Boys Like Girls (Songs That Weren't Singles)
Boys Like Girls (Songs That Weren't Singles)
Top 3
Underrated Album
By the time you’re done reading this article, you will share my opinion that Love Drunk by Boys Like Girls is one of the most underrated pop punk/pop rock albums of this century.
Released in 2008, the album peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 and was the band’s highest charting album.
Love Drunk produced four singles, Love Drunk, She’s Got a Boyfriend Now, Two is Better than One and Heart Heart Heartbreak. For the most part, these are widely known songs for those familiar with the scene. Personally, I really like all of these songs.
But that’s not why we’re here today. We’re here to talk about the other seven songs on the album. More specifically, we will look at the three best songs that were not featured as singles.
Contagious (3:20)
This song has the exact same opening guitar as High School Never Ends by Bowling for Soup. It’s an identical six seconds until the vocals come in until the song differentiates itself.
Why I Like This Song
It’s upbeat, 168 beats per minute (bpm) to be exact. While the lyrics support unsafe operation of a motor vehicle,
I'm flying down the fast lane,
Doing ninety-five, ninety things on my brain.
It’s about a guy chasing a girl. Maybe they just broke up and he is having some post-dumping regret. Okay, not original whatsoever, I KNOW! I don’t always listen to pop punk for deep lyrical meaning.
The lyrics totally take me back to high school and later college. This song screams of young love and all the shenanigans that are usually involved around it.
I enjoy this song for the tempo, guitar chugging during the verse and the vocal harmony around 1:18 into the song.
Real Thing (3:22)
The song opens with the sound of someone fumbling around a tape deck. I’ll bet those young Gen Z kids don’t even know what that is. My goodness, we’re old…
Why I Like This Song
Again, it’s an upbeat song that’s somewhere around 140-150 beats per minute. Unlike the previous song, I really enjoy this one because of the lyrics.
Cause this is the real thing
Love changes everything
This is the night when every heart's exploding
The real thing
Slow down it's happening
'Cause you got time to burn in the heat of the moment
Do you remember the time(s) when you realized that someone you liked was becoming more than a crush? That’s what this song is about.
Maybe that person was a Summer crush because “Summer radio, fireworks off the patio” SCREAMS of teenage summer angst.
Chemicals Collide (3:31)
If you can’t tell by now, I don’t listen to a lot of slow songs. This song comes in at 150 bpm. Are you seeing a recurring theme here?
Why I Like This Song
If there’s power chord, guitar chugging over the verse, there’s a 99% chance that I will like a song. Chemicals Collide has it.
There is a theory on the internet that this song is about one losing his virginity, but I’m going to extrapolate another meaning. (I’ll allow you a short break as I know you are going to search for it…)
The lead singer Martin Johnson is actually quoted as saying,
"It's kinda like me admitting all my crap & all my issues
& saying that this is a girl that can accept that, & be cool with it. It's just watching two totally different, separate people, just collide.”
Along with a catching melody, THIS quote is a great summary of why I love this song. We all have our shit and when you find that person who accept it and be cool with it, it’s freaking incredible. (A shoutout to my amazing wife of ten years here)
Conclusion
I hope you take a listen to these songs. I’ll make it really easy for you, do it here.
My wife was obsessed with this album when it came out and I never listened to the band before. We usually differ on musical taste but she got me into this album (when we were dating) and it’s music that transports me back in time to when we were young, dumb and didn't know what we didn’t know.
I hope you enjoyed this article and would be grateful if you could share it with a friend!
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