just so used to this one when it came out, that I didn't even know they were capable of anything else.  I was a dumb kid.

2. Self Esteem - The Offspring (1994) Clearly I had some growing up to do.  An elementary schooler just can't identify with the works of The Offspring.  Eventually, I grew up and found, wow, I understand a whole new side of music/life.

3. Gone Away - The Offspring (1997) The fun of these mixes is rediscovering your favorite songs.  I remembered I liked a lot of Offspring, but they kept me on my toes. "Oh yeah! That was an Offspring song too!  Awesome!"

4. Want You Bad - The Offspring (2000) I'm skipping over Americana for a bit, to jump to some of Offspring's 2000s work.  I'll admit, this is uncharted territory for me, but it's filled with that classic sound and interesting song topics.  And the English major in me enjoys this one's title.

5. Hit That - The Offspring (2003) Hadn't heard this one until today, but it's definitely got that good Offspring hook.  They are really good at hooks.

6. (Can't Get My) Head Around You - The Offspring (2003) Another jaunty tune.

7. Feelings - The Offspring (1998) This was the album I've listened to the most and I was tempted to just put the whole album on the list.  As a kid, the cover creeped me out so much (especially the implied death of the kid on the booklet artwork), so I set it aside and rediscovered it as an adult.  It was so much fun finding all my favorite Offspring songs already existed on an album I owned.  This "Feelings" cover is just great and perfect.

8. Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) - The Offspring (1998) Thanks to Weird Al's "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi, my father purchased Americana.  For most of my childhood, this was the only song on the album I'd listen to (well, "Walla Walla" was fun too).  I always enjoy when a band does a comedic song.

9. Why Don't You Get a Job? - The Offspring (1998) The Offspring can paint such vivid pictures of life.  More songs should be as on the nose as this one.

10. The Kids Aren't Alright - The Offspring (1998) If I had to distill The Offspring to one song, I'd pick this one.  This is the signature tune on their signature album.

11. She's Got Issues - The Offspring (1998) Revisiting Americana was such a great choice.  The best decision I've ever made.  Otherwise, I may have overlooked all of these gems.  What else am I possibly missing?

12. Days Go By - The Offspring (2012) I'm giving a shout out to this more recent track since it reminds me of a more fun "No Rain."  But to me, the last Offspring song that really feels like classic Offspring is...

13. You're Gonna Go Far Kid - The Offspring (2008) I know I basically said all of these songs are my favorite, but I mean it with this one.  Need motivation?  Here you go!