November Album Recommendation: Fall Out Boy's Folie à Deux

The time has finally come, youngbloods (or is it fobbies?). I've had this one planned out for a while now but when "What a Catch, Donnie" came up on my shuffle rotation the other day, completely knocking me off my feet, I knew it was finally time to talk about my favorite Fall Out Boy album, Folie à Deux.

Released on December 10, 2008, Folie à Deux is the band's fourth studio album and it rounds out the first half of their career, prior to the hiatus. Similar to My Chemical Romance's Danger Days, Folie à Deux was created in the years where the scene was dying and rock music in general was no longer defined the same way it was when these bands were created. Consumers were looking for four-on-the-floor dance beats instead of four-piece rock bands. Reception of Folie à Deux was not as successful as the prior records and listeners were downright mean about it, throwing insults like "sell-outs" around as if that really meant something.

We'll get into exactly why Folie à Deux has been treated as the black sheep of Fall Out Boy's catalog, but before we kick it off, let me just say this: Folie à Deux is an eclectic album that was almost too far advanced for its time and collectively, we were absolute buffoons to treat it as anything less than a masterpiece.

Folie à Deux, French for "a madness shared by two," is all about duality. While the band claims the record is the least autobiographical of their material up to this point, I have to disagree. Yes, it encompasses a series of us versus them scenarios, many of them political in nature, but here's the thing: The personal is political. The greatest us versus them scenario is the band versus the world, or maybe, the band versus each other. We'll have to see.

"Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes:"

Slow building but cinematic, this track eases us into the world of Folie à Deux. As is expected with an album's opening song, "Disloyal Order" summarizes the themes of the album in the most succinct way, complete with a broad chorus and arena anthem vocals. This song is one of almost no Folie songs still in regular set rotation today. (They opened the Bunbury set with this last summer and my soul ascended, okay?!)

Lyrically, this song packs the punches. As nearly every Fall Out Boy song does, the words physically hurt to listen to. Pete Wentz didn't have to go this hard for us but he did. "I'm a loose bolt of a complete machine / What a match, I'm half-doomed and you're semi-sweet," singer/guitarist Patrick Stump cries out. This line does the work of introducing the entire album. While it could be about the duality of a romantic relationship, it's just as much about the songwriting relationship/best friendship between Wentz and Stump, which Wentz says himself on his Genius analysis of the song. As much as this album centers around romantic conflicts, it's about conflicts within the band and the lead up to their destruction. (Honorable mention for my favorite lyric from this track: "So boycott love / Detox just to retox.")

As for the music, the entire band will openly admit this is the most collaborative Fall Out Boy record up to this point. It's not just Stump's vocals leading the charge here. Joe Trohman's guitar and Andy Hurley's drums take a much more prevalent role in this album and unfortunately, that's part of why the record wasn't as well received. Bands were on the brink of death.

They utilize new sounds in this track, opening with an organ before sliding into the recognizable traditional rock sounds we're accustomed to. The song chugs along nicely, breaking down in the bridge before going for the final chorus. Compared to the rest of the record, this song is pretty tame...

"I Don't Care:"

The lead single of Folie à Deux and the other song occasionally still on the set, "I Don't Care" is the logical progression for the band to make. A commentary on the narcissistic tendencies of their generation while continuing to grapple with the duality of fame, this song is anger and aggression at its finest.

"I don't care what you think / As long as it's about me," Wentz writes. Everyone wants to be at the forefront of others' minds. We all want to be deemed important or interesting enough to warrant attention. A twist on "All press is good press," Fall Out Boy has never had a problem being the villain as long as they're in the story.

Musically, there's guitar synths, a brief solo by Trohman, and Stump's tweaked backing vocals. It's an overall more electronic sound but still remains true to the rock roots. Stump vocally builds through to the final chorus, which is an acidic reprisal. The choruses following the breakdown are the best by far.

While this isn't my favorite track, I can see why it was chosen as the lead single and why it sold pretty well. It's catchy and kind of makes me want to throw things.

"She's My Winona:"

No, Wentz did not write a song about Winona Ryder, but honestly, that's not that far-fetched. Winona could be anyone to you. For Wentz, he claimed, "Winona for me is reality but I'm my own Winona."

Stump starts the verse singing, "Life's just a pace-car on death / Only less diligent." Death is inevitable and life is what happens until we reach that point. Life is not the opposite of death. It's the journey to it. The two are not as dichotomous as we often consider them to be. The chorus ramps in with "Hell or glory / I don't want anything in between." We are all or nothing creatures, at least, I am. We want everything or nothing. We live and die in extremes.

What a funky beat. Hurley's drumming is most notable to me here, which if you weren't aware, the man is brilliant. I'm also especially fond of Stump's improv vocals at the end of the second verse. It definitely adds to the jazzy vibes of the song.

"America's Suitehearts:"

Alright. Before we talk about this song, you guys need to look up the art for this single. It looks like a bad Walmart Christmas card family photo and their mom made them all wear matching sweaters. Seriously, I can't look at it without yelling.

Instead of referring to himself and the band as sweethearts, Wentz calls them "suitehearts," implying they are the subject of scandal (which at this point in their career, they have been a few times over). The media has its eye on them and Wentz is calling them on it, which is echoed in the verses: "I know you've heard this all before, but we're just Hell's neighbors." Everyone is quick to call themselves "bad boys/girls" but Fall Out Boy is dangerously toeing the line. (A personal favorite lyric of mine is "But I must confess / I'm in love with my own sins." Damn.)

The effects on Stump's voice really make the track and they're complimented by those placed on Trohman's guitar. It feels lighter than other tracks on the album and functions as a sort of musical breather for our ears. In all honesty, I often overlook this particular song and I don't think it compares to the other tracks, especially when it's followed by...

"Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet:"

"Mr. Sandman showing his beam / When he walks into the room the walls lean in to listen," Stump opens the track singing. In the world of Folie à Deux, Wentz is Mr. Sandman, which is established in the music video for "America's Suitehearts." He is the center of Fall Out Boy's scandals. He is the one people jump on when he enters the room. He doesn't "want to be a footnote in someone else's happiness." While on the surface, the song addresses infidelity, it also summarizes Wentz's feelings of being trapped and asking himself "What if you peaked early?"

The genius of the Wentz/Stump relationship is evident in this track, particularly with the way Stump sings the end of the first verse, switching the tense from "I didn't" to "I don't." This song pushes and pulls tempo in such an important way, building up and breaking down just like this fictional relationship. It's messy, it's desperate, and it's so utterly Fall Out Boy.

"The (Shipped) Gold Standard:"

Is this my favorite Folie song? I'm going to say yes now, but let's be real, I'm going to say it again. This is Wentz crying out, knowing that complaining is getting him nowhere but he's not ready to actually do something about it. It's self-aware and a song that speaks to me on every level.

"You can only blame your problems on the world for so long / Before it all becomes the same old song / As soon as we hit the hospital I know we're gonna leave this town / And get new passports and get get get get get out now." Pop-punk as a genre is constantly criticized for its whininess and refusal to take responsibility. This is Fall Out Boy's rebuttal. They know there's a limit to how far they can take it, which in retrospect is probably one of the reasons for their hiatus.

And yet...the whole thing is oddly hopeful. I cannot physically restrain myself from crying out "I want to scream 'I love you' from the top of my lungs / But I'm afraid that someone else will hear me," alongside Stump. The act of listening to Wentz's words, and maybe even joining in, is an act of taking responsibility, in and of itself. The track is therapeutic at its core and that is reflected in the composition.

"Coffee's for Closers:"

A song about success by one of the most successful bands to break out of the scene. Interesting. Wentz writes, "I'm a mascot for what you've become / I love the mayhem more than the love." Fall Out Boy has become massive but at what cost? Success is chaotic, unpredictable, and destructive.

While the last track was oddly hopeful, this one feels devoid of optimism as Stump screams out, "I will never believe in anything again." This is countered, however, in the addition of a waltz outro, something that definitely set them apart from other musicians at the time. It's quirks like this that make Fall Out Boy the phenomena it is.

"What a Catch, Donnie:"

Yeah, I lied. This is my favorite. I could talk about this track for days but you need to listen while I rant in order to fully understand the significance of one of Fall Out Boy's only ballads. The title and lyrics reference the partnership between Donnie Hathaway and Roberta Flack.

Wentz wrote these lyrics for Stump. Plain and simple, that is a fact the band has confirmed. You're probably thinking, oh, he wrote a song for his best friend, cuteeee.

No. It's devastating.

"I got troubled thoughts / And the self-esteem to match / What a catch," Stump sings. A reference to Wentz's tumultuous mental health and Stump's poor self-image, these lyrics and all that follow merge into a statement of friendship. Wentz and Stump's friendship is symbiotic: They keep each other going.

The interlude is where I start losing it. Sung by guest vocalist Elvis Costello, a line from "Headfirst Slide" is recycled and used, albeit in an entirely different way, here. "I will never end up like him," he sings, referring to Donnie Hathaway's suicide, "Behind my back, I already am / Keep a calendar / This way you will always know." This is also Wentz reflecting on his own suicide attempts and perhaps promising not to attempt it again.

The sadness continues as friends of the band, including Brendon Urie, Travie McCoy, and Gabe Saporta, sing reprises of the band's greatest hits. It is angelic and if I think about it for too long, I start to tear up.

Are you feeling it yet? Okay, now go watch the music video. Are you crying yet? You should be. Here's the cliff notes version: Stump is the captain of a boat and he's all alone except for this bird. Eventually, the rest of the band and their friends show up to rescue him, everyone except Wentz. His footage was too grainy to be used supposedly, but his absence is glaring in the context of the song. Oh, and the band "broke up" not too long after this release. So, I'm ugly crying now, thanks.

"27:"

Have you recovered? Good, because now we have to talk about the 27 Club. If you don't know, the 27 Club is the name given to the unusually long list of musicians that have died at age 27. Wentz was convinced he would join this club. In fact, on his 28th birthday, the band and management all called each other to congratulate themselves, because "He made it!" Ouch.

Anyways, the song. "My mind is a safe, and if I keep it, then we all get rich / My body is an orphanage, we take everyone in / Doing lines of dust and sweat off last night's stage / Just to feel like you," Wentz writes. Fall Out Boy profited off of Wentz's poor mental health. This only changed after the hiatus. He also states, "I've got a lot of friends who are stars / But some are just black holes." Some of the people in his life will guide him through, help him make it past 27. Others are intent on dragging him down with them.

Musically, this is down and dirty. It's gritty, grimy, and the bass slaps. This is no quiet, resigned attitude like "What a Catch, Donnie." This is "If I'm going down, I'm taking the f*cking world with me."

"Tiffany Blews:"

This is where we take a sharp left turn. It's bass heavy, my favorite, and Stump's soul-voice is in full play. It's experimental, but in retrospect, Stump's influence is all over the track. It feels like a precursor to his solo album, Soul Punk.

Lyrically, it's metaphor time, kids. Literally, every single line is a different metaphor. The chorus comes in with, "Oh baby, you're a classic / Like a little black dress." This is irony in its most sophisticated form. While on the surface it seems to be a compliment, Wentz is really claiming there is nothing special about this person, as "a little black dress" fits every occasion. He goes on to call them a "faded moon" who's "stuck on a little hot mess," the hot mess being himself.

Lil Wayne's bridge is my favorite part of this somewhat forgettable song. "Dear gravity / You held me down in this starless city," he sings, personifying the city as something soul sucking, much like his friends that are "black holes."

"W.A.M.S.:"

You want to know what it means, right? Hurley confirmed on Twitter that it stands for "waiter/actress/model/singer," the types of people who move to LA in hopes of making it, but ultimately have to settle for day jobs.

The first verse refers to Wentz's lost youth. Everyone he grew up with is just now developing into adulthood, where he's been for a while. He had to grow up too fast to stay with this band. The second references trying to make it in the industry.

My favorite part of this track is the pre-chorus. "My head's in heaven, my soles are in hell / Let's meet in the purgatory of my hips and get well," Stump sings, spiraling downwards. The outro is Stump singing alone, unedited, as if someone recorded him without his knowledge. It adds charm and a twisted notion of what making really entails. Sometimes, that means "We waste it all in the back of a long dark car / And I'm a sunshine machine."

"20 Dollar Nose Bleed:"

Is it really a pre-hiatus Fall Out Boy song if Brendon Urie isn't doing guest vocals? Well, here it is. This song refers to Benzedrine, an amphetamine that is known to cause nosebleeds and was sold for $20 around this time. It was given to front-line soldiers as a stimulant or for those suffering from narcolepsy. In addition, in this track, Mr. Benzedrine is named, which is Stump in the Folie à Deux universe.

The pre-chorus, sung by Urie, is a desperate cry to come home. "I'm a stray dog sick," he sings, "Please let me in." This is blatantly an anti-war song and definitely the most political off the record. "Goes to the desert, the same war his dad rehearsed / Came back with flags on coffins and said / 'We won, oh we won'." I mean...do I really need to explain?

The song ends with an outro, spoken by Wentz himself, often referred to as "The Taxidermy of You and Me." He says, "But I've got enough miles on my card / To fly the boys home on my own," implying he's got enough frequent flier miles he could fly the soldiers home if the government would let him. This outro ends with Wentz yelling, "And I said...I said," which leads directly into the final track...

"West Coast Smoker:"

You thought we were aggressive before? Nah, baby, buckle up! This is an admission of insanity, instability, while simultaneously wrapping things up for us.

Wentz references his own failing mental health once again, writing, "Don't feel bad for the suicidal cats / Gotta kill themselves nine times before they get it right." The chorus, though, the chorus is what hammers it home. With Stump screaming, "Oh hell yes / I'm a nervous wreck / Oh hell yes / The drugs just make me reset / Knock once for the father / Twice for the son / Three times for the holy ghost," the section of the song is the climax of the entire album. This track is an experience; one you owe it to yourself to listen to, like yesterday.

And that's Folie à Deux. It's an album about conflict. Youth versus Violence. The band versus each other. Aggression versus Hope. It's an album about shared delusion. Mr. Sandman and Mr. Benzedrine. Hathaway and Flack. Wentz and Stump.

Fall Out Boy is a little of both of these, conflict and delusion, but it's also a whole lot of luck. And aren't we pretty lucky to be on the planet the same time as them?

What do you think of Folie à Deux? Got a favorite track? Disagree with me? Contact me below or on my socials. Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you next time! // bcp