First Date (Blink-182 song)

Prior to recording their fourth studio album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, Blink-182 recorded demos at DML Studios, a small practice studio in Escondido, California, where the band had written Dude Ranch and Enema of the State.[1] The group had written a dozen songs after three weeks and invited their manager, Rick DeVoe, to be the first person outside Blink-182 to hear the new material, which the band found "catchy [but with] a definitive edge".[2][1][3] DeVoe sat in the control room and quietly listened to the recordings, and pressed the band at the end on why there was no "Blink-182 good-time summer anthem [thing]". DeLonge and Hoppus were furious, remarking, "You want a fucking single? I'll write you the cheesiest, catchiest, throwaway fucking summertime single you've ever heard!"[1][4] Hoppus went home and wrote "The Rock Show" in ten minutes, and DeLonge similarly wrote "First Date", which became the most successful singles from the record and future live staples.[3] The song's arrangement was worked in the Famous Stars and Straps warehouse in San Diego.[5]

The song was inspired by DeLonge's then-wife, Jennifer Jenkins, who he wed in 2001. When they were first dating, their first outing was to SeaWorld San Diego.[3] DeLonge remembered how awkward it was: "We just hung out and walked around looking at fish." He pulled from these experiences to write the tune, a summary of "going on a first date with a girl and not necessarily knowing how to act, what to wear or what to say."[6]

Joshua Klein of The Washington Post found the track "immediately likable," if innocuous,[7] while Gina Vivinetto of Tampa Bay Times called the song a "tender tune."[8] Darren Ratner, reviewing for Allmusic, writes that the song serves as "therapy for post-pubescent dilemma," adding that he found it "sharp, if not entertaining."[9] Aaron Scott of Slant Magazine expressed the belief that the "biggest chunk of the record-buying public is just the right age to relate to their songs about first dates," viewing its parent album on the whole monotonous.[10] Nick Hornby, writing for The New Yorker, said the song proceeds "straightforwardly and unimaginatively."[11] Chuck Taylor at Billboard was dismissive, commenting, "Fans will dig it — otherwise it's business as usual for a band who's made the most of its 15 minutes."[12]

"First Date" was serviced as a single in Europe in October 2001, and in North America in January 2002.[13] It first debuted on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart in the issue dated February 2, 2002 at position 25;[14] it began collecting significant airplay two weeks later.[12] It first hit the top ten in the week ending March 16,[15] and reached its peak at number six during the week of April 6,[16] where it remained for four weeks.[17] It dropped out of the top ten in the week ending May 11,[18] and fell off the ranking after 25 weeks, on July 27, 2002.[19]

The video features the trio riding around in a red Volkswagen van.

The music video for "First Date" pays homage to 1970s culture, featuring the band acting as long-haired hippie versions of themselves. Clad in long wigs, bell-bottoms and butterfly collars, the trio drive around a quiet suburb in a Volkswagen van, making stops at a diner and water park.[13] The video, directed by The Malloys, was filmed over three days in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, and performance footage was filmed in a garage decorated with 1970s paraphernalia.[13] Singer Jordan Pundik and guitarist Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory, with whom the band were touring at the time, make cameo appearances in the clip.[13] Journalist Joe Shooman interpreted the video as a retelling of the film Dazed and Confused.[20] Elements of the clip's concept stemmed from DeLonge, who viewed a documentary on the Bee Gees and found their hair and clothing outrageous: "I called up Mark and was like, 'Dude you've got to watch this shit.' These dudes are on top of a mountain, singing face to face, with the sunset behind them," he recounted.[21] The video debuted on MTV's Total Request Live on January 18, 2002;[22] it was added to the playlists of MuchMusic in Canada during the week of February 9, 2002,[23] and the College Television Network on March 16.[15] As its radio performance peaked, it attracted airplay on MTV; it was first listed on Billboard's Video Monitor, ranking the most-played clips on television stations, in the week of April 20, 2002.[24]

A shot from the video, where DeLonge's character Boomer mouths the phrase "what the fuck", became a popular GIF online in the late 2010s. In addition, DeLonge's company, To the Stars, has produced merchandise based on the Boomer character.[21]

All tracks are written by Blink-182.

All tracks are written by Blink-182.

• blink-182 - First Date on YouTube
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics