The reunion of blink-182 has been one of the bright spots in the rock world in 2023. It turns out this all happened during a very dark and scary time for Mark Hoppus.
The trio recently took part in an extended interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. Hoppus said he and Tom DeLonge started talking again when he was diagnosed with cancer. He went public with his diagnosis in June 2021.
Hoppus said, ” … There was a lot of bad blood and there was a lot of stuff in the press and feelings and all this stuff. Then honestly, I got sick … but Tom was always like, ‘We’re going to get you through this.’”
Hoppus announced he was in remission in September 2021. However, he shared with Lowe that chemotherapy did a real number on him. He said he had to work with a vocal coach to “rebuild” his throat so he could sing again.
Of course, there is fortunately a happy ending to all of this and, perhaps, a new beginning for blink-182. DeLonge’s return to the band was confirmed in October 2022. This led to the release of the track “Edging,” their first new single together in nearly a decade. The song is featured on their new album, One More Time…, which comes out tomorrow (October 20).
On top of their new album, blink-182 is headlining the When We Were Young festival taking place this weekend in Las Vegas along with Green Day.
50 Best Power Ballads of All Time
Power ballads: They’re some of music’s most powerful expressions, and while their popularity exploded in the ‘80s, they can be found in multiple decades as is evident in our list.
According to Cambridge University Press’ academic journal Popular Music, “The power ballad has become a mainstay of popular music since the 1970s…The songs are defined by the use of both a musical formula based on constant escalation and an expressive formula that combines the euphoric uplift created by rousing music with sentimental themes and ploys.”
The journal further notes, “Contrary to views that power ballads first appeared in 1980s rock and are primarily rock numbers, the songs emerged in the 1970s pop recordings of Barry Manilow and others, and from early on crossed genre lines, including pop, rock and R&B…The songs are part of a shift toward more effusive and demonstrative styles of ballads underway since the 1960s. In addition, the emotional excesses of the power ballad fit into a larger change in the expressive tone of works across different popular culture media. With those works, emotions are to be large, ecstatic and immediate.”
With the above explainer in mind, our list of the 50 Best Power Ballads list below might include some surprising songs as well as the massive tunes you’d expect to see on this list.
There’s one other parameter that was set for this list: Bands/artists will only be represented by one song to provide for fun variety. However, solo tracks and band recordings count as two separate entry, which means certain musician might show up more than once on this list.
Without further ado, bust out your lighters and enjoy our list of the 50 Best Power Ballads!
