Aliens Exist

San Diego suburbanites Blink-182 rose to prominence at the turn of the millennium with their fast-paced pop-punk sound. Its members—guitarist Tom DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker—established themselves with the release of their 1999 album Enema of the State, a multiplatinum release which includes "Aliens Exist".

DeLonge had long had a fascination with extraterrestrials and UFOs, beginning in middle school when he discovered books at a school library that piqued his interest. When touring the country in a van as a part of the mid-nineties skate-punk scene, DeLonge would keep himself occupied with books about paranormal activity.{{cite web | last=Peplow | first=Gemma | title=Tom DeLonge on UFO research: 'I wouldn't have left Blink-182 for something pie in the sky' | website=Sky News | date=September 1, 2020 | url=https://news.sky.com/story/tom-delonge-on-ufo-research-i-wouldnt-have-left-blink-182-for-something-pie-in-the-sky-12061013 | access-date=May 11, 2023}} Barker recalled DeLonge staring out of his bus window in search of UFOs.{{cite web | last=Magazine | first=Alternative Press | title=Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge used to look for UFOs together | website=Alternative Press Magazine | date=February 6, 2019 | url=https://www.altpress.com/blink-182-travis-barker-joe-rogan-interview/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}} When the band received their first royalty check after signing to Universal Music Group in 1996, DeLonge bought his first personal computer, which he immediately used to research alien phenomena. By the time the band gained fame, DeLonge further committed himself to his research; in one 2001 interview, DeLonge shows off his extensive collection of dozens of UFO books, as well as videocassettes containing hundreds of hours of military interviews testifying their experiences with UFOs. DeLonge's bandmates found his preoccupations amusing or gullible: "Honestly, he believes anything he reads," Hoppus sighed to Rolling Stone in 2000.{{cite web | last=Edwards | first=Gavin | title=Punk Guitar + Fart Jokes = Blink-182 | website=Rolling Stone | date=January 20, 2000 | url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/punk-guitar-fart-jokes-blink-182-20000120 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324131312/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/punk-guitar-fart-jokes-blink-182-20000120 | archive-date=March 24, 2016 | url-status=live | access-date=May 11, 2023}}{{cite web | last=Hoffman | first=Ashley | title=Blink-182's Mark Hoppus Has Conservative Views on Aliens | website=Time | date=July 5, 2016 | url=https://time.com/4393882/blink-182-mark-hoppus-tom-delonge-aliens/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}}

The track's songwriting credits are split between DeLonge and Hoppus, who would often debate the subject matter of the song while touring. The two would leave each other handcrafted messages on their live performance rigs with duct tape, with DeLonge most commonly saying "aliens exist," while Hoppus would reply "no they don't."{{Cite web |last=Cowen |first=Trace William CowenTrace William |date=2023-06-26 |title=Aliens exist: Tom DeLonge’s impact on UFO disclosure’s breakthrough moment |url=https://www.altpress.com/tom-delonge-aliens-exist/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=Alternative Press Magazine |language=en}} Barker receives no songwriting credit, as he was considered a touring musician at this point in their career but did serve as the song's arranger, "selecting the tempos and organizing the flow of verses, choruses, and breaks."{{cite book |last1=Barker |first1=Travis |title=Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums |last2=Edwards |first2=Gavin |publisher=William Morrow |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-062-31942-5 |page=155}}{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/blink-182-enema-of-the-state/|title=Blink-182: Enema of the State|first= Jeremy |last=Gordon|website=Pitchfork|date=January 12, 2020|access-date=February 27, 2020}}

File:Supposed UFO, Passaic, New Jersey (cropped).jpgs. (Pictured: Famous supposed UFO over New Jersey, 1952).]]

According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Publishing America, "Aliens Exist" is written in common time with a fast tempo of 216 beats per minute, and is set in the key of B major. DeLonge's vocal parts span from A{{music|sharp}}₃ to F{{music|sharp}}₄.{{cite web|title=Digital Sheet Music – Blink-182 – Aliens Exist|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0078331|publisher=Musicnotes.com/Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc.|year=2011|last1=Hoppus|first1=Mark|last2=DeLonge|first2=Tom}}

"Aliens Exist" examines "youthful bewilderment at the universe around you," according to writer Luca Cimarusti.{{cite web | last=Cimarusti | first=// Luca | title=21 Years Later, ‘Enema of the State’ Stands the Test of Time | website=Riot Fest 2023 – September 15th-17th | date=June 27, 2019 | url=https://riotfest.org/2019/06/27/enema-remembering-20/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}} DeLonge uses the song's lyrics to convince listeners of the legitimacy of his claims;{{cite web | last=Zak | first=Dan | title=UFOs are suddenly a serious news story. You can thank the guy from Blink-182 for that. | website=Washington Post | date=May 30, 2018 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ufos-are-suddenly-a-serious-news-story-you-can-thank-the-guy-from-blink-182-for-that/2018/05/30/8fce7100-441b-11e8-ad8f-27a8c409298b_story.html | access-date=May 11, 2023}} he facetiously acknowledges that "we all know conspiracies are dumb."{{cite web | last=Barclay | first=Douglas | title=Tom DeLonge is so convinced that aliens exist that he quit Blink-182 to try to prove it | website=ajc | date=September 1, 2016 | url=https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/music/tom-delonge-convinced-that-aliens-exist-that-quit-blink-182-try-prove/mSeaVpfV60yJcTRaAgblsK/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}} DeLonge suggests the CIA has suppressed information: "I know the CIA would say/What you hear is all hearsay."{{cite web | last=Ziv | first=Stav | title=Are UFOs and Aliens Real? Tom DeLonge Sure Thinks So | website=Newsweek | date=December 18, 2017 | url=https://www.newsweek.com/are-ufos-and-aliens-real-tom-delonge-still-convinced-humans-should-learn-751546 | access-date=May 11, 2023}} The song ends with the lyric "twelve majestic lies," an allusion to the Majestic 12, a purported organization of 1940s-era government scientists studying alien spacecraft.{{cite web | last=Aniftos | first=Rania | title=A Timeline of Tom DeLonge’s Connection With UFOs | website=Billboard | date=April 28, 2020 | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/tom-delonge-ufo-timeline-8071145/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}}

In a 2000 program for their arena tour, DeLonge delves into the song's subject matter:

{{cquote|As a hobby all I ever do is read books and study material on UFOs and government conspiracies. So I wrote a song about a guy talking about aliens as though he's had a weird experience but nobody believes him, they think he's full of shit. But he's directing his angst toward the government, because the government knows there's something going on. [...] I think it's just a cool song coming from that point of view.{{cite book |last=DeLonge |first=Tom |title=Blink-182: The Mark Tom and Travis Show 2000 Official Program|year=2000 |publisher=MCA Records}}}}

"Aliens Exist" debuted as part of a medley of songs with 30-second snippets available to stream on a2b music,{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/513596/blink-182-release-online-medley/|title=Blink 182 Release Online Medley|website=MTV.com|date=April 19, 1999|access-date=February 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226212312/http://www.mtv.com/news/513596/blink-182-release-online-medley/|archive-date=February 26, 2020}} an early digital music service owned by AT&T.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/a2b-music-team-leaves-at-t-for-reciprocal/|title=a2b Music team leaves AT&T for Reciprocal|website=CNET|date=January 2, 2002|access-date=February 27, 2020}} It was officially released as a part of Enema of the State on June 1, 1999. Houston Chronicle reporter Mike Damante ranked it among the band's best, calling it hugely "underrated",{{cite web | last=Damante | first=Mike | title=THE TOP 10 BLINK-182 SONGS OF ALL TIME | website=Chron | date=March 25, 2013 | url=https://www.chron.com/culture/main/article/THE-TOP-10-BLINK-182-SONGS-OF-ALL-TIME-4383214.php | access-date=May 11, 2023}} while Chris Payne at Billboard praised it for its break from "the mold of pop-punk lyrical tropes."{{cite web | last=Payne | first=Chris| title=Blink-182’s ‘Enema of the State’ at 15: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review | website=Billboard | date=May 30, 2014 | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/blink-182-enema-of-the-state-15-anniversary-classic-track-by-track-album-review-6106269/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}} Tolly Wright at Vulture characterized it as "fun, if unmemorable."{{cite web | last=Squires | first=Bethy | title=Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge Likes to Email a Hillary Clinton Adviser His UFO Research | website=Vulture | date=October 10, 2016 | url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/blink-182-tom-delonge-ufo-clinton-adviser.html | access-date=May 11, 2023}}

Though not released as a single, the group performed the track on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2000.{{cite web | title=Hangin' Out With Rock's Rude Boys | website=Los Angeles Times | date=May 11, 2000 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-may-11-ca-28718-story.html | access-date=May 11, 2023}} It was a staple of the band's inaugural arena tour, The Mark, Tom and Travis Show Tour, and its accompanying live album;{{cite web|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/98cnbx/blink-182-kick-off-tour-with-hometown-show|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511175945/https://www.mtv.com/news/98cnbx/blink-182-kick-off-tour-with-hometown-show|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2023|title=Blink-182 Kick Off Tour With Hometown Show|first=Nina|last=Garin|website=MTV.com|date=May 12, 2000|accessdate=May 11, 2023}}{{cite web | title=Tom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | website=GQ | date=April 1, 2016 | url=https://www.gq.com/story/tom-delonge-ufos-interview-sekret-machines-novel | access-date=May 11, 2023}} a crude web animation made to promote the latter features aliens defecating on humans.{{cite web | title=WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP! | website=NME | date=November 21, 2000 | url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/blink-182-244-1395295 | access-date=May 11, 2023}} The band later retired the song in 2002.{{cite web | last=Darus | first=Alex | title=blink-182 play "Aliens Exist," more for first time in nearly two decades | website=Alternative Press Magazine | date=April 28, 2019 | url=https://www.altpress.com/blink-182-aliens-exist-anthem-back-to-the-beach/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}}

The band later revived the song on their 2019 tour, where they played Enama of the State in its entirety. In DeLonge's absence, Matt Skiba (who was a member from 2015 to 2022) performed in his place, and Hoppus dedicated the song to DeLonge.{{cite web | last=Kaye | first=Ben | title=Blink-182 dedicate "Aliens Exist" performance to Tom DeLonge: Watch | website=Consequence | date=June 30, 2019 | url=https://consequence.net/2019/06/blink-182-aliens-exist-tom-delonge-watch/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}} That same year, DeLonge himself performed the song as part of a Blink-182 medley on tour with his other band Angels & Airwaves.{{cite web | last=Richards | first=Will | title=Watch Tom DeLonge cover Blink 182's 'Aliens Exist' and 'I Miss You' | website=NME | date=August 29, 2019 | url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-tom-delonge-cover-blink-182s-aliens-exist-miss-2543266 | access-date=May 11, 2023}} Following DeLonge's return, the band continued to perform the song as part of its 2023 world tour, with video screens showcasing tabloids of him and his "brush with aliens".{{cite web | title=Blink-182 at United Center: Hitmaking lineup reunites, older but no more mature | website=Chicago Sun-Times | date=May 7, 2023 | url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/5/7/23714580/blink-182-review-chicago-united-center-reunion-tom-delonge | access-date=May 11, 2023}}

File:Tom DeLonge AVA Fall Tour 2008.jpg

"Aliens Exist" has been fondly remembered as a classic standout from the band's breakthrough album. The song's place has been examined within American pop culture's fascination with aliens, alongside E.T. and The X-Files.{{cite web | title=Essential Politics: Are we closer to understanding UFOs? What to know about the congressional report | website=Los Angeles Times | date=June 2, 2021 | url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/newsletter/2021-06-02/ufos-harry-reid-congress-essential-politics | access-date=May 11, 2023}} For the band's part, they embraced the image, emblazoning cartoon space aliens on T-shirts{{cite web | last=Sulin | first=Krysten | title=The Ultimate Pop-Punk Gift Guide: 14 holiday present ideas for music fans | website=Alternative Press Magazine | date=December 3, 2020 | url=https://www.altpress.com/pop-punk-music-holiday-gift-ideas/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}} and passing out inflatable aliens at concerts.{{cite web | last=Naftule | first=Ashley | title=Aliens Invaded the Lil Wayne and Blink-182 Concert at Ak-Chin Pavilion | website=Phoenix New Times | date=August 6, 2019 | url=https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/aliens-invaded-the-lil-wayne-and-blink-182-concert-at-ak-chin-pavilion-11339166 | access-date=May 11, 2023}}{{cite web | last=Atelsek | first=Jillian | title=Blink-182 and Lil Wayne at Hersheypark: Six takeaways from the energetic concert | website=pennlive | date=July 6, 2019 | url=https://www.pennlive.com/life/2019/07/blink-182-and-lil-wayne-at-hersheypark-six-takeaways-from-the-concert.html | access-date=May 11, 2023}} DeLonge continued to explore alien phenomena in his work with his band Angels & Airwaves, which he started in 2005; songs like "The Flight of Apollo" and "Valkyrie Missile" reference these topics.{{cite web | last=Dickerson | first=Kelly | title=Tom DeLonge Took a Break From Blink-182 to Focus on UFOs | website=Mic | date=June 17, 2016 | url=https://www.mic.com/articles/140196/why-tom-de-longe-took-a-break-from-blink-182-to-expose-the-truth-about-aliens | access-date=May 11, 2023}} Machine Gun Kelly's 2020 single "Concert for Aliens" was considered evocative of DeLonge's earlier work.{{cite web | last=Breihan | first=Tom | title=Machine Gun Kelly Is A Punk Now, Apparently | website=Stereogum | date=September 30, 2020 | url=https://www.stereogum.com/2100483/machine-gun-kelly-is-a-punk-now-apparently/columns/status-aint-hood/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}}

The song has been frequently referenced{{cite web | last=Press | first=Alt | title=Tom DeLonge opens up on Blink-182's song, "Aliens Exist" | website=Alternative Press Magazine | date=June 19, 2016 | url=https://www.altpress.com/tom_delonge_opens_up_on_blink_182s_song_aliens_exist/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}} and viewed through a different lens in the wake of DeLonge's continued investigation of UFOs, and his succession to becoming one of the country's most famous researchers.{{cite web | last=Doyle | first=Patrick | title=Tom DeLonge on His 2019 UFO Research: 'This Is the Year Things Really Ignited' | website=Rolling Stone | date=December 30, 2019 | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/tom-delonge-ufo-research-931845/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}}{{cite web | title=How Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge Became a U.F.O. Researcher | website=The New York Times | date=September 26, 2019 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/science/tom-delonge-ufo-research.html | access-date=May 11, 2023}}{{cite web | title=Tom DeLonge on UFOs, Aliens, Angels and Airwaves, and Working with the Department of Defense | website=Esquire | date=September 10, 2021 | url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a37532754/tom-delonge-interview-2021/ | access-date=May 11, 2023}} After many years of exploring the concepts through other endeavors, DeLonge co-founded a company, To the Stars, with several senior government and intelligence officials, focusing on aerospace, science, as well as entertainment. In 2017, the company released leaked footage, in partnership with the New York Times of unidentified aerial phenomena that the Pentagon later confirmed as real; these efforts were viewed as legitimizing DeLonge's longtime pursuit.{{cite web | last=Pelley | first=Rich | title='People need to open their minds!' – Tom DeLonge on his new career as a UFO expert | website=the Guardian | date=September 15, 2020 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/15/star-of-bethlehem-spaceship-tom-delonges-new-career-ufo-expert-blink-182 | access-date=May 11, 2023}} This prompted the Pentagon to formally establish interest in studying UFOs.{{cite web | title=How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously | website=The New Yorker | date=April 30, 2021 | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriously | access-date=May 11, 2023}}

In a feature for The Fader titled after the song, columnist Kelsey McKinney recounts DeLonge's journey from crackpot to academic:

{{cquote|He used to sound crazy. Here was a dude in a beanie, his left arm inked from wrist to somewhere beneath his graphic tee, best known as the former co-frontman of the rock band Blink-182. In interviews, the words coming out of his mouth made less sense than the 40 "na"s strung together in the chorus of "All the Small Things". This would have been fine — a creative mind susceptible to wild ideas is hardly unique. Except Tom DeLonge didn’t just have a passing interest or affinity; he was planning a crusade.{{cite web | last=McKinney | first=Kelsey | title=Aliens Exist | website=The FADER | date=February 27, 2018 | url=https://www.thefader.com/2018/02/27/aliens-exist-feature | access-date=May 11, 2023}}}}

Adapted from Enema of the State{{'s}} liner notes.{{cite AV media notes | title=Enema of the State | year=1999 | others=Blink-182 | type=liner notes | publisher=MCA Records | location=US | id=MCD 11950}}

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Locations

• Signature Sound, Studio West (San Diego, California)
• Mad Hatter Studios, The Bomb Factory (Los Angeles, California)
• Conway Recording Studios (Hollywood, California)
• Big Fish Studios (Encinitas, California)

Blink-182

• Mark Hoppus – bass guitar, vocals
• Tom DeLonge – guitars, vocals
• Travis Barker – drums, percussion

Production

• Jerry Finn – production
• Tom Lord-Alge – mixing engineer
• Sean O'Dwyer – recording engineer
• Darrel Harvey – assistant engineer
• John Nelson – assistant engineer
• Robert Read – assistant engineer
• Mike Fasano – drum technician
• Brian Gardner – mastering engineer

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Category:Blink-182 songs

Category:1999 songs

Category:Songs written by Mark Hoppus

Category:Songs written by Tom DeLonge

Category:Songs about extraterrestrial life