on this, the 11th birthday of fall out boy's esteemed fifth studio album save rock and roll, i just want to remind everyone of the one thing that never fails to Get Me about it.
there was a lot of scorn and derision about the title when it first got promoted, and fob was well aware this would happen. critics and caustic news outlets collectively scoffed about it, save rock and roll. like this four-piece from chicago, this dorky pop band, is gonna save rock and roll?
of course they missed the point, which is in the very god damn title. it's not a declarative statement. it's not a pronouncement of how we, fall out boy, saved rock and roll. it is a call to action. it is an earnest request for you, the listener, to participate in this act alongside them. it is an expression of desire to inspire creation in turn.
that's the ethos they've carried at the forefront of every creative endeavor they've undertaken since returning from hiatus. certainly that element was present before then, but save rock and roll marked the moment where they very deliberately centered that squarely in their narrative.
because fall out boy doesn't just want to save rock and roll. they want you to save rock and roll with them.
