Fronted by mercurial, beguiling 19 year-old Ryann Donnelly (an ex-musical theatre devotee teeming with preternatural savoir-faire and pipes Ann Wilson would die for) Schoolyard Heroes catapult tuneful metal intricacy to new, surprising heights. Clearly, the tension between the band's boisterous attitude and the sheer weight of their riff heavy operatic horror rock has proved itself infectious from the get go.
"Heroes grabs at metal, punk and even opera dynamics with both hands and crosses in and out of each with gusto." -Chico News & Review.
"[Schoolyard Heroes)] put on one hell of a rock show, and with their steadily growing fan base, I'm not the only one who thinks so" -Seattle Weekly
Soon after their inception, the band came in second place at EMP's Sound Off! competition, played the Bumbershoot festival, and found themselves sharing the bill with Franz Ferdinand and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at staunch supporters KNDD's huge EndFest fete. The Heroes wowed audiences opening for Pretty Girls Make Graves and Vendetta Red, all while headlining their own crowds of over 500.
Donnelly has classically romanticized the curious fun of 60s pulp horror tomes and Troma films in Schoolyard Heroes' songs, wailing, growling and crooning lines like "Check the body before it gets cold!" (from their debut's "Yours Truly, Jonathan Harker") with piercing intensity.
2005's Fantastic Wounds sure is a fun ride through Amityville - but it's much more than that; showcasing a band whose driving charisma and unending creativity have continued to transcend peers since since their nascency. Building on the Mars Volta-style rock assaults of their earlier days, on Wounds, Schoolyard Heroes speed through "Thunderstruck"-era AC/DC riffs on the hyper "Battlestar Anorexia", kill on the anthemic battle cry of "Serial Killers Know How to Party" and rip through spectral opener "Body Shots."
Just like the band's dominating live show, Fantastic Wounds oozes with Donnelly's raucous 'tude, stunning style and brash confidence. Here, Donnelly channels the raging metal theatrics of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, the curious intensity of Melt Banana and the controlled acrobatics of Yes' Jon Anderson, while bassist and second vocalist Jonah Bergman, axe wielder Steve Bonnell and percussionist Brian Turner churn out the most unapologetic chops to come out of Sea-town since the Blood Brothers. At once muscular and complex, our Heroes' compositions are as beguiling as Donnelly's smirk, right before the band launches into their surprising rock onslaught.
The band split up in late 2009 due to two members fazing themselves out of the band. It was announced November 20th, 2009 by the band. Their last show was Home for the Horrordays, December 19th, 2009.
Ryan and Jonah have gone on to form a new band named Blood Cells.
Boyfriend
Schoolyard Heroes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish that he was dead
I hate your fucking boyfriend
I'd like to smash his head
Do you remember when it was the two of us?
Before he came and messed it all up
Well I remember when it was the two of us
Well we used to go out at night
We'd talk all night on the phone
Then this guy came and he screwed us all up
And now I'm left here all alone
Now I'm am so lonely, it's the two of you
With his Abercrombie he's so fucking cool
And I've been trying so hard just to forget you
How could you like that guy?
He's such a fucking tool
He's such a fucking tool!
Do you remember when it was the two of us?
I hate your fucking boyfriend
The Schoolyard Heroes song "Boyfriend" is a melodic, yet vitriolic anthem about jealousy and the pain caused by someone else getting in-between a close relationship. The lyrics convey a sense of betrayal and bitterness towards a girl's boyfriend who has driven a wedge between the two of them. The singer expresses an intense dislike for the boyfriend, wishing that he was dead and fantasizing about smashing his head. The lyrics suggest that the singer and the girl used to be very close before the boyfriend came into the picture and ruined everything. The singer cannot help but feel lonely, left out, and angry as he watches the girl with her "Abercrombie" wearing, allegedly "cool" boyfriend.
The singer wonders how the girl could like someone like him, referring to the boyfriend as a "fucking tool." The song paints a picture of a situation where a third party comes in and disrupts the harmony, stealing someone's friend or love interest in the process. The song's powerful chorus sums up the singer's emotion regarding the boyfriend: "I hate your fucking boyfriend." The song's lyrics are simple, yet effective in conveying the sense of betrayal and pain caused by someone else's actions.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate your fucking boyfriend
The singer dislikes the singer's current boyfriend.
I wish that he was dead
The singer dislikes the boyfriend to the point where they wish harm upon him.
I hate your fucking boyfriend
The singer reiterates their dislike for the boyfriend.
I'd like to smash his head
The singer is so angry with the boyfriend that they have violent thoughts about harming him.
Do you remember when it was the two of us?
The singer is reminiscing about a previous time when they were in a relationship with the artist, before the boyfriend came along.
Before he came and messed it all up
The singer blames the boyfriend for ruining the relationship they used to share with the singer.
Well I remember when it was the two of us
The singer reiterates their reminiscing about their previous relationship with the singer.
Then he came and fucked it all up
The singer blames the boyfriend again for ruining their past relationship.
Well we used to go out at night
The singer is recalling activities they used to do with the artist.
We'd talk all night on the phone
The singer is recalling conversations they used to have with the artist.
Then this guy came and he screwed us all up
The singer blames the boyfriend for ruining their past relationship through his presence.
And now I'm left here all alone
The singer is currently alone and unhappy since their past relationship with the artist ended.
Now I'm am so lonely, it's the two of you
The singer is emphasizing their loneliness now that the singer is in a relationship with the boyfriend.
With his Abercrombie he's so fucking cool
The singer dislikes the boyfriend's style and personality.
And I've been trying so hard just to forget you
The singer has been making an effort to move on from their past relationship with the singer.
How could you like that guy?
The singer cannot understand why the artist would choose to be with someone they dislike.
He's such a fucking tool
The singer thinks the boyfriend is a foolish and unlikeable person.
He's such a fucking tool!
The singer reiterates their negative opinion of the boyfriend.
Do you remember when it was the two of us?
The singer repeats their reminiscing about their past relationship with the singer.
I hate your fucking boyfriend
The singer lives with pure hatred towards the artist's boyfriend.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: VINCENT TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind