Anthem Part Two

"Anthem Part Two" is a song by American rock band Blink 182 from the band's fourth studio album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) and a sequel to "Anthem" from Enema of the State (1999). It was written primarily by guitarist Tom DeLonge, with additional songwriting credit to bassist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker. A sequel to this song, "Anthem Part 3", was released as the opening track of their ninth studio album One More Time (2023). "Anthem Part Two" explores teenage rebellion, placing blame on parents for adolescent mischief. Music critics were mixed in their impressions of the song; some found it enjoyable while others considered it formulaic.

Blink 182 attracted mainstream recognition with its 1999 album Enema of the State, which sold five times platinum domestically and influenced a host of pop punk bands. Its follow up, 2001's Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, followed a similar path, hitting number one on the Billboard 200. For the project, the trio aimed to make a groovier, less polished effort than its predecessor; central points of inspiration included post hardcore acts like Fugazi and Refused. "Anthem Part Two" track takes its title from the final song on Enema, "Anthem"; it serves as a sequel and logical continuation of similar themes. To write the song, DeLonge explored his memories of high school:

Lyrically, the song explores parental responsibility Its chorus places blame for teenage misconduct squarely on parents, declaring, "If we're fucked up, you're to blame." During the song's bridge, DeLonge repeats with increasing intensity that "everything has fallen to pieces." Variety writer Troy J. Augusto interpreted the lyrics as a "cry out for leadership in a seemingly out of control world." According to sheet music published at Musicnotes. com by Kobalt Music Publishing America, "Anthem Part Two" is written in common time with a tempo of 207 beats per minute, and is set in the key of C major. DeLonge's vocal parts span from c5 to G5. Upon their reunion with Tom DeLonge in 2022, the band recorded a sequel to the song titled "Anthem Part 3" for their 2023 album One More Time

Critical reception towards "Anthem Part Two" was mixed. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune identified "Anthem Part Two" as an example of the group's subtle "undercurrent of seriousness and an attention to songcraft." Kyle Ryan, writing for The A. V. Club called it "one of Jacket best songs, with a massively catchy four chord chorus and just the right amount of self righteous rebellion for teenagers to sing along." Darren Ratner, writing for Allmusic, considered it "irresistible," opining that it houses a "indomitable school kid voice where a surging vapor of knockout speed chords meet wrecking ball percussion." Among the more negative reviews, Aaron Scott of Slant Magazine found the song "rocking and almost musically interesting", but its content "dubious coming from three guys who are nearly 30." Steven Wells at NME was derisive, bemoaning its "whiny vocals" and "brittle boned punk superlite guitar." Joshua Klein of The Washington Post considered it too formulaic, describing its "cookie cutter" arrangement as too similar to the band's past singles. In a 2020 piece for Nylon, Jack Barakat of All Time Low and Ryan Key of Yellowcard—both among the band's descendants—praised the song among their favorites of the genre. Key remarked: "The snare drum sounded like a shotgun. The sparkly clean guitar riff was such a different sound for a punk song. That whole record blew my mind at the time, but I’ve always put a lot of stock in album openers, and that song may be the best of any pop punk record ever made."

Director Richard Linklater selected "Anthem Part Two" to soundtrack a singular growing up montage in his 2014 film Boyhood. Singer songwriter Julien Baker in 2020 covered the song for Save Stereogum: An '00s Covers Comp, a digital compilation benefitting the music website. Justin Curto of the blog Vulture described it as a "tearjerker performance."