Every pop-punk band worth their wait in salt sugar has got to have a couple of songs about the opposite sex. Though some bands traffic exclusively in the topic, even bands like Bad Religion and NOFX have been known to get into the act. Rancid’s biggest commercial single was "Ruby Soho," a ska-punk hit that was right on topic. And before Green Day got political, their first few albums were almost exclusively mired in pop-punk longing.

If there was one band that wrote the book on pop-punk, it was the Descendents, who shot out of Manhattan Beach, California with equal parts brains, brawn, angst and melody, which immediately set themselves apart from the rest of their SoCal hardcore peers. Perhaps the only topic the band liked to write about more than girls was food, but we’ll save those songs for another post. In tribute, here now, the 10 best Descendents songs about girls.

Descendents – "Bikeage"
Both aggressive and melancholy, “Bikeage” was penned by drummer Bill Stevenson, who wrote many of the band’s best pop tunes. The song is about a teenage girl who ends up a homeless junkie who has to sleep with men to get her fix. "I can’t think about this," singer Milo Aukerman says at the end of the tune. "Because it makes me siiiiick!”

Descendents – "Christmas Vacation"
No, this isn’t the theme from the 1989 Chevy Chase flick, but rather a 1985 pop gem off of "I Don’t Want to Grow Up" about a failed relationship.

Descendents – "Clean Sheets"
Using unwashed bedding as a metaphor for cheating, this track from the "All" record also appears on the band’s best-of collection, "Somery."

Descendents – "Get the Time"
This classic off the band’s 1986 album "Enjoy" became the template for a million pop-punk songs that followed. It’s lyrics were heart-on-sleeve emo before there was such a thing. "When I get the time," Milo begins, “I’d like to sit down and write a little rhyme for you." The Circle Jerks may have been tougher, but chicks liked guys that weren’t afraid of a little poetry.

Descendents – "Good Good Things"
Bill Stevenson wrote this one about trying to rekindle things with an old flame. The song starts with a simple melody over a muted verse before building to a raging pre-chorus and into one of the band’s most memorable choruses: "I’ve been thinking good good things about you!" It’s sunny and warm and as pop as a summer day.

Descendents – "Hope"
Though the song doesn’t have the harmonized choruses the band would integrate on later songs, this Milo-penned breakup anthem from 1982’s "Milo Goes to College" jumps out of the gate and never relents for the entirety of it’s 2-minute running time. It isn’t as overtly melodic as some of the other songs on this list, but that’s where it gets its power.

Descendents – "I’m the One"
Not exactly a break-up song, "I’m the One" is still about yearning, not for what once was, but for what could have been. "You tell me that I’m not your type," Milo complains over a thunderous wall of guitars, before continuing: "Still you call me late at night every time he picks a fight." It’s a chest-pounding anthem for the everyman, and was the first single from the band’s 1996 LP “Everything Sucks.”

Descendents – "I Won’t Let Me"
Karl Alvarez wrote this one about the eternal struggle of every touring musician: Having to maintain a stable relationship while always on the road. "But while I am away," Milo reassures his at-home girl, "Don’t worry. Just keep your faith in me and have no doubt,"

Descendents – "She Don’t Care"
Also penned by bassist Karl Alvarez, this heartbreaking tune emerged from the ashes of a long-term relationship that finally gave out. "I gave her everything I got," Milo sings, "But she don’t care." Ouch.

Descendents – "Sour Grapes"
One of the band’s most classic tunes, it starts out with Milo asking out the girl of his dreams — a clove-smoking, square-loving new wave girl with pouty lips. But she ultimately rejects his advances and inspires the song. "I wanted her cherry," Milo confesses halfway through. "I got sour grapes."

Honorable mention: "Cheer," "Kubuki Girl," "Pep Talk," "She Loves Me."

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