punklove.jpgWhile our parents reminisce about teenage love affairs when they hear Elvis Presley or The Beatles on the radio, a new crop of fat and balding 30-somethings are now feeling the same nostalgic tingling when they hear songs by Black Flag, The Ramones, Bad Brains, Flipper, The Dead Kennedys and The Buzzcocks.
Sure, real punk rock is anti-authority, anti-corporate and anti-government, but no one would ever say it was anti-love.
Who can forget classic tracks like "Slip It In", "Oh Oh I Love Her So", "Die, Die My Darling" and "Orgasm Addict"?
This 19 track playlist is the perfect soundtrack to remind you of that high school crush who had the guts to jam a saftey pin through their cheek.
When building the list I limited my choices to bands that were part of the first wave of punk rock, which started in the late 1970s and continued through the 1980s. Second and third wave punk was not included.
Sorry, but you won't find Rancid, The Offspring, Green Day or Anti-Flag here.
Back in the day punks were not known for their romantic side, and when it did reveal itself, it was usually a dysfunctional train wreck. Read: Sid & Nancy.
Punks in the 80s would never show romantic feelings for fear of having their heads bashed in, but all teenagers share a common phenomenon called puberty, which is the only thing more powerful on the teenage psyche than music.
Punk bands in the 80s that dared sing any song that referenced "love" had to be beyond reproach.
And so I present the ultimate Punk Rock Love Song Playlist:
2. Oh Oh I Love Her So - The Ramones
7. Die, Die My Darling - The Misfits
9. Too Drunk To Fuck - Dead Kennedys
10. Just Say Yes - The Dickies
11. Young Love - Government Issue
13. Tell Her You Love Her - Dils
15. I Wanna Be Your Dog - Sid Vicious & The Vicious White Kids
17. Somebody To Love - Agent Orange
18. Sex Object - UK Subs