Man Overboard (Blink 182 song)

Background

Blink-182 toured relentlessly in support of the group's second studio album Dude Ranch (1997), including all dates on Vans Warped Tour 1997, SnoCore 98, and various other short tours. Desperate for a break, the overworked band began to argue and tensions formed. Drummer Scott Raynor, who was at the center of this drama, had been commenting of his desire to attend college for years, and had been taking homework out with him on tour to try and complete his high school diploma. The tension came to a head in February 1998 as the band embarked on SnoCore 98, described as "a winter version of the Warped Tour." Sharing the stage with Primus, the band was enjoying more success than ever before, but the drama between the musicians had grown substantially. The band reached a low point when the band engaged in a fight on a Nebraska date after SnoCore's conclusion. Shortly after the conclusion of SnoCore was a short minitour along the western coast, most notably Southern California, the band's favorite place to play. The tour ended with the band headlining a sold-out show at the Palladium in Hollywood, California, where the band had dreamed of performing at for years.

Raynor suffered a "tragic loss" during the West Coast minitour and flew home, forcing the band to find a fill-in drummer: Travis Barker of the ska punk support band The Aquabats. Barker learned the drum tracks for the band's set in only 45 minutes prior to his first show. Raynor returned for the band's Hollywood Palladium performance, and the band became increasingly uneasy and arguments grew worse. To offset personal issues, Raynor began to drink heavily and it began to affect the band's performances. Following a largely successful Australian tour in the spring, Hoppus and DeLonge presented an ultimatum: quit drinking or go to an in-patient rehab. Raynor agreed to both and informed the band of his decision after taking the weekend to mull options. According to Raynor, he was fired through a phone call despite his agreement to rehab. Despite this, he felt no malice toward his former bandmates and conceded they were "right" to fire him.

The band would minimize the impact of the situation in future interviews and remained vague regarding his departure. The lyrics of "Man Overboard" are about losing a friend to drugs and alcohol, and many longtime fans of the band immediately took the lyrics as a metaphor for Raynor's firing. In the song, Hoppus repeats the refrain "So sorry it’s over," and goes on to highlight occasions in which a friend was too intoxicated to be dependable. "Man Overboard" was originally demoed during sessions for the band's third album, Enema of the State (1999), but was recorded following the conclusion of the band's The Mark, Tom and Travis Show Tour. Although it was never confirmed by the band, "Man Overboard" by Blink-182 is said to be about the firing of Raynor. However, on MTV's Making the Video, Tom DeLonge said that "Man Overboard" is about losing a friend to drugs and alcohol.

Release and promotion

"Man Overboard" was first released as streaming audio on MTV.com, KROQ.com and the band's official website on September 2, 2000, while the song was serviced to radio on September 18.

Music video

The song's music video is a mashup parody of all three videos from the Enema of the State album, with the band members replaced with lookalike dwarfs. The parodies serve as dream sequences to the band members, who are all asleep in the van. Mark's dream sequence is a parody of the video for "What's My Age Again?", where he disguises as the banana man and the little girl with the magnifying glass and running away when he sees them. Tom's dream sequence is a parody of the video for "Adam's Song", where it shows the dwarfs in place of the regular band members playing the instruments and it shows a quick slideshow of Tom talking through a payphone and looking at a magazine at the same time, running away when he sees the dwarfs walking out of a convenience store. Travis' dream sequence is a parody of the video for "All the Small Things", where it shows him getting sunscreen put on by three ladies on a beach. The three dwarfs run past Travis and the ladies. The dwarf lookalike of Mark shows him getting a wedgie by the regular Mark's Jack Russell Terrier. The video ends with the three band members coming face-to-face with the dwarfs, who give them a fright. The band members climb back into the van and the van drives away.

Reception

Consequence of Sound, in a 2015 top 10 of the band's best songs, ranked it as number three, commenting, "Such straight-faced commentary on friendship was fairly uncharted territory for Blink at the time, and that "Man Overboard" transcends the band’s relationship with Raynor speaks to the strength of the songwriting. It’s also one of the finest displays of one of Blink's more indelible musical touches: Hoppus' bass."

Format and track listing

1. "Man Overboard" (Radio Edit) – 2:48
2. "Man Overboard" (Album Version) – 2:48

1. "Man Overboard" (Radio Edit) – 2:48

1. "Man Overboard" (Radio Edit) – 2:48

1. "Man Overboard" (Album Version) – 2:50
2. "13 Miles" (Live) – 2:11
3. "Words of Wisdom" (Teaser Version) – 3:01

Live tracks were recorded at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, on November 4, 1999.