In 1995, Jeff Rosenstock began playing with Joe Werfelman together and started The Arrogant Sons of Bitches. By 1996, the two had spent time writing and finding members for their band. At this time they recorded The Arrogant Sons of Bitches Demo Tape on tape but never released it. At this time they also began playing shows in their friends' basements and bedrooms.
Patric Santiago and Chris Valentino joined the band and the Greatest Hits Tape (1996) was made to play the Rockfest, at a local church. They were denied and instead played a show in Jeff Rosenberg's backyard with members of Taking Back Sunday, Bomb the Music Industry!, The Matt Kurz One, and Sevenwiser.
In 1997, Chris Baltrus joined playing bass and Joe Vazquez to play drums after Patric Santiago left the band because of a conflict with other members of the band who break into his house to get amplifiers. His parents were furious and forced him to quit.
In 1998, Joe Vazquez was replaced with Bryan Cohen and ASOB records the Integrity Tape in Joe's garage. Dave Dickerman joined on trombone and Bryan Cohen left the band. They began playing places like Q-Zar, Scotty Dee's Coffee Shop, and an outdoor festival with Post-Emo Indie Rock innovators, Inside. John DeDomenici then stepped in on drums and the band began planning their first album. They payed $1000 for 12 songs.
Mike Costa replaced John DeDomenici on drums. They recorded Built to Fail which was planned to be released by Zach and Breaking the Law Records, however, due to conflicts the band decided to self release it.
In 1999, ASOB started branching out, playing shows with Channel 59, Sprout, Microwave Orphans, Who Cares, WCF, Edna's Goldfish, Catch 22, The Toasters, and Step Lively. Arty's Taxi's member, Eric Bucello who plays the trumpet, and subsequently joined the band. In August, the band recorded "Fuck You" for a Runaway Records compilation with the Jestrebzki Family. They also started work on their new full-length, Pornocracy.
By 2000, the band entered the studio and finished up in June. It featured JT from Sprout. Soon after, Chris Baltrus left the band for college and Joe Bove from Arty's Taxi joined. They played a CD release show with Racecar Breakup.
In 2001 ASOB recorded "Built to Fail Motherfucker" for a compilation and began touring that summer. Many members quit and the remnants of ASOB played a show in upstate New York on a driving range with a new band featuring members of Shabooti. Joe Rosenstock stated to his girlfriend, "If this band ever gets big, I want you to kill me." The band ended up being Coheed and Cambria.
Rosenstock began writing new material and was to open a show for Thursday, but it fell through. A new roster was drawn up that included Tim Ruggeri (Channel 59/WCF/Tall Hannds), Jon Rossman (Everyone Else), and Chris Taylor but this also fell through. Mike, Baltrus, Dave, and a few members of the High School Football Heroes and Premarital Sax play with ASOB.
In 2002, ASOB tried to re-record Built to Fail unsuccessfully. They recorded an Arrogant Sons of Bitches 7'' that was never released. They did a CD release show for All the Little Ones Are Rotting and played a battle of the bands at The Downtown winning fourth place. They landed a deal with Kill Normal Records. They also played a Halloween show and did ska covers of Taking Back Sunday songs.
A year later, in 2003, ASOB re-released their EP with videos, a live set, and much more. They opened for Bowling for Soup and Count the Stars. They toured out to the west coast, and JT from Sprout joined full time. They played outside of the Idaho Warped Tour, and the next day played inside a hip-hop tent electrically. They stayed on Warped Tour and played to 3000 people in New York. Joe Werfelman was kicked out of the band.
Three Cheers for Disappointment was finished being written and they recorded with AJ Quashee, but the recording didn't go well and was scrapped. Sean Qualls was auditioned on guitar. Joe Bove had a panic attack on stage and leaves bass, giving Sean the spot on bass.
Afterward, the band recorded some more and started working on releasing a "Complete Discography". The band later got on Streetlight Manifesto shows that feature Big D and the Kids Table.
The band finally began recording Three Cheers for Disappointment at Moontower Studios in Boston, Massachusettes with Steve Foote. After it was finished, the band booked a tour, ordered merch, talked to record labels, and replaced Sean Qualls with James Lynch on bass. The band took a break in September.
In October, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches played two last shows at Mr. Beery's - one all ages, one 18+. Shortly afterward, Jeff Rosenstock started Bomb the Music Industry!, Sean started Bashi-Bazouk, JT started his solo project, Mike Costa started his solo project and Dave registered to finally go to college.
In 2005, they finish Three Cheers for Disappointment and in 2006, the band plays three shows in the Northeast in support of it.
In 2007, they play their last show and officially break up.
In 2012, the Arrogant Sons of Bitches reunite for one last show at the Warsaw in Brooklyn, New York.
Fuck You
The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My friends were mostly girls and I got good grades.
That was a time I could look back on proudly and say "Hey, that's me"
but now the future pummels me with uncertainty.
Success I'll never grasp
A love I'll never find or notice
Maybe this is just a test
Success I'll never grasp, won't obey the status quo
Am I cynical, political or mental? I don't know.
In my head I've got all the explanations that I need
that not a motherfucker in the world would believe.
And I fail. Remarks misheard callously.
The notes we passed in class never had an effect on me.
You win. You've beat me at my own game.
But you're not gonna be there when I've won.
I'm sure I'm not as bad as I think, but I feel like I've done nothing
and now I'm at the brink of zero
And I ain't got no souvenirs
from the last few years that could fucking show.
that I've attained some form of success
a love I'll never find or notice
how much of this makes any sense
Sellout now or I'm never gonna win
Who needs to give a motherfucking shit about my fucking friends?
The hand on the clock reaches my end
Bop Bada Bop
It's not me.
I know that I made you see the directionless slacker I made myself out to be
Well you, win. It doesn't matter
I'm not gonna be there when you're gone
I don't need your advice and I don't need your help.
Why am I so lonely if I still have myself?
Why should I care if I don't have a chick
to take all of my ca$h and hurt me till I'm sick?
It all makes such sense, its all loud and clear
I may have had a bad week, a bad month, a bad year but the future's there
and all I've got to do is concentrate on what I want.
And if you oppose me, fuck you.
The Arrogant Sons of Bitches’ “Fuck You” presents an introspective look on how the fear of failure can define a person’s existence. The lyrics depict the singer's state of mind where he acknowledges that his former life was better, but now he is faced with uncertainty and failure. This sentiment is reflected when the lyrics say, "Success I'll never grasp, won't obey the status quo." The singer is now struggling with his own identity, questioning if he is cynical or political. He then affirms that he has all the answers in his head, but no one would believe him. The song concludes with the singer ultimately deciding that he doesn't need anyone's advice or help, and if anyone opposes him, they can go to hell.
The song is relatable to anyone who has been in a state of uncertainty, questioning their decisions and perception of life. It shows the narrative of how success seems impossible to reach, and the fear of failure can take a hold of one's life. The lyrics convey a bitterness towards society; however, ultimately, the song is a self-affirmation that the singer does not need anyone but himself. The song's message is that even if it feels like everything has been lost, there's still hope and that hope lies within an individual.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember the days I used to laugh and play.
I reminisce about the days when I was carefree and joyful.
My friends were mostly girls and I got good grades.
I used to have a female dominated friend group and was academically successful.
That was a time I could look back on proudly and say "Hey, that's me"
Those were the days I could look back on with pride and identify as me.
but now the future pummels me with uncertainty.
Currently, the future is fraught with insecurity and instability for me.
Success I'll never grasp
I feel like I'll never achieve success.
A love I'll never find or notice
The idea of finding or experiencing true love seems unattainable to me.
Maybe this is just a test
Perhaps these hardships are a test of my fortitude.
Success I'll never grasp, won't obey the status quo
I'm unlikely to achieve success and won't conform to societal norms to achieve it.
Am I cynical, political or mental? I don't know.
I'm unsure if my negative attitude is due to cynicism, politics, or mental health issues.
In my head I've got all the explanations that I need
I've formulated rationalizations in my head that make sense to me.
that not a motherfucker in the world would believe.
However, no one else would believe them if I shared them.
And I fail. Remarks misheard callously.
Despite my efforts, I still fail and endure harsh, hurtful comments.
The notes we passed in class never had an effect on me.
Even though my peers passed me notes in class, they didn't have an impact on me.
You win. You've beat me at my own game.
You've succeeded in defeating me in this competition of life.
But you're not gonna be there when I've won.
However, you won't be around to see me achieve my goals.
I'm sure I'm not as bad as I think, but I feel like I've done nothing
Perhaps I'm not as terrible as I believe, but it feels like I haven't accomplished anything.
and now I'm at the brink of zero
I'm currently teetering on absolute failure.
And I ain't got no souvenirs
I don't have any mementos to show for my recent experiences.
from the last few years that could fucking show.
There aren't any tangible items from the past years that could prove accomplishment.
that I've attained some form of success
There's no evidence that I've achieved any type of success.
a love I'll never find or notice
I'm skeptical that I'll find or recognize true love in my life.
how much of this makes any sense
I question how much of this actually makes sense in the grand scheme of things.
Sellout now or I'm never gonna win
If I don't compromise my values, I'll never achieve victory.
Who needs to give a motherfucking shit about my fucking friends?
Why should I care about my friends and their opinions of me?
The hand on the clock reaches my end
I perceive that my time is running out.
Bop Bada Bop
A nonsensical statement used to punctuate this line.
It's not me.
I'm blaming external factors for my shortcomings, rather than admitting my own flaws.
I know that I made you see the directionless slacker I made myself out to be
I acknowledge that I've conveyed a state of aimlessness and laziness to others.
Well you, win. It doesn't matter
You've won this round, but it ultimately doesn't matter.
I'm not gonna be there when you're gone
I won't be around to see you leave my life, as you won't be important to me anymore.
I don't need your advice and I don't need your help.
I don't require your guidance or support in order to succeed.
Why am I so lonely if I still have myself?
Even though I have myself, I'm still struggling with feelings of loneliness.
Why should I care if I don't have a chick
Why does having a romantic partner matter if I don't gain anything from it?
to take all of my ca$h and hurt me till I'm sick?
A romantic partner would only drain my finances and cause emotional distress.
It all makes such sense, its all loud and clear
Everything is coming together and makes complete sense to me now.
I may have had a bad week, a bad month, a bad year but the future's there
Even though I've experienced a string of unfortunate events, I still have hope for the future.
and all I've got to do is concentrate on what I want.
I just need to focus on my goals and desires.
And if you oppose me, fuck you.
Anyone who disagrees with me can go to hell.
Contributed by Ruby F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John Wolter
The intro remembers me much of a Nofx song. Drug free america , if anyone knows that one. Love this song :)
Devin Paul
Group name is fuckin' comedy!
scabbybuttcrack
The lyrics help.
Evan Lane
@Johnlnw yeah i noticed that too.