#what a catch donnie

[xpensivemistaxe]

What a Catch is one of my favorite fob music videos, I’ve always wanted to make a poster design for it

[tombstoneswerewaiting]

the ship has been sinking since album 1

[indig0-constellations]

THEY MAKE ME SICK😭😭😭

(I know highlighting is corny so ignore me)

[release-the-mccracken]

"It's a really interesting thing where Pete was kind of writing in a character, and the weird thing is that it's like me, it's as if I wrote the lyrics, but I didn't. And I'm not being narcissistic, it's really cool, like it's impressive to me how well he has me figured out, so it just made me respect him that much more as a writer. It's weird, it felt like I sat down and wrote a confessional song, but I didn't. It feels like that to me, but I didn't. I was writing off of Pete's lyrics, but it's as if I was confessing through them."

I hate him. I hate both of them. /nsrs

[falloutbradreviews]

Folie A Deux Is An Underrated Masterpiece: 17 Years Later

It must have sucked to be almost any band other than Fall Out Boy in 2008. Aside from Fall Out Boy, only a few bands in the emo and pop-punk scene were on top. Those bands would have to be Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance, and maybe Paramore, but in their case, they were fresh off releasing 2007’s Riot. I would say that it was because Paramore only had a couple of albums, but Panic had only released their sophomore album, 2008’s Pretty Odd just a few years after their debut. Paramore hadn’t become the juggernaut that the other three bands already were, but they would soon get there. I think Panic and MCR sold more records than Fall Out Boy, but Fall Out Boy were always my favorite band of the scene, and they were the first band I truly loved from it. I did listen to MCR and Panic sooner, but I didn’t really love those bands as much as I loved Fall Out Boy when I first listened to them back in 2007. Fall Out Boy is a band that probably doesn’t need any introduction, because of how massive they were back 20 years ago (and still are today, partially thanks to nostalgia). That’s why it must have sucked to be any other band but them, because they were on top of the world. These four teenagers from Chicago went from putting out a scrappy debut album, 2023’s Take This To Your Grave, on a little known label at the time called Fueled By Ramen to putting out their mainstream breakthrough From Under The Cork Tree in 2005, as well as signing with Island in the process. The rest is history, because they would go onto sell millions of albums for the next few years until going on hiatus in 2009.

While they would come back again in 2013 with Save Rock & Roll, their “last” album before their hiatus was a contentious one. The band started off making of its time pop-punk on their first couple of albums, but their principle songwriter, composer, and vocalist Patrick Stump had a penchant for pop, R&B, and soul music. His vocals already sounded like they belonged in that vein, but his songwriting became more pop-focused with time. It all coalesced on 2007’s Infinity On High. That’s the album that got me into music, and I’ve talked about that many times, but that record was their first number one album and it catapulted them to mainstream superstars. They were huge by this point, and all eyes were on them for the follow-up. That’s where Folie comes into play, because this record has a contentious history with both their fans and the scene at large. This album went from being severely hated by fans (yet still liked by critics) to becoming a cult classic in their discography over the next decade. I missed my chance to talk about this record a couple of years ago when it turned 15, but I’ve been spending a lot of time with it this week, just because I’m feeling awfully nostalgic for the mid-00s emo, pop-punk, and neon pop-punk scenes that I was heavily involved with at that time. I wanted to talk about this album retrospectively, because this album was a big deal when it came out, but it’s still a big deal today. To understand why that album is such a big deal, it’s best to look at the time period the album came out in, where the band’s head was at that time, and the overall impact the album has made since its release back in 2008.

I just posted a piece on the mid-00s neon scene, and I talked about this album a bit, because of its association with the scene, as well as how influential this album was to a lot of bands in that scene. I only talked briefly about it, but Fall Out Boy were of the world before this album. They had just released Infinity On High, and that album introduced more of a pop and R&B sound to their repertoire, so they were able to rank in more fans that otherwise wouldn’t have heard of them. They were becoming a household name with that record, so the pressure was high for a suitable follow-up. Up until this point, however, the band operated similarly to The Beatles: they had two main songwriters, this time in the form of Patrick Stump and bassist / lyricist Pete Wentz. Patrick would write the songs and Pete would write the lyrics, but both guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley were becoming burnt out by not being able to contribute anything. This record was a lot more collaborative than their previous few (which is something they would continue more so on later in their career), but this was also their fourth album in five years. The wear and tear on the band was beginning to show, so it makes sense that they would take a hiatus after this one. They needed a break, and I can’t blame them whatsoever for that. Infinity On High marked their change in sound, but it wasn’t drastic enough that fans had an issue with it. The pop-punk was still there, but they had flashes of R&B, soul, pop, and other kinds of music, so it wasn’t as dramatic of a shift as Folie A Deux was.

In retrospect, Folie A Deux isn’t that much of a shift in sound. The band just went fully pop-rock with some power-pop, R&B, and soul elements in their sound this time around, versus being strictly pop-punk. The lead singles of this album are a good indicator of what to expect as a whole, those being “I Don’t Care” and “America’s Suitehearts,” both having huge choruses and witty lyrics that are less autobiographical for Wentz but look at society as a whole. Whether it’s how selfish people can be, or a scathing take on celebrity culture, these songs had the clever and fun one-liners that people expect from them, but they looked outward at the world at large, instead of inward. I think that turned off some fans, because they could relate to their cynical, self-loathing, and introspective lyrics, versus lyrics that talk about the world as a whole. What really turned off people was the sound, because if there’s something that a lot of scene and emo kids didn’t like, it was pop music. Pop music was a dirty word for a lot of kids that enjoyed that music, me included. Even now, a lot of fans that grew up still think pop music is bad. Some of it is, sure, but I’ve grown to enjoy a lot of it, and I don’t immediately disregard a band or artist for moving in that direction. The blatant embrace of pop-rock was something that turned off a lot of fans, and even back then, I couldn’t understand why. Bands like All Time Low, Forever The Sickest Kids, Mayday Parade, The Cab, and Cute Is What We Aim For were blatantly borrowing from pop-rock and power-pop, so why did people that Folie A Deux for doing the same thing? The vitriol that people felt with this album has always baffled me, and it’s baffled me even more so when people retroactively hailed this album as a masterpiece.

I’ve talked about this album quite a bit as well, but Folie A Deux is among my top three Fall Out Boy albums. I loved it back in the day, because it was their catchiest and their most cohesive album, and I still love it today. I’ve grown to enjoy all of Fall Out Boy’s albums in some capacity, but I still have a soft spot for their last two albums before the hiatus. I love their latest album, too, So Much (For) Stardust, and that’s among my top three as well, but that’s neither here nor there. This record has razor sharp hooks that are among their best, but Patrick’s vocals are also among their best as well; people knew that Patrick could sing, and he demonstrated that well on their first few albums, but Infinity On High started to embrace more styles of music that complemented his vocals. Folie A Deux is the album where Patrick’s vocals were really shown off, but the rest of the band was firing on all cylinders as well. This is super catchy, tight, fun, and energetic as all get out. I don’t get why fans hated this album, but it’s funny that it’s considered to be one of their best now. By the point this record came out, however, the band were burnt out by touring and writing. They needed a break, so they took one. I remember when they announced their hiatus, and it was a sad day for the pop-punk scene. They were a band I had just gotten into a couple of years ago, but it was for the best, I think. The band went their separate ways, and they participated in side projects. Most notably, Hurley and Trohman teamed up with Anthrax’s Scott Ian and Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley for The Damned Things, a pretty cool hard-rock / heavy metal band, and Patrick Stump’s solo music.

It's kind of a shame, too, because Patrick’s solo music picked up where Folie left off. He really went to pop, soul, and funk music, but fans hated that stuff so much, they booed him off stage many times during a solo tour, and Patrick quit music for a few years. The fan backlash against Folie and his solo music was so toxic, awful, and undeserving. I don’t understand why people hated any of that to begin with, but here we are. That’s just how people were, and unfortunately, still are. Folie has gone onto being a cult classic, and for good reason. It’s got a lot of their best material, as well as a killer lineup of guest stars. On “What A Catch, Donnie” alone, there’s The Cab’s Alex DeLeon, The Academy Is’ William Beckett, Gym Class Heroes’ Travie McCoy, Cobra Starship’s Gabe Saporta, Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie, and Elvis Costello, but Lil Wayne also shows up in the record, so it’s a stacked lineup on there. They pulled all the stops out for that record, but for good reason. Say what you will about their post-hiatus material, but Folie A Deux is among their best in their discography. It’s got such a special place in my heart, because of how this album influenced a lot of other bands and albums I listened to at the same time, but it also influenced what I like in terms of catchy hooks and vocalists with a lot of range. If you haven’t listened to this thing in awhile, I’d say give it another listen. It absolutely rules all these years later, and it’s easily among their best.

[musicloversociety]

songs that change lives:

-What a Catch, Donnie- Fall Out Boy

okay thanks for listening

[tinydancerfreelancersblog]

Pete Wentz is in my dreams like, EVERY night. Shh, Don't tell anyone!

[freakwiththeknifecollection]

"I can fix him" yeah well I will never end up like him. Behind my back I already am

[modelhousemeltdown]

What a Catch, Donnie

[whtactch-dawnie]

I like your fall out boy username

ehehe thank you :) i looove fall out boy and my nickname is dawnie so like. i saw my chance and i seized it >:)

[carpaltunnelofgirllove]

average folie a deux listening experience

[clavalee]

hoooooly shiiiit the way patrick sings "DANCE dance, we're fallin' apart to half time" at the end of what a catch, donnie is literally everything to me it nearly makes me cry bc it's genuinely so beautiful to me

[somuchforscampy]

I hope everyone is aware that What a Catch, Donnie was written for the sole purpose of Pete Wentz telling Patrick he’ll never attempt $uic/d€ again and leave him alone. I’ve known about this meaning for months but recently it’s been hitting again.

FULL EXPLANATION (written by RN_NP_1220 on reddit):

I believe Pete wrote this song for Patrick, about Patrick, but also about himself. It is as complex as Pete is. He is a brilliant man who sold himself short, much as Patrick has.

There's multiple meanings to the song (imo) he writes from Patrick's perspective about how he has such a self deprecating view of himself "I got troubled thoughts And the self-esteem to match, what a catch". He also writes it from his own perspective, after his suicide attempt. He is saying that he won't kill himself but also that he still has the thoughts. "I will never end up like him, behind my back I already am". The him references Donnie H. He compares song writers Donnie H & Roberta F with himself and Patrick.

Donny died by suicide and Roberta had a hard time getting past it. "Miss Flack said I still want you back". The lines "And all I can think of Is the way l'm the one Who charmed the one Who gave up on you" to me is a combo of their thinking - Patrick blaming on himself for Pete's attempt bc he thinks poorly of himself, it Pete places blame on himself and they both feel as they've let the other down. That's my interpretation based on interviews over the years. It's tragically beautiful. I think they sold themselves short and I hope that their 20+ years of success has helped to change that view <3

[release-the-mccracken]

Miss Flack said I still want you back

[livingjust2beoverdramatizing]

Always wanted to do this song, especially with this lyric snippet. I just think it's so beautiful, and I really love the way the words are arranged in the sentence.

[abovetherainandroses]

Very emotional video of the piano part of Patrick’s medley (What a Fool Believes by the Doobie Brothers / Spotlight / What a Catch, Donnie / Golden) in Milwaukee, 4/2/2024, including his words about his dear friend Casey Benjamin.

You can read Casey’s memorial page here.