Less Than Jake - All My Best Friends Are Metalheads

I was thirteen and a half at best, and starting to really figure out who I might possibly want to be. I had two best friends, and we were rarely apart. I was a bundle of energy and enthusiasm all the time, and still unsure of how to wear girly clothing or makeup or fix my hair. And, most importantly, I was head over heels in love with my first serious boyfriend.

He was sixteen or seventeen. I have no clue why my father didn't throw a fit at me dating a boy who was much, much older than me, but in retrospect, I'm glad he didn't. He was tall, with a flop of dark brown hair, glasses, and very light blue eyes. He had the charm of a puppy dog, and was just as geeky and socially awkward as I was. He lived almost four hours away, but came to visit family and friends often, and we were ALWAYS in contact. Either we were on the phone, or texting, or instant messaging til incredibly late at night. It was a wonderfully blissful time in my life.

He was the first to introduce me to ska music, giving me a mix CD that he had made. To this day, I consider that custom to be the most intimate exchange in a relationship. I had been playing trombone for a couple years now through my school's band program, but didn't really see it as anything special. All of a sudden, I heard my horn in a whole new light. I heard it mashed in with the guitars and drum sets that I was already accustomed to hearing in pop music, and I heard it soaring above them to capture the listener's focus. I was hooked.

Soon, I saved up my allowance and bought my own, brand-new copy of Less Than Jake's album Hello Rockview. As soon as that CD came in contact with my stereo, I played it constantly for weeks on end, until I bought their newest album, Anthem. The raucous music must've driven my father nuts, but I was enthralled with every upbeat and trombone solo.

I think it was the third track on the album, "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads" that caught me the fastest. I didn't care about the lyrics. They didn't make sense to me then, and still only vaguely string together now. The energy was what got me. I couldn't help but be absolutely ecstatic when it came on. At the song's climax came a trombone soli (which upon closer listening appears to also be backed by a bari sax) that drove me wild. It's nothing especially complex or show-boat-y, but it fit the song and the mood perfectly. I spent hours in a practice room over my high school career, trying to figure that solo part out. I still haven't.

Most people have a sappy song behind their very first boyfriend, but I have ska music--now a common love between me and my current boyfriend. Hello Rockview always will sound like the thrills of first love to me, and will always play at times when I don't know how to be anything but happy.