Fall Out Boy: "Okay, let's make a poppier album for our big comeback so it can be on radio." Also Fall Out Boy: "Let's make a very dark set of music videos with tons of blood."
Also Fall Out Boy: Our drummer is still in the powerviolence band he was in before Fall Out Boy called Racetraitor and no one ever fucking talks about how Andy Hurley is in all these super heavy as fuck bands. What the hell guys. He was in fucking Earth Crisis! Get with it kids wtf!
I don't agree with this notion that once you aren't on top 40 billboards anymore, you are no longer successful. Fall Out Boy, along with other top bands every era, can spend the rest of their lives touring and enjoying the proceeds from their biggest hits until they retire. A billion dollars is more than a million, but millions is still a LOT of money. Sounds like success to me
Honestly, it's funny to me how ordinary people will tell musicians and other creatives that their making Millions or not selling out stadiums all the time is seen as unsuccessful. Yet these same people will scream that Billionaires shouldn't exist. You just said making Millions isn't enough yet being a billionaire is too much? Which one is it? Also, being able to have 25 Million listeners on Spotify is not something to shrug about.
I think it's more an indication of mainstream success. For casual people, if you can't get everything from cheerleaders & jocks to your White Collar Uncle and Gen Alpha nephew to atleast know the song you haven't found success.
Well, considering that record labels completely screw over artists, they may not have made as much as you think. Some #1 albums from decades ago STILL haven't netted their artists even six figures over all those years. I would guess that the money they made on Fallout 2.0 is essentially "comfy for a normal person, stressful for someone used to making a lot more".
@@thatonewriter8043 that's a valid point, but that doesn't change that they're still massively famous. Millions if not billions have heard their music. If they can live off the money from their music, that is an insane accomplishment in itself. So whiIe I totally hear you, I don't think it makes the "no longer top 40 = unsuccessful" perception any more valid edit: typo
This Fall Out Boy 2.0 was my introduction to rock music, I was 11 when I heard centuries for the first time and at the time it sounded like the coolest song ever to me, that was the first time I actually started developing a music taste. I don't really listen to them now, and if I do its mostly their old stuff, but I'm still so grateful for them (even the horrible stuff) for being my gateway drug into 99% of my music taste right now.
Damn dude, I never actively noticed the way Patrick left his lower register behind in that mid-era stuff until you brought it up and you're so right. I actually do like Centuries as the big dumb arena rock anthem that it is, but his handful of really powerful high notes (never meant for you to fix yourseeeeeeeeeeeelf) don't hit the way they should because almost the whole song's up there. Even My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark is getting there now that I listen to it again. What a shame... it really flattens the song when you don't have that moment where his voice suddenly takes flight in something like (After)life Of The Party.
My favorite vocal performance from him is probably I am My Own Muse off the new album, which is a good example of contrast to their pop albums. The vocal range is just on another level, there's those soulful inflections, lack of compression/processing etc. SMFSD in general is just night and day in terms of his vocals, it's straight back to Folie/IOH vibes but with far more control.
Of course you know age can play a part in the voice dropping as well as overuse. They're a recording band I'm not shocked Patrick's voice dropped some octaves.
i agree with everything you said in this video, aside from calling So Much (for) Stardust fob 1.0. i think it’s fob 3.0, a revamped, updated version of the band we know and love. also, thank you for giving Twin Skeletons and Bishops Knife Trick the credit they deserve! both MAJOR standouts on otherwise lackluster albums
18:09 I’m genuinely sorry that was your introduction to Courtney’s music, her work with Hole was beyond fantastic and Live Through This is an album that everyone should listen to
I was gonna say the same, Courtney was intentionally used for that sound because of her voice and those who know her!!! She is soooooo fucking good !!’ And so is /are Fall Out Boy
@@trevor245Idk it still pops up in the mainstream though, at least features of it anyways. Bands like Paramore and Maneskin are still thriving. It's just not like the "classic" era most people associate with rock (Queen, Rolling Stones, etc). It's not dead, it's just not the main star anymore.
@@leonardo.diCATio not a single song on the new paramore album has over 100 mil streams and I would argue that maneskin is an example of the modern amalgamation of stadium rock/pop rock that most rock fans tend to dislike.
True, but we don't have the massive mainstream rock tracks as we did in the past. Same goes for metal, even though there are still huge names and sold out venues in that direction.
Do you expect it to not sell tickets for it to be dead? Bruh, no. If Rock is dead today is not only because albums are not mainstream, but also because most of them are unimaginative and boring
i grew up being in the circle of teenagers online in the 2010s who practically glorified a lot of popular pop punk bands (think like every band on the hot topic t-shirt wall in 2017) including fall out boy, and its so interesting hearing a more down to earth analysis years later. Its also a little funny looking back to fall out boys newer stuff and realizing its not the best music ever, I was just 12 and that's okay
yeah. And then so much for stardust came out and it's one of the best albums released in the past few years and one of the best albums the band has put out
This is one of the greatest video essays I’ve ever seen. You took nearly every thought I’ve ever had on the matter out of my head and articulated them perfectly for an hour. It was insane to watch!! 🤯 Thank you so much for this. Fall Out Boy 1.0 is probably my favorite band. The way they evolved record to record, adding more soul/R&B/funk influence into the pop-punk/alt rock sound is my favorite combo ever. No other band does it quite like them because FOB has *Patrick Stump* and his amazing, distinct voice and overall talent as a musician/composer. Paired with Pete’s wordy lyrics and the driving force of Andy & Joe… It’s ✨magic✨ to me. So imagine my disappointment when Fall Out Boy 2.0 almost seemed like the antithesis of 1.0. Like they were consciously trying so hard to not sound like themselves or do what comes naturally. It was a very frustrating decade because we KNEW what they were capable of and they just… weren’t tapping into it. Again, you hit the nail on the head with all of that and how it was not exactly the “natural evolution” many claimed it to be. I tried to get into the 2.0 music, but I just couldn’t. It didn’t connect, I felt nothing listening to it. Which is the complete opposite of how their 1.0 music and energy made me feel. That stuff moved my SOUL, man. That magic element was just not present anymore, at least to me. Like you mentioned, the 2.0 albums might be solid/okay for another artist, but they’re not very good Fall Out Boy albums. A true, natural evolution is all I wanted!!! I didn’t want them to “go back” to sounding exactly like one of their old albums… I just wanted them to *keep building* on where they left off with Folie. So now, imagine my immense happiness when Patrick said the inspiration for Stardust was to literally do EXACTLY THAT!!! It has honestly been so vindicating to hear them speak rather openly about the 2013-2018 era now. Ultimately, they do stand by it (and like you said, they got their bag which has now allowed them the freedom to do whatever they want… so it was all part of the journey in the end) but judging from all of their recent interviews, I think they’re well aware that the last decade was a bit of a detour for them. I completely agree that listening to Stardust makes it abundantly clear how hard they’ve been holding back. It’s crazy to me how many fans can’t HEAR that. It’s a night and day difference. Songs like “Love From the Other Side” and “What A Time to Be Alive” have moved me to tears because I never thought I’d hear that side of them again. Of course, Stardust isn’t perfect imo. They still have some of the 2.0 issues poking through here and there and I can hear moments where they’re playing it a little safe with the songwriting (repetition, some simple melodies & lyrical phrasings…) but it’s such an amazing first step overall and pretty much completely restored my faith in them and their abilities. Patrick actually said that they *did* still hold back a little bit on Stardust, so I’m very excited for the next album because I feel like (or hope) they’re gonna push further and embrace their unique qualities even more. Especially after their tour this year! They’ve played so many 1.0 deep cuts & gems and are clearly having a blast. It feels like their past selves are inspiring and motivating their current selves. So, I feel like the production/instrumentation, spirit and personality of Fall Out Boy 1.0 is definitely back, but it also feels like we’ve entered 3.0 territory. They are breathing new life into it - as they should. 🖤
Love this comment, completely agree on all of that! Especially on your point about the tour (which was an insane experience btw), I think the fan feedback they've gotten this year should reaffirm their confidence in this new/old direction they're heading in. Really hope you're right about them pushing this direction even further, I'm excited to see what's next lol
@@GregCubed YES!!! 100%. I’ve been saying the same thing. The fan feedback *has* to be encouraging. Especially the overwhelmingly positive reception to Folie songs. Patrick loves that album and put so much of himself into it. For it to finally be well received must be so elating for him. I hope it’s a confidence boost to not be afraid to lean into those tendencies again, because it paid off in the long run. The cream always rises to the top. I think they sprinkled a little bit of it into Stardust to test the waters, and it worked. I’m optimistic they’ll stay on track. 🤞🏼 Even though they got dragged for “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” (more so for their choice and order of references on the verses) it’s their first post-Stardust release and the last 35 seconds are pure FOB, which is reassuring. Patrick is going off with his distinct soul voice adlibs, the drums and guitar are up front and driving, the classic spirit/energy is there and Neal Avron produced it. When I first heard those 35 seconds, something shifted within me lol. I got that magic feeling again! ✨ I don’t see them suddenly reverting to their 2.0 style/approach any time soon (or ever again, hopefully lol). Stardust feels like a rebirth and there’s tons more potential to explore there. I think 20 years into their career they’ve reached a point where they’re not concerned with aiming for another “Centuries.” As long as they are true to themselves, they will be successful on a much more meaningful level. Pete said “Going deep with people that care feels so much more important than going wide [making music with the intention of reaching as many people as possible].” Sorry for such long comments, I just have a lot of feelings haha - and I was so excited to find your video!!!
Appealing to the mainstream is fine and something that can happen to the work of an artist quite organically, the issue is when artists decide to appeal to the mainstream, especially when they come from other niches
Yes. An opposite example is Vanessa Carlton, which he used as an example of one hit wonder. The reality is she's become an amazing indie musician and still releases great music consistently, but "nobody" knows about it because she's not chasing the mainstream.
I have zero idea why this doesn't even have 2k views cause this is flippin' BRILLIANT and one of the best music video essays ever (Also th u for the chrono trigger music
If you're already into Courtney when you stumble upon the track chances are you'll like it. I just found out about it through this video and i find it very charming. Like, it's Courtney! She even stated that's her to all of us b1tches listening at home!
@@xXxzAAa0aAAzxXx Funny part is I'm not even familiar with her other music, but her vocals worked really well for Rat-a-tat Didn't even know who she was until years later
Fourth of July is one of my favorite fall out boy songs ever, the story it tells just kinda hits close to me, but I had no idea it was sampled from another song. Holy cow
I actually didn't like Mania initially. I only liked Church and Hold me tight or dont, and I thought Young and Menace was meh. Recently, I went back to it in preparation for their tour, and I fell in love again with Bishop's knife trick, Wilson, and Heaven's Gate. Give it another chance guys! It's pretty good.
as someone who generally finds FOB 2.0 to be incredibly mid and forgettable, i find hold me tight or don’t to be a fantastic song that i actually count as one of my top five favorites from them. it really surprised me and gave me hope that they can still turn out great songs
'Novocaine' is unfortunately a rip-off of 'The Phoenix' in terms of instrumentation. So much so that there's a mash-up of them someone created & it's pretty seamless.
ratatat is definitely not courtney love’s strongest performance. i will always vouch for live through this, its one of my favorite albums and shows off her musical skill far better
It's just not a good match. Her voice clashes with the production and the lyrics are not hers... But I still find it kinda charming. It's Courtney being Courtney in a tongue and cheek way, I feel like she was having fun with that intro, and I like the idea of Courtney having fun - especially because you could not get a Hole worthy performance out of Pete Wentz lyrics 😬
Omg I loved Fall Out Boy around 2013-2015!! I was around 10-12, and those songs from around that time were my first exposure to them (i was also really into imagine dragons then too 😭) I love those songs, especially Centuries 😭 even now. I like early 2000s rock music too, so i don't consider their later songs to be worse, they're just different. Most of their songs are all still rock songs at the end of the day, just different takes on it. I dont think I'd ever consider FOB a "pop" band.
Right there with you. Mania was a disappointment, but So Much (For) Stardust is just so Fall Out Boy that I got returned to those bygone days. The tour was AMAZING.
@@andrewlee7755what are some other good songs on so much for stardust? I like love from the other side. But haven’t really liked any of the other songs. But will give them a try again.
The most ambitious GregCubed video to date; amazing stuff! Despite getting big into blink-182 in the early 2010s, I could never get into Fall Out Boy for many of the reasons you mentioned. It really felt like they made music for commercials. However, your analysis makes me very interested in checking out their early and current works.
I listened to all of Fall Out Boy’s albums earlier this year, not knowing anything about them breaking up and getting back together. I definitely could feel the shift at Save Rock and Roll from pop punk to being more just straight pop, and yeah I figured it was just due to them wanting to remain relevant. After I listened to Mania I was super shocked that I actually like a couple of the songs from So Much for Stardust. P.S. my inner emo self from high school would love it if you made a video about Panic! At the Disco :)
Honestly can’t tell if this is a hot take, but I will defend save rock and roll with my life. For all the fob 2.0 albums it’s easily the best out of all of them. And I agree with everything else, for ab/ap the only song I found interesting lyrically is Fourth of July. And mania is listenable at times and I can understand why people enjoy it but it’s such a far cry from the rest of fobs discography, I’ve always thought pete was a great lyricist and he’s one of my favorites out there. But for mania they really didn’t let him put his talent to use, same thing with the rest of the band.
I’m confused Joey bad@ss and juicy j are definitely not d list rappers and plus even some of those others ones, your calling them d lists 8 years later that album came out in 2015 not 2023 some of those artists were way bigger back then. Big k.r.i.t was mentioned in the control verse
I agree with you. Joey Bada$$ has had both critical acclaim and success in the charts. Juicy J was part of the Three 6 Mafia, and has a prolific career of his own, producting as well as writing and rapping. I guess if you aren't into hip-hop or know much about it you could write them off as being d list rappers. It shows a level of ignorance in the genre to dismiss them as that. But it's surprising how much people don't know unless they're really into a certain genre. Even at the time, people may have known Juicy J for a feature or two, or they may not have heard of him at all. I also wouldn't be surprised if fans of chart hits, pop, and rock music weren't familiar with Joey either. I don't think it's a fair assesment to write them off as d list rappers, but I've had experiences before where I've met someone and we've started talking about what things we're interested it, like what music we like, and it's really common for people to come out with strong opinions, only to not know what I'm talking about when I list what I'm into. Like people who aren't into rap and aren't particularly knowledgeable about it might think a feature is a big deal if it's someone like Kanye West, Jay-Z, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and even Drake who has always been predominantly more pop. Like a lot of people might only know Pusha T for dissing Drake and exposing his kid. A lot of people may know who Snoop and Dre are, but they don't know the history, that kind of thing.
Unfortunately popularity and talent rarely line up. Joey is slept on like a MF and I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone even mention that they listen to juicy j (I do)
This is great! I actively try to forget about the ghostbusters song 🤣. But this new album is a definite return to form for them and I’m excited to see where they go. 🖤
@@Bassmanhill84 there's a thing called taste that people tend to vary on a lot. crazy stuff! also no one is implying any correlation. the video mentions a song Courtney performs in that's not very good and someone who's into Hole is recommending people listen to the band so they can have a better idea of her work and maybe like it.
hey! just happened across your channel today, absolutely loved this video. you've convinced me to sit down and give so much for stardust a whole listen. on a whim, i bought a ticket for their 2our dust show that came through town this past march, and the show had such great energy and they really incorporated a great mix of stuff (I was at the show that got to hear alpha dog live, and i lost my mind). keep doing what you're doing, i love your vids!
as someone who primarily plays/records rock but has dipped their toes in more electronic/hip hop influenced/hyperpop production - id say its the opposite. there's so much fine-tuning that goes into the more electronic stuff vs my experience recording punk/pop punk tracks. i honestly think their integration with hip hop would be much better if they chose better rappers. the band (particularly pete) clearly have a lot of love and reverence for hip hop. it would be sick if they had features from like. kendrick lamar, j cole, or hell smth cooler with missy elliott would be awesome
The Pax AM days EP makes sense once you remember Pete and everyone's hardcore roots bro. It's a loving nod to the early hardcore bands that they listened to as teens.
Glad you enjoyed SMFS because i feel very similarly about it Although still sort of a pop rock album you can definitely see the culmination of all their past great attributes (both from 1.0 and even 2.0) into this new era
check out the band Hole, Courtney Love was the lead singer and their album Live Through This is a classic. You may also know their biggest hit, Celebrity Skin
The worst part about Mania isn't even the pop sound or production, but the Forever 21 tshirt lyrics… “I‘ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color.”
this is a really great video essay. can't believe it only has 650 views. by the way, thanks to this i took a look at folie a deux and i found some new songs that i like 👍:)
I remember trying so hard to make myself like Young and Menace when it dropped. Looping it, trying to assimilate and label it good. Basically brain washing myself. Level ten delusion.
Your videos make me realize how simplistic and generic my younger self's taste in music is. I was coming of age in the 2010s and Fallout Boy was prominent on the pop charts. I watched a lot of college football and ESPN had licensed Centuries as promo for the College Football Playoff so I heard that song A LOT and actually though it was cool. Because of that, I started listening to their older music too and was shocked by just how much passion was behind their earlier albums and how sanitized they had become. I had no clue they released an album last year so I'll have to check it out. Great videos man! You deserve so many more views than you have!
great video. i never got a notification for it when you first uploaded :o. i swear it wasnt even in my subscription feed, either, lol. im glad you made that extra post about it today!
Honestly, I liked Young and Menace. It was the other singles that came after that made me want to stay away from the album Mania. I mean, they were so empty and forgettable, and just bland. At least Young and Menace was at least a risk, creative, and interesting. That's just me, though. Also, Patrick really sounded like he was straining his voice on that album. He never sounded like he ever got comfortable.
Courtney Love's appearance on Rat-a-tat was intentionally meant to sound grainy and grungey and messy. She's the front woman for 90's grunge band Hole and that's her persona - grainy gritty unpleasant and in-your-face. As someone discovering Hole with my friends in highschool the same time Save Rock and Roll came out, hearing Courtney on that album was absolutely mind-blowing. It helped to ignite and fuel a whole new generation of girls and women loving grunge and pop punk music.
I was in 7th grade when sugar were going down came out and that was my introduction to FOB. I used to wait hours for their music videos to load and buffer on Yahoo Music. I was excited when they got back together post-hiatus but their newer stuff just doesn't appeal to me anymore. No hate, I actually do have a lot of their 2.0 songs on my playlists. But there's just something about that first 3-4 album run that just cannot be replicated
this was great! i started listening to fall out boy in the early 2010s and i was *obsessed* (especially with their pre-hiatus albums). i stopped keeping up with their releases after young and menace came out 💀 but this video’s making me wanna give their newer 2.0 stuff another chance. also burna boy was not a name i was expecting to hear in this video. i’m also a big afrobeats fan but that feels like such a random collab ahaha anyways awesome work! gonna go subscribe now.
Oh man. I just subbed to your channel. And I thought to myself, I wonder if he likes FOB. I have never been more nervous over a TH-cam video. I am an intensely proud Youngblood, sporting my car crash heart.
15:29 suprised you didn't mention Brendan Urie who does backing vocals in at least one track in ever albumn after Pete Wentz signed Panic! at the disco up until the hiatus
i mean juicy doesnt belong in there simply due to his work with 3 6, but otherwise, who even are the other people lol hip hop is unlistenable beyond a certain year
I know, I've been vaguely annoyed at this man's insufferable attitude the whole video and this is the point I decided none of his opinions can be worth much if he's that uneducated in music. First was his "I know nothing about Courtney Love but she sucks", than that uncultured take on, of all people, Black Thought... Hard to imagine he has one opinion informed enough to be worth sticking it out for.
I got goosebumps when you mentioned listening to mania for the first time dyring break in school. I still remember listening to that first single in the cafeteria and being so genuinely bummed out.
I’m sure the album is still thrown together but a lot of the rappers featured on the remix of american psycho are pretty notable and influential figures in the community. Maybe out of the main stream but NONE d list. Black thought and joey badass especially
That is fair, I was exaggerating by saying D-list lol. In the grand scheme of things they pulled pretty big names for it being some niche side release.
See what i like as an example of someone having a few hit songs and then moving on to their own thing is 21 pilots. They had a hit with stressed out and then they didnt try to follow that stardom instead they stripped it all back and worked on stuff they wanted to. They started working on stuff that was purpously against what was on the radio
the "only recognizable names" off make america psycho again allegedly being migos, wiz khalifa and azalea banks is such a hilariously embarrassing take i cant even be mad 😭
Fall Out Boy has been my favorite band for over a decade by the time Mania came out. Their 2010 stuff speaks a lot to me through nostalgia since it was the first time I saw them live and such. A lot of songs are amazing but there are still so many skips over the three albums compared to their original four albums
@@RedMeansRecordingI just watched it before this one. I got recommended the Maroon 5 one, watched it, the Imagine Dragons video popped up next and I watched it, and now I'm here lol
funny how in 2017 just a year before mania. They made a cover that actually sounded like an evolved version of fallout boy 1.0 and its a teen titans go song (night begins to shine) of all things. Albeit its mix could be better
The Last of the Real Ones is the only track I still listen to from Mania. My favourites from SR&R and ABAP are Just one Yesterday and Favourite Records. These were my first albums so I didn't have anything to compare them to.
i think i’m the only mfer who genuinely loves Mania bc im a freak i guess lmao. i think i just like that they did something completely different? they’re barely a rock band on that album but they took a risk and i like it. it scratches an itch for me i get being bummed out about it though. i adore MCR but it took me like a decade to come around to Danger Days. it’s different! sometimes you spend years and years loving a band for something and forget that they can evolve. i like that sometimes stuff gets a better shake years later
As a huge FOB fan, I do agree that "Fall out boy 2.0" is much different and more commercial friendly (I'm not a big Mania fan at all, probably the worst group of songs they've released imo), but I still think that Save Rock and Roll is one of their best albums to date, personally. Like you said, this is all for fun and we are just having a good time, but I just wanted to lay a few reasons why I think this was still peak FOB and they didn't start full on "changing" until American Beauty: 1. Taking away Light em up and The Mighty Fall (which are some of my least favorite songs of their catalog, tbh), the rest of the entire lineup feels like an amazing refined version of what Infinity on High was trying to do, in my personal opinion. If you are looking for pop punk at its best with a great beat, Death Valley and Rat a Tat Tat alone have you covered. 2. The whole group seems to be having so much fucking fun on every track. It feels authentic for what most would view as a "sell out" album. For such a major change in direction towards commercial pop, it's kind of astounding how in love and proud FOB seem to play almost every song. I think they still made something they wanted to 3. Stump's vocals sound great here, like he did a whole bunch of the carpel tunnel of love tracks. You can still feel passion in his voice, fun and excitement. He isn't phoning it in at all. I really adore this album and will use any opportunity to defend it lol. Anyway! Amazing video and I agree whole-heartedly with all of your takes for the most part. You are also so funny??? I love your style of editing and comedy. It's just the right amount of informative but still being casual. I don't know if you know him, but your presentation reminds me a lot of youtuber Kappa Kaiju - in a good way. Def subscribing after finding this and your Maroon 5 retrospective. I'm so excited to see you also cover video games??? Hell yeah. Can't wait to check them out.
Honestly I agree with most of your points too, although I don't hear the IOH comparison lol. I do think it's what they wanted to make though, in a reboot sort of way. You can tell they cared about it, it still felt well thought-out and purposeful, despite being more inconsistent than their natural sound. My theory is that they didn't realize what their success would actually mean for their career going forward, as AB/AP and Mania feel much more like obligations to their label rather than albums they truly wanted to make.
Sometimes the band's artistic direction just evolves faster than their young audience's musical taste. I was a huge incubus fan in the 90s and felt a bit betrayed by albums since light grenades. Fast-forward 10 years and songs from light grenades are some of my favorites.
I was on board until you started shitting on young and menace lol, I love the chaos of the bass drop. Only thing is i hate that car horn in the background?? But its ok i still love it.
That origin story happens alot actually. I grew up playing in punk and hardcore bands in the northeast. NYxHC represent. And i knew so many people whose side protects were more popular than their main groups. Never breaking into the mainstream, but on a local level. Not me though. The only time i started a side project i was in a deathcore band and a few of us and a few dudes from a punk band(that i later joined) started a Funk Metal side project. It went nowhere. But it was rad.
Until I watched this video my brain literally refused to make the connection between pre-hiatus Fall Out Boy and post-hiatus Fall Out Boy. It sounds so different I've had a weird blindspot disconnect for years. I think if you had asked me if "Sugar, We're Going Down" and "My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark" were recorded by the same band I would have said no
oooh this was an interesting video for me given how my experience has been different to yours but ultimately i still agree with you on each album. i got massively into fob in 2004 and never really lost interest until mania (i heard stardust is good but i still haven't listened to it, i probably needed this video to push me lol) and there's just a couple things i wanted to comment on - - folie a deux is still one of my favourite albums ever, i'm so glad it gets recognition now. i vividly remember the fan disappointment when it came out and i was so confused because it was immediately my favourite of theirs, i was obsessed with it - on that note, for reference lol my fave fob albums are fad, ioh and fuct - small correction?? idk about charts-wise but fad definitely had commercial success. i don't care and america's suitehearts were massive. they dominated in 2007 with ioh singles but they were still huge in early 2009/late 2008 (which btw obama's election is why they got more political lol they were very vocal about that) (tbh imo the success of i don't care and america's suitehearts, which were my least favourites on that album, is what i've always thought of as the sign of what was to come later. it didn't surprise me that they got more commercial bc they already kinda were, and the biggest songs from their last album weren't what i thought made them great, so) - i actually got really into srar and abap lmao, i definitely didn't think they were as good as old fob but at the time that's what i needed. i was so deeply into 2000s bandom and after most of my favourite bands broke up, i couldn't deal with listening to them anymore. until 2017 fob was the only one i came back to, precisely because their sound changed so much that the nostalgia didn't hurt as bad hahaha. i needed that, tbh i don't know if i would've been as into them then if they did still sound like old fob. so my perspective is completely different, i can't criticise them as much even though i see the problems lol - i do think a couple handfuls of songs from that era stand out in their own right, miss missing you would probably make my top 15 fob songs so i'm glad you pointed it out (i genuinely love it lyrically, which is where most new fob really falls down for me; it feels more like old fob) - tbh i really love half of those two albums and the other half feel very mid, pretty much for all the reasons you said. but if they were from a non-fob band, or if i'd never heard 2000s fob, i might think much more highly of them. that context changes things a lot my relationship with fob is strange lol. they rarely cracked my top 5 favourite bands in the 2000s, and yet they're the band from that era i've listened to the most since. i know so much about them, i've seen them live so many times, yet i feel disconnected from their fanbase. i've always been very endeared to them as people and their music, and i guess i consider them a sleeper favourite? a background constant that i don't often acknowledge how much i care about. it was nice to see a deep dive from someone who obviously cares about them, i'm glad they might be steering back into what they do best.
FOB was one of my favorite bands in the mid-2000s, and Folie a Deux will always have a special place in my heart. I listened to it so much that I literally wore the cd out & needed to buy a new one. I was in my mid-20s, my life was absolutely crazy (in a good way), and it was just a great time in my life. Tbh, I didn’t listen to much of their music after that, but I’ll always love 2000s FOB. I’ll have to check out their new album, I’m really curious to see if it’ll remind me of the band I used to love so much.
I promise you it will, the new album is a Folie sequel (Patrick even confirming this directly). Whether it's actually as good as their 2000s albums or not is up to you, but sonically it is a continuation of their original style and it's pretty effortless - night and day from any of their pop albums
34:46 THIS HAPPENED TO ME i was so mad when i didnt hear patty's sweet voice i was ready to brag to my friends that i knew this song and i didnt really know what sampling was yet so i was like "wtf? Its not their song?"
FOB broke up right around when I first got into them (I remember liking FaD when it came out and was embarrassed to admit it to my friends) And then they dropped SR&R right before I graduated high school, so I have this weird special place for it in my heart even though it’s……..not the best
I started listening to fob with Cork Tree. Didn’t follow them much after but then I fell in love with them again during the ABAP era. I love all of their albums, minus Infinity for some reason and Mania. SRAR, Folie, and Stardust are my favorites.
I have never minded repetitive songs. I need a song to have lyrics to sing along with, but I'm perfectly happy with repetition. That being said, I miss the word play of the early 2000s. FOB, P!atD, and MCR were fantastic because the lyrics were poetic, artistic, and often playful. These days, I listen to Hozier for that fix, but it's just not the same. Bohnes does a halfway decent job. I'm looking forward to what Public Figure (a new band out of Omaha) brings to the stage.
I started listening to fall out boy from soundtrack of FlatOut 2, and it was only to tracks 7 minutes in heaven and snitches and talkers, but it was enough for me After that i listened to other songs like thnks fr mmrs, dance dance, irresistble, centuries and more When mania come out i like most of this song And after re-listening through whole discography of fall out boy I think Mania is my favourite fall out boy album, and Young and Menace one of favourite of mine
Hey man, very well done! I can tell this took a lot of time and effort, that’s always appreciated!! Surely lots to unpack here though. Here’s my take as a new fan (smfsd is the first album i got to experience release of) that likes their “1.0” work more. 1. Mania is terrible, don’t sugarcoat it. I’ll never understand ppl that defend it. Heavens gate is the only good song (it’s actually really good!!!) because it’s one of Stump’s best vocal performances. I do hear your point on the effects on vocals in that song though. 2. Musically, Joe and Andy got done so dirty. They can both cook, and they weren’t given a chance sometimes. Joe is a huge reason I started learning guitar a few years ago, and it was sad when getting into their 2.0 work how sometimes you can’t hear his spacial, distinct tone and underlying melodies behind the blasting rhythm guitar, especially their Drop D tuned songs from 2000s 3. I think part of this has to do with growing up, not “selling out”. It’s kind if weird for dads with wives and children to write the same kind of songs (especially lyrically) they did when they were young and had such a different outlook on life. SMFSD definitely brought back heavy lyrics with meaning, but more in the sense of “life goes by fast and thats depressing” 4. I’d rather listen to any of these albums, except mania, than some of the stuff that’s being released today, and even stuff from back in 2013 and 2015. During that time I was into mostly Rap (I’d always listen to Five Finger Death Punch to get me hype for my middle school/JV football games tho 😂😂😂) as thats what my friends were into so I wanted to fit in lol, but I can’t imagine trying to be a rock fan during that time. Standalone, they need more credit, because my lord the music that’s mainstream then/now is criminal. “TikTok songs” artists that can’t sing so they just talk/use head voice or whisper, and music is so saturated people listen to an album for a week before moving on to a new one. Anyway, sorry this was long, but it’s a long video, so, I Don’t Care! lol
@@diminie_chimketwait you think they’re talking about his solo career?🤣 you’re an actual fucking retard they’re referring to three 6 mafia dumbass💀 which have 3 million listeners on spotify despite not releasing an album in 14 years🤦🏻♂️ tell me you’re a pasty cracker without telling me:
I'm one of the few people who enjoyed Pax AM Days. Def pefer their pop-punk roots but I'm fine with the Boys experimenting with whatever new genres I havent heard them do before.
I've always wanted to do a video on my FOB journeyand maybe once I get the time and courage to start a channel, I finally will but I love this. This video really got my feeling jumping and I have a lot to say, but I'll keep to 2 paragraphs and not an essay 😅 My feelings on fob albums can be seen in my favorite easy party trick, recognizing a song by my favorite artist near instantly and knowing the words down to a T. Fob is my favorite act to do this with (alongside UVERworld and SVT). I can do this pretty much perfectly from evening out until Save Rock and roll...I know songs from AB/AP, but lyrics? I only know irresistible and immortals in full. I think I know 50% of Uma Thurman off the top of my head? I've came around with Mania, which I actually really liked( I know 6/10 songs all the way around) and SMSD is the same. I clearly don't replay any songs from SRR or ABAP nearly as much as any other of their albums. With ABAP being my FOB dark ages. Mania isn't FOB to me, it's very spectacle...video game trailer but it brought back some Wentz bitterness I missed. A fun little experiment to me. SMfSD is special. Like you said, it *does* feel like FOB evolved, not 2.0 though? 3.0 like another commenter mentioned.
Had to double comment because the absolute whiplash of you still being in high school when Mania dropped made me do a triple take. I've only watched a couple of your videos so far, but I thought you were like 2 or 3 years younger than me max, but 5 at the minimum?Now I feel like a fake fan learning about missed fandom issues from you 🫠(I did not join any FOB fan spaces until SMfSD dropped and I joined the subreddit)
Fall Out Boy: "Okay, let's make a poppier album for our big comeback so it can be on radio."
Also Fall Out Boy: "Let's make a very dark set of music videos with tons of blood."
Also Fall Out Boy: Our drummer is still in the powerviolence band he was in before Fall Out Boy called Racetraitor and no one ever fucking talks about how Andy Hurley is in all these super heavy as fuck bands. What the hell guys. He was in fucking Earth Crisis! Get with it kids wtf!
I don't agree with this notion that once you aren't on top 40 billboards anymore, you are no longer successful. Fall Out Boy, along with other top bands every era, can spend the rest of their lives touring and enjoying the proceeds from their biggest hits until they retire. A billion dollars is more than a million, but millions is still a LOT of money. Sounds like success to me
Honestly, it's funny to me how ordinary people will tell musicians and other creatives that their making Millions or not selling out stadiums all the time is seen as unsuccessful. Yet these same people will scream that Billionaires shouldn't exist. You just said making Millions isn't enough yet being a billionaire is too much? Which one is it? Also, being able to have 25 Million listeners on Spotify is not something to shrug about.
I think it's more an indication of mainstream success. For casual people, if you can't get everything from cheerleaders & jocks to your White Collar Uncle and Gen Alpha nephew to atleast know the song you haven't found success.
@@L30N758reading comp is everything
Well, considering that record labels completely screw over artists, they may not have made as much as you think. Some #1 albums from decades ago STILL haven't netted their artists even six figures over all those years.
I would guess that the money they made on Fallout 2.0 is essentially "comfy for a normal person, stressful for someone used to making a lot more".
@@thatonewriter8043 that's a valid point, but that doesn't change that they're still massively famous. Millions if not billions have heard their music. If they can live off the money from their music, that is an insane accomplishment in itself. So whiIe I totally hear you, I don't think it makes the "no longer top 40 = unsuccessful" perception any more valid
edit: typo
My biggest take away from this video so far is that you haven't seen ghost busters.
Oh fuck 😂
Same like what the actual fck 💀💀💀
I’ve never seen the show either
BUSTING FEELS GOOD
This Fall Out Boy 2.0 was my introduction to rock music, I was 11 when I heard centuries for the first time and at the time it sounded like the coolest song ever to me, that was the first time I actually started developing a music taste. I don't really listen to them now, and if I do its mostly their old stuff, but I'm still so grateful for them (even the horrible stuff) for being my gateway drug into 99% of my music taste right now.
Same! I remember hearing immortals in big hero 6 and thinking “this is the coolest song ever”
Lmao, same here. I started off with imagine dragons, then I saw big hero 6. For a hot minute after that, those were my two favorite bands.
😭 bro I was a year away from graduating high school when centuries came out jamming to older fall out boy songs
American Beauty/American Psycho was a pretty good album. And then Mania happened. I refused to listen to Mania all over again.
Rock music had already died by the time Centuries was released lmao...
Damn dude, I never actively noticed the way Patrick left his lower register behind in that mid-era stuff until you brought it up and you're so right. I actually do like Centuries as the big dumb arena rock anthem that it is, but his handful of really powerful high notes (never meant for you to fix yourseeeeeeeeeeeelf) don't hit the way they should because almost the whole song's up there. Even My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark is getting there now that I listen to it again. What a shame... it really flattens the song when you don't have that moment where his voice suddenly takes flight in something like (After)life Of The Party.
My favorite vocal performance from him is probably I am My Own Muse off the new album, which is a good example of contrast to their pop albums. The vocal range is just on another level, there's those soulful inflections, lack of compression/processing etc. SMFSD in general is just night and day in terms of his vocals, it's straight back to Folie/IOH vibes but with far more control.
I always joked that he went through reverse puberty lol
Bro this, but all music in the last 10 or more years. It's all so damn high pitch!
Centuries has the same energy of vocal exhaustion from constant high-note registry use as Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA.
Of course you know age can play a part in the voice dropping as well as overuse. They're a recording band I'm not shocked Patrick's voice dropped some octaves.
i agree with everything you said in this video, aside from calling So Much (for) Stardust fob 1.0. i think it’s fob 3.0, a revamped, updated version of the band we know and love.
also, thank you for giving Twin Skeletons and Bishops Knife Trick the credit they deserve! both MAJOR standouts on otherwise lackluster albums
That’s a valid take. It’s like FOB 2.0 intentionally wanted to be 1.0, but ended up becoming a 1.5.1 mk3
18:09 I’m genuinely sorry that was your introduction to Courtney’s music, her work with Hole was beyond fantastic and Live Through This is an album that everyone should listen to
I was gonna say the same, Courtney was intentionally used for that sound because of her voice and those who know her!!! She is soooooo fucking good !!’ And so is /are Fall Out Boy
Yes!!!
College years 😊. Still stands up today.
She also killed Kurt cobain so I’m still not a fan lmao
@@philipmateo3816 found the virgin!!!!
Respectfully, rock's not dead. It's unpopular, sure, but rock and metal shows still sell plenty of tickets.
he says it is dead in the main stream which does not really contradict what you say?
@@trevor245Idk it still pops up in the mainstream though, at least features of it anyways. Bands like Paramore and Maneskin are still thriving. It's just not like the "classic" era most people associate with rock (Queen, Rolling Stones, etc). It's not dead, it's just not the main star anymore.
@@leonardo.diCATio not a single song on the new paramore album has over 100 mil streams and I would argue that maneskin is an example of the modern amalgamation of stadium rock/pop rock that most rock fans tend to dislike.
True, but we don't have the massive mainstream rock tracks as we did in the past.
Same goes for metal, even though there are still huge names and sold out venues in that direction.
Do you expect it to not sell tickets for it to be dead? Bruh, no.
If Rock is dead today is not only because albums are not mainstream, but also because most of them are unimaginative and boring
i grew up being in the circle of teenagers online in the 2010s who practically glorified a lot of popular pop punk bands (think like every band on the hot topic t-shirt wall in 2017) including fall out boy, and its so interesting hearing a more down to earth analysis years later. Its also a little funny looking back to fall out boys newer stuff and realizing its not the best music ever, I was just 12 and that's okay
u just reminded me of how people used to talk about FOB and how they were so cool, unique, avant garde even and shit and its all just funny now
@@PaolaCarlos LMAO avant garde is so wild. Folie a Duex and some other stuff was definitely cool but it didn't really go anywhere that crazy
were you on bandom tumblr by any chance?
@@enviisyk yes oh my god. my username on there is actually gayemo because i was so on bandom Tumblr
yeah. And then so much for stardust came out and it's one of the best albums released in the past few years and one of the best albums the band has put out
This is one of the greatest video essays I’ve ever seen. You took nearly every thought I’ve ever had on the matter out of my head and articulated them perfectly for an hour. It was insane to watch!! 🤯 Thank you so much for this.
Fall Out Boy 1.0 is probably my favorite band. The way they evolved record to record, adding more soul/R&B/funk influence into the pop-punk/alt rock sound is my favorite combo ever. No other band does it quite like them because FOB has *Patrick Stump* and his amazing, distinct voice and overall talent as a musician/composer. Paired with Pete’s wordy lyrics and the driving force of Andy & Joe… It’s ✨magic✨ to me.
So imagine my disappointment when Fall Out Boy 2.0 almost seemed like the antithesis of 1.0. Like they were consciously trying so hard to not sound like themselves or do what comes naturally. It was a very frustrating decade because we KNEW what they were capable of and they just… weren’t tapping into it. Again, you hit the nail on the head with all of that and how it was not exactly the “natural evolution” many claimed it to be. I tried to get into the 2.0 music, but I just couldn’t. It didn’t connect, I felt nothing listening to it. Which is the complete opposite of how their 1.0 music and energy made me feel. That stuff moved my SOUL, man. That magic element was just not present anymore, at least to me. Like you mentioned, the 2.0 albums might be solid/okay for another artist, but they’re not very good Fall Out Boy albums.
A true, natural evolution is all I wanted!!! I didn’t want them to “go back” to sounding exactly like one of their old albums… I just wanted them to *keep building* on where they left off with Folie. So now, imagine my immense happiness when Patrick said the inspiration for Stardust was to literally do EXACTLY THAT!!!
It has honestly been so vindicating to hear them speak rather openly about the 2013-2018 era now. Ultimately, they do stand by it (and like you said, they got their bag which has now allowed them the freedom to do whatever they want… so it was all part of the journey in the end) but judging from all of their recent interviews, I think they’re well aware that the last decade was a bit of a detour for them.
I completely agree that listening to Stardust makes it abundantly clear how hard they’ve been holding back. It’s crazy to me how many fans can’t HEAR that. It’s a night and day difference. Songs like “Love From the Other Side” and “What A Time to Be Alive” have moved me to tears because I never thought I’d hear that side of them again. Of course, Stardust isn’t perfect imo. They still have some of the 2.0 issues poking through here and there and I can hear moments where they’re playing it a little safe with the songwriting (repetition, some simple melodies & lyrical phrasings…) but it’s such an amazing first step overall and pretty much completely restored my faith in them and their abilities. Patrick actually said that they *did* still hold back a little bit on Stardust, so I’m very excited for the next album because I feel like (or hope) they’re gonna push further and embrace their unique qualities even more. Especially after their tour this year! They’ve played so many 1.0 deep cuts & gems and are clearly having a blast. It feels like their past selves are inspiring and motivating their current selves. So, I feel like the production/instrumentation, spirit and personality of Fall Out Boy 1.0 is definitely back, but it also feels like we’ve entered 3.0 territory. They are breathing new life into it - as they should. 🖤
Love this comment, completely agree on all of that! Especially on your point about the tour (which was an insane experience btw), I think the fan feedback they've gotten this year should reaffirm their confidence in this new/old direction they're heading in. Really hope you're right about them pushing this direction even further, I'm excited to see what's next lol
@@GregCubed YES!!! 100%. I’ve been saying the same thing. The fan feedback *has* to be encouraging. Especially the overwhelmingly positive reception to Folie songs. Patrick loves that album and put so much of himself into it. For it to finally be well received must be so elating for him. I hope it’s a confidence boost to not be afraid to lean into those tendencies again, because it paid off in the long run. The cream always rises to the top. I think they sprinkled a little bit of it into Stardust to test the waters, and it worked. I’m optimistic they’ll stay on track. 🤞🏼
Even though they got dragged for “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” (more so for their choice and order of references on the verses) it’s their first post-Stardust release and the last 35 seconds are pure FOB, which is reassuring. Patrick is going off with his distinct soul voice adlibs, the drums and guitar are up front and driving, the classic spirit/energy is there and Neal Avron produced it. When I first heard those 35 seconds, something shifted within me lol. I got that magic feeling again! ✨ I don’t see them suddenly reverting to their 2.0 style/approach any time soon (or ever again, hopefully lol). Stardust feels like a rebirth and there’s tons more potential to explore there.
I think 20 years into their career they’ve reached a point where they’re not concerned with aiming for another “Centuries.” As long as they are true to themselves, they will be successful on a much more meaningful level. Pete said “Going deep with people that care feels so much more important than going wide [making music with the intention of reaching as many people as possible].”
Sorry for such long comments, I just have a lot of feelings haha - and I was so excited to find your video!!!
this comment is longer than at least 50 percent of the essays I've written in my entire high school career
@@boccchitherockkAnd that's why you work at McDonalds
@@Saturnthroughstars I applied to McDonald's but they didn't give me an interview so
Moral of the story: Appealing to the Mainstream ALWAYS (or at least often) SUCKS artisticaly.
Their last 3 albums (SNFSD not included because I liked it) were pretty bland at best.
Appealing to the mainstream is fine and something that can happen to the work of an artist quite organically, the issue is when artists decide to appeal to the mainstream, especially when they come from other niches
Yes. An opposite example is Vanessa Carlton, which he used as an example of one hit wonder. The reality is she's become an amazing indie musician and still releases great music consistently, but "nobody" knows about it because she's not chasing the mainstream.
@@inkasaraswati7625Vanessa Carlton's music is mid at best, just an average boring indie artist.
I have zero idea why this doesn't even have 2k views cause this is flippin' BRILLIANT and one of the best music video essays ever (Also th u for the chrono trigger music
Damn, I actually really like Rat-a-tat, and I even like Courtney's vocals on it
If you're already into Courtney when you stumble upon the track chances are you'll like it. I just found out about it through this video and i find it very charming.
Like, it's Courtney! She even stated that's her to all of us b1tches listening at home!
@@xXxzAAa0aAAzxXx Funny part is I'm not even familiar with her other music, but her vocals worked really well for Rat-a-tat
Didn't even know who she was until years later
I love rat a tat but hate courtney
Not a Courtney Love fan, but I got thrown because Ratatat is the name of one of my favorite electronic bands lol. ❤
agreed, this was one of my favorite songs on the album back when it came out!
Fourth of July is one of my favorite fall out boy songs ever, the story it tells just kinda hits close to me, but I had no idea it was sampled from another song. Holy cow
waiting for the inevitable video essay on Panic at the Disco
I actually didn't like Mania initially. I only liked Church and Hold me tight or dont, and I thought Young and Menace was meh. Recently, I went back to it in preparation for their tour, and I fell in love again with Bishop's knife trick, Wilson, and Heaven's Gate.
Give it another chance guys! It's pretty good.
It was by far the album that I enjoyed the least on first discovering, but as time has gone on i still absolutely love it
as someone who generally finds FOB 2.0 to be incredibly mid and forgettable, i find hold me tight or don’t to be a fantastic song that i actually count as one of my top five favorites from them. it really surprised me and gave me hope that they can still turn out great songs
'Novocaine' is unfortunately a rip-off of 'The Phoenix' in terms of instrumentation. So much so that there's a mash-up of them someone created & it's pretty seamless.
I literally think this every time it comes on
ratatat is definitely not courtney love’s strongest performance. i will always vouch for live through this, its one of my favorite albums and shows off her musical skill far better
Live Through This is a great album. I enjoy Pretty On The Inside a lot too, but I can imagine that one being a bit too rough for a lot of people.
It's just not a good match. Her voice clashes with the production and the lyrics are not hers... But I still find it kinda charming. It's Courtney being Courtney in a tongue and cheek way, I feel like she was having fun with that intro, and I like the idea of Courtney having fun - especially because you could not get a Hole worthy performance out of Pete Wentz lyrics 😬
yeah, it’s not really fair to judge her artistic merit based on a *FALL OUT BOY* feature 😭
Omg I loved Fall Out Boy around 2013-2015!! I was around 10-12, and those songs from around that time were my first exposure to them (i was also really into imagine dragons then too 😭)
I love those songs, especially Centuries 😭 even now.
I like early 2000s rock music too, so i don't consider their later songs to be worse, they're just different. Most of their songs are all still rock songs at the end of the day, just different takes on it. I dont think I'd ever consider FOB a "pop" band.
Right there with you. Mania was a disappointment, but So Much (For) Stardust is just so Fall Out Boy that I got returned to those bygone days. The tour was AMAZING.
@@andrewlee7755what are some other good songs on so much for stardust? I like love from the other side. But haven’t really liked any of the other songs. But will give them a try again.
@@zojirushi1Loved the title track, Hold me like a grudge, Fake out, heaven iowa
If it’s on the radio, it’s Pop
@@michaelwills1926 That just doesn't make sense
A whole ahh hour??? Bro making sure we are FED
The most ambitious GregCubed video to date; amazing stuff! Despite getting big into blink-182 in the early 2010s, I could never get into Fall Out Boy for many of the reasons you mentioned. It really felt like they made music for commercials. However, your analysis makes me very interested in checking out their early and current works.
I listened to all of Fall Out Boy’s albums earlier this year, not knowing anything about them breaking up and getting back together. I definitely could feel the shift at Save Rock and Roll from pop punk to being more just straight pop, and yeah I figured it was just due to them wanting to remain relevant. After I listened to Mania I was super shocked that I actually like a couple of the songs from So Much for Stardust.
P.S. my inner emo self from high school would love it if you made a video about Panic! At the Disco :)
your writing and editing is always a treat! even with a long video like this i really enjoy your content. well worth the wait!
Dude, you're funny, your content has substance and production value is on point. You're going places. 🙂
Honestly can’t tell if this is a hot take, but I will defend save rock and roll with my life. For all the fob 2.0 albums it’s easily the best out of all of them. And I agree with everything else, for ab/ap the only song I found interesting lyrically is Fourth of July. And mania is listenable at times and I can understand why people enjoy it but it’s such a far cry from the rest of fobs discography, I’ve always thought pete was a great lyricist and he’s one of my favorites out there. But for mania they really didn’t let him put his talent to use, same thing with the rest of the band.
I love save rock and roll but it’s just really so repetitive and pop-like
BIG AGREE
I’m confused Joey bad@ss and juicy j are definitely not d list rappers and plus even some of those others ones, your calling them d lists 8 years later that album came out in 2015 not 2023 some of those artists were way bigger back then. Big k.r.i.t was mentioned in the control verse
I agree with you. Joey Bada$$ has had both critical acclaim and success in the charts. Juicy J was part of the Three 6 Mafia, and has a prolific career of his own, producting as well as writing and rapping.
I guess if you aren't into hip-hop or know much about it you could write them off as being d list rappers. It shows a level of ignorance in the genre to dismiss them as that. But it's surprising how much people don't know unless they're really into a certain genre. Even at the time, people may have known Juicy J for a feature or two, or they may not have heard of him at all. I also wouldn't be surprised if fans of chart hits, pop, and rock music weren't familiar with Joey either.
I don't think it's a fair assesment to write them off as d list rappers, but I've had experiences before where I've met someone and we've started talking about what things we're interested it, like what music we like, and it's really common for people to come out with strong opinions, only to not know what I'm talking about when I list what I'm into. Like people who aren't into rap and aren't particularly knowledgeable about it might think a feature is a big deal if it's someone like Kanye West, Jay-Z, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and even Drake who has always been predominantly more pop.
Like a lot of people might only know Pusha T for dissing Drake and exposing his kid. A lot of people may know who Snoop and Dre are, but they don't know the history, that kind of thing.
Unfortunately popularity and talent rarely line up. Joey is slept on like a MF and I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone even mention that they listen to juicy j (I do)
Joey made 1999
Being acknowledged for your skill by a giant in the industry unfortunately does not mean you are comparable to their success
@@Jitzau I never said anything like that?
This is great! I actively try to forget about the ghostbusters song 🤣. But this new album is a definite return to form for them and I’m excited to see where they go. 🖤
I am begging emo and pop-punk fans to listen to Hole, they were one of the most popular alt groups of the era
to hell with them being popular, they were GOOD!
As an emo fan who dislikes most pop punk, I'd appreciate not being lumped in with those loonies.
I agree with you about Hole, though. Great band.
Been an Emo fan since 2002. Heard of Hole in 98. Emo rules, Hole doesn't . Where is the correlation?
@@Bassmanhill84 there's a thing called taste that people tend to vary on a lot. crazy stuff!
also no one is implying any correlation. the video mentions a song Courtney performs in that's not very good and someone who's into Hole is recommending people listen to the band so they can have a better idea of her work and maybe like it.
@@xXxzAAa0aAAzxXx wow. A long winded explanation No one asked for . Christ . It's just a music not the Freaking Magna carta.
hey! just happened across your channel today, absolutely loved this video. you've convinced me to sit down and give so much for stardust a whole listen. on a whim, i bought a ticket for their 2our dust show that came through town this past march, and the show had such great energy and they really incorporated a great mix of stuff (I was at the show that got to hear alpha dog live, and i lost my mind). keep doing what you're doing, i love your vids!
as someone who primarily plays/records rock but has dipped their toes in more electronic/hip hop influenced/hyperpop production - id say its the opposite. there's so much fine-tuning that goes into the more electronic stuff vs my experience recording punk/pop punk tracks.
i honestly think their integration with hip hop would be much better if they chose better rappers. the band (particularly pete) clearly have a lot of love and reverence for hip hop. it would be sick if they had features from like. kendrick lamar, j cole, or hell smth cooler with missy elliott would be awesome
The Pax AM days EP makes sense once you remember Pete and everyone's hardcore roots bro. It's a loving nod to the early hardcore bands that they listened to as teens.
Glad you enjoyed SMFS because i feel very similarly about it
Although still sort of a pop rock album you can definitely see the culmination of all their past great attributes (both from 1.0 and even 2.0) into this new era
Another Banging Video by my the most underrated TH-camr, good luck on 10K ❤
check out the band Hole, Courtney Love was the lead singer and their album Live Through This is a classic. You may also know their biggest hit, Celebrity Skin
She also tried to get Kurt Cobain assassinated, she really is a big player in music history all around
The worst part about Mania isn't even the pop sound or production, but the Forever 21 tshirt lyrics… “I‘ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color.”
I’ve just binged pretty much all your videos and this is definitely my favourite one :3
this is a really great video essay. can't believe it only has 650 views.
by the way, thanks to this i took a look at folie a deux and i found some new songs that i like 👍:)
I remember trying so hard to make myself like Young and Menace when it dropped. Looping it, trying to assimilate and label it good. Basically brain washing myself. Level ten delusion.
Folie a deux is so underrated.
On that note, it took me too long to stop hearing "fully Adieu" 😅
Your videos make me realize how simplistic and generic my younger self's taste in music is. I was coming of age in the 2010s and Fallout Boy was prominent on the pop charts. I watched a lot of college football and ESPN had licensed Centuries as promo for the College Football Playoff so I heard that song A LOT and actually though it was cool. Because of that, I started listening to their older music too and was shocked by just how much passion was behind their earlier albums and how sanitized they had become. I had no clue they released an album last year so I'll have to check it out. Great videos man! You deserve so many more views than you have!
damn 😭 i always loved HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T 😭 great video
Folie a deux was such a brilliant album
I was so sad when it came out and ppl shat on it
I loved it so much from day 1
great video. i never got a notification for it when you first uploaded :o. i swear it wasnt even in my subscription feed, either, lol. im glad you made that extra post about it today!
Oh wow that's wild, sadly not surprising though lol. Glad it could find you!
Awesome video! Can’t wait for more 😁❤️
Honestly, I liked Young and Menace. It was the other singles that came after that made me want to stay away from the album Mania. I mean, they were so empty and forgettable, and just bland. At least Young and Menace was at least a risk, creative, and interesting. That's just me, though. Also, Patrick really sounded like he was straining his voice on that album. He never sounded like he ever got comfortable.
Courtney Love's appearance on Rat-a-tat was intentionally meant to sound grainy and grungey and messy. She's the front woman for 90's grunge band Hole and that's her persona - grainy gritty unpleasant and in-your-face. As someone discovering Hole with my friends in highschool the same time Save Rock and Roll came out, hearing Courtney on that album was absolutely mind-blowing. It helped to ignite and fuel a whole new generation of girls and women loving grunge and pop punk music.
I was in 7th grade when sugar were going down came out and that was my introduction to FOB. I used to wait hours for their music videos to load and buffer on Yahoo Music. I was excited when they got back together post-hiatus but their newer stuff just doesn't appeal to me anymore. No hate, I actually do have a lot of their 2.0 songs on my playlists. But there's just something about that first 3-4 album run that just cannot be replicated
Great video bro, not just topic wise, but editing too
Thank you for explaining in deep as how fob changed from the 2000s to the 2010s that i couldn't pin point
this was great! i started listening to fall out boy in the early 2010s and i was *obsessed* (especially with their pre-hiatus albums). i stopped keeping up with their releases after young and menace came out 💀 but this video’s making me wanna give their newer 2.0 stuff another chance.
also burna boy was not a name i was expecting to hear in this video. i’m also a big afrobeats fan but that feels like such a random collab ahaha
anyways awesome work! gonna go subscribe now.
Oh man. I just subbed to your channel. And I thought to myself, I wonder if he likes FOB.
I have never been more nervous over a TH-cam video.
I am an intensely proud Youngblood, sporting my car crash heart.
I liked this long retrospective on FOB!
15:29 suprised you didn't mention Brendan Urie who does backing vocals in at least one track in ever albumn after Pete Wentz signed Panic! at the disco up until the hiatus
So much (for) statdust was one of my most played records of last year. What a beauty.
calling ASAP ferg, juicy j, Big krit, black thought, and joey bada$$ d list rappers is a beyond awful take though, wow thats rough
I had to pause the video on that line. I was NOT prepared for a take that spicy
i mean juicy doesnt belong in there simply due to his work with 3 6, but otherwise, who even are the other people lol hip hop is unlistenable beyond a certain year
I know, I've been vaguely annoyed at this man's insufferable attitude the whole video and this is the point I decided none of his opinions can be worth much if he's that uneducated in music. First was his "I know nothing about Courtney Love but she sucks", than that uncultured take on, of all people, Black Thought... Hard to imagine he has one opinion informed enough to be worth sticking it out for.
@@TheAbandonedAccount7black thougt of the roots? 😂
Who are those gamer tag people anyway? 😂
I got goosebumps when you mentioned listening to mania for the first time dyring break in school. I still remember listening to that first single in the cafeteria and being so genuinely bummed out.
I’m sure the album is still thrown together but a lot of the rappers featured on the remix of american psycho are pretty notable and influential figures in the community. Maybe out of the main stream but NONE d list. Black thought and joey badass especially
That is fair, I was exaggerating by saying D-list lol. In the grand scheme of things they pulled pretty big names for it being some niche side release.
See what i like as an example of someone having a few hit songs and then moving on to their own thing is 21 pilots. They had a hit with stressed out and then they didnt try to follow that stardom instead they stripped it all back and worked on stuff they wanted to. They started working on stuff that was purpously against what was on the radio
Well they did make Heathens after that for Suicide Squad but I do agree, they got their bag and did their own thing afterwards.
the "only recognizable names" off make america psycho again allegedly being migos, wiz khalifa and azalea banks is such a hilariously embarrassing take i cant even be mad 😭
Fall Out Boy has been my favorite band for over a decade by the time Mania came out. Their 2010 stuff speaks a lot to me through nostalgia since it was the first time I saw them live and such. A lot of songs are amazing but there are still so many skips over the three albums compared to their original four albums
as someone who got into the band between ABAP and Mania and hyperfixated HARD when the first SMFS single dropped, AMAZING video essay dude 👑🎱
you deserve more subs. your videos are top tier
I need more 1 hr alt music documentaries
bro you should do a video on panic at the disco or twenty one pilots i would love that
Could you do panic at the disco next please 😊
he replied on a different video saying it's coming, it's just got a lot of research haha :)
Idk why but the thought of two school kids listening to Young And Menace in a public bathroom is really funny to me
Let’s goooo! Greg’s yearly massive music deep dive video!
2022 Maroon 5
2023 Fall Out Boy
2024 Imagine Dragons???
hotel trivago
I have 0 things to say about imagine dragons lmfao but there will be more pop rock analysis in the future!
@@GregCubedwhat about The Killers, MGMT, Daft Punk, Bon Iver, Starset, Illenium, of PATD! 👀
@@GregCubedhere after watching your imagine dragons video 😂
@@GregCubedthis video got recommended to me after watching the imagine dragons one... imagine my surprise reading this comment
@@RedMeansRecordingI just watched it before this one. I got recommended the Maroon 5 one, watched it, the Imagine Dragons video popped up next and I watched it, and now I'm here lol
finally the fall out boy discography review/critique ive wanted to make myself but was too lazy to
Lake Effect Kid was such a relief for me that they still had their old sound in them
I love how relevant your channel is to my youth haha
funny how in 2017 just a year before mania. They made a cover that actually sounded like an evolved version of fallout boy 1.0 and its a teen titans go song (night begins to shine) of all things. Albeit its mix could be better
The Last of the Real Ones is the only track I still listen to from Mania.
My favourites from SR&R and ABAP are Just one Yesterday and Favourite Records. These were my first albums so I didn't have anything to compare them to.
i think i’m the only mfer who genuinely loves Mania bc im a freak i guess lmao. i think i just like that they did something completely different? they’re barely a rock band on that album but they took a risk and i like it. it scratches an itch for me
i get being bummed out about it though. i adore MCR but it took me like a decade to come around to Danger Days. it’s different! sometimes you spend years and years loving a band for something and forget that they can evolve. i like that sometimes stuff gets a better shake years later
As a huge FOB fan, I do agree that "Fall out boy 2.0" is much different and more commercial friendly (I'm not a big Mania fan at all, probably the worst group of songs they've released imo), but I still think that Save Rock and Roll is one of their best albums to date, personally. Like you said, this is all for fun and we are just having a good time, but I just wanted to lay a few reasons why I think this was still peak FOB and they didn't start full on "changing" until American Beauty:
1. Taking away Light em up and The Mighty Fall (which are some of my least favorite songs of their catalog, tbh), the rest of the entire lineup feels like an amazing refined version of what Infinity on High was trying to do, in my personal opinion. If you are looking for pop punk at its best with a great beat, Death Valley and Rat a Tat Tat alone have you covered.
2. The whole group seems to be having so much fucking fun on every track. It feels authentic for what most would view as a "sell out" album. For such a major change in direction towards commercial pop, it's kind of astounding how in love and proud FOB seem to play almost every song. I think they still made something they wanted to
3. Stump's vocals sound great here, like he did a whole bunch of the carpel tunnel of love tracks. You can still feel passion in his voice, fun and excitement. He isn't phoning it in at all.
I really adore this album and will use any opportunity to defend it lol. Anyway! Amazing video and I agree whole-heartedly with all of your takes for the most part. You are also so funny??? I love your style of editing and comedy. It's just the right amount of informative but still being casual. I don't know if you know him, but your presentation reminds me a lot of youtuber Kappa Kaiju - in a good way. Def subscribing after finding this and your Maroon 5 retrospective. I'm so excited to see you also cover video games??? Hell yeah. Can't wait to check them out.
Honestly I agree with most of your points too, although I don't hear the IOH comparison lol. I do think it's what they wanted to make though, in a reboot sort of way. You can tell they cared about it, it still felt well thought-out and purposeful, despite being more inconsistent than their natural sound. My theory is that they didn't realize what their success would actually mean for their career going forward, as AB/AP and Mania feel much more like obligations to their label rather than albums they truly wanted to make.
I remember Young and Menace making my jaw drop when I first heard it, no song has ever done that before. What a shocking piece of crap.
Sometimes the band's artistic direction just evolves faster than their young audience's musical taste. I was a huge incubus fan in the 90s and felt a bit betrayed by albums since light grenades. Fast-forward 10 years and songs from light grenades are some of my favorites.
It's been 10 months since you had post this video and just hope you have discovered Courtney's band, Hole!
I was on board until you started shitting on young and menace lol, I love the chaos of the bass drop. Only thing is i hate that car horn in the background?? But its ok i still love it.
This was really good, i wanted to ask have you ever thought about doing this with twenty one pilots and their trajectory after blurryface and trench
I probably will eventually! There are many pop rock bands I plan to cover lol
That origin story happens alot actually. I grew up playing in punk and hardcore bands in the northeast. NYxHC represent. And i knew so many people whose side protects were more popular than their main groups. Never breaking into the mainstream, but on a local level. Not me though. The only time i started a side project i was in a deathcore band and a few of us and a few dudes from a punk band(that i later joined) started a Funk Metal side project. It went nowhere. But it was rad.
Until I watched this video my brain literally refused to make the connection between pre-hiatus Fall Out Boy and post-hiatus Fall Out Boy. It sounds so different I've had a weird blindspot disconnect for years.
I think if you had asked me if "Sugar, We're Going Down" and "My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark" were recorded by the same band I would have said no
oooh this was an interesting video for me given how my experience has been different to yours but ultimately i still agree with you on each album. i got massively into fob in 2004 and never really lost interest until mania (i heard stardust is good but i still haven't listened to it, i probably needed this video to push me lol) and there's just a couple things i wanted to comment on -
- folie a deux is still one of my favourite albums ever, i'm so glad it gets recognition now. i vividly remember the fan disappointment when it came out and i was so confused because it was immediately my favourite of theirs, i was obsessed with it
- on that note, for reference lol my fave fob albums are fad, ioh and fuct
- small correction?? idk about charts-wise but fad definitely had commercial success. i don't care and america's suitehearts were massive. they dominated in 2007 with ioh singles but they were still huge in early 2009/late 2008 (which btw obama's election is why they got more political lol they were very vocal about that) (tbh imo the success of i don't care and america's suitehearts, which were my least favourites on that album, is what i've always thought of as the sign of what was to come later. it didn't surprise me that they got more commercial bc they already kinda were, and the biggest songs from their last album weren't what i thought made them great, so)
- i actually got really into srar and abap lmao, i definitely didn't think they were as good as old fob but at the time that's what i needed. i was so deeply into 2000s bandom and after most of my favourite bands broke up, i couldn't deal with listening to them anymore. until 2017 fob was the only one i came back to, precisely because their sound changed so much that the nostalgia didn't hurt as bad hahaha. i needed that, tbh i don't know if i would've been as into them then if they did still sound like old fob. so my perspective is completely different, i can't criticise them as much even though i see the problems lol
- i do think a couple handfuls of songs from that era stand out in their own right, miss missing you would probably make my top 15 fob songs so i'm glad you pointed it out (i genuinely love it lyrically, which is where most new fob really falls down for me; it feels more like old fob)
- tbh i really love half of those two albums and the other half feel very mid, pretty much for all the reasons you said. but if they were from a non-fob band, or if i'd never heard 2000s fob, i might think much more highly of them. that context changes things a lot
my relationship with fob is strange lol. they rarely cracked my top 5 favourite bands in the 2000s, and yet they're the band from that era i've listened to the most since. i know so much about them, i've seen them live so many times, yet i feel disconnected from their fanbase. i've always been very endeared to them as people and their music, and i guess i consider them a sleeper favourite? a background constant that i don't often acknowledge how much i care about. it was nice to see a deep dive from someone who obviously cares about them, i'm glad they might be steering back into what they do best.
FOB was one of my favorite bands in the mid-2000s, and Folie a Deux will always have a special place in my heart. I listened to it so much that I literally wore the cd out & needed to buy a new one. I was in my mid-20s, my life was absolutely crazy (in a good way), and it was just a great time in my life. Tbh, I didn’t listen to much of their music after that, but I’ll always love 2000s FOB. I’ll have to check out their new album, I’m really curious to see if it’ll remind me of the band I used to love so much.
I promise you it will, the new album is a Folie sequel (Patrick even confirming this directly). Whether it's actually as good as their 2000s albums or not is up to you, but sonically it is a continuation of their original style and it's pretty effortless - night and day from any of their pop albums
Pax AM Days was actually made for me specifically (it’s my favorite Fall Out Boy Project)
34:46 THIS HAPPENED TO ME i was so mad when i didnt hear patty's sweet voice i was ready to brag to my friends that i knew this song and i didnt really know what sampling was yet so i was like "wtf? Its not their song?"
ik this isn't my area but seeing no musical value in courtney love, missy elliott AND azealia banks is crazy
FOB broke up right around when I first got into them (I remember liking FaD when it came out and was embarrassed to admit it to my friends)
And then they dropped SR&R right before I graduated high school, so I have this weird special place for it in my heart even though it’s……..not the best
I started listening to fob with Cork Tree. Didn’t follow them much after but then I fell in love with them again during the ABAP era. I love all of their albums, minus Infinity for some reason and Mania. SRAR, Folie, and Stardust are my favorites.
Joey Badass is not DList he is actually a very talented rapper
an hour? nice, i can't wait watch :]
Dude, fantastic video! I love every second of it! ❤️
You should do one about Taking Back Sunday.
I have never minded repetitive songs. I need a song to have lyrics to sing along with, but I'm perfectly happy with repetition. That being said, I miss the word play of the early 2000s. FOB, P!atD, and MCR were fantastic because the lyrics were poetic, artistic, and often playful. These days, I listen to Hozier for that fix, but it's just not the same. Bohnes does a halfway decent job. I'm looking forward to what Public Figure (a new band out of Omaha) brings to the stage.
I started listening to fall out boy from soundtrack of FlatOut 2, and it was only to tracks 7 minutes in heaven and snitches and talkers, but it was enough for me
After that i listened to other songs like thnks fr mmrs, dance dance, irresistble, centuries and more
When mania come out i like most of this song
And after re-listening through whole discography of fall out boy I think Mania is my favourite fall out boy album, and Young and Menace one of favourite of mine
As a MANIA stan, I never understood the hate on this album. I think it's magnificent. But maybe this video will enlighten me lol
Hey man, very well done! I can tell this took a lot of time and effort, that’s always appreciated!! Surely lots to unpack here though. Here’s my take as a new fan (smfsd is the first album i got to experience release of) that likes their “1.0” work more.
1. Mania is terrible, don’t sugarcoat it. I’ll never understand ppl that defend it. Heavens gate is the only good song (it’s actually really good!!!) because it’s one of Stump’s best vocal performances. I do hear your point on the effects on vocals in that song though.
2. Musically, Joe and Andy got done so dirty. They can both cook, and they weren’t given a chance sometimes. Joe is a huge reason I started learning guitar a few years ago, and it was sad when getting into their 2.0 work how sometimes you can’t hear his spacial, distinct tone and underlying melodies behind the blasting rhythm guitar, especially their Drop D tuned songs from 2000s
3. I think part of this has to do with growing up, not “selling out”. It’s kind if weird for dads with wives and children to write the same kind of songs (especially lyrically) they did when they were young and had such a different outlook on life. SMFSD definitely brought back heavy lyrics with meaning, but more in the sense of “life goes by fast and thats depressing”
4. I’d rather listen to any of these albums, except mania, than some of the stuff that’s being released today, and even stuff from back in 2013 and 2015. During that time I was into mostly Rap (I’d always listen to Five Finger Death Punch to get me hype for my middle school/JV football games tho 😂😂😂) as thats what my friends were into so I wanted to fit in lol, but I can’t imagine trying to be a rock fan during that time. Standalone, they need more credit, because my lord the music that’s mainstream then/now is criminal. “TikTok songs” artists that can’t sing so they just talk/use head voice or whisper, and music is so saturated people listen to an album for a week before moving on to a new one.
Anyway, sorry this was long, but it’s a long video, so, I Don’t Care! lol
Could you least explain why MANIA is terrible?
very nice!! i dont know anything about fall out boy but that was an excellent video anyways.
17:38 - Bro, that's literally a Simple Plan reference.
He called black thought, juicy j, and Joey badass d list rappers.
Lol Juicy J sucks ass. He's as d list as they come 😂
@@diminie_chimketwait you think they’re talking about his solo career?🤣 you’re an actual fucking retard they’re referring to three 6 mafia dumbass💀 which have 3 million listeners on spotify despite not releasing an album in 14 years🤦🏻♂️ tell me you’re a pasty cracker without telling me:
I'm one of the few people who enjoyed Pax AM Days. Def pefer their pop-punk roots but I'm fine with the Boys experimenting with whatever new genres I havent heard them do before.
I've always wanted to do a video on my FOB journeyand maybe once I get the time and courage to start a channel, I finally will but I love this. This video really got my feeling jumping and I have a lot to say, but I'll keep to 2 paragraphs and not an essay 😅
My feelings on fob albums can be seen in my favorite easy party trick, recognizing a song by my favorite artist near instantly and knowing the words down to a T. Fob is my favorite act to do this with (alongside UVERworld and SVT). I can do this pretty much perfectly from evening out until Save Rock and roll...I know songs from AB/AP, but lyrics? I only know irresistible and immortals in full. I think I know 50% of Uma Thurman off the top of my head? I've came around with Mania, which I actually really liked( I know 6/10 songs all the way around) and SMSD is the same.
I clearly don't replay any songs from SRR or ABAP nearly as much as any other of their albums. With ABAP being my FOB dark ages. Mania isn't FOB to me, it's very spectacle...video game trailer but it brought back some Wentz bitterness I missed. A fun little experiment to me. SMfSD is special. Like you said, it *does* feel like FOB evolved, not 2.0 though? 3.0 like another commenter mentioned.
Had to double comment because the absolute whiplash of you still being in high school when Mania dropped made me do a triple take. I've only watched a couple of your videos so far, but I thought you were like 2 or 3 years younger than me max, but 5 at the minimum?Now I feel like a fake fan learning about missed fandom issues from you 🫠(I did not join any FOB fan spaces until SMfSD dropped and I joined the subreddit)