CDs Revisited: The Get Up Kids - 'Something to Write Home About'

image via Amazon
The internet doesn't need another think piece about how great of an album Something to Write Home About is nearly twenty years after its release. At this point I think everyone already has an opinion on it and I'm not going to be able to sway anyone to think differently. And in the unlikely event that someone reading this hasn't listened to The Get Up Kids before, I can guarantee you that you'll find more convincing posts by better writers elsewhere.

To be honest, I don't remember where I got this album from. It was likely either Amazon or Interpunk, but 2004 was a different time and it easily could have been another online distributor that no longer exists. Two things I do remember about getting Something to Write Home About: being really excited because I had just started exploring 90's emo bands, and my then-girlfriend listening to a few songs and saying she didn't care for it much. It's funny to see what types of memories stick with us even after all these years.

Anyway, out of all 287 CDs that I was able to find in my collection that I'm using for the purpose of this project, most of them come from when I was in high school which was just about half a lifetime ago for me now. I haven't actually done the math, but I'm fairly certain that of those albums that I got in high school, the amount that I still listen to regularly to this day is disproportionately small. The Get Up Kids are one of those few bands that I'll still listen to on a semi-regular basis, particularly this album. That kind of speaks to its staying power.

A few years ago, I exchanged mix CDs with a waitress that I worked with, and I put "I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel..." as the second track. In the accompanying liner notes (if it hasn't already been made clear: when I make mixes, I go all out), I explained how when I was younger, I thought it was a really sweet and romantic song about not wanting to let someone go, but it wasn't until I entered college, I realized that it's actually about a one night stand. One thing that I left out in that note is how, now that I'm in my late 20's, both of my interpretations of the song seem correct. I can't speak for everyone's experiences, but the line "so let go, 'cause I'm afraid to try" hits me even harder now at age 29 than it ever did when I was 15.

Final verdict: Maybe I don't listen to The Get Up Kids as much as I still listen to Jimmy Eat World or Green Day, I still love this album.

Stream Something to Write Home About below and tell me how wrong I am about "I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel..." being romantic.

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