Whether you want to call it punk, emo or skater, I think it is safe to say that most of us went through a phase of skinny jeans, T-shirts that showed off our favorite bands and concerts at Rocketown in downtown Nashville. Most of us probably wouldn’t admit it, but our music libraries are still full of all the angst-filled music that our 16-year-old selves would blast on our way home from school. Can you blame us, though? These bands spoke to us as overly emotional teenagers and are still pretty relatable to us as 20-somethings trying to figure out who we are. So grab your beanie, T-shirt and your Vans. These are the songs that you still wish you could jam out to front row at Warped Tour.
1. All Time Low – “Dear Maria, Count Me In”
You can’t tell me you didn’t turn the radio and scream at the top of your lungs every time you heard lead singer Alex Gaskarth breathe in and start singing, “I’ve got your picture, I’m coming with you. Dear Maria, count me in... There’s a story at the bottom of this bottle and I’m the pen." I’m 22 and I’m still not entirely sure what that means, but it’s still poetically genius.
2. Panic! At The Disco – “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies”
I could watch the music video to this today and I still couldn’t tell you exactly what was happening. We always had to make sure we censored ourselves around our parents when the chorus came around.
3. Yellowcard – “Ocean Avenue”
Yellowcard successfully made my awkward 16-year-old self want a summer romance like the one in their beachy anthem. It also heightened my desire to be like one of those kids of Laguna Beach. “Let your waves crash down on me and take me away.” Too bad I lived in Murfreesboro and didn’t have access to absolutely any large body of water.
4. My Chemical Romance – “Welcome to the Black Parade”
If you ever wanted to really consider yourself “emo,” My Chemical Romance was your go-to band. I’m pretty sure after “Welcome to the Black Parade,” I wanted to wear black all the time to reflect how much angst I felt and how horrid I thought life was (I now know it wasn’t awful at all). “I’m just a man, I’m not a hero / Just a boy who wants to sing his song.” Same, Gerard Way. Same.
5. Paramore – “Misery Business”
I know I couldn’t be the only girl who wanted to run out and dye my hair bright red all thanks to Miss Hayley Williams. It also doesn’t hurt that they’re Tennessee natives hailing from Franklin. “Misery Business” was the song that made every girl out there feel bad. “I watched his wildest dreams come true / Not one of them involving you.” Made you hate your ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend even more than you already did.
6. We the Kings – “Check Yes, Juliet”
I was raised by amazing parents, but was also pretty sheltered when it came to dating. So when I saw the video for “Check Yes, Juliet,” I completely related. I just couldn’t wait for a redhead with a lip ring and skinny jeans to throw rocks at my window and then sneak out to see him play with his garage band. What part of that doesn’t sound like a fairy tale?
7. Fall Out Boy – “Sugar, We’re Goin' Down”
Were you really in high school in the late 2000s if you didn’t listen to Fall Out Boy? They were most everyone’s gateway band into their punk days. I mean, didn’t we all fall in love with Pete Wentz and his eyeliner? (OK, maybe not so much on the eyeliner) “A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it.” Don’t know what it means, but because Patrick Stump sang it, it’s okay.
8. Mayday Parade – “Miserable at Best”
I think I cried the first hundred times I heard this song because at 17 years old, I was positive that I could understand the heartbreak that Derek Sanders so depressingly sang about. But let’s be real, it is an absolutely beautiful song regardless of what phase you’re going through. “I can live without you, but without you, I’ll be miserable at best.” Pass the tissues, please.
9. AFI – “Miss Murder”
If I could name one song that made me feel like a complete rebel, it's this one. I just don’t know why. Maybe it’s the heavy guitar solos or the deep and somewhat dark lyrics? This is the song I’m pretty sure made my mom worry. “With just a look they shook/ and heavens bowed before him.” Just makes me want to start a mosh pit.
10. Jack’s Mannequin – “Dark Blue”
Jack’s Mannequin made me want to date a guy in a band so he could write a song about me that would be as romantic as I thought “Dark Blue” was. The lyrics still make little sense to me, but the thought that the “world could be burning till there’s nothing but dark blue” is still enough to make me weak at the knees.
