Nada Surf – "Popular" (1996)

I’m head of the class

I’m popular

I’m a quarterback

I’m popular

My mom says I’m a catch

I’m popular

NOTE: To kick off the lucky 13th year of 2 or 3 lines, we’re featuring a three-part interview with 2 or 3 lines conducted by . . . who else? . . . 2 or 3 lines.  (That's hella “meta”!) 

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2 or 3 lines: You recently celebrated the 13th anniversary of 2 or 3 lines – quite an accomplishment given that you the unprecedented challenges that the covid-19 pandemic presented.  You seemed to handle those challenges with your usual aplomb, but I’m sure it wasn’t as easy as you made it look. 

2 or 3 lines: It certainly wasn’t.  Covid-19 was a real gamechanger for the 2 or 3 lines team.  There were a lot of headwinds that we had to fight through – everything from having to move to a work-from-home model to supply-chain disruptions.  It wasn’t easy keeping all our balls in the air – we had to constantly pivot to do so.  But in the end we exceeded both our top-line and bottom-line targets – and I feel like those headwinds I mentioned are about to give way to tailwinds that will propel us forward.

Q: I’m guessing that you’ve watched a lot of CNBC in the last 18 months.  Am I right?

A: What gave it away?

Q: Let’s talk about the future of 2 or 3 lines.  What’s your vision for the blog over the next year?

A: That’s a good question, and one that we in the 2 or 3 lines c-suite have thought about a lot.  We seriously considered making a number of dramatic changes, but in the end we asked ourselves, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?”

Q: So we can expect more anti-“Fab Four” posts and a continuation of what one reader called your “endless vendetta” against the Beatles?

A: 2 or 3 lines just wouldn’t be 2 or 3 lines without the occasional anti-Beatle diatribe!

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Q: Le tout monde wants to know about what we can expect from 2 or 3 lines in the upcoming year.  What do you have in store for your fans in the next twelve months?

A: I’m sure it will come as no surprise if I tell you that I’ll be inducting new members into the 2 OR 3 LINES “GOLDEN DECADE” HIT SINGLES HALL OF FAME and the 2 OR 3 LINES “GOLDEN DECADE” ALBUM TRACKS HALL OF FAME next summer. 

Q: That’s become an annual tradition, and one that is eagerly awaited by 2 or 3 lines devotees.  I believe this will be the fifth group of inductees for each of those halls of fame?

A: That is correct.

Q: Will the hall of fame posts appear over the summer as usual?

A: Yes.

Q: I noticed that a lot of the records that were inducted into the two “GOLDEN DECADE” halls of fame this year had previously been featured in previous 2 or 3 lines posts.  So instead of having to come up with new material about those records, you could simply recycle your old posts.  Did you choose those records mostly on the merits, or because picking records you had previously written about saved you a lot of time and effort?

A: [Silence.]

Q: Moving on . . . I assume we can look forward to yet another 28 POSTS IN 28 DAYS once February arrives..

A: 28 POSTS IN 28 DAYS has been an annual feature of 2 or 3 lines since February 2010 – our very first February.  Last year I took 28 POSTS IN 28 DAYS in a new direction by posting only three times a week during February – not every day as in previous Februarys.  But I didn’t change the name despite the fact that there were only 12 posts in those 28 days.  Tradition is important at 2 or 3 lines, and I am loathe to tinker with a tradition as long-standing and popular as this one. 

Q: So what’s the skinny on the theme for this year’s 28 POSTS IN 28 DAYS?

A: Our two “GOLDEN DECADE” halls of fame have been so popular with our fans that we’re going to devote the coming February to a third hall of fame.  That one will feature records from the “SILVER DECADE” of pop music – by which I mean the decade that came after the “GOLDEN DECADE.”

Q: In other words, 1974 to 1984.

A: Exactly.  My initial thought was that this would a one-time thing, but there are so many great records from that decade that I might have to keep it going for . . . be ready for it . . . two or three years.

Q :That takes care of February and most of next summer.  What’s the plan for the rest of the year?  

A: As I’ve previously explained, I hear a lot of blog-worthy records on Sirius/XM when I’m driving in my car, but I often forget them before I can get home and write down their names.  So I’ve started taking a photo of my car’s multimedia screen – which gives the name of the record that’s playing, as well as the artist who recorded it – whenever something I like comes on “Underground Garage” or some other Sirius/XM channel.  At the end of 2020, I had captured the names of no fewer than 159 records.  As of today, my list has grown to a mind-boggling 474 records.  It would take me years to feature all those records on 2 or 3 lines even if I wasn’t constantly adding new ones to my list, but you’ve got to start somewhere.  So for the months when I’m not featuring new selections to the “GOLDEN DECADE” and “SILVER DECADE” halls of fame, I’ll be featuring records chosen from that 474-item list.  

Q: What kind of records are on that list?  Are they mostly old or new?

A: The records on that list are as miscellaneous as can be – there’s really no way to categorize them.  The thing that excites me is that a lot of the records on the list are relatively obscure – many of them were unfamiliar to me, and I’m guessing many of them will be unfamiliar to the typical 2 or 3 lines reader . . . if there is such a thing as a typical 2 or 3 lines reader.

Q: So the always eclectic assortment of records featured on the blog is going to be even more eclectic in the upcoming year?

A: Absolutely.

Q  That all sounds very interesting.  Say what you will about 2 or 3 lines, the music you feature is anything but boring and predictable.

A: You can say that again.

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Q: I think you’ve picked the perfect song to feature in a post celebrating the 12th anniversary of your wildly popular little blog.

A: The lyrics quoted above could have been written about yours truly.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they were written about yours truly.  Except for the “I’m a quarterback” line, of course.

Q: Or perhaps they were inspired by some other grade-A narcissist.

A: I’m rubber, you’re glue! 

Q: I don’t think I’ve heard that one since about fifth grade.  In any event, the next 2 or 3 lines will feature part two of this year’s three-part anniversary interview with 2 or 3 lines!  (If you have a problem with the singular “they,” you won’t want to miss it!)

Click here to listen to today’s featured song, Nada Surf’s “Popular,” which was released in 1996 as the first single from the band’s debut album, High/Low.  

Click below to buy “Popular” from Amazon: