PopPunkTown

The 10 best pop-punk songs about getting out of this town, ranked

Let’s face it: We’ve all had at least one moment in our lives where we’ve questioned if we actually want to stay in our town (and for a lot of us, maybe now more than ever after this shocking election). And we have some of our favorite bands to thank for those ever-so-curious thoughts! Many a musical act has lamented the troubles of their towns, but we’re here to break them down to the best of the best.

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10. “Back Breaker” – Hit The Lights

The seventh track off the band’s sophomore album Skip School, Start Fights, the first verse alone of this song will have you gutted with discomfort at its intense lyrics. It’s vengeful and relatable for any youngster hoping to escape from home, using lots of angry metaphors to really get their point across.

Hometown: Lima, Ohio
Best lyric: “On my gravestone for all to see it reads/‘I took this city out at the knees,’ at least”

9. “You’re Not Salinger. Get Over It.” – The Wonder Years

This song is complete with a title referring to the author behind the whiniest teenaged character in all of modern literature. The Wonder Years are no strangers to writing jams about hating the people in one’s town; honorable mentions go to “Won’t Be Pathetic Forever,” “This Party Sucks,” “Leavenhouse. 11:30.” and “Hoodie Weather,” all of which boast similar themes.

Hometown: Lansdale, Pennsylvania
Best lyric: “And they’re tearing up these dead end blocks/Revealing all the shit we wished we forgot/In the shadow of this careless urban sprawl”

8. “Something’s Keeping Me Here” – Real Friends

This song is really as pop-punk as it gets. Vocalist Dan Lambton blends familiarity with uncertainty in this track off the band’s 2011 debut EP This Is Honesty, remembering a simpler time of nights spent at Denny’s with childhood pals (specifically, “Mark”).

Hometown: Tinley Park, Illinois
Best lyric: “There are minutes when I want to leave this town/With the shirt on my back/And Saves The Day stuck in my head”

7. “Come One, Come All” – All Time Low

Hailing from suburban Baltimore, All Time Low has had their fair share of songs mentioning their roots (e.g. “For Baltimore,”  “Coffee Shop Soundtrack,” etc.). But “Come One, Come All” has a different tone than their more optimistic hometown tributes. The tune addresses “Mr. DJ,” a radio broadcaster whom singer Alex Gaskarth calls out for being too redundant.

Hometown: Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland
Best lyric: “There’s a mile gone for every minute passed/That I’m wasting space in this town”

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6. “I Couldn’t Wait To Leave 6 Months Ago” – Neck Deep

With a title like that, you’re able to hear the pent-up angst in this song before you even press the play button. Welsh rockers Neck Deep’s telling tune is off their first EP Rain In July, accompanied by a music video with simple, direct camera shots and a tempo breakdown that’s got us both reminiscing about the past and packing our bags.

Hometown: Wrexham, Wales, UK
Best lyric: “I’ll miss the smell of the rain on my road/The dirty streets of the town I call home”

5. “Truth Of My Youth” – New Found Glory

From their crazy onstage energy to vocalist Jordan Pundik’s edgy khaki shorts, it’s safe to say that New Found Glory had a guaranteed spot on this list of hometown anthems. “Truth Of My Youth,” off their 2004 album Catalyst, croons about an ex-girlfriend and the lies that come from the citizens of an empty town.

Hometown: Coral Springs, Florida
Best lyric: “There was a time and place where I never thought I’d leave my hometown/But those days finally are dead and gone”

4. “Why You’d Want To Live Here” – Death Cab For Cutie

After John Lennon, who once referred to the city as “a big parking lot where you buy a hamburger for the trip to San Francisco,” northwestern rockers Death Cab For Cutie take second place on the list of musicians who despise Los Angeles the most. Packed with insult after insult, this song turns the City of Angels devilishly upside down in seconds.

Hometown: Bellingham, Washington
Best lyric: “It’s a lovely summer’s day/And I can almost see a skyline through a thickening shroud of egos”

3. “Ocean Avenue” – Yellowcard

One of the biggest pop-punk songs of the 2000s, this quintessential track blared from everyone’s car radio in the summer of 2004, eventually making it to No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nowadays, with the group’s impending disbandment, this song feels even more reflective than ever, bringing back those memories of sleeping all day and staying up all night.

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Best lyric: “We could leave this town and run forever/Let your waves crash down on me and take me away”

2. “The Great Escape” – Boys Like Girls

The hymn of rebellion for all grade-school students in 2007, Boston-based Boys Like Girls’ debut single smashed the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 23. The hit generated the authentic vibe of leaving childhood memories behind with one final night to remember, and for most of us, at such a young age, this song really hit, well… home.

Hometown: Andover, Massachusetts
Best lyric: “Let’s get drunk and drive around/And make peace with an empty town”

1. “All Signs Point To Lauderdale” – A Day To Remember

We’re pretty sure this was a dead giveaway. It’s quite hard to top a song that literally has “I hate this town” as its opening line. The music video is also a big ol’ middle finger to high school bullies everywhere, rightfully earning the No. 1 spot on our list.

Hometown: Ocala, Florida
Best lyric: “I hate this town, it’s so washed up/And all my friends don’t give a fuck”

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