Day After Day #226: Popular

Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).

Popular (1996)

High school is rough. The need to be popular can be overwhelming. Not that I know anything about that. But kids definitely can get caught up in all that bullshit. It's not their fault. 

Nada Surf had an insightful look at popularity with their debut single with the help of a 1960s advice book for young girls. 

The band was started in 1992 by Matthew Caws (guitar, vocals) and Daniel Lorca (bass), adding Ira Elliott on drums in 1995. Their 1996 debut High/Low was produced by Ric Ocasek, the Cars frontman who was becoming more prominent in the '90s for producing albums like Weezer's Blue Album.

For "Popular," the band took an unusual tactic, thanks to Penny's Guide to Teen-Age Charm and Popularity, a 1964 book written by actress Gloria Winters.

"Three important rules for breaking up/Don't put off breaking up when you know you want to/Prolonging the situation only makes it worse/Tell him honestly, simply, kindly but firmly/Don't make a big production/Don't make up an elaborate story/This will help you avoid a big tear jerking scene//If you want to date other people, say so/Be prepared for the boy to feel hurt and rejected/Even if you've gone together for only a short time/And haven't been too serious/There's still a feeling of rejection/When someone says she prefers the company of others/To your exclusive company/But if you're honest and direct/And avoid making a flowery, emotional speech/When you break the news/The boy will respect you for your frankness/And honestly he'll appreciate the kind and/Straightforward manner in which you told him your decision/Unless he's a real jerk or a crybaby, you'll remain friends."

Caws delivers the spoken-word lines with sarcasm as the band plays in an understated fashion, before ramping up during the chorus.

"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/I'm never last picked/I got a cheerleading chick."

The video was a hit on MTV, set in a high school with a cheerleader as the main character who follows her teacher's lessons about popularity. The teacher is played by Caws, who gets increasingly agitated with each verse.

"I propose we support a one-month limit on going steady/I think it would keep people more able to deal with weird situations/And get to know more people/I think if you're ready to go out with Johnny/Now's the time to tell him about your one-month limit/He won't mind, he'll appreciate your fresh look on dating/And once you've dated someone else, you can date him again/I'm sure he'll like it/Everyone will appreciate it/You're so novel, what a good idea/You can keep your time to yourself/You don't need date insurance/You can go out with whoever you want to/Every boy, every boy in the whole world could be yours/If you just listen to my plan/The teenage guide to popularity."

The song got up to #11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and it also hit #1 in Iceland for two weeks and #10 in France. The album hit #63 on the Billboard 200. 

Unfortunately, Nada Surf couldn't sustain the momentum from "Popular." Their next album was 1998's The Proximity Effect, but their label Elektra didn't think there were any hits and demanded the band record a few covers. After the band refused to play along and did a tour of Europe, the label refused to release the album in the U.S. and subsequently dropped the band. In 2000, Nada Surf self-released The Proximity Effect, while working day jobs to make ends meet. 

The lineup has remained intact ever since, releasing seven albums and about to release a new one next month. Popularity has eluded Nada Surf, but the band has established a solid indie following and consistently releases fine work. They don't really make songs that sound like "Popular" anymore, but they've become a reliably good indie rock band and there's nothing wrong with that.