Tag Archives: infinity on high

#1368: Fall Out Boy – Thriller

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Sometime in 2008, I bought Fall Out Boy’s Infinity on High from the Woolworths store near my school. I’m going by what my past self said in the post for ‘Bang the Doldrums’, I don’t think he would have a reason to make that up. I can’t remember the exact reason as to why I did, but I’ll go ahead and hazard a guess. The album would have been out for a year by then. The music videos, particularly for ‘This Ain’t a Scene…’ and ‘Thnks fr th Mmrs’, were inescapable on MTV2 for a period. But I distinctly remember taking a strong liking to ‘”The Take Over, The Breaks Over”‘ when that tune came around. I couldn’t find anywhere online to download it. I didn’t know about Limewire or any of those types of places. And in 2007, there wasn’t the abundance of pirating music websites that would soon arrive all over the place a couple years later. So I’m guessing when I saw that copy of Infinity on High on the shelf or wherever, it was time to secure it there and then so I could listen to ‘”The Take Over…”‘ whenever I wanted.

All three of those songs – the singles, I mean – I haven’t listened to in years. Infinity on High as a whole I haven’t actually gone through in a long while. Folie à Deux, that’s the shit. But album opener ‘Thriller’ has been a longtime favourite of mine, probably since I first heard it when I chose to listen to the CD on my PlayStation 2 of all things. So I put the disc in, ‘Thriller’ – the title an obvious reference to Michael Jackson just ’cause – starts to play, and… is that Jay-Z speaking? Yes, it is. What formed the association between he and the band, I still don’t know to this day. I’m not sure whether it’s been stated outright. But it is him. He lays out the album’s preface, dedicating it to the fans and deriding the critics, before the band launch in with a heavy introduction with rapid fire palm-muted guitar notes and a double-pedalled bass drum. And then Patrick Stump comes in with the “Laaaaaaast…” etc. etc. lyric and it’s plain sailing from there onwards. His vocal performance is the best element of the entire thing.

In 2007, Fall Out Boy were more successful than they’d ever been since releasing From Under a Cork Tree two years earlier. Their major-label debut. A lot of popularity was gained, as well as a number of haters, as signature tunes like ‘Dance, Dance’ and ‘Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down’ became anthems in an emo pop resurgence that the band inadvertently became the main representatives of. ‘Thriller’ is bass guitarist and lyricist Pete Wentz’s commentary on all of this, but his main priority is to call out the fans who joined along for the ride and those who had been there from the start – affectionately labelled the ‘car crash hearts’ – which Patrick Stump does so passionately in those choruses. I’ve personally always had a liking for the “I can take your problems away with a nod and a wave of my hand ’cause that’s just the kind of boy that I am” lyric. I’ve always tried to have that effect with people, myself. The song closes out as it began, with the heavy instrumental, before Jay-Z pops in again to close the song out proper. Fitting, as ‘”The Take Over…’ follows and its title is a straight lift from one of his songs. If the band got him on the song just for that thread, I can’t really hate.

My iPod #454: Fall Out Boy – Golden

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“Golden” is the sixth track from Fall Out Boy’s 2007 album Infinity on High. The awkward de-tuning guitars during the fade out of “Hum Hallelujah” seem into the piano which plays the role as lead instrument in this track.

At two minutes and thirty-two seconds it is the shortest song on the album, though it is one of the more emotional ones on there being about the difficulties of living the glamorous lifestyle, being rich, having the fame, but still feeling worthless on the inside due to the inability to have a normal life outside of it all. It’s very sad. And Patrick Stump puts his heart and soul into his performance, aided by some soaring vocal harmonies during the last chorus.

The song songs very abruptly and unexpectedly giving way to a metronome that steadily ticks and ticks until it suddenly increases in pace. Then “Thnks fr th Mmrs” starts. That’s for another day.

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That’s me caught up then. Daily work will resume as of tomorrow.

My iPod #70: Fall Out Boy – Bang the Doldrums

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Hi everybody.

Went and got my hair cut today. Looking fresh and clean. Ready for prom tomorrow. Can’t find my bow tie, but it’s okay. I’ll get through.

Today’s song is by Fall Out Boy. They recently released their new album entitled “Save Rock and Roll”, their first after a hiatus which started in 2009. I haven’t listened, but “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ’em Up)” is a good one. Listen if you want.

“Infinity on High” is the album where “Bang the Doldrums”. That’s the first album of theirs that I bought too. Another one from Woolworths in 2008. “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” was the first single released from it, and my sister went crazy about it when she saw that its music video was an exclusive on MTV2. She must have heard the song or something before the video was out, because I had no idea that Fall Out Boy were even about to release a new album, let alone a new song.

The band released three more songs from the album as singles, and I liked those sooooo much that I bought the album. I’m not being sarcastic, the songs are good.

I can’t tell you much about “Bang the Doldrums”. I have songs on my iPod where the melody and the beat is good, therefore making the song memorable and worthy for a listen when I’m not doing anything important. However, I will have no idea what the song is about because I haven’t learnt the lyrics but still able to join in with the chorus. “Doldrums” fits into that category.

From looking it up on the Internet though, the song is made up of phrases that were used in an old blog Pete Wentz wrote years ago, and quotes by a guy called Wesley Eisold.

Until tomorrow.

Jamie.