2003–2004: Independent success
After the release of their mini-album, Fall Out Boy built a large following playing in the Chicago area. Drummer Andy Hurley, formerly of Racetraitor, joined the band, while Mike Pareskuwicz and T.J. Kunasch left. At this time, Stump also took over rhythm guitar duties. After signing to Fueled By Ramen, they released their first full-length album, Take This to Your Grave, on May 6, 2003.
With singles Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy and Saturday receiving video airplay on FUSE and mtvU and radio airplay on alternative stations across the country, the band soon gained a cult following. The album sold very well and eventually achieved gold status, but only after the success of their next album, From Under The Cork Tree.
In mid-2003 the band signed with Island Records, part of the super label The Island Def Jam Music Group along with Def Jam Records. While recording their mainstream debut, they released the acoustic EP My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue on Fueled by Ramen, May 18, 2004. It debuted at #153 on the Billboard Top 200, their first entry on the chart. The two-disc set included a DVD with videos, more acoustic performances, and a fan photo gallery.
2005–2006: Commercial debut
On May 3, 2005, Fall Out Boy released their major label debut, From Under the Cork Tree, which debuted on the Billboard 200 at #9, selling over 68,000 copies in its first week. The album achieved double platinum status and has sold over 2.5 million albums in the US alone. Earlier that year, the band’s stability was threatened when Wentz overdosed on the sedative Ativan in a failed suicide attempt. The track 7 Minutes In Heaven (Atavan Halen) from their album From Under the Cork Tree is based upon Wentz’s attempted suicide.
Their first single, Sugar We’re Goin’ Down, peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, #6 on the Pop 100 and #3 on the Modern Rock Charts. The video reached #1 on MTV’s TRL, where it was retired on August 26, 2005. The video also won the MTV2 Award at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, prompting a huge new interest and surge in sales. The band was also nominated for “Best New Artist” at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
The second single off the album, Dance, Dance, became their second Top 10 Single when it peaked at #9 on the Hot 100. It also reached #6 on the Pop 100 and became the bands top charted hit when it reached #2 on the Modern Rock Charts. The video for the song premiered on TRL on October 11, 2005; it soon reached #1 and was later retired on January 17, 2006. The third single off the album, A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More ‘Touch Me’, was much less popular than both prior singles but still managed to peak at #65 on the Hot 100 and hit #1 twice on TRL, retiring on June 6, 2006.
2007: Continuing prosperity
Fall Out Boy’s third studio album, titled Infinity On High, was released on February 6, 2007. The lead single, This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race, debuted at the 2006 American Music Awards. The video debuted on MTV on Tuesday, December 19, 2006. In the album’s opening week, Infinity on High reached number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 260,000 copies.
“This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart on February 4, 2007, making it their most successful song in the UK to date. The single also peaked on the U.S. Hot 100 at number 2 and the U.S. Pop 100 at number 1. The Carpal Tunnel Of Love (the second single released from the album) reached number 81 on the U.S. Hot 100 by way of digital sales alone. Thnks fr th Mmrs was released on April 9, 2007 and made it to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #12 on the UK Singles chart.
Showing their versatility, Fall Out Boy has collaborated with rappers Kanye West, Babyface, Jay-Z, and Timbaland. Babyface produced and Jay Z is featured on Thriller. They also worked with Timbaland on his new album Timbaland Presents Shock Value, where they are featured on the track One and Only, for which Stump and Wentz both contributed in writing. Stump was also featured on two songs with Gym Class Heroes (also signed with Fueled By Ramen), including their #1 Single Cupid’s Chokehold. He also was a guest vocalist on Motion City Soundtrack’s single, Everything Is Alright as well as contributing to If You Could Remember.
2008-2009:
On April 1, 2008, Fall Out Boy released their live album, **** Live in Phoenix. The album was recorded in Pheonix on June 22. It contained a studio recording of Micheal Jackson’s Beat It with John Mayer as a guest on the guitar.
On December 16th, 2008, Fall Out Boy released their 4th studio album, Folie à Deux (literally meaning “madness shared by two”). The lead single for the album, I Don’t Care was released September 8, 2008.
On November 17, 2009, Believers Never Die - Greatest Hits was released, featuring two new songs titled Alpha Dog and From Now On We Are Enemies. Along with the release of this compilation, Fall Out Boy announced that they were taking a break. "We're just taking a break and decompressing. We're not putting terms on when we're coming back. We're going to come back when everybody's excited about it and it's fun." said Pete Wentz to J14 Magazine.
2010-2012: Hiatus
In early 2010 the band entered a state of hiatus, with each member eventually going off to explore their own musical interests. Wentz formed DJ duo Black Cards with singer Bebe Rexha in July 2010, releasing an EP before Rexha quietly left the group in January 2012. Trohman and Hurley started the band The Damned Things with Scott Ian from Anthrax and members of Every Time I Die, releasing their debut album Ironiclast in December 2010.
Stump recorded his debut solo album Soul Punk which was released on July 26, 2011. Despite gaining generally positive reviews, ticket sales were poor with many Fall Out Boy fans unwilling to follow him in his new musical direction. This negative feedback caused Stump to create his blog entry "We Liked You Better Fat" in which he honestly aired his feelings, causing Wentz to reach out to him and ultimately begin collborating again musically in February 2012.
2013-2014: Reunion and Save Rock and Roll
During 2012, the band reformed and began attempts to reinvent their sound. Sessions were difficult, with early attempts a struggle to produce new material. On February 4, 2013 the band simultaneously announced their reunion, a new single My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up) and the album Save Rock and Roll which was released the following month.
2014–2016: American Beauty/American Psycho
Centuries - the first single of Fall Out Boy's sixth studio album - premiered on September 8, 2014. Another song titled Immortals was released October 14, 2014, as part of the soundtrack for the Walt Disney film Big Hero 6. On November 24, 2014, the title of Fall Out Boy's sixth studio album was announced as American Beauty/American Psycho; the album was released on January 20, 2015.
2017–2022: MANIA
On April 27, 2017, Fall Out Boy announced that their new album was set to be released on September 15, titled M A N I A. The first single, Young and Menace was released the same day. The second single, Champion was released in the U.S. on June 22 and worldwide on June 23. On August 3, 2017, Patrick Stump tweeted that the album's release would be pushed back to January 19, 2018, because the band were not satisfied with the results of their work at the time.
A few months after the release of MANIA, Fall Out Boy released their ninth EP, Lake Effect Kid. It was released on August 23, 2018 through Island and DCD2. It features themes from their older albums as well as a song that was a demo for CitizensFOB Mixtape: Welcome To The New Administration -- which was a promotional mixtape for Folie à deux.
They then released Believers Never Die (Volume 2) on November 15, 2019. It is their second greatest hits album and was released through Island. It included two new songs, Bob Dylan and Dear Future Self (Hands Up) .
2023–present: So Much (For) Stardust
Fall Out Boy released a new single, Love From the Other Side, on January 18, 2023. The single featured the song, Love From the Other Side, as well as an edit of the track. After the release of this single, they announced that their eighth studio album, So Much (For) Stardust, was to fully release on March 24, 2023. This album marked the first time the band had released music through Fueled By Ramen since Take This to Your Grave, their 2003 debut album. They also once again joined forces with producer Neal Avron, who produced From Under the Cork Tree, Infinity on High, and Folie à Deux.
The Pros and Cons of Breathing
Fall Out Boy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah 'cause no one will ever feel like this again
And if I could move, I'm sure it would only be to crawl back to you
I must have dragged my guts a block
They were gone by the time we
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate myself
You know that I could crush you with my voice
You know that I could crush you with my voice
Stood on my roof and tried to see you
Forgetting about me
Hide the details
I don't want to know a thing
I hate the way you say my name like it's something secret
My pen is the barrel of the gun
Remind me which side you should be on
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate myself
You know that I could crush you with my voice
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate myself
You know that I could crush you with my voice
Stood on my roof and tried to see you
Forgetting about me
Hide the details
I don't want to know a thing
Wish that I was as invisible as you make me feel
Wish that I was as invisible as you make me feel
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate my
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate my (1, 2, 3, 4)
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate myself
You know that I could crush you with my voice
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate myself
You know that I could crush you with my voice
The lyrics to Fall Out Boy's song The Pros and Cons of Breathing depict a person who is deeply hurt and conflicted over a past relationship. The first verse refers to a desire to physically harm themselves with a cinder block, emphasizing the intense pain they are experiencing. The person feels that no one else can understand this level of emotional turmoil, and they would only move to return to their ex-lover. In the second verse, the person describes their attempts to see their ex from afar, while also trying to ignore any details about their current life. The third verse portrays the hurt caused by the ex's treatment of them. They yearn for invisibility, as their ex has made them feel small and insignificant, wishing they could feel any amount of hatred for their ex, which they currently reserve for themselves.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone struggling to cope with the aftermath of a relationship and the pain and confusion that come with it. The use of vivid and violent imagery, such as the idea of crushing someone with their voice, highlights the intensity of their emotions. The repeated desire to hate their ex half as much as they hate themselves shows the depth of their self-loathing and suggests that they blame themselves for the end of the relationship. The lyrics also suggest an attempt to distance themselves from the pain by avoiding details about their ex's life.
Overall, the song encapsulates the painful and often confusing nature of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on from a significant relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Bury me standing under your window with this cinder block in hand
I am so obsessed with you that I would rather die under your window than live without you
Yeah 'cause no one will ever feel like this again
My love for you is so intense and unique that no one else could ever feel the same way
And if I could move, I'm sure it would only be to crawl back to you
Even if you hurt me, I would still come back to you because I am addicted to you
I must have dragged my guts a block
I feel so emotionally beaten and broken that it feels like I am physically dragging my own intestines along the ground
They were gone by the time we
My emotions were so intense that they were completely spent by the time our relationship ended
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate myself
I hate myself so much for loving you that I wish I could only hate you half as much
You know that I could crush you with my voice
I am so filled with rage that I could easily hurt you with my words
Stood on my roof and tried to see you
I am so obsessed with you that I will stop at nothing to catch a glimpse of you, even if it means standing on my roof
Forgetting about me
You have moved on from our relationship and have forgotten about the love we shared, while I am still deeply attached to you
Hide the details
I cannot bear to hear any more about the new life you have without me and the details of your new love interests
I don't want to know a thing
I am so heartbroken that I cannot bear to learn anything else about your life without me
I hate the way you say my name like it's something secret
Your secrecy and unwillingness to share your feelings with me makes me feel ignored and unimportant
My pen is the barrel of the gun
My writing is a weapon that I use to express my anger and frustration towards you
Remind me which side you should be on
Our relationship has been so tumultuous that I am unsure if you are on my side or against me
Wish that I was as invisible as you make me feel
You have ignored me and moved on so completely that I wish I could disappear and not feel the pain of your absence
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate my
My self-hatred is so strong that I wish I could only hate you half as much
Whoa, I want to hate you half as much as I hate myself (1, 2, 3, 4)
My self-hatred is so strong that I wish I could only hate you half as much
You know that I could crush you with my voice
I am so filled with rage that I could easily hurt you with my words
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew John Hurley, Joseph Mark Trohman, Patrick Martin Stump, Peter Lewis Wentz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind