Dear Maria, Count Me In (2008)
Why This Song
There's a lot of outstanding pop punk songs out there, but few have become as interlinked with the genre than All Time Low's Dear Maria, Count Me In.
The song was from the band's second studio album, So Wrong, It's Right, released May 6, 2008. It was their second single from the album and the first to chart, reaching #86 on the Billboard Pop 100.
You may have heard this song on TikTok along with some 30-something screaming "Mom, it was never a phase!"
Theme
The song is obviously about a girl, Maria. So that hits a big pop punk checkmark.
“There was a girl from around where I grew up named Maria. “I found out one day that she had become a dancer at a few different clubs and it just struck me, I didn’t expect that for her, not that there was anything wrong with that decision, but it inspired me to tell that story about a girl doing what she has to do to make ends meet and live the life she wants to live. And I thought it was a badass story about a badass chick taking control of her life.”
Alex Gaskarth (Lead Singer, All Time Low)
Alright, so maybe not as pop punk as we thought. What about the famous line, "There's a story at the bottom of this bottle and I'm the pen?"
“The line (there’s a story at the bottom of this bottle and I’m the pen) is literally about me wanting to tell her story. We would go to this club in downtown Baltimore and we were probably not of age and drinking. And Maria was little bit older than me and she was telling the story about how she became a dance and that line popped into my head, was like ‘I’m going to finish this beer and write a story about this’ kind of thing.”
Alex Gaskarth (Lead Singer, All Time Low)
Ah, maybe not as pop punk as we thought! When you break it down, there's very little angst in this one.
Melody
At 182 beats per minute (bpm) this song is upbeat and drives hard. The verses have solid power chord chugging. It's super easy to rock out to so pick up your air guitar and bang your head.
Hook
Even though the actual lyrics and meaning behind the chorus are pretty non-pop punk, the hook is unmistakable. Dear Maria, Count me in is catchy and after just one listen, there's a high possibility that it will be in your head for the rest of the day (or week)
Emotion
Also known as "emo factor," I'm a little torn here. The song itself is not too emo. It's telling the story of a girl and I can't feel much emotion in the lyrics or hear it through Alex's singing.
However, I do understand and totally respect that this song helped define the emo generation and has helped with the recent "Emo Comeback of 2022."
Impact
To tie into the "Emo Comeback of 2022," this song has stood the test of time very well. It still get solid playtime today and was responsible with launching the band into stardom.
Bonus Points
There’s no Hoppus Hype here and at 3:02, the song barely misses out on bonus points.
Total Score: 68/100
The song really shines in its hook and the lasting impact that it’s had over the genre.
What Did You Think?
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2/17/2023- Winter Hill by Stay Safe (Manchester, England)
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