Josie

Album: Dude Ranch (1997)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Blink-182's previous single, "Dammit," found bass player Mark Hoppus pining for an ex-girlfriend who moved on with another guy. This time around, he's imagining his idea of the perfect girl. She's not based on anyone in particular, but "Josie" takes her name from a dog owned by Elyse Rogers of Dance Hall Crashers. The California ska-punk band is also referenced in the lyrics, alongside Poway punk rockers Unwritten Law (whose frontman, Scott Russo, also provided backing vocals on the track). Both bands toured with blink-182 and are among the fictional Josie's favorite groups: "And my girlfriend likes UL and DHC."
  • The character Josie shows up again in the song "Online Songs" on their 2001 album Take Off Your Pants And Jacket. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 2
  • Another reference to the band's native San Diego is couched in one of Josie's winning qualities. Hoppus notes, "She brings me Mexican food from Sombrero just because." Sombrero Mexican Food is one of the band's favorite restaurants in San Diego and one of their regular haunts in their early days.
  • The lyrics also reference the 1983 comedy National Lampoon's Vacation, starring Chevy Chase. Hoppus knows he can show up at his girlfriend's house at any time of night, because she'll still be awake watching the movie.
  • Two music videos were made. For their earlier singles, the band turned to directors Darren Doane and Ken Daurio to helm goofy clips that found the guys facing off against their girlfriends in a gunfight ("M+M's ") and causing chaos in a movie theater ("Dammit"). But they wanted to take a more serious approach for this tune and enlisted Jason Matzner and Brendan Lambe to shoot a clip based on Hoppus' concept, which involved the band performing on a sinking ocean liner. Because the budget wouldn't allow for such a lofty idea, they settled on performing in a basement under a burst pipe that floods the room. It was a terrible experience that ended with guitarist Tom DeLonge getting his head cut open on shrapnel. After seeing the footage, the band decided to scrap the clip and start over with their former directors.

    The second clip was shot at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, California, and starred Alyssa Milano as a hot cheerleader who catches Hoppus' eye. From Hoppus' perspective, it probably wasn't a fun shoot for the Charmed actress.

    "I felt really bad for her because she showed up on the set and it was just her and a bunch of perverted dudes who did nothing but stare at her breasts," he explained in the 2001 book Blink-182: Tales From Beneath Your Mom. "They couldn't even help themselves." But it couldn't have been all bad. At the end of the day, Milano allegedly handed him a note asking him to hang out, but he never took her up on the offer.
  • The high school-themed video culminated in a massive food fight that had to be filmed in one take. "All those kids had to sit around all day outside in the summer and, at the end of the day, they were rewarded by letting them nail us with tons of food," Hoppus recalled.
  • This is the last single featuring Scott Raynor, the band's original drummer. Hoppus and DeLonge kicked him out of the band in the spring of 1998 when his drinking started to affect their performances. He even had to record his drum parts on Dude Ranch from a wheelchair because a drunken stunt resulted in two broken heels. According to Raynor, he agreed to go to an in-patient rehab to deal with his issue but was fired anyway. He was replaced by Travis Barker of the ska-punk band The Aquabats.
  • The single version was remixed by Tom Lord-Alge, who's known for his Grammy Award-winning work on Steve Winwood's Back In The High Life (1986) and Roll With It (1988) albums, as well as Santana's Supernatural (1999). The single peaked at #31 in Australia, where the band already had a big following thanks to their early tours in the country.

Comments: 3

  • Nady from Adelaide, AustraliaI just like the "she brings me Mexican food from Sambrero just because, yeah just because." Sweet
  • James from Adelaide, Australiawhat is the deal with online songs? do they break up or somthing? coz that sthe impression i get but i thought she was the perfect girlfriend or is it more of a bittersweet reflection on that nothing lasts forever?
  • Matt from Windsor, CanadaAlex thats the song Josie you thinking about, which is off take off your pants and jacket, this song is off dude ranch
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Desmond Child

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."