30 Days, 30 Songs (it’s Back…Again)

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That’s what they say, anyway.

These “tough times” are strange. They feel tough, but at the same time, they don’t. For me, it’s been boring. I know that’s not the case for everyone, but for some it’s a lot of hurry-up-and-wait. There’s been a lot of disappointment too, and a whole lot of “What’s next?”

So for the next 30 days, I want to create…again. Through the month of April, I’m doing Round 3 of “30 Days, 30 Songs,” something I like to resurrect at least once a year. I was going to wait til the summer but now seems like an opportune time to tell more stories and share some awesome music.

After all, there’s no time like the present. So let’s get started with 30 Days, 30 Songs…Round 3.

Day 1: (Coffee’s for Closers) – Fall Out Boy 

Over the course of about three years, I was a barista at two different coffee shops, both of them chains. It would’ve been more fun to be a barista at a fun, local coffee shop, but those were the cards I was dealt. The summer after freshman year of college, I worked at a coffee shop that had started in my state and then grew to a semi-national chain. Then, my senior year, I worked at Starbucks. I’ll save my in-depth opinion on both employers; I’ll just say this: they were great learning experiences in their own way.

I never want to work at a coffee shop again. I had so many grouchy customers, so many incredibly specific orders (grande non-fat no foam extra hot latte with two Splenda. That was an actual order from an actual person. A very, very grumpy person.) Not great pay. Almost no breaks. I fainted at both workplaces (both for different reasons.) All that to say, it’s not an easy job.

I’ve expanded my horizons beyond coffee. I still love coffee. I know how to make the perfect pour-over and once upon a time, I could make cappuccinos as light as a feather. But the coffee-slinging days are behind me.

The message of (Coffee’s for Closers) is that only the successful get what they want. If you’re a movie buff, you know that the title comes from the cult classic Glengary Glenn Ross. In the film, Alec Baldwin’s famous monologue calls out the pot of coffee as for “closers only” – people who close sales. The song was originally called “Never Believe,” which is fitting for the chorus.

I will never believe in anything again
I will never believe in anything again
Though change will come, oh change will come
I will never believe in anything again

And it continues in the post-chorus as well. It’s the anthem of the entire song.

We will never believe again
Kick drum beating in my chest again, oh
We will never believe again
Preach electric to a microphone stand

This was a time when Fall Out Boy was still a niche band. From their 2008 album Folie a Deux, (Coffee’s for Closers) is about their struggle as a band to stay true to their fans while also being successful – and not selling their souls to the corporate music devil, if you know what I mean. Some people might argue that they did end up selling themselves to pop (for better or for worse,) and this song highlights the tension of being relevant vs. being authentic.

I’m a mascot for what you’ve become
And I, I, I love the mayhem more than the love
And oh, baby when they made me, they broke the mold
Girls used to follow me around when I got cold
Throw your cameras in the air, and wave ’em like you just don’t care

Lyricist Pete Wentz (also bassist for the band and arguably one of the more recognizable faces of FOB) is communicating a feeling of not measuring up to other bands who have found fast and easy success. As a niche band, Fall Out Boy has had to evolve with the ever changing sound of punk pop – as you know, punk pop sounds far different now than it did in 2003. (A lot less screaming. A lot more synth.) He even pokes fun at the fact that people don’t “throw their hands” in the air at concerts anymore. Instead, they pull out their phones and watch the recording through a screen. Everything’s changing, so why believe in anything?

The outro of (Coffee’s for Closers) is a continuous anthem of the pre-chorus, chorus and post-chorus, becoming increasingly more percussive. Then, the loop dissolves into an orchestral instrumental, a hearkening back to some of Fall Out Boy’s hits like “Thks fr the Mmrs.” In the midst of it all, in the middle of the subtext that (coffee’s for closers only,) they’re finding ways to remain true to themselves while also keeping the lights on.

Working at a coffee shop helped me keep the lights on during college. It was a helpful experience, but I had to change with the times. I’ll probably have to change again someday, and adapt to what’s changing around me. Hopefully in the midst of change, I’ll find ways to stay true to who I’ve always been.

Thanks for tuning into day one of 30 Days, 30 Songs! Be sure to follow along on my Spotify playlist, which features the two previous 30 Days, 30 Songs adventures, which you can find in my archives.