“Blame It on My Youth” by Blink-182

“Blame It on My Youth” is a track which ponders over the childhoods of the members of Blink-182 and its impact on their adult lives. Matt Skiba and Mark Hoppus, vocalists in the band alternately share the stories of how they grew up as well as the experiences that have molded them into who they are now.

Mark Hoppus’ Verse

Mark reveals in the song that he was not born into a rich home and basically started life with so much lack that he got stuck at a point. His childhood, he says, was characterized by floods in his neighborhood, punk rock and alcoholism. Mark uses rerun as a metaphor to define how he was brought up. It appears that most children, including his own parents may have been raised under the same circumstances. He then states his reason for starting a band. He was bored with all the ongoing drama and needed something different to be occupied with.

Mark ends his verse by asking if it is too late to be forgiven. Almost as if he feels a bit remorseful about who he has become as a result of his upbringing.

Chorus

Matt Skiba tells their audience in the chorus that they could never kill his high. This statement could mean two different things; first is that no one could possibly ruin their success now, or when they are under the influence of some drug, no one could ruin their mood. The second meaning sounds more befitting since he goes on to ask them to blame it (a bad habit) on his youth. The chorus also portrays that he’s been finding his own path to success despite his bad past and no one could stop him from shining eventually.

Matt Skiba’s Verse

Matt shares a similar story to Mark’s childhood in the second verse. He discloses that he experienced many tough moments in his life, which eventually caused him to make certain bad decisions. This was probably because as a child, he was left at the doorstep (abandoned by his own parents). This caused him to have an unstable childhood, where he recalls an incident where he had to run from the cops.

Same challenge

Both Mark and Matt have the same condition, as they sing together in the bridge that they were raised on Ritalin; a prescribed medication for people suffering from attention deficit disorder. It might not necessarily mean that they took those drugs as kids, but the point they wanted to get across is that no one really cared about their lives even as children.

Conclusion

“Blame It on My Youth” is a song which exposes the hardships people experience in their childhood and its direct role in shaping who they become in the future.

Facts about “Blame It on My Youth”

• This song was written by all three members of Blink-182 (Travis Barker, Mark Hoppus and Matt Skiba) along with three others. These three are Matt Malpass, Sam Hollander and Tim Pagnotta.
• Production of “Blame It on My Youth” was handled by Tim Pagnotta (who is also credited as a co-writer).
• May 8, 2019 was the official release date of “Blame It on My Youth”.
• “Blame It on My Youth” holds the distinction of being Blink-182’s first release of 2019. Prior to this track, the last time the band released a single was in 2017. That single was titled “Home Is Such a Lonely Place”.