Descendents: Enjoy!

New Alliance LP, 1986

With a few notable exceptions, punk rock isn't exactly known for love songs. Can someone name one Dischord band song that was about girls? We all know that Steve Jones got plenty of dates but the Sex Pistols were most notably NOT about sex. Even today's remnants of the genre like Green Day and Blink 182 find it hard to keep a straight face when singing about love and heartbreak. And while early rock bands formed as a means for skinny geeky kids to get laid, punk rockers as Descendents singer Milo Aukerman explained: "just wanted to have an outlet to express our frustration at not getting laid." Although not many would want to admit this.

This third album from L.A.'s Descendents is mostly populated with suck-ups to Black Flag ("Sour Grapes"), a half-baked attempt at composing an "Institutionalized" type epic song ("Days Are Blood") and, for this band, the normal puerile hijinks (songs about farting, coffee and punk-clique angst) abound. At least they didn't have nasty songs about "fat girls" ("No Fat Beaver") like their previous efforts.

But inserted in the flatuence, er, flat songs are some some genuine girl songs, even dare we say love songs. They might have been better advised to chuck all the other cuts and put out a 4-song EP of just the "girl songs" -- these are the most memorable and surprisingly (almost) stand the test of time. Perhaps they could have called it Milo Doesn't Get Laid.

Songs:

"Get The Time" - Boy meets girl (a girl who has a Husker Du collection!)
"Cheer" - Boy gets girl (quinessential punk love song)
"Wendy" - Boy loses girl (Beach Boys cover)

Links:
Buy Enjoy! (Froogle)
DESCENDENTSonline - The boys reunited in 2004 for a new album Cool To Be You. Fat Wreck Records has some MP3s. Check out "Nothing With You" for yet another Descendent love song (of sorts).
DrumOgre - Bill Stevenson's website
Studly Milo Get Interviewed by Playboy (source of the Milo quote above)
AMG Review of Enjoy!
Eric from Something I Learned mines the cynical side of punk rock love songs

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