"Josie" is a song by Blink-182 from their second studio album Dude Ranch. Singer and bassist Mark Hoppus wrote this song about how a perfect girlfriend would be for him. This girlfriend is make-believe rather than an actual person. The character portrayed on the song, a woman named Josie (whose name comes from Mark Hoppus' friend's dog), is recalled on the song "Online Songs" from their 2001 album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket.
The line "Yeah my girlfriend, likes UL and DHC" is a reference to the bands Unwritten Law and Dance Hall Crashers.
A source close to an ex-girlfriend of Mark says that her best friend, Josie, was actually the inspiration for the song's name and not a dog. However, the girlfriend - who is unnamed - was the inspiration for the lyrics, and Mark didn't want to name the song after the girlfriend herself. The next album mentions Josie in their "thank you" section inside the cd cover.
Music video []
- Directed by: Darren Doane and Ken Daurio
- Year released: late 1997/early 1998
- Song is featured on the MCA Records release Dude Ranch
Two versions of this video were produced. The first featured the band playing in a basement that was quickly flooding with water. As band members Mark, Tom, and Scott were unhappy with the way the video turned out, it has never been released.
The second, released, video involves Mark, back at high school (filmed in Westlake Village, California at Westlake High School). The video begins with Tom skateboarding to school and is quickly met by Scott. Mark arrives with his mom dropping him off. He meets up with the rest of the band but they quickly warn him to turn around. Mark's mom gives him his lunch bag and has him kiss her on the cheek. When he turns around he notices the other kids ridiculing him. Later that day he sees Josie, (played by Alyssa Milano) a girl he likes. He proceeds to faint as she passes him by. During class, Mark writes "I Love You" on a paper airplane and throws it at Josie. Ultimately it misses and reaches a fat guy (played by Jeremy Gunther). He turns around and is shocked to see the band had thrown it; Mark and Tom point the finger at Scott, who shakes his head in denial. At lunch he sees Josie and she waves to him, but when she turns she sees a jock and quickly goes to hug him. Mark, disappointed, turns around and bumps into a large guy and a food fight ensues. Outside the cafeteria Mark notices a sign for Track Tryouts. He changes in the locker room, sees the fat guy and both scream and run away in opposite directions. Tom and Scott support Mark through the tryouts. Mark runs a race and he clears the first hurdle. He looks back and Josie is cheering him on. Mark fails the second hurdle and is comically thrown to the ground. Josie, Tom, and Scott quickly run to his aid, though apparently no one else does. On the stretcher, Josie kisses Mark right before he is loaded up, and he smiles. In the ambulance he notices the fat guy is riding with him, and screams for help to no avail.
Throughout the video, the band are shown performing in the school's lavatory, with high school-themed posters: "Go Team", "Pep Rally Friday", "School Is Cool", "School Spirit" and "We're #1". At one stage, a poster saying “Grand Moff Tarkin 4 Prez” appears at 0:54, although the name cannot be seen. This is a reference to a character in the popular Star Wars series. It appears as a result of an obsession with Star Wars shared by Mark and a member of the film crew.
Track listing[]
All songs written and composed by Blink-182.
| US CD Single | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "Josie" | 3:19 | ||||||||
| 2. | "Wasting Time" | 2:49 | ||||||||
| 3. | "Carousel" | 3:14 | ||||||||
| 4. | "I Won't Be Home For Christmas" | |||||||||
| Australian CD Single | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "Josie" (Radio edit) | 3:19 | ||||||||
| 2. | "Untitled" (Live) | 2:46 | ||||||||
| 3. | "Dammit" (Live) | 2:45 | ||||||||
| 4. | "Does My Breath Smell?" (Live) | 2:38 | ||||||||
| 5. | "Wasting Time" (Live) | 4:05 | ||||||||