Young and Menace by Fall Out Boy | Teen Ink

Young and Menace by Fall Out Boy

May 5, 2017
By TheVG GOLD, Fair Haven, Vermont
TheVG GOLD, Fair Haven, Vermont
13 articles 4 photos 11 comments

I found this piece to be extraordinary at the first listen! It's very different from any other Fall Out Boy song heard, and it has its own twist. The mixture of deep/high tones brings the piece all together. 

 

The lyrics also have a surprising touch; they have a deeper meaning to them that hits home for many listeners and fans. Speculation has been floating around ever since the single hit on April 27, 2017, and many conspiracies of what the song may mean have come to the surface. 

 

Some people choose to believe it represents the battle of anxiety. It goes from isolation to rage to anxiety and anxiousness. The lyrics within the song touch upon these sensitive subjects, if you listen closely. 

 

And if you watch the music video? Oh, that gives this song a whole new meaning! 

 

Fall Out Boy's new music video also dropped with this single, premiering on the same date of April 27, 2017. Fans were surprised, yet excited to see the new video, and were equally confused as to what this represented. 

 

If you are a Fall Out Boy fan or have simply seen past videos of theirs, you would know that some of the themes of their videos can be quite dark. This music video isn't necessarily "dark", but it is unique and somewhat confusing. 

 

After further research, it turns out that Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz has spoken out on the meaning behind this video: "It's hard to rationalize rage--it's hard to quantify anxiety. This song does neither. It embraces the wave of those emotions." (from NME.com). 

 

Within the video, you see the young girls parents are animals, and see how they are not only verbally abusive to each other, but to her. She sees that as animals because they are "wild" and "uncontrollable" and because of these things, her emotions, such as rage and anxiousness, get the best of her. That's why she is seen running away from her home - she's trying to find a lighter side of this situation. 

 

The video accurately describes these feelings. The song also plays nicely into it; both work together as a tag-team. 

 

If you haven't yet, go onto YouTube and type in 'Young and Menace by Fall Out Boy' and take a peek at the video. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.


The author's comments:

What inspired me to write about this piece is that I am a huge Fall Out Boy fan and their newest music is a good kind of different. All of their music is heart-felt, and I can't stop listening to it. Once you uncover the meaning of the lyrics, you feel spiritually connected to it. Listening to this band has helped me through some of my toughest times, and knowing that their lyrics make me feel like someone else understands makes it all the better. 

 

I hope people can take away the fact that bands do help! They can save lives! They can help everyone through their toughest times! Don't debunk bands because you're "jealous" or a "hater"; let people use them as a guide to find their way back to the light. 


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