3. “Self Esteem” – The Offspring
(From the album Smash)
1994
Following in the wake of the success of Nirvana and Green Day, The Offspring were the perfect band to find success as they almost split the difference between the two. Like Green Day, The Offspring were punks rooted in teenage rebellion and a bratty sense of fun. However, like Nirvana, they were heavier and harder than most classic punk rock. This midpoint, combined with some really good songs, made The Offspring a commercial juggernaut in 1994 and 1995 as Smash spun off hit after hit. The second of those hits was the harder, less punk-oriented second single “Self Esteem”. A classic loser’s anthem that perfectly fit the zeitgeist of the era (which also saw hit songs called “Loser”, “Stupid Girl”, “Teenage Dirtbag”, and two different songs called “Creep”) “Self Esteem” finds The Offspring walking the line between self-loathing and anger and became a worldwide hit. Following the success of “Self Esteem” a third single, “Gotta Get Away”, was released from “Smash” (a personal favorite in part because my friend and former boss is one of the teenagers featured in the video) and it also became a hit for the band. The Offspring did not release any more official singles from Smash but the record had built up such momentum by this point that two more songs – “Bad Habit” and “What Happened To You?” – also both received significant airplay and kept the album on the radio and on people’s minds. In the end Smash would sell over eleven million copies, making it the most successful album ever released by Epitaph or any independent record label.
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