"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 Wales ...

band

Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...

, 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 agritourism. 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 (sometimes known as a toasted sandwich or cheese toastie) is a hot sandwich typically prepared by heating one or more slices of cheese between slices of bread, with a cooking fat such as butter, on a frying pan, griddle, or san ...

, 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 secondary school in southern California accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Established in 1961, its approximately 2,408 students are from the city of Poway and the community of Rancho Be ...

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, or RBHS, is a public high school in the Poway Unified School District of San Diego County, California, United States. Rancho Bernardo High School was opened in 1991 as the district's third high school. Enrollment Fo ...

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 (also known as a debut 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. Release s ...

Dammit "Dammit" (sometimes subtitled "Growing Up") is a song by American rock band Blink-182, released on September 23, 1997, as the second single from the group's second studio album, ''Dude Ranch'' (1997). Written by bassist Mark Hoppus, the song con ...

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

Composition

The song is composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

A major A major (or the key of A) 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 key of A major is the only k ...

and is set in

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

with a moderately fast

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 124

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. 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. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

, 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, songwriter and record producer best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist for the rock band Blink-182, being the only constant member and the only one to appear on every album. ...

– bass, backing vocals *

Scott Raynor Scott William Raynor, Jr. (born May 23, 1978) is an American musician, best known as the original drummer of the rock band Blink-182. Born in Poway, California, Raynor first approached the drums in his preteens as a fan of Metallica. He joined ...

– 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- ...

– 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