- Alt rock/punk-pop band from Wilmette Illinois, formed in 2001. Members are Patrick Stump (rhythm guitar, keyboard, lead vocals, songwriting), Pete Wentz (bass guitar, backing vocals, lyrics), Joe Trohman (lead guitar, backing vocals, songwriting), and Andy Hurley (drums, songwriting).
- All the members of the band played in various punk rock bands in the Chicago area in the 90s. Wentz and Trohman were members of the band Arma Angeles, and they wanted to form a side project with more of a pop sound, while still retaining their punk roots – similar to the path that Green Day took. They met Stump, finding that he had similar music interests, and they invited him to the project after hearing him sing. Their first performance in 2001 was at a cafeteria at DePaul University, which was described as goofy and bad by Trohman. They considered several band names, finally settling on Fall Out Boy, a character from The Simpsons. In 2002, 3 songs were released in tandem with another Chicago punk band on an EP, supported by a local label. In 2003, another EP was released. They went through several drummers and guitarists as they recorded, still not satisfied with their sound. A short tour was booked, and the drummer and guitarist that they had been using were not available, so Hurley agreed to perform with them, with Stump handling the rhythm guitar work. Most of the shows were cancelled, but they liked Hurley’s work, and the foursome was set.
- They signed with another small independent label, and recorded their debut album. Take This To Your Grave was released in May 2003. They gained momentum with their concerts – often, their fans would be on the stage with them at the end of their shows. While the album did not chart, their growing popularity led to continued sales, and ultimately it was certified Gold. Rolling Stone put the album at #5 on their 50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums list in 2017.
- Their breakthrough album was released in 2005 – From Under The Cork Tree. It sold nearly 3 million copies in the U.S., peaking at #9 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Two singles were top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 – Sugar, We’re Goin Down and Dance, Dance, selling over 7 million copies between the 2 of them. They started to play at arenas with over 10,000 fans in attendance. Sugar, We’re Goin Down won an MTV Video Music Award.
- After extensive touring and a short break, the band recorded its third album, Infinity On High, released in 2007. It debuted at #1 on the album chart, and the song This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race reached #2 on the Hot 100 chart. Another single, Thnks fr th Mmrs, peaked at #11. The lack of vowels in the song’s title was the band’s tongue-in-cheek response to their record company’s request that they shorten their song titles.
- In 2008, they released their next album, Folie à Deux. It was moderately successful – only 1 single reached platinum status – I Don’t Care, which made it to #21 on the Hot 100. That same year, they released a live album which included a cover of Michael Jackson’s Beat It, with John Mayer performing the guitar solo. It peaked at #19. After the tour promoting the album, the group went on hiatus for 2+ years.
- They regrouped in 2012, working out their differences with one another, and deciding to reinvent the sound of the band from scratch. The result was songs that focused more on pop, with many having a big, anthem-like sound. They promoted their new work with a photo of the band members throwing copies of their old records into a bonfire, reminiscent of the infamous Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in 1979.
- The band released 3 albums from 2013 to 2018 – all debuted at #1 on the album chart, and both Save Rock and Roll and American Beauty/American Psycho were certified platinum. Several singles have been top 5 songs on the Rock or Alt Songs charts, including multi-platinum songs My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up), Centuries and Uma Thurman. Their newest album, Mania, was released in January 2018 – 4 singles have already landed in the top 10 of the Rock Songs chart.
- It looks like the reinvented Fall Out Boy is going to be successful. We’ll see – they have a history of internal angst, just like every punk-pop band should. I’ll endorse them – I really like them a lot. Rock songs with driving bass and drums, along with catchy melodies and harmony – all win big with me! Give a listen to their biggest selling hit, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up). The song has become a popular anthem at many sporting events. And, I’ve included a bonus video – the hilarious video for Thnks Fr Th Mmrs. Watch the monkees steal the show.