2019 single by Blink-182
"Blame It on My Youth" is a song recorded by American rock band Blink-182. The song was released on May 8, 2019, through Columbia Records, as the lead single from the band's eighth studio album Nine. The song is an upbeat, nostalgic track that recounts the band's early days. It was written by bassist Mark Hoppus, drummer Travis Barker, and guitarist Matt Skiba, as well as producer Tim Pagnotta, and songwriters Sam Hollander and Matt Malpass. The song debuted with a lyric video featuring renowned graffiti artist Risk.
Background
"Blame It on My Youth" originated from a drum pattern that drummer Travis Barker created that the band and their songwriters took and developed further.[1] The song was produced and co-written by Tim Pagnotta, best known for his work with the Strumbellas, Neon Trees, and Plain White T's.[2] Additional writers credited on the track include Sam Hollander and Matt Malpass. The song was their first release with Columbia Records, with whom they signed for Nine.[2] Lyrically, the song nostalgically recounts the band members' upbringings, and how they came to start a band.[3]
Composition
John Aubert of All Punked Up described "Blame It on My Youth" as "a modern-pop-nostalgia track" which rings "true to failed youths on the dawn of the millennia".[4] Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan labeled the song "fist-pumping, festival-ready 'whoa-oh' rock".[5] However, in a review of the song's parent album Nine, Sacher unfavorably linked the song to "empty, Imagine Dragons-style arena rock".[6] Jim Moster and Jacob Neisewander of The Observer noted that the band "declares victory over their childhood circumstances amidst a blend of electronic and rock elements" on "Blame It on My Youth".[7]
Release and reception
The band announced the single one day after unveiling their 2019 headlining tour with rapper Lil Wayne;[15] it premiered on May 8, 2019 on all streaming platforms, as well as on radio. Travis Barker also guested on KROQ's Kevin and Bean that morning and discussed the song's origins.[1] It premiered with a lyric video online featuring famed graffiti artist Risk spray-painting the song's lyrics on a wall in a time lapse.[15]
Lake Schatz at Consequence of Sound described the song as bouncy and anthemic,[3] while Claire Shaffer of Rolling Stone said the song "celebrates their continued youthfulness and tendencies toward teenage rebellion."[15] Ali Shutler at NME considered the tune a fearless exploration of a new sound, and reminiscent of "classic Blink."[16]
Despite positive reviews from critics, "Blame It on My Youth" was poorly received by a large number of fans. Hoppus said that these reactions confused him, as he considered it "the most obvious Blink-182 song on the whole record," while Skiba thought it was funny that some fans thought it was a prank.[17] In response to the feedback, Hoppus said "I can't try and write a song to hit a moving target of what I think people are going to expect Blink is or should be or what they want Blink to be... And we've never sat down with the intent of 'Let's write a radio single' because what is a radio single? I don't know what works with radio. I can't write a song for the radio."[18] Hollander later wrote in his 2022 memoir 21-Hit Wonder: Flopping My Way to the Top of the Charts that the tune was "crucified by a portion of their fanbase. They wanted to try something new artistically and were willing to take the hate for it."[19]
