“All of This” by blink-182 featuring Robert Smith

blink-182's self-titled fifth album arrived in 2003, and "All of This" is where it wanders well away from their usual pop-punk: a gloomy, slow-burning pop song made in the image of the Cure, with Robert Smith himself singing lead as a guest. Devoted Cure fans, the band invited him in without being sure his voice would sit with theirs, and he tips the track into dark new wave, strings and moody guitars floating over a mid-tempo drum loop.

The story came from producer Jerry Finn, who told them about a mortifying middle school run-in with a crush. Tom DeLonge sings and plays guitar, Mark Hoppus plays bass and Travis Barker drums. Critics picked it as a highlight, and the band brought Smith out to sing it at Wembley Arena in 2004, but plans to make it a single died with the band's 2005 breakup.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.