It's no secret that I love Fall Out Boy. My personal Odyssey byline commands you to listen to them (which is a little extreme probably, and I should change that soon).
Here are 11 songs and 11 facts/hidden quirks to go with them! Did you know all these? If you do, then you deserve to join the band.
1. "Sugar, We're Going Down"
These lyrics can be heard around two minutes and 45 seconds in:
Take aim at myself
Take back what you said
But I had never noticed them before, because they belong to a scream-in-the-background-type layer. Yes! This song, that you thought you knew so well, had a secret couple lyrics left for you to find years later!
2. "What a Catch, Donnie"
There are so many people featured in this song. Elvis Costello sings the part of the song borrowed from "Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet," and at the end, we hear the following voices: Gabe Saporta (of Cobra Starship), Travis McCoy (of Gym Class Heroes), Brendon Urie (of Panic! at the Disco), Doug Does (FOB's manager), Alex Deleon (of the Cab), and William Beckett (of the Academy Is...). They all sing excerpts from old Fall Out Boy songs! Ah, the feels, am I right!?
3. "G.I.N.A.S.F.S."
This acronym stands for "Gay Is Not A Synonym For Shitty" because Fall Out Boy didn't like the way that people were disrespecting the term "gay" in their appraisals of music. However, I can't figure out how the title relates to the rest of the song, which is one of my favorites from "Infinity on High." Can you crack the code?
4. "w.a.m.s."
The acronym "w.a.m.s." is really supposed to mean, "Waitress, Actor, Model, Singer," because those descriptors are commonly attached to people who move to Hollywood. Andy Hurley, the drummer, confirmed this. But you can always tweet at Patrick Stump if you don't believe me, like this fan did.
5. "The Kids Aren't Alright"
Pete Wentz literally went on the Lyrics Genius website and edited the analysis of the lyric,
Your love is anemic
...because he wanted to share a misheard version, and some rare Pepes.
I mean,
YOUR LOVE IS A MEME THO
is a beautiful lyric, too. Thanks, Pete!
6. "Centuries"
Okay, this one trolled me. I thought for the longest time that the bridge lyrics were:
We've been here forever
And here's the frozen fruit
But actually, it's not "frozen fruit!" It's "frozen proof." That makes way more sense. But for some reason I couldn't hear it correctly. Apparently I'm not the only one, because this video exists and Pete has mentioned this common misinterpretation.
7. "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave"
This song is based on Fred Hampton, Jr.'s trial. He was found guilty for committing arson, but he was an activist and his actions were in light of the acquittal of those police officers who unjustly beat Rodney King. The public was surprised by the guilty verdict, but it was already decided by higher-up forces using money to put Hampton down. Good news: Hampton is now free.
8. "Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes"
The line,
What a match,
I'm half-doomed
And you're semi-sweet
Is apparently sometimes about girls and "sometimes about Patrick," according to Pete.
9. "Novocaine"
As Pete Wentz told the Sun, "That song was written around the time of Trayvon Martin's murder, which was pre-Ferguson, but similar. I get angry when I look at those images, but I don't really know what to do and I just know we had to have some kind of dialogue. And so came that song." Pete acknowledges the gravity of wondering what the future will be like for his young son, Bronx, "when unarmed teenagers are being killed in a country we consider to be a bastion of freedom."
10. "Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet"
This song's name is actually inspired by Pete Rose, the baseball player. He was accused of gambling while playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds. The song is about infidelity, and Pete Rose's possible infidelity kept him from the Hall of Fame... which is located in Cooperstown. "I wanted to see Pete Rose in Cooperstown," Pete Wentz told Rolling Stone. The music video for the track is titled "A Weekend At Pete Rose's" and features Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith.
11. "Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued"
Some people think that this song's original name was "I Loved You So Much Before You Were a Myspace Whore," but that was just a joke in Rolling Stone! At first, Fall Out Boy really intended to call this song "My Name Is David Ruffin and These Are the Temptations." Everybody knows and loves the Temptations, but not everybody knows that the famous group originally included a frontman named David Ruffin. His ego got him kicked out! This song kicks off FOB's sophomore album and addresses the difficulties of dealing with fame, so the David Ruffin reference was supposed to be a warning. However, using big names can get bands into legal trouble.
