Popular

I'm 20 now, but I was a blonde cheerleader in high school. I was self-entitled and tended to consider myself the "Queen Bee". I was under the (wrong) impression that all the girls strived to be like me, or to be liked BY me because I was HOT. I thought all the guys strived to get in my pants because I was HOT, unless they were gay, in which they wanted to get my advice on fashion and hair because, again, I was HOT. I was, to put it simply, full of it.

The reality was (and I didn't realise this until halfway through my junior year) most people couldn't stand me. I had become so self-entitled even my closest friends couldn't bear me anymore. Girls didn't really want to be like me, they thought I was egotistical and shallow. Guys didn't really want to do me, they thought I was too high-maintenance and "loose". And the gay guys didn't admire me at all, they thought I was a fashion sheep who merely followed the crowd but pretended to lead. And you know what? They were ALL. RIGHT.

That's why I love this song. This song isn't just a mere "fuck you" to all those who considered themselves 'popular' in high school. Its a social commentary on the fact that we'll always consider ourselves better than someone else. We'll never see ourselves in the light that others see us, because we're too busy criticizing what others do and how THAT makes them worse than we are. "I'm the teachers' pet." "I own a car." "I'm a football star." "I've got cheerleader chicks." We look at qualities within ourselves and congratulate ourselves for having them, under the wrong assumption that everyone else will admire them and like us because of them. When, in actual fact, it has the opposite effect on our peers.

In reality, popularity doesn't even exist. The idea of it is a cosmic joke that's been played on all of us. Humans are too self-congratulatory to give others the satisfaction of being better than or superior to them.

I think it's very obvious that this is a boy who went out with the most popular girl in school who got dumped by this girl who has a one month limit on dating but prolonged breaking up with him, gave a flowery speech when she finally did it, and made it as painful as possible for him. This has caused him to become REALLY bitter about the "popular" people who feel they can walk all over people or even each other. All entirely sarcastic

Haha....the most memorable part of this song is the video. I was probably only 9 or 10 when it came out. My sisters used to watch MTV all the time, and I remember this video would always be on...probably right before Daria or Singled Out. After those few months, I totally forgot about this song...until the other day. I was driving and heard it on the radio (can you say random?), and it all came back to me. I even remembered the words. Ahhh memories....

Anywho, I don't think this song is necessarily mocking the "popular" crowd. I think it's sarcastically criticizing the ridiculous, superficial, and hypocritical standards that we, as a society, impose in high school. It's almost like their really is a guidebook for teenage popularity. Whether you're "popular" or not, you can't deny that at one point or another you didn't try to follow some sort of societal rule to fit in. High school is a game, and we've all played.

I definitely don't think this song is an anthem against the "popular" kids, and if you think it is, then you probably just need to get over some issues and not take life so seriously....Be happy with who you are and don't compare your life to others. But hey, all this is just my opinion. Songs are what we make of them.

I love this song! I remember the first time I heard it, I fell on the floor laughing. "Wash your hair once every two weeks", that's my favorite part.

I'm just writing this because no one else has said anything around what I think it means.. I think its about falling in love with someone who thinks along these lines, obviously being sarcastic and bitter, saying go ahead, be this way, you're so wonderful, you're so smart, you'll never know how the real world is. You'll never know how much it actually hurts. And that jerk or crybaby, that's me.

Well I totally agree with MegamiReiki. In the beginning i thought it was just a GREAT song that mocks popular people.But when I thought about it, I figured that it'a about a "non popular", "uncool" boy who broke up and that his ex-gfriend now dates the popular dude. I think it's a guide from the singer to her. It's ironic all the way

There's still a feeling of rejection When someone says she prefers the company of others To your exclusive company Thats the best line in the song

ummm popular kids never admit to being popular. I think you dont notice it because you are a popular one. This song is great. I wish I could shove it in all the popular kids faces and shoe them what dumb asses they are. But as stated above, they wouldnt get. Or else they wouldnt say it was about them because they arnt popular. Even thougth they are.

what I love about this song (which btw I only discovered yesterday although I had dad it for ages in my playlist) is the evolution from sincerity to sarcasm. "cause the first few lines are as serious as can be regarding "rules to breakig up". I mean sincerity is something I personall would very much appreciate, no matter the reasons. but then as he sings on he starts getting all critical and I think that he's talking to more people at once . I simply love the way he passes from one to he other. it makes it deliciously interesting. :) nada surf rule.

This song is not about "hating" the "popular" people..it's making fun of teenage dating in general. It's almost sympathizing with teenagers situations. We're all stuck in this micro-society with an endless unwritten code about dating and how to dress and act and talk and think. This song is simply exploring the idea of us being honest about the code and akknowledging it's there while we follow it so religiously. That's why nada surf uses a teacher to explain dating to a bunch of naive teenage girls. They use the teacher to show what it would be like if these rules really were said and if we acted like they really had to be followed. And basically the same thing happens. We breed a bunch of whores who can't help being a whore, because that's what the code tells them to do and some people are simply too naive to recognize the irony in things. So if anything nada surf doesn't want you to hate the "popular" people, they dont want you to like them either, they're just trying to show their views of high school and teen dating.