I think it’s fair to call ska music a gateway genre.

I know for me, growing up in conservative Christianity, it was the first sort of non-religious style of music that really pulled me in. As a kid it was all Amy Grant and DC Talk, but I eventually discoverd a Christian reggea band called Christafari (I shit you not), and that paved the way for my love of Christian ska bands like The Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy.

Eventually, I gravitated more toward punk, then hardcore, then metal, and now I’m listening to black metal and slam bands with names like Truckstop Dickpill. So, sorry Mom. You tried.

While this is my specific story, I would bet real money that it’s not that far off for a lot of your experiences with music. Maybe just swap the Supertones and FIF for old No Doubt and Sublime. And that’s just kinda ska, dude. It paves the way. I’m not gonna go into a whole history lesson, but you should definitely watch this Two-Tone Ska doc that gives you a crash course in the origins and evolution of the genre.

It’s clear that ska helped shape the cornerstones of punk, but it gets a lot of shit these days, and that’s not been sitting right with me lately. So… a list! I’ve compiled a handful of ska songs that I think you absolutely need to hear, and that I think will give you a slightly more comprehensive and respectable perspective of the genre as a whole. Starting with…

1. “A Message to You Rudy” – The Specials

There are a lot of important bands from the second wave of ska, or Two-tone (The Selector and the Beat come to mind), but The Specials are definitely standouts. For anyone who might be a longtime ska fan, “A Message to You Rudy” probably seems like too obvious a choice, but the reality is that it’s a fantastic song and a perfect place to start for those of you who might be learning about all this for the first time.

2. “Party at Ground Zero” – Fishbone

Fishbone is just the purest embodiment of fun ska music. Not that they don’t have some more earnest songs here and there, but overwhelmingly, they represent the more joyful end of the ska spectrum. Have some fun today and crank up “Party at Ground Zero” on your way home from work.

3. “Unity” – Operation Ivy

There is a podcast clip somewhere of Fat Mike from NOFX talking about ska and asking the question, “Who is the best ska band? ” His co-host suggests someone like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Mike very matter-of-factly replies, “No, it’s Op Ivy.” And that is probably the only time I’ve ever agreed with Fat Mike.

4. “Method to This Madness” – Voodoo Glow Skulls

During the mid-late ’80s, the third wave ska revival produced a ton of crucial bands, not the least of which was Riverside, California’s Voodoo Glow Skulls. Over the years, while their peers have fallen to the wayside or revamped themselves beyond any resemblance to their humble beginnings, the Glow Skulls have remained aggressive and reliable.

5. “We Are the Few” – Streetlight Manifesto

I’m not gonna sit here and say that Streetlight Manifesto is the last great ska band, because I genuinely believe there are probably some amazing young ska bands out there that could forge a whole new ska revival. But, for me, Streelight is probably one of the last to have a decipherable impact on the genre.