Pokinatcha (1994)
"Want Ad" is a checklist for the perfect girl. The song always stuck out to me over the years as I was looking for a lot of the same qualities Mike sings about, especially, "I'm looking for a girl who writes me songs and talks to Jesus all day long." While I didn't get EVERY one of these attributes with my wife, I'm still quite happy. I'll always love this song though.

"PxPx" (Pokinatcha Punks) is a lot of what I love about old school punk music. It's fast, loud, and short. "PxPx" is barely a minute long, but it gets the juices flowing. It's an MxPx great and the name of all of my fantasy football teams.

"Walking By" is another fast and furious punk rock gem. I've always loved the quick bass intro before the guitar starts to break it up. This is another short one at less than 2 minutes, but so much is packed into a short time. The skate punk days of MxPx were so much fun -- not as polished, but so much fun.

Teenage Politics (1995)
"Inquiring Minds Want to Know" is a fast punk rock jam that was still holding onto to some of the rawness and energy of Pokinatcha. This one is easily my second favorite song from this album. For some reason, the clean guitar and "jazzy" bass interlude that breaks up the furious pace always caught my attention and was something I looked forward to.

"I'm the Bad Guy" is easily a top five favorite MxPx song for me and features what is likely my second favorite line of lyrics (which the band consequently caught some flak over): "Legalistic people suck. Legalism makes me sick. I wonder what makes it tick; I wanna go and puke on it. Ephesians verse 2:8 states, 'God has saved us, not by works, but by grace.' So what's it going to take? There's no getting through to you." I thought, and still think, that it was so cool for a 19-year-old kid to call out the church like that. I could see the apostle Paul taking that same tone with the Ephesian church. Anytime "legalism" in the church comes up, I immediately think of "I'm the Bad Guy."

Life In General (1996)
"Do Your Feet Hurt" is such an awesome song. How many guys have felt like this? I sent an anonymous letter (Yes, kids, an actual letter through the US Postal Service) to a girl in middle school with the cheesiness of the bridge: "Do your feet hurt? Did you fall from heaven? 'Cause you've been running through my mind all day. My mind don't mind." Fortunately for me, she LOVED it. Unfortunately for me, her friends and her thought it was from another guy -- and he took the credit! To rub salt in the wound, he was my best friend at the time. Years and years later, while on a date with that very same girl, I came clean about the letter while introducing her to MxPx!

"The Wonder Years" (originally "Life in General") has always been a favorite of mine. It's a fast punk song that embodies what the album was about musically and thematically. A 20-year-old Mike was already contemplating growing up and what that meant. I can still listen to this one and reflect back to my very own "wonder years."

"Your Problem My Emergency" is my favorite song from Life in General. Mike is questioning an authority figure and vows to never be like that person. This biggest pay off for me -- and I still use it today -- is, "Learn to think before you speak and you just might make a point." Ah, it's so very, very true.

"Southbound" is certainly not any sort of quintessential punk song or anything, but it's always clicked with me. It's a song for cruising down the road and blasting on your car speakers. The simple guitar solo played to the melody with the driving bass that closes the song is honestly the perfect ending to my favorite MxPx album.

Let It Happen (1998)
"GSF" (Girls Schmirls Foundation) was my personal anthem for so many years. I listened to this one OVER AND OVER again, learned to play it on guitar, and then listened some more. As a married man with a daughter, I'm obviously not in the GSF anymore, but the song will always hold a special place in my heart.

"Small Town Minds/First Class Mail" is such a great song and was actually released on the Small Town Minds EP (along with "GSF") prior to the release of Let It Happen. It's technically two separate songs, but "Small Town Minds" flows so seamlessly into "First Class Mail." It's not quite the same as Green Day's combo of "Brain Stew" and "Jaded," which are always played back to back, as "Small Town Minds" is almost always played and heard on its own, but it's still great punk music.

Mike Herrera announces, "This is a yelling song," before starting "Lifetime Enlightenment." This is more fast and furious punk rock with Mike basically yelling all of the lyrics. The icing on the cake is the totally cool punked-out "Smoke on the Water" rip-off played in between the chorus and second verse.

Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo (1998)
"Tomorrow's Another Day" is hands down, without a doubt, my very favorite song by my favorite band -- and has been since 1998 when I bought the album. While so many MxPx lyrics have stuck with my over the years, none have resonated and hung around like, "Just know this that God is faithful even if you don't have faith yourself. There's nothing quite like being sure of what's inside your heart." Buffalo was the end of the most blatant Christian messages in their songs, but that particular message hits hard for Christians and those seeking something bigger than themselves alike.

"Under Lock and Key" may be the best opening song on any MxPx album. Sure, "Middlename" from Life in General is fantastic, but Buffalo's opener is so great. It's fast punk rock and showcases what MxPx was doing from 1996-1998. I don't think MxPx was ever better than they were back when in these days and "Under Lock and Key" is a great reminder of their glory days.

"The Theme Fiasco" is the second album closer on this list and the instrumental just BARELY edged out "Fist vs. Tact" for a spot on this list. I admit that I didn't get this song to start with. As a 15-year-old kid looking for another song to sing at the top of my lungs, this didn't fit the bill, but then I saw MxPx live for the very first time. I want to say they actually opened with "The Theme Fiasco" at that show in Orlando's Hard Rock Live, but the memories are fuzzy after so many years. No matter when it occurred on the set-list, it clicked that night. I've loved the "The Theme Fiasco" ever since and always wanted another instrumental in the same vein.

The Ever Passing Moment (2000)
"Buildings Tumble" has always been my favorite song from this album. MxPx started incorporating a lot more pop into their repertoire with this album and it made me angry for the longest time. A lot of fans never really got into this album, but it grew on me with a little time and multiple listens. "Buildings Tumble" had some of the fast punk rock edge of prior albums and the positive message always stood out. The Ever Passing Moment is my least favorite MxPx album, but "Buildings Tumble" rises above that.

Before Everything & After (2003)
I remember hearing "Well Adjusted" for the first time (or at least a small snippet of it) on a Super Bowl commercial for Diet Pepsi. I remember thinking how cool it was that my favorite band was on a commercial being aired during the Super Bowl! I honestly probably freaked a bit more than I'm willing to admit. Before Everything & After is probably the most maligned MxPx album to date, but I actually always kind of liked it. "Well Adjusted" has been a song I've loved since hearing it the first time. Typically, when I listen to Before Everything & After today, it's because I'm jonesin' to hear this song.

The AC/EP (2004)
"Invitation to Understanding [Acoustic]" was a song I really enjoyed from Buffalo, but when MxPx released the B-Movie and the accompanying AC/EP I found an all-new love for this song. This version of the song could very easily be my second favorite MxPx track ever. The acoustic treatment given to this one is spot on and fits probably even better than the original arrangement. This is the song that had me wanting a full acoustic album for years and I was so excited when one finally released in 2014.

Panic (2005)
Many fans saw Panic as a return to form for MxPx after Before Everything & After's disappointment. For some reason, it took a while for this album to sit right with me, but "Get Me Out" really helped with this process. It was the first time in a while MxPx went back to their earlier roots with fast punk rock and screaming. While Panic took some time to grow on me, "Get Me Out" had me from the start.

Secret Weapon (2007)
I personally view Secret Weapon as many others viewed Panic -- a true return to form. "Shut It Down" is the only song from the album to crack my list of 20, but that's not because the album is lacking great songs. The "public service announcement with guitar" that is "Shut It Down" jumped out at me quickly. Partially because it was the second song on the album, but also because it's honestly one of my favorite MxPx songs to date. The fast punk rock that made me love MxPx to begin with highlights the song along with Tom's blazing fingers on the guitar on the intro/breaks.

*I would be remiss to not discuss a few honorable mentions to this list… You may ask, "How could any self-respecting MxPx fan NOT include "Punk Rawk Show" on their list?" Well, I certainly considered putting it on here. I love the song and it's been the band's anthem for 21 years -- it's still the closer in all of their sets. When all is said and done, and I'm wanting to hear a particular MxPx song, it's never that one. I love it, but it's just not a personal Top 20. "Chick Magnet" was likely their biggest hit with some MTV airplay and a hysterical video. It will always be one of my favorite songs, but it just wasn't quite right for this list. Lastly, the band records a Christmas song every year… "Christmas Night of the Living Dead" was so very, very close to being put on this list. I blast Punk Rawk Christmas several times a year every Christmas season, and that is just a great jam. It's one of the more violent Christmas song you'll ever hear, but I love it! In the end, "Lifetime Enlightenment" edged it out for a Top 20 spot. If only this was JFH's 25th year celebration!

A few others I'd like to mention: "Jars of Clay," "Like Sand Thru the Hourglass… So Are the Days of Our Lives," "Christalena," "Creation," "Fist vs. Tact," "Responsibility," "Chop Shop," and since nothing from Plans Within Plans made the actual list, "Aces Up."