The F-Ups are a punk rock band started in 1999, when the members first join… Read Full Bio ↴The F-Ups are a punk rock band started in 1999, when the members first joined forces in their suburban Rochester, Minnesota junior high for a battle of the bands competition. The actual band name is The Fuck-Ups, but to avoid being openly criticised of the profanity in their name, they shortened it down to the F-Ups.

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.

No No No
The F-Ups Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Won't you take it down
When you want to get inside of me
Won't you take it down
Down to the ground

I have to admit its a tragedy when you
Want a little sodomy when you're done and you're riding me
Take it down

No no no

I hate the words you say
When you want to get inside of m

Please don't take it down
Down to the ground

Overall Meaning

The above lyrics belong to the song "No No No" by The F-Ups. The song is an outrageous, upbeat punk rock love anthem which tells the story of a relationship that is on the verge of collapse due to differences in desire. The lyrics explore the boundaries of sexuality, and narrate the frustration and confusion of one partner who refuses to submit to the desires of the other.

The lyrics, "Won't you take it down, when you want to get inside of me. Won't you take it down, down to the ground" hint at an aggressive sexual demand - perhaps rough sex. The singer admits that he finds the situation a tragedy that his partner desires sodomy. He doesn't want to submit to the demands of the other person and wants them to stop. The lines "Please don't take it down, down to the ground" suggest that the singer finds himself in a vulnerable position and does not want his partner to take advantage of that.

Overall, "No No No" by The F-Ups is a song that portrays the struggles within relationships when partners are not on the same page when it comes to their sexual desires. The singer is trying to assert control over his own body and denies his partner's desires.

Line by Line Meaning

Won't you take it down
Can you please lower the intensity?

When you want to get inside of me
When you desire a deeper connection with me

Won't you take it down
Can you please lower the intensity?

Down to the ground
To the point where it feels like we are starting from scratch

I have to admit its a tragedy when you
I have to confess that it is a sad situation when you

Want a little sodomy when you're done and you're riding me
Desire to take control even after getting what you want and dominating me

Take it down
Please lower the intensity

No no no
I don't agree with what you want

I hate the words you say
I dislike the things you say when you want to get closer to me

When you want to get inside of m
When you want to get closer to me

Please don't take it down
Don't lessen the intensity too much