"Dick Lips" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...

, released on February 28, 1998, as the third single from the group's second studio album, ''

Dude Ranch A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agrotourism. History Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...

'' (1997). The song was released by

Grilled Cheese A grilled cheese, toasted sandwich, cheese toastie ( UK) or jaffle ( AU) is a hot cheese sandwich typically prepared by heating slices of cheese between slices of bread with a cooking fat such as butter or mayonnaise on a frying pan, griddle, ...

, a subsidiary label of

Cargo Music Cargo Music Inc. is an American punk rock record label based in San Diego, California. It distributes records for other labels, such as Cherry Red Records, Earth Music, FistPuppet Records, Grilled Cheese, Headhunter Records, Re-Constriction Re ...

. It was the band's final single with Cargo; "Josie" was distributed jointly through MCA before they left the label by the end of the year.

Background

"Dick Lips" was written about an experience in Tom DeLonge's high school years, in which he got kicked out of

Poway High School Poway High School is a four-year high school in Poway, California, United States. Established in 1961, its approximately 2,408 students are from Poway and the community of Rancho Bernardo. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools ...

during his junior year (1991) after being caught inebriated at a school basketball game. He then attended

Rancho Bernardo High School Rancho Bernardo High School (RBHS) is a public high school in San Diego County, California. It is part of Poway Unified School District. The school was opened in 1991 as the district's third high school. Enrollment For the 2019-2020 school ...

for the remainder of his high school years. "Being kicked out of school was bad, but it was also the best thing in my life. Because none of us would be here today," DeLonge said in 2001. "Blink-182 is one million percent around today because I got kicked out of school.”Hoppus, 2001. p. 9 The title has no real significance; it was an insult bandied around the Big Fish Studios while recording, that the band wanted to record "for posterity."Shooman, 2010. p. 43–44 The song largely "failed to register" on international charts, in part due to the continued success of

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

Dammit "Dammit" (sometimes subtitled "Growing Up") is a song by American rock band Blink-182, released on September 1997, as the second single from the group's second studio album, ''Dude Ranch'' (1997). Written by bassist Mark Hoppus, the song concern ...

".Shooman, 2010. p. 45Shooman, 2010. p. 47

Composition

The song is composed in the key of

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

and is set in

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

with a moderately fast

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 124

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

. DeLonge's vocal range spans from E₄ to E₅.

Reception

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...

, in a 2015 top 10 of the band's best songs, ranked it as number seven, commenting, "Without delving into unnecessary details, the lyrics hint at an abusive household and a prospect of romantic longing that serves no purpose beyond the promise of 'something new.' Blink often suffered from spelling out its themes, but 'Dick Lips' represents one of those rare times they simply let the song speak for itself."

Format and track listing

;CD (1998) # "Dick Lips" – 2:56 # "Apple Shampoo" – 2:52 # "Wrecked Him" – 2:50 # "Zulu" – 2:07

Personnel

;Blink-182 * Tom DeLonge – guitar, lead vocals *

Mark Hoppus Mark Allan Hoppus (born March 15, 1972) is an American musician and record producer. He is the co-lead vocalist, co-founder, and bassist for the rock band Blink-182 and the only member to appear on every album. Hoppus became interested in ska ...

– bass, backing vocals * Scott Raynor – drums ;Production *Mark Trombino – production, recording, mixing *

Brian Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance-p ...

– mastering

References

* *

Notes

{{authority control Blink-182 songs Songs about alcohol Songs about school 1997 songs 1998 singles Songs written by Mark Hoppus Songs written by Tom DeLonge Songs written by Scott Raynor