"My Own Worst Enemy" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Lit | ||||
from the album A Place in the Sun | ||||
B-side | "Bitter" | |||
Released | February 8, 1999 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:49 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Lit singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"My Own Worst Enemy" on YouTube |
"My Own Worst Enemy" is a song by the American rock band Lit. It was commercially released in 1999 as the lead single from Lit's second album, A Place in the Sun (1999). It is the band's signature and most popular song, making them one hit wonders. Lit had first formed over a decade earlier in Southern California, where they alternated between metal and punk early on. Later, the band secured a contract with RCA Records, who funded A Place in the Sun. [1]
Considered pop punk, power pop and alternative rock, "My Own Worst Enemy" is, according to Lit guitarist Jeremy Popoff, "the result of waking up and realizing you screwed up the night before". Vocalist A. Jay Popoff said that the song "was the combination of many, many incidents"; he had gotten in trouble with the law for public nudity in the late 1990s, and sang "My Own Worst Enemy" nude in the studio. Popoff described a New Year's when the band got drunk in Laughlin, Nevada; he stole a janitor's cart, and he "and five friends jumped onto the flatbed, rode down the sidewalk, and got chased by the cops". Its music video was filmed by Gavin Bowden in a Long Beach bowling alley.
Critics appreciated "My Own Worst Enemy" for its simple arrangement and style. It became an airplay juggernaut; it hit number one in the U.S. on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks, and was the top-played song of the year on that format. It still receives regular play on rock stations, and is among the most-played songs at karaoke events. In the present day, "My Own Worst Enemy" has been celebrated as a classic pop-punk hit. The song has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Controversy surrounding the song being actually written by Blink 182 has been pushed by a strong but few misguided group.
According to Lit guitarist Jeremy Popoff, "My Own Worst Enemy" "is the result of waking up and realizing you screwed up the night before. The first verse is about screwing up with your chick. A. Jay's the king of having four ex-girlfriends show up to the same show. It's funny watching him try to juggle". [2] Vocalist A. Jay Popoff said that the song "was the combination of many, many incidents ... Sometimes I get in trouble when I get naked in public and have a girl there. It happens when I've been drinking Jägermeister. I actually sang 'My Own Worst Enemy' naked in the studio". [2] The singer said that the song's second verse "is about the morning after, when you hear about all the lame shit you did ... The last time it happened was when we got really drunk in Laughlin, Nevada, for New Year's. I stole a janitor cart, and me and five friends jumped onto the flatbed, rode down the sidewalk, and got chased by the cops. The next day, I found a couple of my friends were taken in by security, who were searching for me all night. I was tucked away in my hotel room, oblivious." [2]
Considered a pop punk, [3] [4] [5] [6] power pop [7] or alternative rock song, [6] [8] "My Own Worst Enemy" is composed in the key of E major with a tempo of 104 beats per minute. A. Jay's voice ranges from E3 to G#4. [9] "My Own Worst Enemy" has been incorrectly attributed to Blink-182, and its title misquoted as "Please Tell Me Why". [10] The song is known for its guitar riff. [7]
James Oldham of NME called "My Own Worst Enemy" "totally loathsome, poisonous stuff, but quite addictive." [11] The song was a late inclusion on NME's "20 Essential Pop Punk Tracks Everyone Should Know" list. [4] It was featured on Fuse's "14 Best Pop-Punk One-Hit Wonders", and the channel called the song "self-deprecating and catchy". [5] "My Own Worst Enemy" appeared on the Phoenix New Times "10 Best Pop-Punk Songs of All Time" list. [12] Daniel J. Katz of The Tech criticized the song's parent album: "Recipe for a one-hit wonder: Start with Eve 6/Harvey Danger style power pop that’s already been done to death. Turn the guitars way up and turn the creativity way down. What you’re left with is a weak collection of songs that are listenable, but bland. This particular collection is from a band called Lit, and it’s called A Place In The Sun (RCA)." Katz continued, "The aforementioned one hit on the album is 'My Own Worst Enemy'". [7] A week earlier, Katz wrote that "My Own Worst Enemy" "is a great song because of its simplicity and short duration". [7] According to Liz Tracy of the New Times Broward-Palm Beach , "'My Own Worst Enemy' was so incredibly radio-friendly that it was hard not to get sucked into that punchy tune and sort of pathetic lyrics". [13] Stereogum's Dan Weiss called it a "charmingly lunkheaded drunk-regrets anthem." [14]
Fuse said, "'My Own Worst Enemy' is self-deprecating and catchy, like all good sad boy band music. The opening line, 'Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk? / I didn't mean to call you that' might be the most pop-punk verse ever written". [5] Lit appeared on Fuse's "Spin 14 of Pop-Punk's Best One-Hit Wonders" list. [5] Consequence of Sound included Lit on its "100 Best Pop Punk Bands" list, calling "My Own Worst Enemy" the band's essential track. Zack Ruskin of Consequence of Sound called the song "an anthemic earworm". [15] Spectrum Culture placed "My Own Worst Enemy" sixth on its "Top 10 Pop Punk and Power Pop Songs of the Modern Era" list. According to Spectrum Culture, with "My Own Worst Enemy" Lit "demonstrates the adolescent fallouts that can occur from a post-high school life". [16] In CMJ New Music Report 's review of A Place in the Sun, "My Own Worst Enemy" was on its recommended-tracks list. [17] Becky Kirsch of PopSugar called the song an "awesome '90s" hit. [18]
"My Own Worst Enemy" became a popular song to choose for karaoke. American Songwriter reports that the song ranks "among the most broadcasted, karaoked, and covered songs in music history." [19] It was considered a seminal alternative rock hit: "The song remains a happy milestone of modern rock's heyday, and to this day, it's played on many rock radio stations," wrote Timothy Malcom of the Times Herald-Record . [20] One Tennessean profile recognizes its cross-generational appeal, observing that it is popular with millennials and generation Z alike. [21] A Consequence ranking of best alternative hits admits it's "a piece of ‘90s nostalgia and a top-notch karaoke jam." [22]
On February 27, 1999, "My Own Worst Enemy" reached number 17 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. [23] On April 10, the topped the chart. [24] On May 29, the song peaked at number six on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. [25] The song later achieved mainstream success; [26] on July 3, it peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, staying on the listing for 20 weeks. [27] On July 17, "My Own Worst Enemy" peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. [28] On August 21, the song peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, spending 26 weeks there. [29] The song received the Modern Rock Track of the Year award at the 1999 Billboard Music Awards. [30] The song topped the year-end Modern Rock Tracks chart and appeared at number 18 on the year-end Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Lit was number four on the year-end Hot Modern Rock Artists chart. [31] In late 2023, for the 35th anniversary of the Alternative Airplay chart, Billboard ranked "My Own Worst Enemy" as the 21st-most-successful song in the chart's history. [32] [33]
The song's music video was filmed by Gavin Bowden at Java Lanes bowling alley in Long Beach, California. [34]
Lit performed "My Own Worst Enemy" at Woodstock '99. [3]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [55] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [56] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | February 8, 1999 | Alternative radio | RCA | Active rock radio | [57] |
April 20, 1999 | Contemporary hit radio | [58] | |||
United Kingdom | June 14, 1999 | CD | [59] |
"My Own Worst Enemy" is heard in the 2000 film Ready to Rumble and 2012 film American Reunion , although the song does not appear on the original soundtracks of either movie. [60] It was featured on Parks and Recreation , with some of the show's characters playing the song on Rock Band 2 . [61] "My Own Worst Enemy" was used in the 2016 action comedy Central Intelligence , and the PEN15 episode "First Day". [61] The song became popular among fans of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team during games at the Joe Louis Arena. During penalty face-offs, it would play before cutting off at the chorus, to which the fans would sing the rest of the chorus. [62] [63] On a 2018 episode of The Tonight Show , host Jimmy Fallon sings a deep-voiced version with members of The Gentlemen's Chorus. [64]
In 2022, the song became the theme song to the talk radio program The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show . [65] In 2023, the song was covered by a fictional band in an episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty . [66]
A Place in the Sun is the second studio album by the American rock band Lit, released on February 23, 1999.
Lit is an American rock band formed in 1988 in Orange County, California. They have released seven studio albums, but are best known for their 1999 album A Place in the Sun, which featured the hit single "My Own Worst Enemy". "Zip-Lock" and "Miserable" were also successful, leading to a platinum certification for A Place in the Sun.
"What's My Age Again?" is a song by American rock band Blink-182. It was released in April 1999 as the lead single from the group's third studio album, Enema of the State (1999), released through MCA Records. "What's My Age Again?" shares writing credits between the band's guitarist Tom DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus, but Hoppus was the primary composer of the song. It was the band's first single to feature drummer Travis Barker. A mid-tempo pop-punk song, "What's My Age Again?" is memorable for its distinctive, arpeggiated guitar intro.
"Song 2" is a song by English rock band Blur. The song is the second song on their eponymous fifth studio album. Released physically on 7 April 1997, "Song 2" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, number four on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, It was also popular on radio stations in the US; consequently, it peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, number 6 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, staying on that chart for 26 weeks. "Song 2" is certified triple platinum in the UK.
"Blurry" is a song by American rock band Puddle of Mudd. It was released on October 16, 2001, as the second single from the band's debut album Come Clean (2001). It was 2002's most successful rock song in the United States, topping the Billboard Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Tracks charts as well as their year-end listings. "Blurry" also found success outside the US, reaching the top 20 in Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
"Vow" is a song by alternative rock band Garbage. It was released as their debut single in early 1995 by Discordant, a label set up by Mushroom Records to launch the group, and Almo Sounds in North America.
"Learn to Fly" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters. It was released as the lead single from their third studio album There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999) in October 1999. It was the band's first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100, as well as their second-highest-charting song on the Hot 100, peaking at number 19. It also peaked within the top 40 in Australia, Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland and the United Kingdom. The song's music video won Best Short Form Video award at the 43rd Grammy Awards in 2001.
"Lump" is a song by alternative rock band the Presidents of the United States of America. It was released in August 1995 by Columbia Records and included on their album The Presidents of the United States of America (1995). The song reached number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart the same year. Composer Chris Ballew said that the lyrics combined his own history of having a benign tumor in the head with a vision he had of a woman in a swamp, while employing the word "lump" because Ballew was fond of it. The musical part was described by Ballew as him "trying to write a Buzzcocks song". Ballew considers it his favorite composition. The music video for the song was directed by Roman Coppola. "Lump" has been covered or remade by several artists, including the Johnstones and "Weird Al" Yankovic.
"Smooth" is a song performed by American rock band Santana and Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, who sings the lead vocals. It was released to radio on June 15, 1999, as the lead single from Santana's 1999 studio album, Supernatural. It was physically released as a single in August. It was written by Itaal Shur and Thomas, who re-wrote Shur's original melody and lyrics, and produced by Matt Serletic.
"The Freshmen" is a song by American alternative rock band the Verve Pipe. Released in January 1997 as the third single from their second studio album Villains, the song became the band's breakthrough hit and is the group's highest-charting single, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, number six in Canada, and number 28 in Australia.
"Torn" is a song written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven—who composed all of the lyrics—and Phil Thornalley in 1991 as a solo song for Preven. It was recorded and performed live during this period, but not given its first formal release until 1993, when Danish singer Lis Sørensen released the song in Danish under the title "Brændt".
"One Headlight" is a song by American rock band the Wallflowers. The song was written by lead singer Jakob Dylan, and produced by T Bone Burnett. It was released in January 1997 as the second single from the band's second studio album, Bringing Down the Horse (1996).
"I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)" is the debut single of Scottish singer-songwriter Sandi Thom, released in October 2005. The song was written by Thom and Tom Gilbert. Following a re-release in 2006, the song topped the singles charts of Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. However, critical reaction to the song was largely negative, especially regarding the lyrics.
"Walkin' on the Sun" is a song by American rock band Smash Mouth from their first album, Fush Yu Mang (1997). Smash Mouth released it as their debut single in June 1997, the song was Smash Mouth's first major single, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. It was also a success abroad, peaking at No. 3 in Canada and Iceland, No. 5 in Italy and Spain, and No. 7 in Australia, where it is certified platinum for shipments exceeding 70,000 units.
"The Impression That I Get" is a song by American ska punk band the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Let's Face It (1997), in February 1997. The track reached number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart while also charting highly in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The song was certified gold in the United States and Australia. Chris Applebaum directed the song's music video while Adam Stern produced it.
"Inside Out" is a song by American alternative rock band Eve 6, released in May 1998 from their self-titled debut album as their debut single. The song was a hit in North America, topping the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for four nonconsecutive weeks. In September 2023, for the chart's 35th anniversary, Billboard ranked the song at number 58 on its list of the 100 most successful songs in the chart's history. It also reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 36 on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, and number 24 in Iceland.
"If You Could Only See" is a song by American rock band Tonic from their debut studio album Lemon Parade (1996). It was released to radio as the third and final single from the album on March 18, 1997, by Polydor Records. Frontman Emerson Hart is the sole writer of the song, whilst production on the song was helmed by Jack Joseph Puig. According to Hart, the song was written as a result of his family disowning him due to their disapproval of Hart's relationship with an older woman. The song is Tonic's most successful, becoming a hit in several countries, and has been described as "rock radio's most played song of 1997."
"Zip-Lock" is a song by the American pop punk band Lit, released as the follow-up single to their number one rock hit "My Own Worst Enemy" from their second album, A Place in the Sun in 1999. While not as successful as its previous single, it was able to reach number 11 on the Modern Rock Tracks and number 34 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks.
"Dumb Blonde" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on February 12, 2019, and serves as the third single from her sixth studio album, Head Above Water (2019). The song was originally recorded by Lavigne as a solo artist, but was later recorded with an additional verse written and performed by Minaj. The solo version of the song is featured on physical editions of the album.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)