10 scene songs you forgot you know every word to
The early 2000s might have been a rough time for style (R.I.P. frosted tips), but it also was the golden age of second-wave pop punk. From New Found Glory to Cartel, we’ve found some of the best throwback tracks. Now dig out your old band T-shirts, and brace yourself for some nostalgia—here are 10 songs you probably forgot you knew the lyrics to.
10. The Academy Is… — “Slow Down” (2005)
“Hollywood hills and suburban thrills, hey you, who are you kidding?”
Chicago’s The Academy Is…. took the scene by storm with the release of their debut album, Almost Here, in 2005. “Slow Down” was the group’s second single for Fueled By Ramen. Though the band split in 2011, they briefly reunited for a successful reunion tour in honor of their debut album’s 10th year anniversary in 2015.
9. New Found Glory – “My Friends Over You” (2002)
“You were everything I wanted, but I just can’t finish what I’ve started.”
Hailing from the era of frosted tips and early pop punk, “My Friends Over You,” from the 2002 album Sticks And Stones, is undoubtedly one of New Found Glory’s most memorable songs. In 2017, they released their latest album, Makes Me Sick, and From the Screen to Your Stereo 3 this past May.
8. Taking Back Sunday – “Liar [It Takes One To Know One]” (2006)
“Liar (liar), if we’re keeping score, we’re all choir boys at best.”
This track was featured on Taking Back Sunday’s 2006 release, Louder Now—the band’s major label debut. Though guitarist Fred Mascherino (the Color Fred) left a year later, the band has gone on to release four more studio albums with the most recent Tidal Wave in 2016 and career-spanning compilation Twenty this past January.
7. Cute Is What We Aim For – “Curse of Curves” (2006)
“I want someone provocative and talkative, but it’s so hard when you’re shallow as a shower.”
Best known for their pop-punk hits (and equally pop-punk hair), Cute Is What We Aim For shot to success after signing with Fueled By Ramen in 2005. Even after a series of lineup changes, the band still is active, led by frontman Shaant Hacikyan.
6. Cobra Starship – “Guilty Pleasure” (2008)
“Shut your mouth and get down on the floor”
Peak neon pop, Cobra Starship were at the forefront of the genre with tracks such as “Guilty Pleasure.” With sugary sweet hooks and unshakable beats, the song was one of the many belt-worthy from the group’s 2008 sophomore effort, ¡Viva La Cobra!. (And don’t lie, you know you still know the dance too.) The band went on to release two more albums—Hot Mess in 2009 and Night Shades in 2011—before calling it quits in November 2015.
5. All Time Low – “Poppin’ Champagne” (2007)
“Why don’t you say so? I think I’m caught in between, the nights and days fly by when I’m lost on the streets.”
This impossibly catchy track from All Time Low’s second studio album, So Wrong, It’s Right, helped the bandland on the Billboard 200 and earn a co-headlining spot on the 2008 AP Tour. Their seventh studio album, Last Young Renegade, came out in 2017.
4. Dashboard Confessional – “Hands Down” (2003)
“My hopes are so high, that your kiss might kill me.”
The soft voice, the catchy chorus, the 2003 visual effects—how could you forget this Dashboard classic? A standout from their highly successful third album A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar, you definitely knew someone who covered their notebook in lyrics from these guys. By 2010, they had released six studio albums and re-released a deluxe version of their first album The Swiss Army Romance. Their seventh studio album Crooked Shadows dropped in 2018.
3. Panic! At The Disco – “Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” (2005)
“Let’s get these teen hearts beating, faster, faster.”
Everyone’s favorite eyeliner-clad band shot to mainstream stardom with the release of their platinum selling debut, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Though the band eventually shed their Vaudevillian style (sort of), their success continued. They recently released their sixth studio album, Pray For The Wicked.
2. Cartel “Honestly” – (2005)
“Please don’t mind what I’m trying to say ’cause I’m, I’m being honest.”
Who could forget that opening guitar riff? Cartel burst onto the pop-punk scene in 2005 with the release of their first album, Chroma. The full-length featured some of their biggest hits, including “Honestly” and “Say Anything (Else).” In 2015, they released Bare Essentials, an acoustic album that reworked some of their biggest songs.
1. Say Anything – “Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too” (2004)
“I called her on the phone and she touched herself, she touched herself, she touched herself.”
Pop-punk icons Say Anything achieved huge success with their 2004 release …Is A Real Boy for J Records. The album featured two of their biggest tracks “Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too” and “Alive With The Glory of Love.” They have released eight studio albums, including 2016 surprise I Don’t Think It Is, which was announced the day before its release in February. Their most recent, Oliver Appropriate, picked up where …Is a Real Boy left off and marked their final release before parting ways this year.
