can be difficult to skip over the strings properly. Hoppus's bass line, which has been compared to the Pixies' song "Debaser", situates on the root notes of each chord. The song's first verse detail an intimate relationship gone awry. Hoppus sings of wearing cologne in hopes to impress a girl on a weekend date. Upon returning home, foreplay ensues, during which the protagonist begins watching television. This prompts his insulted partner to leave, leading into the song's chorus, in which Hoppus sings that "nobody likes you when you're 23." Hoppus was 26 when he wrote the song, and only included the lyric to rhyme. The song utilizes power chords in its chorus, and substitutes the arpeggiated intro for palm-muted power chords in the succeeding verse. Each chorus is lyrically distinct, which was one of Hoppus's original goals; he felt this approach kept the song interesting and advanced the story in a creative way. Hoppus had once read that "the best art is the evolution of familiarity": an artist introduces an idea, a listener connects with it, and the artist slightly alters the original idea to retain a familiar feeling. Recording and production After further development, the group presented it to producer Jerry Finn. A veteran engineer, Finn came to fame mixing Green Day's breakthrough album Dookie (1994). Finn was suggested by the label as an option for producing Enema of the State; the band got along with him immediately, and continued to work with him on their future projects. Finn would suggest and make adjustments where necessary, though in the case of "What's My Age Again?", he had little notes. By the time Hoppus presented the song to his bandmates, the first verse and chorus were written, with its second verse and bridge section needing further work. Hoppus and DeLonge crafted an instrumental bridge that went on for eight measures, which all agreed felt too long. Finn assisted in shortening the section, and the group recorded a demo at DML Studios. Within the new year, the group recorded the song proper. The drums on Enema of the State were tracked at Mad Hatter Studios in North Hollywood, a space once owned by jazz musician Chick Corea. Hoppus remembered that Finn was meticulous in recording the kit, spending hours on microphone placement, as well as picking compressors and at which rate they would run. Barker recorded his drum portions, as well