Hear Mark Hoppus’ New Pop-Punk Song For Hurricane Harvey Dog Relief

Blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus released a new song, “Not Every Dog Goes to Heaven,” for his charity album Dog Songs. Album proceeds will go to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) for dogs affected by Hurricane Harvey.

“Not Every Dog Goes to Heaven” is a slice of vintage-sounding pop-punk, full of rapid drums and power chords. Drummer Travis Barker, the bassist’s Blink-182 bandmate, also co-wrote and performed on the track, along with Goldfinger singer-guitarist John Feldmann.

Hoppus and company drew inspiration from classic 1983 film comedy National Lampoon’s Vacation, starring Chevy Chase as the flailing patriarch of the holiday-bound Griswolds. “All I wanted was a happy family/ Then you peed on the picnic basket/ Ultimate cock-block,” Hoppus sings to the film’s ill-fated pup, Dinky. “Albatross from our cousin Eddie/ Tied you up to the car behind me/ You could not keep up.”

Musicians Allie Goertz and Casey Boyd organized the Dog Songs project. Hoppus organized his sessions with Barker and Feldman, finishing the song in only a few hours.

“I became friends with Allie Goertz on Twitter awhile ago, and she reached out about writing a song dedicated to a dog from a movie or TV show, to benefit the ASPCA via a compilation album,” Hoppus explained in a statement about the LP. “As a dog lover, I was honored to be asked. I wanted to write an anti-tribute to Dinky, the total bummer of a dog from Vacation, one of my favorite films of all time.

“Last week I went into the studio with John Feldmann and we bashed out the guitars, bass, and vocals in a morning,” he continued. “Travis came in that afternoon and absolutely destroyed the drums. It was all finished in a matter of 3-4 hours. In a matter of days it went from an idea in the back of my head to a song on an album out in the world. It’s a fun, energetic track that I’m proud to have included on the album, and it’s for a great cause.”