Don't Hate On Fall Out Boy

This article started out as a short, three paragraph news story about Fall Out Boy recording The Simpsons’ theme song for an upcoming episode set to air this Sunday, but it’s evolved into something longer and meatier (that’s what she said) because I just listened to “Sugar, We’re Going Down.” Above average times.

Fall Out Boy is a scapegoat. They’re the unfortunate subjects of more misdirected anger than perhaps any other band in recent memory, and honestly, they don’t deserve that. They don’t deserve to be almost universally chastised by wannabe alpha males who falsely assume they’re radio friendly, formulaic brand of music is the one roadblock to classic rock’s triumphant return. Hendrix, Morrison, and Lennon are all in the grave. “Free Bird” wouldn’t make it passed the A&R people anymore. There’s a reason why most people haven’t discovered My Morning Jacket.

Fall Out Boy isn’t the problem. What they’ve come to represent is the problem. That might seem like a small distinction, but it’s the most important small distinction. Take Meg Ryan. Roughly twenty percent of my fellow males claim to hate Meg Ryan, but they really only hate what she represents: the prototypical Romantic Comedy female. There are literally thousands of other Romantic Comedy actresses who are way more annoying and way worse at their jobs than Meg Ryan (see Katherine Heigl), but since Meg Ryan is the most successful woman in that particular genre, she has become the lightning rod for every douche bag who’s over sitting through hour-and-a-half quirky love stories. Imagine how much worse You’ve Got Mail would have been with Amanda Bynes. Imagine how much worse the radio would be without Fall Out Boy.

Let’s say “Sugar, We’re Going Down” has been played on the radio one million times, probably a conservative estimate. Now, radio stations don’t work the way they used to. Back in the day, a deejay would take a four hour shift and play whatever music he was feeling at that moment. Not anymore. It’s all some sort of elaborate algorithm which automatically plays two danceable rap songs, a danceable pop song and a radio-friendly pop punk song before repeating on loop. Would you really rather hear Boys Like Girls, Midtown or Panic At The Disco? The computer isn’t going to spit out Otis Redding or Foghat. Don’t hate the band; hate your peers for eating it up.