I grew up on John Hughes
movies, loved them, but he wasn’t saying anything new; high school is a
microcosm of the ‘real world’—whatever that is. Then another filmmaker released “Heathers” (1989) and I
realized that social cliques don’t have to be the ‘end-all-be-all’ of my
existence. Winona Ryder played “Veronica”
and was part of the school’s strongest clique – ‘The Heathers.’ This movie has a ton of great quotes, but I
want to focus on one of her monologues, which states, “Dear Diary, my teen
angst bullshit has a body count!” No, I didn’t want anyone to die in my
high school, but the movie was a great commentary on how ridiculous things can
get when you are a teenager. For all
practical purposes, if you survive high school, the rest of your life is
simpler by comparison, but not any easier.
With bullying and intolerance on the rise (Check out the current movie “Bully”), the problems that plague an
average teenager on a daily basis can be a bit daunting. Sometimes a song can give you perspective in
your situation. There is nothing new,
or innovative, about these songs, but they do convey the classic story of how
life can suck when you think you have it figured out. Yeah, there are a lot of Punk Rock Songs that deal with this
issue, but I wanted a bit of levity with my angst. These songs border on EMO, but we’re not going to go
there…yet.
Eskimo!
P.S. This list is dedicated to
the memory of Dick Clark—the world’s oldest
Teenager. May his legacy live on in the youth of today! Playlist for Teen AngstBullshit
1. Wheatus
- “Teenage Dirtbag”(2000)
I swear this video is a depiction
of my high school experience; it has the teen angst bullshit quality to
it. I have finally realized something
about high school—no one has it easy. Even if you are popular there are always
parts of you life that are undesirable.
I’d like to think that I was one of those parts that made people feel
awkward in high school, because I was a punk before punk was cool. It didn’t bother me that they didn’t want to
hang around with me, because honestly, I didn’t want to hang around with
them. Eventually, curiosity gets the
best of everyone and discussions of my blue spiky hair and leather jacket got a
dialogue going. I’m not saying that I
became friends with other cliques, but some of the rock music buttons that I
was wearing on my jacket were some of the same bands that other people were
listening to at the time. You can find
common ground in any situation; you just have to be open to the possibility.
2. Live
on Release - "I'm Afraid of Britney Spears" (2001)
This song is from the soundtrack
of “Dude, Where’s My Car?” Though I like a good Top-40 song, this one is
a great commentary on popular culture.
Mostly, high school is all about fitting in to a particular group, but
in reality, it’s so much easier to just be yourself. It’s really easy to jump on the bandwagon and define yourself by
the music you listen to, but you are your own story. It’s okay to try new things, and never be
afraid of liking what you like. Heck, I
like the bands that Live On Release comment about in this song. To me, music is all-good, but remember not
to get caught up in the trends of the day, or to take an artist too seriously. This
band is no longer around, but each of the members has moved on and continues to
create great music. One person in
particular, Britt Black, went on to play guitar with Bif Naked,
and then evolved into her own solo career.
3.
Simple Plan - “I'm Just A Kid”(2002)
This is a song from the movie, “The
New Kid,” and the music video has some great cameo appearances by the actors
from that movie. The video is an
over-the-top dramatization of some unfortunate circumstances a teenager goes
though when trying to understand his place in the pecking order of life. What he doesn’t realize is that a lot of
other people feel the same way about their life, and he doesn’t need to suffer
alone. Sometimes you have to just put
yourself out there and have faith that you’ll get the girl at the end of the
story…sometimes.
4.
Fountains Of Wayne - “Stacy's Mom”(2003)
Let your cougars roar! This song
has the feel of “Just What I Needed”
by The Cars, and pays homage to the movie, “Fast Times at Ridgemont
High”(1982). Yeah, I was fascinated
with an adult female figure (no pun intended) growing up, but it never went
anywhere. I think it’s healthy to look,
but not touch, in these situations.
Parents have a hard time (again, no pun intended) discussing sex with their
kids and having an outlet to explore your feelings is only natural—just don’t
let it become an obsession. With stories
of older instructors (both male and female) embracing their youthful students
(both male and female) plaguing the news, I can’t help but think that we’ve all
gotten the wrong message about intimacy.
You can be inspired by someone, who is an authority figure, but don’t
cross the line, because it can have terrible consequences.
5.
Bowling For Soup - “High School Never Ends”(2006)
Oh my Lord, this is true, but you
don’t have to let cliques get you down.
A few years ago, I attended my high school reunion and I was fascinated
by how I just slipped back into some arbitrary pecking order when I walked into
the room. As the evening went on, I
realized that a lot of the people, whom I had grown up with, were more than the
clique that they had aligned themselves with back then. It’s really easy to slip back into old
routines, but just because we were one thing back then, does not mean that we
are the same person now. Life gives you
a myriad of experiences and it’s up to you to learn from them. I have moved on, and you can
too.
6.
The Actual - “This Is The Worst Day Of My Life”(2007)
I love the misery loves company
concept here. Sometimes a situation can
seem contradictory in your reaction to angst, but it’s all-good. I’m not sure if this is a
please-feel-sorry-for-me song or a commiseration manifesto. In any case, you don’t have to be alone in
your angst; you can invite a bunch of people over and have a pity party. Maybe I should just listen to some EMO music
and in comparison my life will seem much much better. Check out an interview that I did with Max from the band back in
2007. Click here
for the interview.
7.
Hey Monday - “How You Love Me Now”(2009)
I love the spunky nature of this
band. I saw them a few years ago under
the guise of being stealth chaperone for my friend’s daughter—it was her first
concert. I wish that I had a cool uncle
to take me to a rock show when I was growing up, but alas, I didn’t. During the concert, I remembered this song
and its commentary on how stupid lust can make us. Yeah, we’re all horny teenagers, but there are consequences for
our actions. It’s not until later on in
life that we discover the difference between lust and love, but then again,
some people never realize the concept.
Oh well, there is enough drama to go around. Besides, I met a few cool single mom’s that were at this concert
for the same reason that I was, and it was a great bonding experience.
Bonus Video: Jimmy Eat World - “The Middle” (2001)
I wanted to include this song,
because there is hope out there. “It
just takes some time,” to work though everything. Sometimes it’s hard to gain perspective when you are in the
middle of some teen angst bullshit, but remember, this too shall pass and that
life is a roller coaster—it has it up’s as well as it’s downs. Just how cliché am I going to get?
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