Makes No Sense at All

Hüsker Dü spent the early 1980s playing hardcore faster than anyone else, then spent the mid-1980s discovering melody and finding that speed and beauty could coexist. Flip Your Wig (1985) is where that synthesis felt most complete.

Makes No Sense at All is among Bob Mould's greatest pop songs — a melody that arrives fully formed, the twin-guitar attack deployed in service of a hook rather than a riff. The band's commercial breakthrough was around the corner; this song is why.

Hüsker Dü dissolved in 1988 under internal tensions. Mould and Grant Hart went on to solo careers of genuine distinction. Their influence on alternative rock — on Pixies, Nirvana, Superchunk — is foundational.