Fall Out Boy Suddenly Do Something Worthwile

Before I start, I still love "Take This To Your Grave."

There. I said it.

Anyway, just came home from class and saw this on Idolator and thought it was worth mentioning here as well.



Here's what they had to say:
"The video follows a young love story in the Gulu Township of Norther Uganda interrupted by warfare and forced child soldiering. It's incredibly sad--like, make-you-renew-your-Amnesty-International-membership-sad--but almost surprisingly tasteful. The tone is a cut above "Aw, look at the poor Africans" Oprah territory, and far less self-righteous than a Bono outing. It's a little strange to associate the--let's be honest--frivolity of Fall Out Boy with such a weighty issue, but they stay in the background for the most part, and are seemingly pretty sincere about using their celebrity to raise awareness. Plus the song itself is damn decent."

First of all, holy shit they're right...that song is actually damn decent. Just dreamy pop without all the crossover nonsense that FOB have been immersing themselves in as of late. When the band started out, they were good at what they did - bubblegum pop-"punk," but had started to drift away from that. This is an incredible pop song and frankly I'd be into it even without the video. Might even download the record just for it.

Now onto the video. I've never really been one for "be aware" videos as they usually seem to come off either preachy or just downright shitty - see "Wake Me Up When September Ends," or "Have You Forgotten?" (as an aside, I don't even know if there's a video for that song but you'd think there has to be). This one seems to be a bit different, which is weird as when I heard that FOB were making a "socially conscious" video I got more than a little nervous.

What makes this work so well is that it's a video that just happens to be set to a FOB song. They're pretty peripheral in the whole thing, which is always a plus. Plus the song - the chorus and hook at least - play really well with the overall tone of the video, both lyrically and instrumentally. It's a lonely song, lyrically, and for most of the video a very lonely image. The airy guitars and vocal sound (probably processed, I'm sure) lend a sort of upbeat feel to it yet, and even if the video didn't end so nicey-nicey there would still be a lingering feeling of hope.

What I think inspires me the most about this whole thing, makes me feel good about it, is that Fall Out Boy are the absolute last band on Earth I'd ever really expect to make a video like this. Somehow they were able to pop out of their little candy-pop "Dear Diary" world and make this incredibly powerful video that not only shows a timely message, but (unlike "When September Ends," as mentioned before) actually gives the viewer something to do about it if they choose.

That's the clincher. It's all fine and good for you to say something about our society, or what's fucked up in the world. It's all fine and good for you to use your celebrity to shine a light on things you think need to be seen. But when it all comes down to it, you need to give the people a way that they can help.

Does this really mean a bunch of 13-year-old girls from Omaha or Salem are going to start rushing out to peace rallies? Of course not. But it makes them aware. Step one.