Eighteen and just out of high school, the F-Ups may be young, but the self-described outcasts and longtime friends have quite a handful of experience, having started their band in 1999 . After five relentless years of daily practice sessions and local gigs, they're living their dream of releasing a CD and going on the Vans Warped Tour to play alongside punk veterans like Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, NoFx, and the Vandals.
The F-Ups paid their share of dues playing in basements and pool halls across Rochester, but things didn't really start happening for them until they entered a talent contest hosted at Minneapolis's Quest Club. The first time they competed, they only managed to receive an honourable mention for being the youngest band ever to enter; but in the next year, they won first place.
Not surprisingly, the F-Ups hard work started to pay off as singer, guitarist, songwriter Travis Allen, bassist Andy Collett, guitarist Chris DeWerd, and drummer Taylor Nogo found themselves holed up at Terrarium Studios for a month and a half, recording their debut album with producer Brynn Arens, engineer Eric Olsen and mixer Tom Lord-Alge. The result is a super-tight, razor-sharp album that reflects the group's unusual maturity and dedication, but is as brash and bratty as one would expect from a gang of restless, adolescent punks with a moniker like the F-Ups.
The F-Ups self-titled debut is bursting, bubbling, and bristling with 12 high-octane high school anthems that grapple with the typical universal concerns of rebellious teenhood: namely, aimlessness and utter lack of ambition ("Lazy Generation," and "I Don't Know"); sexual experimentation gone awkwardly awry (the hilarious, Jerry Springer-esque tale of a trailer-park tryst, "Crack Ho"); and overbearing parents ("Screw You," which was the first song Travis ever wrote at age 13, and "Look At Your Son Now"). And what other fledgling pop-punk outfit would be ambitious and ballsy enough to cover Mott The Hoople's "All The Young Dudes" on their debut release, and be able to pull it off?
"So many people don't give music a chance anymore; they think if it's not one certain style or doesn't look a certain way, then it must suck," groans Travis. "But we like all kinds of music. We don't really care about being considered 'underground punk' or 'pop-punk' or whatever. All of that is just about trends and fashion. So if people want to label us who cares? It's all the same to us. We just wanna play."
In a way, though their career is just beginning and they're barely out of high school, the F-Ups already feel they've made it. "If this were all to end tomorrow, just that we got this far is pretty cool," says Travis. "So we're just going to keep doing this one day at a time, not think about it too much, and have a good time."
Sure, it's a big opportunity, but with a healthy attitude like that, it's unlikely that this band will F it up.
I Don't Know
The F-Ups Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know
How do you want to cut your hair
I don't know
What do you want to be when you grow up
I don't know
These are the questions the answers are
I don't know
When will we ever start to kiss
I don't know
When will I get to cop a feel
I don't know
What do I do man it gets so hard
I don't know
The lyrics to The F-Ups's song "I Don't Know" express feelings of uncertainty and confusion, particularly in regards to one's future and relationships. The repetition of "I don't know" serves to emphasize this uncertainty and implies a lack of direction or purpose. The questions asked in the verses are common ones young people face as they navigate adolescence and the transition into adulthood. The first verse asks about future aspirations, highlighting the pressure to choose a path and make decisions about one's future. The second verse touches on the uncertainty and hesitation that often accompany romantic relationships, as well as the desire for physical intimacy. The final line, "what do I do man it gets so hard," suggests that this lack of clarity and direction can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of being caught in a state of flux, unsure of where one is headed or what choices to make. It speaks to the universal experience of feeling lost and uncertain, and the frustration that can come with not having answers to important questions.
Line by Line Meaning
Where do you want to go to school
I have no idea where I want to attend school
How do you want to cut your hair
I'm unsure of how I want my hair to be styled
What do you want to be when you grow up
I have no clue what occupation I want to pursue in the future
When will we ever start to kiss
I don't know when we'll begin to engage in romantic intimacy
When will I get to cop a feel
I'm uncertain of when I'll have the chance to touch you in a sexual way
What do I do man it gets so hard
I'm struggling with what actions I should take, especially when it becomes difficult
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Ultra Tunes, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: N WRITER UNKNOWN, PAUL LESTER WRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Strange Reality
Where do you wanna go to school
I don't know
Well, do you wanna get a job
I don't know
What do you wanna be when you grow up
I don't know
Don't know the answers the questions are
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Do not know right now, I don't know
When will we ever start to kiss
I don't know
When will I get to cop a feel
I don't know
What do I do man it gets so hard
I don't know
Don't know the answers the questions are
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Do not know right now, I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Do not know right now, I don't know
Do you wanna go to school
Do you wanna cut your hair
What do you wanna be when you grow up
Do not know right now, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Do not know right now, I don't know
Anxiety Offline FB
this has been stuck in my head for YEARS!!!!!!
ITALOCHADRIZIO95
Skate punk underrated masterpiece
Strange Reality
Where do you wanna go to school
I don't know
Well, do you wanna get a job
I don't know
What do you wanna be when you grow up
I don't know
Don't know the answers the questions are
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Do not know right now, I don't know
When will we ever start to kiss
I don't know
When will I get to cop a feel
I don't know
What do I do man it gets so hard
I don't know
Don't know the answers the questions are
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Do not know right now, I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Do not know right now, I don't know
Do you wanna go to school
Do you wanna cut your hair
What do you wanna be when you grow up
Do not know right now, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Do not know right now, I don't know
Robert Hubbard
Chris lived next door, I went to their H.S. graduation and videoed their set that they played for the guests, Great Music, Great Kids, Great Times ! They gave me a autographed (all of them) T-shirt with their logo, Still have it... I used to hang out with them in green rooms before they played, when they were in the mid-west.... I miss them !
Sakuga Asu
Where are they now? I was introduced to them through burnout 3, one of their songs, lazy generation, made it into that game all those years ago when I was a kid
Jonathan Larson
Saw them in '04, Van's Warped Tour. They were an awesome band.
Ian h
Same dude
João Lacerda
Fodaaaaaaa
Alexander Armstrong
The type of punk I play
Strange Reality
32 and I still dont know !!!!