Stay Together for the Kids
"Stay Together For the Kids" | ||||
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MCA | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Jerry Finn | |||
Blink-182 singles chronology | ||||
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"Stay Together for the Kids" is a song recorded by American rock band Blink-182 for their fourth studio album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001). It was released as the third and final single from the album on February 19, 2002.[5] The track was composed primarily by guitarist Tom DeLonge, who based its lyrics on his parents' divorce and its effect on him.
The song's original
The song received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, with many praising its tone and subject matter. It was a hit on rock radio in the United States, where it peaked at number seven on the
Background
"Stay Together for the Kids" is written about divorce from the point of view of a helpless child.
I lived, ate, and breathed skateboarding. All I did all day long was skateboard. It was all I cared about. So I didn't notice too much [else going on]. When I got home [one] day, my dad's furniture was gone, my mom was inside crying and everything just erupted at that point. I was 18, sitting in my driveway when it all went down. My whole family life was deteriorating, so, I just moved out. So I just took everything from that day and put it into a song.[8][10]
Due to its tone and subject matter, it is considered one of the band's darker songs,[10][11] alongside "Adam's Song", their 2000 single revolving around suicide.[12] Hoppus told an interviewer at the time of the album's release that "There's always a song or two where we really try to really push ourselves [...] On this new record I think we've done a lot of different stuff that people wouldn't ever expect from us. [...] On the new one, it's 'Stay Together for the Kids.'"[7] DeLonge later confirmed he had received emails from fans thanking him for the song's message. "With "Stay Together", we get emails—just kid after kid after kid—saying, 'I know exactly what you're talking about! That song is about my life!'"[13] In 2002, divorce statistics were four times higher than their average just over thirty years prior, with over 50 percent of marriages ending in divorce.[13] "You look at statistics that 50 percent of parents get divorced, and you’re going to get a pretty large group of kids who are pissed off and who don’t agree with what their parents have done," said DeLonge.[9] "Stay Together" was the final song completed during the recording sessions; it was created one day before the album was handed off to the mixing engineer.[14]
Composition
"Stay Together for the Kids" is set in the
Commercial performance
"Stay Together for the Kids" was released as a single and
Reception
"Stay Together for the Kids" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics.
John J. Miller of the National Review included the song at number 17 in "Rockin' the Right: The 50 Greatest Conservative Rock Songs", describing it as "a eulogy for family values by an alt-rock band whose members were raised in a generation without enough of them".[27]
William Shaw of Blender compared the song to then-popular songs by rock bands about divorce, such as Papa Roach ("Broken Home"), Staind ("For You") and Nickelback ("Too Bad"), commenting, "The ’90s had Generation X — have we ended up with Generation Whine?" He interviewed DeLonge, who remarked in response to divorce's effect on children, "Is this a damaged generation? Yeah, I’d say so."[9]
Music video
The first music video for "Stay Together for the Kids" was directed by Samuel Bayer, best known for his work with Metallica and Nirvana.[28] In the clip, Blink-182 perform in a suburban home that is destroyed with a wrecking ball in a metaphor for a "crumbling marriage." The video opens with a statistic, claiming that "50 percent of American households are destroyed by divorce."[29]
The band filmed the music video on September 9–10, 2001 in
The two videos were first released on The Urethra Chronicles II: Harder Faster Faster Harder, a 2002 home video on the band.[33] The first video has since widely become available online on sites like YouTube.[29]
Cover versions
The song is played on acoustic guitar by a soldier in the
Track listing
All tracks are written by Blink-182
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Stay Together for the Kids" | 3:59 |
2. | "The Rock Show" (Live in Chicago) | 3:06 |
3. | "Anthem Part Two" (Live in Chicago) | 3:47 |
4. | "First Date" (Video) | 3:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Stay Together for the Kids" | 3:59 |
2. | "The Rock Show" (Live in Chicago) | 3:06 |
3. | "Anthem Part Two" (Live in Chicago) | 3:47 |
4. | "First Date" (Live in Chicago) | 3:28 |
5. | "Carousel" (Live in Chicago) | 2:55 |
6. | "First Date" (Video) | 3:17 |
7. | "Stay Together for the Kids" (Video) | 3:50 |
Charts
Chart (2001–02) | Peak position |
---|---|
Germany (Official German Charts)[24] | 73 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] | 85 |
13 | |
US | 7 |
US | 16 |
References
Footnotes
- ^ Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2013 Vinyl Reissue) (liner notes). Blink-182. US: Geffen / Universal Music Special Markets. 2013. SRC025/SRC026/SRC027/SRC028.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "15 pop-punk songs that will give you the feels". Alternative Press. August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ Walker, Jennyfer J. (May 22, 2020). "14 Of The Saddest Pop-Punk Songs Ever". Kerrang!. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ Koerber, Brian (February 5, 2015). "22 emo songs that helped you through your high-school breakup". Mashable. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ "Billboard". 22 September 2001.
- ISSN 1065-1667.
- ^ a b c Geoff Boucher (June 10, 2001). "A Really Great Song Needs Angst and Humor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Jenny Everett (Fall 2001). "Blink-182 Cordially Invites You To Take Them Seriously". MH-18. Rodale, Inc. p. 81.
- ^ a b c William Shaw (August 2002). "Why Are America's Rock Bands So Goddamned Angry?". Blender. Archived from the original on September 11, 2002. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Shooman, 2010. p. 84
- ^ Kyle Ryan (October 8, 2013). "Blink-182 took punk to No. 1 for the first time with a masturbation pun". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Eric Aiese (September 22, 2001). "Reviews & Previews: Singles". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 38. p. 19. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ a b William Shaw (November 23, 2002). "Breaking up is hard to do". The Observer. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-062-31942-5.
- ISBN 978-0634036767.
- ^ "Blink-182 Stay Together for the Kids – Digital Sheet Music". Music Notes. EMI Music Publishing. 3 May 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ Shooman, 2010. p. 97
- ^ "Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 38. September 22, 2001. p. 89. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 47. November 24, 2001. p. 83. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "Blink-182 Chart History – Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ^ "Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 11. March 16, 2002. p. 110. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ Joel Whitburn (ed.) (2005). Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100: 1959-2004. Menomonee Falls: Record Research, 352 pp. First edition, 2005.
- ^ "BDSCertified Spin Awards". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 25. June 22, 2002. p. 2. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "Blink 182 – Stay Together for the Kids" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the originalon September 28, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ^ Aaron Scott (June 29, 2001). "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket: Review". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ^ "Rockin' the Right". National Review. 2006-06-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- ^ a b Jon Wiederhorn (November 5, 2001). "Blink-182 To Show Up On Mad TV, Will 'Stay Together' For Next Video". MTV News. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ^ a b Jeffrey Melnick (2009). 9/11 Culture. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 200 pp. First edition.
- ^ Corey Moss (August 22, 2001). "Blink-182 Return To '70s In 'First Date' Video". MTV News. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-906191-10-8.
- ISSN 0262-6624.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Alicia Keys, The Calling, Funkmaster Flex, Blink-182, Mos Def, Violent Femmes & More". MTV News. April 10, 2002. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ Christopher Bell (April 15, 2011). "Review: 'Armadillo' Is A Stark Portrait Of War That Asks Tough Questions". IndieWire. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Blink 182 – Stay Together for the Kids". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "Blink-182 Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
Sources
- Shooman, Joe (June 24, 2010). Blink-182: The Bands, The Breakdown & The Return. Independent Music Press. ISBN 978-1-906191-10-8.