February 28th, 2012 
Jacob Tender 
When I was in the 6th grade, things were far simpler than they are now. These things were undemanding in most respects, but growing more socially complicated by the day. Middle school was that time in my life when girls became attractive, attitudes changed, friends changed, and growing up truly began. I recognize the growth that began in junior high as a part of who I am. In conjunction with my social growth, came my newfound hunger for music.
I found the cure to growing older and you’re the only place that feels like home…
In my youth, I was heavily guarded by my parents in most aspects of life. I was a Boy Scout and church-going boy with straight A’s and soccer as an interest. I was a good kid. The kind my mother was proud of. I didn’t swear or get into trouble, I had good friends and made responsible decisions. My internet access was limited by dial-up, AOL child-locks, and previously determined web-browsing time. Middle School was pretty normal for me until something new came along. That thing was Chicago based, pop-punk band Fall Out Boy and they were not allowed. My first illegally burned album was Fall Out Boy’s From Under the Cork Tree and when I received my copy, I learned a few things.
I’ll be your best kept secret and your biggest mistake…
The first was that my friend Josh could not properly operate Windows Media Player. My copy of FUCT was missing track 1. For those who have heard “Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn’t Get Sued,” I’d appreciate if you didn’t play it for me when I’m riding in your car at high speeds or locked in a bomb shelter with you. It isn’t that I don’t like that song. In all likelihood, I’ve probably heard it. Upon hearing my tale, people have offered to send me the track to complete the CD. That’s, of course, very nice of them but you see, From Under the Cork Tree is still a very special album to me and my copy is complete as far as I’m concerned. Adding that unknown song to the beginning of it would ruin the feeling that I still get from hearing the first guitar rip on “Of All the Gin Joints in All the World.” My From Under the Cork Tree is only 12 songs long and that is how it will stay.
You only hold me up like this ’cause you don’t know who I really am…
The second thing I learned was that my mother is not a fan of obscure lyrics referring to sex and blasphemy. I recall a car ride with my mother that featured me sitting in the back seat (like I said, I was guarded) with my portable CD player spinning my incomplete copy of FUCT quite loudly. It was early summertime. During a pause in-between tracks (again, Josh sucked at Windows Media Player) I heard my mom cycling through radio stations as she usually does. Upon hearing a snippet of “Sugar We’re Going Down,” I immediately paused my disc and told my mother to go back to that song. Yes, I paused the CD that song was on to hear it on the radio. Back then, hearing a band you know about was exciting, not depressing. After years of listening to bands my parent’s knew that I didn’t on national radio, I finally had one on them! My mom went back to the station (Q 104.1 for any Akron/Cleveland area readers) and listened along as I watched her face in anticipation. Perhaps I hoped she’d like it and take me to a concert, or maybe I wanted her to know I was listening to something a bit more risqué than pop-country or Jason Mraz. Regardless, she listened, the song changed, and I went back to my CD.
I know this hurts, it was meant to (it was meant to). Your secret’s out and the best part is it isn’t even a good one and it’s mind over you don’t, don’t matter…
Upon returning home that night, My mom called me into the dining room where the computer cabinet was contained. Curious, I answered her call to find her looking at the lyric sheet for “Sugar, We’re Going Down.” This is when she asked me, “Jake, what do these lyrics mean?” I was 12, I had no clue. They were catchy and the music video had a deer-boy in it. That was enough for me. Hell, I thought Patrick Stump was british for a full year and that the singer always wrote the songs. I was in ignorant bliss. My answer didn’t appease my mother who had a concerned and irritated look on her face. This face remained as she told me, “I don’t want you to listen to this band anymore.” Luckily, my mom wasn’t aware that I had my coveted burned CD, so I continued my listening in secret. The songs were even better than before. Why? Well, that’s because I wasn’t supposed to have them of course. The “forbidden fruit” effect was placed on pop-punk music and thus, my departure from good boy Jake began.
Are we growing up, or just going down? It’s just a matter of time until we’re all found out. Take our tears, put ’em on ice, ’cause I swear I’d burn the city down to show you the lights…
I’ll admit that FOB was not my first banned artist. Rap was an absolute no-go in the Tender household and my friend Jimmy was a big Eminem fan. I listened to Slim Shady’s music every time I was there while playing Duke Nukem, Grand Theft Auto, and a plethora of other blood-filled first person shooters. The difference here is that I was listening ONLY because I wasn’t allowed. Rap wasn’t my thing. Granted, everyone has a rap phase, but the semi-censored Curtain Call never stood up to the lasting influence Cork Tree had.
They call kids like us vicious and carved out of stone. But for what we’ve become, we just feel more alone…
From Under the Cork Tree was the first CD I listened to on repeat for days, months even. It was the first album for which I memorized all the lyrics, inflections, and harmonies. Fall Out Boy was the first band I learned all of the members names for. Patrick Stump was my “favorite singer” for at least 2 years. I joined AIM chat rooms and sought out others who listened to FOB. I didn’t like those pretentious assholes who didn’t like anything after Take This To Your Grave. I now recognize that I’m one of those assholes, but I still fume when some of my favorite records are so easily discredited by ignorant semi-listeners.
I’m the first kid to write of hearts, lies, and friends, and I am sorry my conscience called in sick again, and I’ve got arrogance down to a science. Oh, and I’m the first kid to write of hearts, lies, and friends…
From Under The Cork Tree transformed me from book-worm to music-nerd. I began to seek out related and unrelated music and bands. My library grew, my media player changed (WMP, MusicMatch Jukebox, and finally Winamp), and my focuses changed. From this album on, my conversation starters turned to be band/song based, my friendships started revolving around similar musical tastes, and my music library’s correctness took precedence over my homework’s. Without Fall Out Boy’s influence in middle school, I would have never taken that leap into alternative music and my favorite artists today may have never found their way into my ear canals, I would most definitely not be writing this or any other music-realated article or review. From Under the Cork Tree is one album I will always cherish and it’s due credit. After all, without it, you’d have never read this.
Written by Jacob Tender (follow him on Twitter)
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Awesome retrospective! It was the summer before my senior year of high school when that album came out and I was dating the only girl that ever cheated on me. Still doesn’t mar the good memories I have of this album.
I miss me some FOB
Thank you so much for reading. I’m very happy with the amount of nostalgic response this article is bringing up from some fellow FOB fans.
Fantastic op-ed. It’s nice that someone else has the same kind of bond with FUTCT as I did/do.
From Under The Cork Tree is the first album from Fallout Boy that I listened to, and I fell in love immediately. They were my favorite band then, and they still are now, even with Infinity On High and Folie A Deux. I must admit that FUTCT is still the best,and reading this made me want to put the album on repeat. I miss FOB ):
Great Article. I was smiling the whole time because my name is Jake also and this is exactly my life. Fall Out Boy brought me into music and I dont ever want to leave. Music is my life…
I was also 12 when From Under The Cork Tree came out. And it is crazy to me that I have experienced the exact same emotions you have when it comes to this album. I am glad to see there is someone else who understands this album and it’s importance as much as I do.
Folie A Deux had this affect on me when I was in 8th grade. Although I still love From Under the Cork Tree best, I will remember Folie A Deux for introducing me to alternative music and pretty much causing the exact same effects you described in your final paragraph.
From Under The Cork Tree still is my favorite album ever. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the music video for “Sugar”, I fell in love with the band at the first sight. And also, I feel very lucky I could hear things like “Of all gin joints” in the car with my mom, because she doesn’t get a word of English (I’m from Brazil!).
I kinda miss Fall Out Boy. But I know I’ll always have FUCT and Take This To Your Grave, and that’s enough for me =]
I saw this on Patrick’s Tumblr and had to check it out. Fall Out Boy was the first band I grew to love; that deep appreciation made me the individual I am today. I am honestly so grateful for them and their music.
I found this article after reading Patrick Stump’s “Confessions of a Pariah,” and I’m sorry that his piece cast yours in such a negative light.
This could seriously have been a page from my middle school diary. (Not that I had one, but you get the point.) My story was slightly different – “Sugar” was kind of the catalyst for me, and I became a fan well after it started playing on z100 – but FUCT catapulted me into the music world in the exact way that you describe here.
I’ve been a devout FOB fan since 2006, which makes reading Patrick’s post that much harder. But I just wanted to let you know that I found this retrospective to be so relatable.
Wow I’d swear your my doppleganger, cause I can relate to you on every account minus the picky mom part. I always listened to the “radio” in middle school until one day on the bus Sugar We’re Going Down came on, and that’s when i decided what i wanted to listen to for the rest of my life. First and best album purchase I ever made.
Congrats on getting a mention on Patrick’s Tumblr, I just wish Patrick wasn’t so focuses on the haters and knew there are people like us out there that. I understand where some of his frustrations lie and I don’t blame him for looking into a new career. I’m sure it’s not encouraging to go through that.
He needs to realize though that we don’t hear everything he does, whether it’s gossip or haters or “semi-listeners”. All we hear is the music, and If I had any debt’s to pay, it would be to this man and his musical gift. I have come around to love everything and anything he puts out, and Folie A Deux felt like the mature right step in the band’s journey. Maybe it’s just my nostalgia setting in…
Anyway I’ve been waiting to get that off my chest for about 10 years. I never did see them live, and I was busy when Patrick was headlining in Chicago… never forgetting though.
Cork Tree and Take This To Your Grave helped me a lot at this age, I was really depressed from being a closeted transgender male, the lyrics always hit home, especially in Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year. Beautiful post, and I’m pretty sure I will always love Fall Out Boy.
Thank you so much for reading Rita.
Thank you so much for reading an sharing. It’s incredible how much one album can impact so many lives, isn’t it?
Well hello Jake, Author Jake here! Thanks for reading and sharing your uncanny similarities!
Haley, I’m amazed at how many people our age have reached out and shared their love for Cork Tree with me. It was truly something special.
This is a great column. I feel like I just read my life story. It’s nearly identical to my experience with FOB. We must be kindred spirits.
That is awesome. Thank you for reading!
Thank you for reading!
Thank you for reading!
I don’t think Patrick meant to cast it in a negative light. The sentence that sparked his post (while not on FUCT specifically) was still important. If I can evoke that kind of emotion out of Patrick Stump from one line, it doesn’t matter which line it is. His response was extremely open and rich in emotion. I’m flattered.
“one day on the bus Sugar We’re Going Down came on, and that’s when i decided what i wanted to listen to for the rest of my life.”
This is my favorite line in any response so far.
I never saw them live either (again, my parents were protective). I saw patrick live for the first time on the PATD tour with Foxy in Cinci. Incredible show.
Thank you so much for reading!
You must be the 6th to say this same thing. There are so many of us who shared such similar experiences in our youth. It’s really a testament to Fall Out Boy and the product of their creativity and talents.
I went through something similar; Fall Out Boy opened my appetite for music and their music was my growing-up biggest element.
By the way, this was quite a good story. I love the lines between each paragraph.
i found this from patricks tumblr and was instantly intrigued. futct is still my favorite album of all time. and i will never, not once, not turn up the volume whenever one of those 13 (yes, 13) tracks comes on. it gives me an incredible feeling to know that im not the only person who gets a giddy, child-like feeling whenever they listen to futct.
i just wish more people would have a deeper feeling for fob than their singles.
This has been like reading my own thoughts, i have so much love and respect for all the guys of fob, even in their new projects, simply because they changed my life too and i am gladly forever indebted to support them
im so happy to see someone publish feelings towards fob that i know are widely expressed but perhaps looked over
Thanks! I thought they added a nice touch!
I was also 12 when FUCT came out. I remember my older sister not wanting me to borrow her cds because I still listened to stupid “kid” music, which I admit I kind of did. One of my friends introduced me to Gin Joints and I fell in love. I couldn’t believe what great music I had been missing out on. I took my sister’s cd whenever she was out and listened to it on repeat. It became my favorite album, and from there I expanded my Fall Out Boy collection. I really liked TTTYG when I listened to it, as well as EOWYG, but I just couldn’t stop comparing it to the beauty of FUCT. Infinity on High came out.. and then Folie a Deux, and I still don’t get the same feeling that I do when I listen to From Under the Cork Tree. I miss Fall Out Boy. I wish I could be 12 again, even if it was just for a day. By the way, I’m from Chicago. I’m not sure if I related more to some songs on TTTYG more because of that, but regardless of all of that, From Under the Cork Tree influenced everything about who I am today.
Yea, yea, I know I’m a track short. haha
Thank you for reading and sharing your side, it’s great to hear about all of the kids who felt the way I did about FUCT or any other album that reached them in a profound way like this did for you or I.
Thank you so much for reading!
Just wanted to say AWESOME article. Thank you for sharing. FOB reached/touched alot of our lives…as for me they still do. Their music has got me thru alot of tough times in my life…I MISS them but they will always be a part of my life :)
I wish everyday that I could spend just 1 more day at that age with that burned CD-R. Thank you for reading and sharing your story!
Thanks for reading!
No problem. I love hearing about people’s love for Fall Out Boy. :)
@kate “Fallout Boy?” lol really now
Your post on FUTCT summed up exactly how i feel towards the band and the album, and likewise, FUTCT and FOB were the two things that got me into music.
FOB was the band that got me exposed to bands from similar and different genres, and if it wasn’t for them, i would never have started listening to the music that i do now. I too was 12 when FUTCT came out and it had such an impact on me that whenever i listen to the album today, i feel like i am 12 again and the same emotions and childlike excitement that i had when i first listened to Sugar, We’re Going Down or XO or Champagne For My Real Friends still comes up.
Fall Out Boy will always be my first musical love.
just like most of the other comments on here, i just wanted to say that i feel like i’m practically reading my own thought :3 i was the same age as you when the album came out & it had a HUGE influence on just myself in general. even though they weren’t the first band i got extremely into, they were the one of the first bands who i felt “got me” & introduced me to so many more. sorry for rambling a bit :)
There are so many kids our age still rocking FUCT quite often, i’m so glad to hear it. Thank you for reading!
I was 11 when this album came out. And after reading everything you said, I can relate so much. My parents & lifestyle wasn’t exactly the same. But because of FOB, they are a reason why I love the music today, a reason why I am who I am, a band that will always & forever be a part of me. Thank you for writing this, I love people like this.
I hope you know Patrick has seen your article! he broke a three months twitter hiatus to twet about it!
I feel like I just read a story of myself 8 years ago.. From Under the Cork Tree was the first burned cd I was given as well, in 7th grade; listened to it on repeat for hours on end, every single night for months and months.. It was also the first Fall Out Boy cd I listened to, I didn’t even buy Take This to Your Grave until almost a year later. I still keep a copy of it in the car for when I’m having a bad day or just feel like remembering how happy that cd made me. Thanks for bringing me back to the days when I first discovered how good music can make you feel. I think I know what I’m listening to before bed tonight.
man this really hit home, FUCT really made me who i am today, i miss being 13 and just listening to this album with my closest friends, it just makes me miss my child hood so much, growing up will never sit well with me, but when i listen to this album i can at least excape for an hour or so
I do know! I’ve been receiving some great stories in the past few hours in response to it!
Thank you for reading this. I’ve said it a dozen times on this page, but it really means so much that so many feel the way I do about an album so close to my heart.
I think you’ll have some sweet dreams. 8]
I can see why Patrick would be moved by this, its so innocent and sweet. It just made me nostalgic. I always credit FOB for my love of music. But I forget that FUCT is the album that did it for me. I was a mess before that album.
I remember hearing sugar were going down and requesting it again on the radio, they even made me sing the chorus so they would play it. Oh nostalgia, and to this day I still listen to almost all of the albums on a weekly basis, even wore my Honda civic tour shirt today. It’s a band like this that you grow up with and almost consider a part of your family, and it’s always hard to let go, lucky me, I haven’t let go and probably won’t. Such profound artists with intricate lyrics and hidden meanings that I still figure out. No band has ever made me feel this way.
I’m so happy that he took the time to read. I’m also happy that you did the same! Thank you!