Comebacks can be pretty awesome. Sometimes they’re nostalgic, like seeing an old band come back together. Sometimes they’re just flat-out awe-inspiring, like someone recovering from a near-fatal accident. While these kind of comebacks are cool, so are the “everyday” comebacks, even as small as being sick for a few days and missing work or school. You’re back, you’re refreshed, you’re ready.
Comebacks have a lot to do with survival. You’ve beaten the odds and now here you are – you’re back, and the people who doubted you should be very afraid – or at least intimidated.
After Fall Out Boy’s hiatus between 2010 and 2012, they released two studio albums, an EP, and remixes galore. You might say it was kind of…manic. And you would be right. Hence, they put together M A N I A. The themes of the album have to do with Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz’s battle with depression, bipolar disorder, and the nay-sayers who told them they’d never make it. The album itself is essentially a return to their alternative punk rock roots. It’s fitting that this song was one of their first singles off the album.
Day 13: Champion – Fall Out Boy
I’m calling you from the future
To let you know we’ve made a mistake
And there’s a fog from the past that’s giving me, giving me such a headache
The song begins with a single guitar melody, followed by the chanting of “champion.” Stump murmurs the above verse, as if it’s in our subconscious. He uses the word “fog” to signify a comeback – oftentimes, fog is used in literature and history to represent a return of some kind.
And I’m back with a madness
I’m a champion of the people who don’t believe in champions
I got nothing but dreams inside, I got nothing but dreams
Again going along with the theme of mania and madness, Stump comes crashing in with the second half of the first verse. Both him and Wentz struggle daily to overcome their disorders in order to make good music. And they’re going to show up for people who don’t even think they can do it.
I’m just young enough to still believe, still believe
But young enough not to know what to believe in
Young enough not to know what to believe in, yeah
Being an artist is weird because you tend to hang on to that idealistic mindset longer than other people do. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s easy to feel naive as a result. And we can be our most influential when we’re at our most naive, because that’s when we’re young and idealistic. A vicious cycle.
If I can live through this
If I can live through this
If I can live through this
I can do anything
And here comes my favorite chorus. Or one of my favorites. Mental health issues suck, but this has become my mantra when I find myself in a difficult place. “If I can live through this, I can do anything.” Well, so far I’ve lived through all of “those,” so getting through stuff gets easier.
I got rage every day, on the inside
The only thing I do is sit around and kill the time
I’m trying to blow out the pilot light
I’m trying to blow out the light
Stump and Wentz both struggle with bipolar disorder, where they may encounter extreme anger on a daily basis. Yet they have to act like they’re fine. The “pilot light” they’re referring to is what fuels that sudden anger. It’s easy to become imbalanced.
It’s a pretty straightforward song. It’s about picking yourself up and getting back out there. Easier said than done sometimes. But always worth it.
Audrey D. DeBoer 