AFI has released eleven studio albums, ten EPs, one live album and one DVD. The band first reached substantial commercial success with their fifth album, The Art of Drowning (2000), which peaked at number 174 on the Billboard 200. They then broke into the mainstream with their sixth, Sing the Sorrow (2003), which peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 51 weeks. The album was supported by popular singles "Girl's Not Grey" and "Silver and Cold", both of which peaked at number seven on America's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2003. "The Leaving Song Pt. II" was also released as a single, reaching number 16 on the chart. Sing the Sorrow was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2006 and is AFI's best-selling release, having sold over 1.26 million copies as of September 2009.
AFI's seventh album, Decemberunderground (2006), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and featured the hit single "Miss Murder", which topped the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and reached number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another single, "Love Like Winter", reached number four on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2013.[6] Decemberunderground was followed three years later by Crash Love (2009), and then four years later by Burials (2013); both albums were also successful, peaking at number twelve and number nine, respectively, on the Billboard 200. The band's tenth and latest album, AFI (The Blood Album), was released in 2017, and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, making it their second-highest chart position.
Cereal Wars
AFI Lyrics
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Post, Kellogs, General Mills, it's the cereal war
Fuckin' store never has the monsters and they never get more
Post, Kellogs, General Mills, it's the cereal war
I hope sexual chocolate is in stock
It's got a condom in the box
I'll try some cocoa puffs today
Some say Dino's are the best
They've got more marshmallows than the rest
There's not a lot of cocoa in cocoa crispies
And always stay away from wheaties
Now it's dinner time and I am going back to the store
I had some Erkles, liked 'em a lot, it's the cereal war
I wish I were Calvin or Hobbes and then I could try sugar bombs
The soggies will never get CapnCrunch
I guess I'll have Crunch Berries for lunch
Breakfast cereals need to be sweet, that's the only kind I'll eat
Give me sugar not nuts and twigs
Do I look like a fuckin' squirrel to you?
The lyrics to AFI's song Cereal Wars is a commentary on the commercialization of breakfast cereals, and the cultural significance we attach to these sugary treats. The lyrics are from the perspective of someone who is entrenched in the daily ritual of going to the store to buy breakfast cereal, and the importance that they put on the types of cereal that they eat. The song is a humorous take on this seemingly trivial activity, but it also highlights the absurdity of the cultural significance that we place on something as simple as breakfast cereals.
The chorus "Post, Kellogs, General Mills, it's the cereal war" is a humorous take on the fierce competition between these cereal brands, and how people have strong preferences for one over the other. The verses mention specific kinds of cereal, and the importance that they hold for the singer. Sexual chocolate, for example, is a cereal that apparently comes with a condom in the box, which highlights the ridiculousness of how cereals were marketed towards children. The song also touches on the different types of cereal - with some being more healthy and others being sugar-laden, and how people have strong opinions about what kind of cereal they prefer.
Overall, AFI's Cereal Wars is an amusing social commentary on the cultural significance we place on something as simple as breakfast cereals. It highlights the absurdity of how cereals were marketed towards children, the strong competition between cereal brands, and how people have strong opinions about what kind of cereal they prefer.
Line by Line Meaning
Get up early in the morning, going to the store
Starting the day by heading to the supermarket
Post, Kellogs, General Mills, it's the cereal war
Referring to the intense competition between major cereal brands
Fuckin' store never has the monsters and they never get more
The store doesn't stock certain cereal brands and doesn't replenish them often
I hope sexual chocolate is in stock
Hoping to find a specific cereal brand called Sexual Chocolate
It's got a condom in the box
A humorous reference to the fact that the cereal box comes with a toy or prize
I'll try some cocoa puffs today
Planning to try Cocoa Puffs cereal
What the fuck is Sonny anyway?
Questioning the identity of a character associated with a cereal brand
Some say Dino's are the best
Referring to a specific cereal brand called Dino's and the fact that some believe it's the best
They've got more marshmallows than the rest
Highlighting one of the features that makes Dino's cereal stand out
There's not a lot of cocoa in cocoa crispies
Pointing out a discrepancy between a cereal's name and its actual ingredients
And always stay away from wheaties
Expressing dislike for a cereal brand called Wheaties
Now it's dinner time and I am going back to the store
Heading back to the store later in the day
I had some Erkles, liked 'em a lot, it's the cereal war
Trying a new cereal brand called Erkles and enjoying it
I wish I were Calvin or Hobbes and then I could try sugar bombs
Expressing a desire to try a fictional cereal brand called Sugar Bombs, referenced in a comic strip
The soggies will never get CapnCrunch
Referring to a commercial mascot and asserting that soggy cereal won't get it
I guess I'll have Crunch Berries for lunch
Choosing to have a specific cereal brand called Crunch Berries for lunch
Breakfast cereals need to be sweet, that's the only kind I'll eat
Preferring sweet cereal brands over others
Give me sugar not nuts and twigs
Rejecting healthy cereals that feature nuts and grains as ingredients
Do I look like a fuckin' squirrel to you?
Asserting that one doesn't eat nuts and twigs like a squirrel would
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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