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)
- UTG INTERVIEW: Lydia Talks ‘Run Wild’ On Their Headlining Tour - October 20, 2015
- UTG’s 31 Days Of Halloween: ‘Alien 3’ - October 5, 2015
- SINGLE REVIEW: Jonny X Kyle X Midnite – “Party And The Dream” - January 6, 2015
Posted in 
Tags: 
Fall Out Boy saved my life and for that I am thankful. “From Under the Cork Tree” saved my life. Fall Out boy will ALWAYS be in my heart and will ALWAYS be my favorite band.
Dude, the beginning of this and how you grew up was exactly how it was for me, except it was blink-182’s Enema of the State that I wasn’t allowed to listen to and the song I heard on the radio was “What’s My Age Again?” lol.
Funny enough I am also from Ohio
This is exactly how I feel about Fall Out Boy. Even though I do like Folie á Deux…they changed my life and turned me into what you’d call, a “music-nerd”. Reading this makes me want to listen to them but listening to them only reminds me that there’s not going to be another new album any time soon. I miss this band more than anything.
Honestly I was like 7-8 when I first heard their songs. I never really paid attention to them until I saw how strange their music videos were! Pretty soon, I completely fell in love with them and still listen to their songs on a daily basis because thanks to them, I found a genre that really fits and understands me. It’s crazy how much they’ve impacted my life. And all of the people giving Patrick Stump crap about what he’s doing now are just rude. He’s changed, there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s still the same Patrick that loves his fans. Maybe he looks and sounds different, but hey, he’s not doing anything bad at all. Reading this really makes me miss Fall Out Boy, but it’s not like they’re gone.
Music is so disposable nowadays, isn’t it? Not like in the past where we listen to records from beginning to the end and loop it over and over again.
I remember my copy of FUTCT and like you, Fall Out Boy was the band that changed everything. It changed the way I listened to music and told me that hey, music can have great lyrics and wicked hooks. From FOB, I branched out to listening to other alternative bands and it grew from there.
Just wanted to say that this is a great article. It really is amazing how music from a band in Chicago can change lives all over the world. That album accompanied me through some very tough times in an abusive household before I got the courage to strike out on my own.
Thanks for sharing.
I can still remember the first day I heard Sugar we’re going down. I would turn it up as loud as I could and sing along. I remember buy the FUTCT cd as well as every other cd FOB put out (all the way from evening out with you girlfriend to the greatest hits album) and sitting in my room with my walkman and the lyrics just listening to every song on repeat just to learn the lyrics. They will always be my favorite band no matter where life takes them. It is nice to see they have impacted others lives as much as they have mine. Long live FOB in all of our memories! And I will say if and when they do come back together and tour I will be the first in line for tickets :)
O-H!
Thank you so much for reading!
growing up, i was pretty lucky to have parents who didn’t care what i listened to. FUTCT was the first album i bought with my own money at the ripe age of 12, and while i enjoyed music at the time, it was never a huge, essential part of my life. after having the album on repeat for weeks (months, even), i started getting more and more into music and into obscure indie bands and pop-punk bands and rock bands. now, i can’t remember what life was like without music. FUTCT changed my life, and i wouldn’t be who i am today without Fall Out Boy. i can honestly say that it’s the most important and beloved record of my extensive collection.
i am so glad that i’m not the only one who feels that FUTCT was the reason i have such a strong hunger for music today. thank you for writing this. :)
Thank you so very much for reading and sharing. It is wild to think 4 boys from the Windy City could create such an impact. Kudos to them.
Id have to say that I have a complete respect and understanding of what youre talking about. I can remember listening to FUCT for the first time, absolutely loving it and listening to it all the time, and then chastising the media and my friends when they all jumped on the bandwagon. People only knew “Sugar We’re Going Down” and nothing else..then it was “Dance, Dance.” I can honestly say I found myself upset at times, but I found solace in knowing that I listened before the mainstream hit. Oh and it only helps my admiration and, “butterflies” if you will, that this album served as the conversation between me and what turned out to be my first serious relationship with a girl (2 years haha), one afternoon on the city bus. “Hey is that Fall Out Boy, you’re listening to?”
Loved your editorial.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
This article parallels my exact thoughts on how I grew up. I initially heard FOB in grade 5 and they clicked ever since. I remember my first MP3 player was filled to the brim with immense amounts FOB, everything from Star 67 to Parker Lewis Can’t Lose to GINASFS. Not just FUCT, but FOB in general helped me throughout junior high. I faced adversity, discrimination, prejudiced, rejection from girls, and loneliness all throughout junior high. I wouldn’t have made it without Fall Out Boy. Patrick Stump inspired me to pick up the guitar, Pete Wentz inspired me to write my own music, and Joe and Andy inspired me to learn every instrument that I could possibly get my hands on. I love music because of FOB. Nostalgia is running my eyes dry right now from everything I’m thinking about. I’m now in grade 12, and I’m loving life. I’ve surrounded myself with music, rapturous friends, and optimism. FOB changed my life too in so many ways. Thank you Jacob. This is just what I needed to read.
utct changed my life forever, and you’ve been linked to patrick’s tumblr <3_<3
“i wouldn’t be who i am today without Fall Out Boy”
This speaks volumes. Thank you for reading.
I love that. Unfortunately, my first dances with my 2 middle school girlfriends were to Nickelback songs. Which, at that time, I had no contempt towards. Fall Out Boy songs were later shared with the later of those two however.
I’m so happy to read this Stefan. I’m so completely grateful for the amazing feedback this piece has received. It’s more than encouraging. Thank you so so much.
I know! Exciting, huh?
This article broke my heart. Fall Out Boy was without a doubt the band that influenced me the most. They helped me get through my anxiety and eating disorder problems, they helped me realize what I want to do in life, (I’m a Music Business major in Nashville), they were the reason that I started dating my first boyfriend (we are both huge fans), and when we broke up, I dove into this band. They got me through my first year of college when I had major relapse. From Under the Cork Tree is such a defining album. I wish I could just have an hour to tell them how much they shaped my life. I tried to write my own retrospective, but it didn’t come out nearly as eloquent as this. Thank you so much for sharing this.
This article is incredible! My experience with FOB was very similar except it was with “Take This To Your Grave” I’ve seen FOB in concert 9 times and they still have the same effect on me as if I were seeing them live for the first time. This was very well-written! I’m glad Patrick noticed this and gave you well deserving props!
So, slightly different time period for me in my life when I first heard FUTCT. I was a freshman in college I believe and was already deeply engrained in the indie music scene. Hailing from a once small town that got notoriety from a band that suffered similar scrutiny as FOB, Good Charlotte!. So my experience was a little different in that I wasn’t new to catchy hooks and emotional lyrics (huge Saves the Day, Say Anything, GlassJaw fan), but the way FOB put it together even the biggest music nerd hummed along and tapped their feet and that was me. I was 19 years old and I was just as in love with that album as a lot of you were as pre teens, and a lot of my friends even though afraid to admit it today were fans too. FOB changed the game with that record. The way music was marketed, labeled, recorded was all geared toward who’s the next FOB….and the answer was, nobody! The closest was a band FOB basically birthed in Panic at the Disco funny where are those guys now? Great article dude.
i feel old? i ammed to TTTYG in summer of 2005. i was a junior in high school..
I remember being in middle school when FUTCT came out. One of my friends had it, and they let me burn a copy, but when I gave it back to them, it broke in their backpack. I made them a copy of my copy. It was an erra defining record for me. love it.
It’s great to see someone else voice something that I’ve felt for years. I first found out about Fall Out Boy in the 7th grade through AOL radio. I was completely ignorant about music and I didn’t know they were stereotyped as that “gay emo fag” band. I remember rushing to the store and buying FUCT, even though IOH was just released. Man did I overplay that album. I became a fanboy. I swear that I watched every FOB video on youtube. I avidly searched for every Fall Out Boy b-side. I’m pretty sure that I almost died of a heart attack when I found out that FAD was in the works.
My music tastes have evolved dramatically since then. I’d rather listen to jazz than pop punk but at heart I will always be a FOB fanboy and I know that I wouldn’t have delved into the “alt” side of music without them.
I had a similar experience to this. Like you, I was in middle school-8th grade, actually- when I first heard FOB. Before that I listened to awful pop and hip hop that would never stick. Music took the backseat in my life- honestly, I hardly ever gave it a second thought. I was stupid. Then one day I saw the video for Sugar We’re Going Down on TV and it was whole heartedly love at first listen. I had never heard anything like it before-or seen anything like it. I mean, who really thinks of antler-boys and guys with deer legs? I immediately went out and bought FUTCT and Take This to Your Grave- which would ultimately become my favorite FOB album and it remains so to this day. Even though after Cork Tree their music began changing, it was their talent, above all else, that kept me where I was (which just so happened to be the barricade at all of their Denver shows). Their later albums still meant so much to me, though. Hell, I still can’t listen to the line ‘Crowds are won and lost and won again but our hearts beat for the die-hards’ without becoming a nostalgic mess. I grew up with their music and I literally would not be where I am today without them and I will never be able to thank them enough for that.
For the rest of my life I will always support what they’re doing, solo or not, but I will always be waiting for the day that they announce a new tour together.
I really loved your article, I felt like I could completely relate to it. There are so many people who joke about their music, but I don’t think they realize what FOB really did for the music world or how they changed so many lives. It’s refreshing to hear what they’ve done for you and how much FUTCT meant. :)
I think you have accurately described my life. I first came across Fall Out Boy in the form of Infinity on High in Yr 6 (this shows my relatively young age). I remember listening to it for days, weeks, months on end. Just that album. I didn’t come across any others until I discovered the internet and music download, for real, in a few years. Before this time, I only knew what was on the radio and my mother’s idea of good music: Britney Spears (oh dear, she’s okay actually). But since then, it has changed my life. There is nothing in my life that isn’t defined by alternative music. I always get so excited by meeting other FOB fans and I think one of the closest friends I have now stemmed from a mutual love of music, music being FOB. We met 2 yrs after my first FOB encounter, and for 2+ yrs now have been closer than almost any of my other friends, ever and I cherish her, and all things that FOB has brought me since that fateful day at Vanity Music.
To be yet another in a long list, I have to say this article brought up a lot of feelings and a lot of love for me. I’m listening to FUTCT right now, thanks to this article, and it’s making me remember being 14 and thinking I could be happy listening to Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down forever – sometimes I still feel I could be. I listened to that album for so many countless hours, but that was the song I couldn’t let go of, I listened to that alone on repeat for weeks. I’m still not sure how I never got sick of it. That’s the magic I guess.
In fact, you’ve made me feel nostalgic enough to get out my CD walkman and listen to it properly again. Fall Out Boy are a band who changed my teenage years and self, for better or for worse, but it’s a union I will never regret.
Thanks for this article and the reminder.
I did the “Take of your headphones to hear the song on the radio even though you’re already listening to it” thing too with ‘Sugar, We’re Goin Down’ too. I listen to hip-hop, jazz, folk, punk, electronic, bluegrass, R&B etc. and I wouldn’t be the same music fan if Fall Out Boy weren’t around with their great hooks, big awesome guitars and one of my favorite vocalists to this day. It went FOB to Fueled by Ramen where I found The Hush Sounds, This Providence and especially Forgive Durden who turned me on to Gatsby’s American Dream and more challenging alternative rock which opened my mind to new experiences. Even still, I haven’t found an album that I’ve played as much as I did FUCT though I consider Folie a Deux my favorite. It’s the album that made me like music.
Fall out boy ? They are amazing. They changed my life. Thanks to them I’m still alive. I don’t know why there are fake fans that proclaim that they are devoted to this band but they hate one of their amazing albums. I love them. I cry whenever I see a post about them , anything about them. I hate the fans that hated them because they are on a break. And what’s the big deal of Patrick slimming down? Problem on Pete having a son? Joe and Andy forming a new band? Let’s respect them as loyal fans, they were there when we needed them. Now that they needed our respect and support let us give them what they needed in exchange for giving us great music. I LOVE FALL OUT BOY
It’s funny. Whenever someone asks me my musical “guilty pleasure” I usually say Fall Out Boy. And then in a moment of honesty, correct myself. I refuse to be one of those worried about how their musical tastes make them look. It’s simple. This music is just damn good. From Under the Cork Tree is one of the rare albums that ends so strongly (Xo) that it instantly makes you want to restart the whole CD over again. Great piece.
PS. I had a full copy of the album. I also started at track 2.
:O
I loved your words! I love FOB and not wait to come back!Undoubtedly From Under The Cork Tree is a very good CD!
Wow, track 1 is one of the best on the album and one of FOB’s best in general. You’re stupid for not wanting to listen to it.
This. Except a sheltered academic type from England at 21 years old. Some of us have our breakthrough moment later. It’s not glib to say this record changed my life. It was the soundtrack to my application for my masters degree, the degree itself and a transatlantic move- on my own. A new job.
I’m glad we take the time to praise where it is due. For me at least, it is very much due.
While I don’t appreciate you calling me stupid, I can appreciate your love for that song. Thank you for reading.
Thanks for the article while I can not relate b/c I was the mom who stumbled onto FOB by letting my daughter put on a few songs in the car. After hearing FUCT (all 13 songs) I was instantly a fan. I think b/c I’m closer in age with the group I can appreciate the growth from FUCT to Folie a Deux. I did read Patrick Stumps Tumblr and I was at many of those concerts and did not hear the boos about Folie a Deux and when he came around my town promoting Soul Punk I couldn’t go b/c tickets were sold out. FOB might be on a “break” but they are still in heavy rotation in our car.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, I too am a Music Business major and that can be contributed, in part, to what I’ve written above.
Thank you so much Liz! TTYG has a large amount of memories associated with it as well. I’m thankful for all of those records. Thank you for reading!
You make some great points here. At the time all that mattered to me was the catchiness of the melodies and the smart lyrics. Now I can see what a truly special release it was by, like you said, the marketing aspect of it. Unlike Saves The Day or any similar bands of that time, Fall Out Boy broke the mold and hit mainstream success while still appealing to their already growing “alternative” fanbase. That was a big deal! I thank you for your thoughts and for reading, it means the world.
I had one reader mention to me on Twitter that he could relate to the article. The difference being that his FUCT was a Poison record. haha
You know, my copy of Green Day’s American Idiot was a copy of a copy. I still listen to that absolutely terribly transcoded disc every time I shower at my parents. haha Ah, the days of shit breaking in backpacks… I remember them well. Thank you for sharing!
Oh man, I’ve spent years seeking out tracks only rumored to exist. I understand completely. I’m a discography freak, so having EVERYTHING is a must for my favorite artists.
My tastes have somewhat changed. Being a music journalist/production and business student allows me to listen to a vast array of music on a daily basis. Pop punk still gets plenty of plays on my Last.fm, but as we grow up, we find new songs to musically accompany our memories .
Thank you so much for reading and sharing, I think Patrick showed in his piece that it’s important to support your favorite artists despite something they do not being what you like.
Musicians are only people with instruments. When they leave that stage and pack their guitars and sticks away, they are only human beings. They take criticism to heart just like any body in a crowd would.
That’s so great! I was heavily involved in the Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows fandom for quite some time. I saw countless fans worldwide collide and promote something they loved. In several cases, those people found their new best friends.
While I was a bit late to the FOB scene in the eyes of their oldest listeners, I can imagine that something of the same nature occurred for their fans as well.
Thank you for sharing!
I need to find my walkman….
Thanks for reading and sharing!
Joel my friend, I adore Forgive Durden. I thought you should know that. FaD likely ranks 3rd in my personal favorite FOB records, for personal reasons alone. Musically, it’s my favorite. It’s debatably their best record. The flack they received for it was undeserved and in most cases, immature.
No joke? haha that’s great! Thanks so much for reading!
Thank you so much for reading. I’m glad it helped you through what are likely some of your life’s biggest moments.
“things were simpler in the 6th grade”
really?! no shit…..horrible article by a horrible writer. shit sucks.
Jacob, this is so funny to read. That exact album had the same effect on me. Junior high, my bible teacher (I went to a Christian school) was teaching us the evils of secular music. She put on Sugar, We’re Going Down and played it to the class pointing out how bad the meaning of notch in my bedpost was, among other things. I was purely in my Christian rap phase then. Hearing FOB was the starting of me growing up. I loved the way the song sounded and jumped headfirst into the whole genre of music just because the teacher said I shouldn’t. I still listen to all of their albums at least once a week as a college sophomore. I get tons of crap from my friends who mostly are staunch FOB sucks believers. I’ve grown up to this album and everything speaks directly to my life it feels like. Dark Alley and Bad Idea pretty much got me through high school. I’m glad to know I’m not the only person who was raised by FOB. Great article man.
Fall Out Boy changed my life for a lot of the same reasons. I was a pretty casual music listener before I found out about them. They’re the reason I sought to find so many other bands that I would enjoy. They’re the first band I ever saw in concert, and concerts became a huge part of my life after that. I met one of my best friends because when I was 15, I saw that we both lived in the same town and had an interest in fall out boy and sent her a message on myspace. Just last august, we went to a Patrick Stump concert and met him after the show. My taste in music has changed a lot since I started listening to Fall Out Boy, but I can’t give up on them. A lot of the people that I talk about music with now will scoff when I mention them, but they don’t realize that if it weren’t for this band I probably wouldn’t be able to carry on a conversation about music the way I can now because they are what really got me into it in the first place. Anyway, thank you so much for this article, because I can really relate as I’m sure many other people can, and even for those who can’t I’m sure it’s still an interesting read. Also, Patrick is the reason I found this article – I can’t imagine how awesome that must be for you.
It was much the same for me only I was twelve when Infinity On High came out and the song my mother questioned was This Ain’t a Scene Its An Arms Race. I used to skip that song to make her happy and still do to this day, I didn’t even but it on my ipod. I remember at the time IOH was released a new Hiliary Duff album was realeased and at the time I liked her music but when my mother asked me if I wanted her to buy it for me I told her no and asked for FOB instead. My friends used to think I was weird for listening to this stuff but I had fallen in love with it and still am to this day.
I first heard Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance when I was in 5th grade and my sister was watching Fuse. I went around singing Sugar we’re going down and Helena all the time but wasn’t really interested in hearing more until a year later when the opportunity arose. I didn’t have the internet so buying cds was the only way to hear music from artist that wasn’t on the radio or tv. I’m not sure what compelled me to ask for IOH but I’m glad I did because it changed my music taste forever.