SONG: "The Ballad Of Johnny X"
ARTIST: The Bouncing Souls
ALBUM: "Live"
YEAR: 2005
PLACE OF ORIGIN: New Brunswick, New Jersey
YEARS ACTIVE: 1989 - present
WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:
"The Ballad Of Johnny X" appears to be a song about an old, battle hardened punk rocker that perhaps was too caught up in cliche ideals to really put forth the effort to become a better musician, or at least one that cares about his music. It seems he should have all the wisdom in the world to either better himself, or to give advice to someone coming up, but he's just content to be a slacker. I chose the live version of "The Battle Of Johnny X" for my song of the week. The studio version can be found on The Bouncing Souls 1996 album "Maniacal Laughter".
THE BOUNCING SOULS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
1994 - The Good, The Bad, And The Argyle (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
1996 - Maniacal Laughter (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
1997 - The Bouncing Souls (Epitaph Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
1999 - Hopeless Romantic (Epitaph Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2000 - The Bad, The Worse, And The Out Of Print (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2001 - How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Epitaph Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2003 - Anchors Aweigh (Epitaph Records)
* peaked at #168 on the Billboard 200 on 9-13-03
2005 - Live (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2006 - The Gold Record (Epitaph Records)
* peaked at #141 on the Billboard 200 on 6-24-06
2010 - Ghosts On The Boardwalk (Chunksaah Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2011 - Live At Generation Records (Generation Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2012 - Comet (Rise Records)
* peaked at #110 on the Billboard 200 on 6-30-12
2016 - Simplicity (Rise Records)
* peaked at #157 on the Billboard 200 on 8-20-16
2020 - Volume 2 (Pure Noise Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOUNCING SOULS:
The Bouncing Souls are a legendary punk band hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey. They formed back in 1989. The band's first album was really a compilation of old EP's and 7" singles called "The Good, The Bad, And The Argyle" which came out in 1994. Their proper debut would be 1996's "Maniacal Laughter". The band caught the ear of legendary punk label Epitaph who promptly signed the band and released their next five albums. 1997's "The Bouncing Souls" has some classic tracks on it, but the band really saw it as an unfinished product. 1999's "Hopeless Romantic" really started to be the point where The Bouncing Souls began finding their sound. The band rounded out their Epitaph deal with three classic punk rock albums, 2001's "How I Spent My Summer Vacation", 2003's "Anchors Aweigh" and 2006's "The Gold Record". For their 20th anniversary, the band put out a bunch of singles which ultimately culminated in the compilation "Ghosts On The Boardwalk". In 2012, The Bouncing Souls inked a deal with Rise Records to release "Comet" in 2012, which was the band's highest charting album on the Billboard 200, peaking at #110. They also released "Simplicity" through Rise as well. The band's most recent release was 2020's "Volume 2" which is a compilation album featuring re-worked versions of some of the band's biggest songs, mostly in acoustic settings. As I said earlier, The Bouncing Souls are a legendary punk band. These Jersey dudes almost single handedly brought back the "pogo punk" style where the audience all bounces, no pun intended, to their songs. The Souls definitely have a melodic/pop element to their sound, but they can shift into hardcore on a dime. They are also hugely influential and have taken many a band under their wing to be openers for them. I first started getting into The Bouncing Souls around 2001 with their "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" album. But it was their 2003 album "Anchors Aweigh" that really hooked me to these guys. "Kids And Heroes" is just one of the best songs of all time. Still makes every mix I put together to this day. These guys just always seem like they are getting better. True punk legends!
SIMILAR ARTISTS:
Face To Face
Dead To Me
Red City Radio
Strung Out
Lagwagon
TEN THE BOUNCING SOULS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. Kids And Heroes
2. Gone
3. Sing Along Forever
4. Lean On Sheena (Avoid One Thing cover)
5. Apartment 5F
6. Coin Toss Girl
7. True Believers
8. The Pizza Song
9. Ghosts On The Boardwalk
10. Writing On The Wall
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