“I heard it and thought, ‘This emo thing’s for me’”: The Used’s Bert McCracken on the album that changed his life

During their lifetime in the ’90s, Seattle’s Sunny Day Real Estate earned themselves a cult following in a post-grunge world. Often cited as one of the cornerstones of emo, their music offered something different, deeper and with a more artistic lean than much of what surrounded them at the time.

In Utah, a copy of their third album, 1998’s How It Feels To Be Something On, found its way into the hands of a teenaged Bert McCracken. Alongside the likes of Paramore and My Chemical Romance (not to mention Dave Grohl, who would invite two SDRE alumni to join Foo Fighters, bassist Nate Mendel and now-former drummer William Goldsmith), The Used’s singer is one of many who would take inspiration and influence from them. He recalls the discovery, and the impact it had on him…

“There’s so many records from early on that really set me on a path, but I think the one pivotal record that changed my life was Sunny Day Real Estate’s How It Feels To Be Something On. When I heard that record, I found a brand new love for what music could be. I was in high school – I guess I must have been about 16 years old – and it completely changed everything for me.

“I grew up listening to grunge. I was into Pearl Jam and stuff, and also Rage Against The Machine and all that kind of thing. So to hear something that was totally left of centre, and so totally different like this, was a really big moment. I'd heard of this emo thing, I was kind of interested in what it was, and I’d heard of this band Sunny Day Real Estate who were part of it.

“When I heard this record for the first time, I was like, ‘Yeah, this emo thing’s for me, for sure.’ Jeremy Enigk’s voice, the way he played the guitar, the lyrics – everything about it spoke to me. I really loved his register. I thought that he had such a beautiful and powerful voice, and I thought that'd be a perfect place for me to be singing. I have kind of a higher voice when I'm singing, so I took a lot from that, as well as his melodic and his lyrical structure, when I started in a band.

“The whole thing definitely opened up a whole world of new endless opportunities from there on. When I listen back to the record, it's crazy how much I gathered from his lyrics. A lot of other bands at the time were wearing their heart on their sleeve, but there was something about the way this band did it that was really different and special. They were deep and poetic – there was something about them that was very different to usual rock lyrics.

“I did actually manage to see them live at the time, as well. It was at this small club in Utah called DVA, and it was crazy. It was such an awesome show. I think Jimmy Eat World opened up as well. Sunny Day Real Estate started their set and, like, 30 seconds in, the drummer broke his snare head because he was playing so hard, it was awesome.

“It’s really cool that they got more recognition as time’s gone on. It wasn’t a huge record back then, but it reached so many people who went on to form bands after. And we’re all talking about them, so they’re getting the recognition they deserve. They’re the godfathers of emo, for sure.”

The Used play Slam Dunk Festival in May – get your tickets now.

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• The story of emo in 14 songs
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