#falling song analysis

[shaampoo]

OMG!?!??! I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS SONG (and AU), RIGHT NOW!!!

(By Lydia the bard

TINKERBELL VILLAIN SONG - Fall Little Wendy Bird Fall | Song by Lydia the Bard and Tony | Animatic

The title^)

First of all the cover art is AMAZING, Tink is SO pretty, the sparkle and lines on the wings, her grin, HER HAIR, HER EARS, HER DRESS,

Also, "Fall Little Wendy Bird Fall" is a great title

Now the video itself and its lyrics, i really REALLY want to just compliment every single frame of this video, its so beautiful, so well done, its like it was blessed by The Muses of greek mythology,

Okay so the lyrics at 0:45

"You dont seem to quite understand what is at stake,

This messed up little family that i had to make"

Not only is this line so beautiful with the way her voice sounds, its pretty much a nod to the fact Tink and her friends kidnapped peter pan and the lost kids to keep her and her friends alive

(0:55) \/

"If i could let them all go home please know that i would

But it'd do more harm than good"

Just Tink expressing her guilt that she and her friends kidnapped the lost boys so that they could keep existing, but like, JWHSEAJKHWED, she ofc doesn't want her or her friends to die, and since people are slowly not believing in fairies anymore, they're slowly going extinct, ALSO, Fawn and Silvermist are DEAD, so yeah, that messes with someones head

AAAALSOOOO, i LOVE their silhouettes, the height and weight differences instead of them all having the same height and weight like in the movies, plus, i LOVE that despite not looking like how they do in the movies, you can probably still tell who is who,

ALSO

Even if it wasnt intentional, i like how in kinda faraway shots, Tink has a more cuter roundish look, while in closer shots shes more edgy and more intimidating(? if that's the right word), kinda showing how others view her (kinda?) as a cute fairy, maybe underestimated, but yknow, close up, shes plotting to kill a child

(1:15)

I love how Tink is gesturing in this scene, cause 1. It conveys to the audience what she wants from the lost boys and 2. Canonically, when fairies talk, people usually just hear jingling of bells, so shes gesturing because shes also conveying what she wants to the lost boys

1:23

"Swear its nothing personal, its a necessary evil"

I just love this line because it is a necessary evil, she needs the lost boys and peter pan in neverland to believe in fairies so that they exist, and Wendy is pretty much a threat, since she makes the lost boys want to grow up with families,

Also, the lost boys look so cute in here, i cant remember their names tho, one is holding a slingshot, aiming at wendy, one is holding rocks , and one has a stick , so Tink just told these children to assassinate Wendy, or at least attack her.

1:35

I love how the kids explain that Tink make them do it, and Peter Pan just glares at Tink, and i love that I'm pretty sure that Peter isn't mad/doesnt blame the lost boys

As seen in this scene where Pete is smiling and stuff at the Lost Boys and/or at Wendy

1:55

I love how Tink refers to Wendy as a "Nasty little spark" because, a spark can turn into a fire, damaging a lot of stuff and people, pretty much saying that Wendy has to be snuffed out before she causes a fire,

"Setting fires inside my house is just not allowed"

Pretty much referring to the fact that Wendy, the spark, is creating a fire, aka, making the lost boys want to grow up and go back to the real world, making them not believe in fairies anymore, thus, making her and her friends die, which is, not allowed.

Also. the fear in Tink's eyes is so fear, her expression is on point, the mix of concern and fear is just, so beautiful, also i love her pointed ears

2:17

First of all, this screenshot does not do justice to the actual design of the mermaid (siren?), cause they are AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, GORGEUS.

Also, the fact that Tink is persuasive enough to convince someone to kill Wendy in such a short amount of time is impressive, and the fact that the mermaids agreed so quickly is also impressive,

When it failed, the absolute horror and shock on Tink's face? Shes horrified that another plan of hers failed, and shes scared that her friends might die, like, wow

The despair on her face is just so...asdjwoaijdoiwajd

3:38

The fact that Peter Pan (i cant even give him a nickname cause Pete sounds different and P.P. is just wrong and Pan is just A Thing), first at the gust of wind that blows away the pixie dust (which keeps the ship afloat) he covered his eyes, maybe cause the dust or his hair in his eyes, then he looks at Tink in anger and shock and probably some confusion, then looks at Wendy, in concern and fear,

Theory: Pan knows that, since Tink doesnt want the lost boys to leave, and he knows that gust of wind was from the fairies, and Tink's dislike and hatred to WEndy, that Wendy was probably the only one not going to be saved, which is why he only looks at her and tries to save her (that or he's a SIMPPPPPPP /j)

3:50

The fact that you can see Wendy screaming??? Chills,

And the black screen right after, signalling Wendy's death is just amazing

Anyways, overall, what im saying is

THIS SONG IS AMAZING GO CHECK IT OUT, GO CHECK OUT THIS PERSONS CHANNEL, THEY HAVE GOOD VILLAIN SONGS, THEY EVEN HAVE ENCANTO!!!!

#Lydia the Bard #Villain Song #Villain Songs #Fall Little Wendy Bird Fall #song analysis #Though i did little analyzing but idk #GREAT SONG #TInkerbell #? #Youtube

[cephiius]

#fellas is it gay to fall off a roof or a cliff #just realized my fav ships do this but why? idk either #i want an analysis based off it #song of achilles #patrochilles #yuukoku no moriarty #moriarty the patriot #yuumori #sherliam #hannibal #hannigram #mxtx #tgcf #hualian #i didnt add wangxian bc wei ying technically died after falling #lol

[deadlynightshadeunderthestars]

I know there is another song that is literally the ATOTE anthem, but "Afraid" by The Neighbourhood fits so well. For more than one character. Even the music is just so in line with the vibe of the fic.

I just realized it while listening to my "On Repeat" Spotify list.

"All my friends always lie to me. I know they're thinking, you're too mean, I don't like you. Fuck you anyway!"

"You make me want to scream at the top of my lungs. It hurts, but I won't fight you. You suck anyway."

"When I wake up, I'm afraid somebody else might take my place."

#mara posts #sge #rise of the school for good and evil #fall of the school for good and evil #atote #a tale of two emperors #afraid #the neighborhood #song analysis #playlost #spotify

[viennacherries]

Random question! So we all love and adore Rolan. But which of the origin character’s romances are your favorite?

i am a gale girly through and through. i was on the gale train long before i realised rolan existed. i love rolan, but gale is my beloved.

listen. listen. i want him to infodump about magic to me. and then i want him to play the piano in his tower while i tell him about all the musical techniques he's using that he doesn't even realise he knows. i wanna play him a song and give him an in depth analysis of the interaction between the lyrics and instrumentation and for him to go "thats so interesting, my love! it reminds me of the interaction between somatic and verbal components! you see-"

he's just so sweet and funny and sarcastic. the ideal man.

also my irl partner looks like gale which is probably also a factor. i just love nerdy men with beards and kind souls.

#sorry i study music and i just know he'd be a good listener #if you ever want me to fall in love with you send me a song and ask me to analyse it #i will vomit and piss my pants #i fukin love lyrical analysis #my fav kind of essay to write #bg3 #gale bg3 #baldur's gate gale #galemance #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #bg3 gale #baldurs gate gale

[marsneedstherapy]

don't blame me (romajuliette's version)

#🎶they say shes gone to far this time🎶 #🎶for you i would cross the line🎶 #🎶baby for you i would fall from grace just to touch your face🎶 #ive somehow made this a running type of post on my blog lol #pov when im too lazy for actual song analysis #secret shanghai #chloe gong #these violent delights #our violent ends #roma montagov #juliette cai #romajuliette

[super-who-locked-me-in-here]

New Noah Kahan/Hozier release is giving Hannigram post-fall and Will is still scared to take the final steps towards them being in an actual relationship rather than just a murder courtship, and Hannibal sees this and he wants it more than anything but he's so scared to push Will in fear of losing him again when it finally feels like he has him all to himself and this song is Hannibal having all these realizations about how stuck they are.

#hi i hope you were having a good day I'm here to ruin it #in song form! #hannigram #post fall hannigram #hannibal headcanons #angst #noah kahan #hozier #song analysis #sort of #Spotify

[apollos-boyfriend]

i should be allowed to kill bitches who purposefully misunderstand wxs for the sake of angst

#icarus speaks #neg #SORRY. every time i see people trying to make wxs tragic i go feral #ITS ALWAYS THE SAME THING #ohhh tsukasa parallels ohhhh this song is ‘ACTUALYL about-‘ #no!!!!!! shut the fuck up!!!!!! #like YEAH u can deeply analyze them but all these analyses fall to just remaking them into n25 #where is the analysis of their escapism. of their otherness making them feel alienated and not enough #of the want to grow up and improve but fearing that change. of fearing what you’ve never had but always wanted #i do NOT trust half u bitches with them give them back. #u can play niceys when u understand them and stop trying to make them what they’re not #if u do not understand that at their core wxs is about optimism and silver linings and forging your own path from scraps DNI ‼️‼️

[omegalomania]

i keep trying and failing to articulate what heartbreak feels so good feels like. but i guess the best way the say it is that the lyricism feels, to me, like a discussion of catharsis through the act of creation. and it sounds SO happy but it genuinely feels a bit sad to me? it might just be me. i swear to god i know i was just like "i dont really do lyrical analysis so much except in little snippets" but this song has me so intrigued and i have no idea if anyone else got those kinds of vibes from this.

but basically. right from the start, we have hope mixed with cynicism. the first line of the first verse is a compelling, optimistic hook: it's about how the future is up for grabs, and you have the power to shape it. and the second line adds in, no matter what they sell you, followed by that reference to the 2022 jordan peele film, "nope." i have not seen this film (yet) so i could not expand on the themes of it, but i did rb a really good analysis of that particular line there and i thought that was super compelling, especially given my read on the rest of the song. one thing that the analysis there says that REALLY got my brain going was how the movie nope comments on how the "bad miracle" is the spectacle of the complacency in watching something self-destruct. and op phrased it better than i did, but it's VERY applicable to the way fall out boy's whole legacy was shaped - through the commodification of the band, and of course primarily of pete, and the deification/demonization of his pain, his intimate details, the invasions of his privacy.

given what the rest of the song says, i thought that was super super applicable, especially paired with the prefix of no matter what they sell you. commodification is already a theme here.

nobody said the road was endless, followed by could we please pretend this won't end?

the road will end. you will eventually overcome that hardship. but crucially, the song doesn't want to overcome hardship. it wants the hardship to never end. it wants it to always be there.

and of course the line between those two - no one said the climb was friendless - because they've always been a band of brothers. they've always climbed this road together. again, that little kernel of hope sandwiched between those subtly saddening implications. nobody said the road was endless - and the road is not a good thing, as the prechorus will indicate to us. the fact that they're not alone is the only consolation they have in this.

It was an uphill battle but they didn’t know we were gonna use the roads as a ramp to take off

naturally, there's commentary on determination and persistence in the face of overwhelming adversity. but i love the way it's not just "we push through despite all that" it's "we succeed BECAUSE of that" - the roads are ramps! you take your pain and turn it into something that will launch you into the fucking stratosphere! but rather critically, you don't get anywhere without the uphill climb. a flat road is just a road. it's only with a steep incline that you can actually use your momentum to head skyward.

and that's the point, isn't it? heartbreak feels so good - not because it actually, legitimately feels good, but because it's only through heartbreak that you can make something profitable. heartbreak feels good because if you are broken, if you are not fixable, you can guarantee that you will remain a fixture in the industry. your pain is compelling. the second verse really cements that for me.

we said we'd never grow up It’s open season on blue moods

because obviously everyone writes about heartbreak. again, blue moods are big themes in music. if you're heartbroken, then as far as the world is concerned you're producing good art. likewise with the idea of "never growing up," since well especially with fob and the way they've been perceived, there's a general preconception that they're at their "best" when they've been kind of frozen in a state where they don't get to grow, change, or learn. if you're at your most prolific creatively at your saddest, then maybe the fans, the world, the industry likes you better like that. never growing up. never getting better.

taking a look back at the chorus, there's the whole interplay of crying and dancing, and that is what really makes my brain go brrrrr

We could cry a little Cry a lot But don’t stop dancing Don’t dare stop

the "don't stop dancing" part reminds me a bit of the song of the same name from bojack horseman. and if you're unfamiliar with bojack horseman, the cliff notes summary is that it's about a washed-up actor who was on a famous 90s sitcom and all the ways he is fucked up and hurts himself and hurts the people around him and how he struggles through it. it is RIFE with commentary on celebrity culture and it's an excellent show but also a genuinely hard watch. it is a show that i know that pete is at the very least familiar with, and thematically i can see why it would interest him.

anyway, the song "don't stop dancing" is sung twice in the show. the first time is while bojack is having a tremendous mental breakdown and he hallucinates/dreams his co-star singing to him so she can mock his self-pity and comment on the inherent absurdity of celebrity culture - the line that stands out for me here is why not sell your sadness as a brand? the second time, it is sung by a mental construct of his former co-star (who died an unnecessary, tragic death for which bojack was directly responsible) while bojack is drowning in a pool. the reprise is about the inevitability of death and what your legacy leaves behind - because bojack is dying in that moment, and the character singing the song here is dead and her death has cast a permanent shadow over the entire remainder of the show.

all this is to say that the "don't stop dancing, don't dare stop" bit feels genuinely kind of...like it sounds joyous, it's delivered as such, but it's also got that darker undercurrent to it? the thing is that the heartbreak is inevitable - the whole song is about how heartbreak is inevitable and it is gonna happen anyway. and you can cry all you fucking want about it, but you are not allowed to stop dancing. you are not allowed to stop turning your pain into art. because your pain is the most profitable thing about you.

We’ll cry later or cry now You know it’s heartbreak

cry later, cry now. cry a little, cry a lot. it doesn't matter when or how much you fucking cry about it as long as you keep dancing - keep creating. keep making something, making your fucking pain and misery and heartbreak worth it. because that is what the people love. that is what the people want to see. that is what sells records.

heartbreak feels so good precisely because it means you can make something out of it.

but then, that last bit of the chorus...oh. oh, my heart.

We could dance our tears away Emancipate ourselves

that last line. emancipate ourselves. i am reasonably confident that this is a direct reference to "redemption song" by bob marley. pete is familiar with marley's body of work and the phrasing is too specific, too deliberate. that line in "redemption song," emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, is in and of itself a reference to a speech made by marcus gavey, a jamaican activist. and there is legitimately so much in that alone. the fact that both the song and the speech are about slavery. the fact that marley wrote this song in '79 while he was already dying of cancer, and confronting his own mortality through his art. i wish i could articulate all that there is in that but i don't think i'm the right person to. but the fact that the chorus ends on that note, punctuating it with one last refrain of we'll cry later or cry now / but baby, heartbreak feels so good, that is what makes the song for me. that's what gives it that little zing. that's what elevates it to something much more hopeful. because again, the song sounds happy but says some pretty saddening/harrowing stuff. but the parting note is on that. emancipate ourselves.

"We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind."

and to have that happen in conjunction with "we could dance our tears away" is like.......you can survive free of whatever pain might plague your legacy - in more ways than one. we could dance our tears away - because while we are required to never stop dancing, never stop creating, it still helps, doesn't it, to make something beautiful from all that has hurt you? and there will always be people who want package that, sell it, make it into something that can be bought and advertised. but you can make yourself free of that, if you have the inclination. and i think the upbeat nature of the song is what supports that. it sounds jubilant but it also sounds...free. for all the ways that you might be weighed down by the onlookers, the people who want to profit off your pain, the people who prefer you broken, your ability to find catharsis and freedom through your craft is yours, and yours alone. and despite everything else, you can still find a release in that.

thats what gets me about this one. i cant stop rotating this song in my head and thats all

#fall out boy #heartbreak feels so good #*making poasts #*meta #i know i literally just said. i dont rly do lyrical analyses. but this song made me go BRRRR #i dont wanna say like this is the most important revolutionary meaningful song ever or that this is an objective analysis or anything #but its my take on it and it really Gets to me in that way

[thelivingdeceased]

why would lucy dacus say “am i a masochist, resisting urges to punch you in the teeth?” when she knows masochists enjoy feeling pain themselves so basically punching her ex lover would be hurting herself but it would still feel good :( why would she hurt me like that

#THIS IS A SILLY ANALYSIS #COMPRISED OF MY SILLY WRITING BRAIN AND SOME GOOGLE #IDK IF THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT SHE MEANT #DONT TAKE THIS TOO SERIOUSLY #i love this song sm guys #it’s literally nadia and edith after ghost II #ouchie #cryptid falls #night shift #lucy dacus

[elevensbian]

having a hum hallelujah night and. everyone always talks about 'i could write it better than you ever felt it' being about pete writing lyrics which makes sense considering he wrote the line but the bridge.... they wrote that one better than i ever felt it. it sounds almost desperate? feels a lot like clinging on to life using a song as an anchor- metaphorically but also thats literally what happened. it's just horrifically gut wrenching and captures all the emotion of the lyrics in music form So gorgeously. it sounds exactly how rock bottom feels- it's off key from the original (just off the key of reason etc etc), the guitars are all distorted and violent instead of quiet and clean, there's this big loud drum beat, everything is wrong and messed up and scary. but it's still sort of, weirdly hopeful? i think it's the vocal, up against this big guitar-y instrumental it's soft and pretty, like being vaguely aware that love and joy are still out there even if they're sort of floaty and distant and very much do not feel like concepts you can comprehend. idk man. i do not know music theory but that bridge makes me feel things

#i have other thoughts about it but theyre bordering on too personal to broadcast on tumblr dot com ngl #anyways i think it is absolutely insane that they play this song live so much. like its so raw on every level #but so glad they do. life changing moment hearing it at mania tour #fall out boy #fob #pete wentz #patrick stump #joe trohman #andy hurley #hum hallelujah #infinity on high #song analysis #sorta even though i am not qualified #suicide cw #very very vague but better 2 be safe and all that

[jacky-rubou]

here's the psychoanalysis of Never Turn Back by Crush 40 and how it relates to Ford that I have briefly mentioned I was gonna write. hope you guys like it!

Going to put this under a cut as it got decently long.

First of all, before the actual lyrics, I would like to mention that the piano intro feels very 'Ford thinking about his childhood with Stan and all the heartache that ensued-esque'

anyway, on to the actual lyrics, minus the whoa-yeahs and other not-really-lyrics. also, I have the first and second verse analyses written out before the chorus' analysis as I feel it would be anticlimactic to end on a verse and not the chorus. Also I have only used the unique phrases in the song, as I don't care to repeat myself every time a lyric repeats, which is a lot for this particular song.

1st Verse

It's been a long, rough road

And I'm finally here

Ford's time in the portal could most definitely be considered a 'long, rough road' that he finally made it to the end of when he was saved. This or he's singing this right before entering the Nightmare Realm to fight Bill. Whichever one could work, though the second one to me feels more in-character because he wanted to be fighting Bill, but not to be saved. Though I guess you could also say the first interpretation could be a post-canon Ford.

I move an inch forward

Feels like a year

Ford felt like his progress in thirty years of work on finding a way to defeat Bill was at a snail's pace in the moment, plus his sense of time being distorted due to no point of reference for what time it is in every dimension he's been in. Everything's a drag when your actual progress is minimal in the face of your trials.

Everything I feel seems so unreal

Is it true?

Is it true?

Ford's sense of reality was slipping, his dreams with Bill bleeding into the real world to the point where he doesn't know what is real and what isn't. Not helped by the unreal feeling of the dimensions he travels.

I take one step forward

And two steps back

Progress for Ford is hard to come by in the portal as mentioned before, Bill's possessions ruining any progress on his research into an ultimate weapon until the plate was installed. Also could be how Ford feels about his back and forth with Bill and his own mistakes undermining his progress.

Got a hundred thousand pounds

Sitting on my back

There is a ton of pressure on Ford to perform well, to fix his mistakes alone, that he feels overburdened by the weight of it all. But he will carry the weight alone all the same.

Up, down, all around

Don't know quite what to do

To get through

Ford didn't know how he could possibly destroy Bill and survive at the same time before the portal opened. Or, while he knows a lot about Bill, that he has relatively few ways he knows to defeat him.

2nd Verse

I guess I'm moving all right and I'm on my way

Facing every moment day by day

Ford when he was getting closer to making his weapon and defeating Bill, he was feeling confident that he could and would do it.

Take a chance, slip on by, got no time to answer why

Head straight, head straight

Ford took plenty of risks, or chances, in his goals with fighting Bill. He 'got no time to answer why' when Dipper asked him about his relationship with Bill. And we know how straight minded Ford is with his goals.

What will I become if I don't look back

What will happen if Ford refuses to back down from what he knows he should do? or if he doesn't look back at his past?

(Honestly though, this one's stumping me, but I swear it makes sense in my head)

Give myself a reason for this and that

Ford must have a reason to be doing everything he does, justifying it in his head as the right thing to do, what he must do.

I can learn, no U-turns, I will stay right here where I'm at, where I'm at

He won't let himself go backwards, with his progress with Bill or otherwise. He must push forward, or at the very least stay where he's at. He will learn from his mistakes.

Pre-Chorus

Well I'm on my way

On my way

On my way

On my way

Ford is very persistent and headstrong in his goals, simply using what Bill is planning to do as a motivator to say he's 'on his way' to defeat him.

Chorus

Here I am, here I am

Made it to the end of you

Ford has survived what many others could not have, and now, here in the Fearamid, he's finally seeing the end of Bill. Could potentially also be applied to his mindset right before the portal opened, that he'd had Bill in his scope and he was about to kill him, but the Fearamid business feels a bit more true to what I'm talking about.

You never had a chance while I'm around

Bill was way out of his league when it came to Ford, underestimating him until the very end. If Ford hadn't been around, Stan could not have pulled off the trick quite so well. Could also be Ford right when he was about to shoot him like the previous line but this fits better in my mind.

Well, now I'll never turn back, I'll never turn back

I'll never turn that way

No matter how life tries to face me

I'll turn the other way

Ford is a very determined individual. He will not turn away from his goals if he can help it. No matter what Bill or life in general throws at him, he will not let them stop him in his tracks.

Now and then, now and then

My head starts to spin, starts to spin

But I'll never turn back again

Remembering how Ford's eye began to bleed because of Bill's possessions with this one. The after effects of Bill's influence won't make him give up no matter what.

From this moment on, moment on

I am moving on, moving on

And I'll never turn back

Post-Canon, Ford is moving on past his trauma with Bill and his grudges with Stan. He won't let his past control him like it used to. Ford will look forward to a peaceful ending, one that he deserves.

thank you for reading. If any of you have suggestions for alternate readings for Ford with this song, lemme know as some lines gave me trouble.

#gravity falls #ford pines #stanford pines #grunkle ford #bill cipher #stan pines #< mentioned little but it still counts #psychoanalysis #song #character analysis #inspired when i saw an amv for him with this song #i say it was just for him but the amv title said it was for both stans even though it only really focused on ford most of the time lol #in any case #this is a ford song and here is my proof

[pixelatedquarter]

Committed a grave mistake (listened to Heaven, Iowa through a trans lens)

#pro tip: you can listen to any fall out boy song through a queer lens BUT WATCH OUT! #sometimes it's fun and you get aro anthems of you're appealing to emotions that i simply do not have #other times you're confronted with the harrowing reality that some of us don't get a tombstone as easily as the non queers #(mind you that's not like a full analysis but that's - that IS among the things that happen when you listen to heaven iowa through the lens

[stars-and-blackholes]

SO MUCH FOR STARDUST (THE TRACK) IS ABOUT MANIA [ANALYSIS]

LYRICS

“I'm in a winter mood, dreaming of spring now”: Winter as a reflection of how negative and cold Pete feels (towards himself and the industry) as a result of the reception of MANIA. He’s dreaming of a better time where he can start anew (spring as a symbol for birth/new things) away from all of the negativity MANIA generated from its poor reception. MANIA came out during Winter. So Much (for) Stardust came out during Spring.

“I'm burning myself down”: Shows how Pete felt like he had to start over after MANIA and can explain why SMFS sounds so different from MANIA. He didn’t want to make the same ‘mistakes’ (we love MANIA here this is from his POV). Can also represent his negative self talk as a result of the album flopping because he gets his worth from external validation (will he touched on in later lyrics)

“I feel like something bad has stretched out over and over again// Until I'm creased and I'm about to break down the middle// Split me right down the middle, right, right down the middle, yeah”: Here Pete reflects on the damage that has been done to him. He feels drained after having to call on his negative emotions to make art as many times as he has (over and over referring to the repetitive nature of this) and it's so bad to the point he feels like he’s going to break. He’s tired of having to write about negative stuff and so when he was creating MANIA, he was excited that a lot of the songs weren’t as serious and more fun. He was probably crushed when they weren’t received well because 1) vulnerable because he was trying something new and was already insecure 2) felt like once again he had to be like “old FOB” to be liked which has been a constant struggle of the band 3) was excited to put out an album that wasn’t so negative that wouldn’t drain him as much since he didn’t have to call on so many negative emotions to create the album “Right down the middle'' can also signify how there are two parts of him: one part of him who wants to make authentic art that’s whatever he’s feeling at the time which isn’t as angsty anymore because he’s better now and another part who wants to go with what’s popular (which is his angsty stuff) because he’s dependent on external validation. He feels pulled in two opposing directions. In general these lyrics speak on the toll his art has taken on him and can represent pre versus post hiatus which is another debate within the fanbase often about which is better.

“The stars are the same as ever”: referring to how the industry (despite changing) generally stays the same which is added pressure for FOB to not change their sound. Which I think makes sense because with FOB specifically, there’s been ongoing talk for ages about how people want them to remain the same.

“I don't have the guts to keep it together”: Pete being vulnerable and admitting the negative backlash has affected him more than he lets on. I think a lot of artists try to put on a facade like they don’t care about negative reviews, but at the end of the day it sucks when people don’t like your work. Could also refer to how sometimes he wants to resort to OG Fall Out Boy because he ‘doesn’t have the guts’ to try anything experimental again like MANIA after how it was received

“Stuck in the permafrost”: Pete feeling like he’s not allowed to change. Like he has to maintain this image of a sad emo guy forever because that’s what he was known for and that’s what essentially got him popular.

“Life is just a game, maybe// I'm stuck in a lonely loop, my baby”: Life to him in the music industry at times feels like a game to maintain popularity while also keeping authentic to himself. It feels like he’s in this loop of oscillating between those two options, while also in general feeling lonely because of MANIA’s reception. He feels like the industry that at one time loved him, rejected him during MANIA which leads to him feeling lonely

“We thought we had it all, thought we had it all”: Pete’s confidence that MANIA would be received well because of how well their other albums had been received. He thought they had it all and MANIA doing as poorly as it did shattered that illusion and threw Pete into a spiral. He didn’t want to make another album where that happened and his confidence around being able to succeed is shaken and explains why SMFS (the album) has a lot of moments of anxiety. The repetition of the phrase “thought we had it all” reflects this mental spiral. The general tone of this song sounds desperate/dramatic as well which reflects Pete’s state of feeling caught off guard, panicked, and hurt

“I need the sound of crowds or I can't fall asleep at night”: Pete's reflection on the effects of fame. He feels like he needs that validation to be at ease because he's dependent on external validation as many creatives are. It shows how he was affected by the poor reception of MANIA. Led to sleepless nights and him wanting to do better to win people back over. He needs that external validation even though he’s tried to convince himself he doesn’t

“I can't take my thoughts and I// Can't take my thoughts and I am awake”: Since he didn’t get that praise for MANIA, there are no crowds and therefore can’t fall asleep. Part of the reason he likes the crowds/praise is that it drowns out the voices in his head that say he’s a failure and that his work sucks. His negative thoughts are too overwhelming. In a way this song is almost meta because he’s using his pain that came from the poor reception of MANIA to write about how using his pain over and over in his work has damaged him and put him into a box, perhaps as an effort to break out of that cycle

“Another year of possibilities left unwrapped// Like it's the day right after Christmas past”: Possibilities to start anew after MANIA, in a way a callback to the spring line. It also calls back to FUTCT (line in Our Lawyer that says “the ribbon on my wrist says do not open before christmas”). Significant because FUTCT is often considered the best/peak FOB by a lot of people. A lot of people have said that So Much (for) Stardust sounds “the most like old FOB” so this line could be confirmation by Pete that they did try to return to their old sound for this album (which he knows will be more popular than MANIA). It can also explain the concept of 8 balls and why we’re getting the deepest cuts we have more so than past tours. They know that is what the fans want and will assure the return of crowds/popularity. It’s a way of rewarding the fans that stuck around despite the poor reception of MANIA. These 8 balls are for us. Pete was probably worried that with how negative people thought of the album, they would potentially lose their diehards too. But we stayed. Also wanna add that the backlash of MANIA probably reminds him of the reception of Folie which scared him even more when MANIA was getting shit on. Going through it twice is painful. I think choosing Folie songs for 8 balls shows them as a band reclaiming their history. Playing Folie songs as the crowd screams and cheers loudly is a way for them to reclaim their history where in the past they would get booed for doing Folie and so they didn’t want to play anything from that. The 8 balls show how far they’ve come!!! As people have said So much for tourdust in many ways is their healing tour)

“And I'm pretty positive my pain isn't cool enough, pain isn't cool enough”: Pete feeling like his pain isn't seen as cool enough anymore because he’s written about it so many times (can be a callback to Get Busy aka another reference to the old music with the opening line of “this has been said so many times that i'm not sure if it matters” and also a callback to shipped gold standard with the line “before it all becomes the same old song”). In general, FOB’s music has this recurring idea of Pete rehashing negative emotions to the point of wallowing which makes sense in the genre of emo. It could very well be a critique of the entire genre itself that becomes even more potent when he’s much older. Also can speak on the idea of how in the industry, you have to seem shiny and new so people don’t get bored while also not changing because people hate when artists change (once again tying into the paradox from earlier)

“Like a sledgehammer to a disco ball// Crushing all my low, low, low, low, ache it 'til you make it// Ache it 'til you make it”: Reinventing himself with SMFS. ‘Low low low’ refers to the poor reception of MANIA or the idea of him being a disco ball and the music industry/audience being the sledgehammer that crushed him and broke him. “Ache it till you make it” (a play on the popular phrase) speaks on Pete's experience of how he's used a lot of his misery in song writing and that's how he made it in the industry

“I think I've been going through it// And I've been putting your name to it”: Pete going through it as a result of the poor album reception and blaming the music industry and those who didn’t receive the album well. Pete feels betrayed which once again reflects in the hurt tone of the song

“In another life you were my babe// In another life you were the sunshine of my lifetime”: Pete reflecting on what MANIA could’ve been if it had been received better/released at another time (can directly link to MANIA because one of the tracks of MANIA is Sunshine Riptide)

“What would trade the pain for? I'm not sure”: Pete contemplating the price of fame and being unsure if fame is worth sacrificing his authenticity as an artist as well as having to use his vulnerabilities and painful emotions in order to succeed. Would he trade the pain of his emotions to maintain relevance? He’s not sure. Bit of a lose-lose situation

“I used to be a real go-getter// I used to think it'd all get better”: how Pete thought being dependent on external validation as well as doubtful of his capabilities as a lyricist would subside over time but realizing that no matter what, that doubt doesn’t go away. Imposter syndrome made worse by the poor reception of MANIA sent him into a spiral which is reflected in this song. Alludes to how Pete thought he could change throughout his career but he is now pigeonholed and can't express how he wants to. Because he wasn't always famous, he used to be more optimistic before fame became an aggressive cycle and he became more jaded, especially once he experienced the rejection of MANIA.

At the end of the song, there is a crowd saying “So much for stardust// We thought we had it all, thought we had it all” lyrics along with Patrick. This signifies that as a result of SMFS (the album), Pete is predicting that since they returned to something more reminiscent of their older sound, they will have won people back over (which is true… a lot of comments towards SMFS are gleeful about how happy they are that ‘old FOB is back’). The crowd goes until the sound fades, which shows that Pete is able to fall asleep again. The silence and the track ending represents him finally asleep. The thoughts are silenced. The external validation is back. But was it worth it? Was it worth the pain? Overall, this song is reflective and existential about Pete’s experience in Fall Out Boy and his creative process and the toll it's taken. Listening to this song on repeat reflects the loop line of the song and reflects the repetitive issue at the core of Fall Out Boy’s career. Over the course of their career, the issue of Fall Out Boy and their sound has been a prominent one. They’ve had to fight for their right to grow and change as a band. SMFS (the track) shows the aggressive cycle of fame/creation and how oftentimes creatives are chewed up and spit out by the same industry they give their life and livelihood to. They’re frequently caught in dilemmas of wanting to be popular while also wanting to stay true to themselves. Sometimes those two goals align, but other times they don’t and one must choose. This song is Pete’s answer to the question.

#who wants some good fucking food #fall out boy #fob #analysis #song analysis #fob analysis #mania #so much for stardust #this took me two hours #basically I had a rudimentary analysis for this song when I first heard #where I came to the conclusion it was about mania #and tonight I analyzed it from that lens

[future-crab]

My thoughts on all songs on Danger Days exist on a spectrum from “I have a two-hour lecture prepared about the themes of this song and how they fit into both the narrative of the album and the meta-narrative of the album’s creation and how it reflects the band’s identity at that point in time,” and “This one makes me smile :)”

#for the record planetary falls into the first category and bulletproof heart falls into the second #there is probably a lot of really interesting analysis to be done about that song #but when i listen i’m no thoughts head empty heart full #mcr #my chemical romance #danger days #ddttlotfk #true lives of the fabulous killjoys #danger days the true lives of the fabulous killjoys

[taylor-on-your-dash]

wait so emma fell in love right?

When Emma Falls In Love tells the story of patterns of behaviour. it lists the things that Emma does *when* she falls in love. so yeah, I'd say that she fell in love, multiple times.

let's analyse the lyrics:

when Emma falls in love / she paces the floor / closes the blinds and locks the door / she calls up her mom / jokes about the ways that this one could go wrong / She waits and takes her time / 'Cause Little Miss Sunshine always thinks it's gonna rain

Emma did fall in love but what is she doing? she feels the need to be alone in her house, reflecting on what's going on. she only trusts her mom with her feelings (I'd love to know what Emma's mom thinks tbh). she also overthinks a lot and thinks that it will not go well (=she thinks it's gonna rain)

When Emma falls in love, it's all on her face / Hangs in the air like stars in outer space / When Emma falls in love, she disappears / And we all just laugh after seein' it all these years

now things have progressed: Emma is not reclusive anymore and she's letting her feelings show up more. it's like the aura that you have when you're in love, you know? people around you can sense that you're happy. another thing that Emma does is dedicate all of her attention to her new lover, neglecting her friends. i wouldn't say that this is the healthiest behaviour ever, but her friends know her well and are not concerned cause she has done it before.

When Emma falls apart, it's when she's alone / She takes on the pain and bears it on her own / 'Cause when Emma falls in love, she's in it for keeps / She won't walk away unless she knows she absolutely has to leave

the boy she was in love with just wasn't the one and things fell apart. Emma just wants to heal on her own. notice how in the first verse she wanted to be alone but there was the element of novelty and excitement due to meeting someone new, but in this verse, Emma just wants to be alone to lick her wounds. we also learn that Emma is a passionate person who isn't looking for situationships or dating casually: she wants to find the love of her life and is determined to fight for the relationship until she just can't anymore.

She won't lose herself in love the way that I did / 'Cause she'll call you out, she'll put you in your place / When Emma falls in love, I'm learning

here Taylor compares herself to Emma. i'm not exactly sure what Taylor is referencing here (John?) but she's learning from Emma that she has to stand up for herself and assert herself.

#so sorry that it took me so long to answer #asks #taylor swift #when emma falls in love #wefil #speak now taylor’s version #speak now vault #speak now #taylor swift song analysis

[oddly-casual]

Something that really gets to me if I think too hard about it is the scene in the first Ososan Movie when the adult brothers confront the 18matsu’s for the letter.

Because like yeah it’s supposed to be funny and all that with the teen angst squad, especially when the memory and adult selves fight each other and it is funny and I liked it a lot but the thing I noticed about it that really just hit was the fact that both fights start and escalate because either Todomatsu got hurt and Karamatsu looked like he was getting ganged up on.

In the original fight, uninterrupted, we know that everything just got out of hand. Most notably the fight reaches a boiling point when Todomatsu gets knocked over because Karamatsu was trying to break up an argument. Obviously the boys were going to find any reason to explode at each other because they’re hormonal teens going through a hard time (specifically struggles with identity being together as siblings), but it’s only when Todomatsu is hurt does everyone jump on Karamatsu’s back to get physical with him.

Then later on when the adultmatsu’s try patting down Karamatsu for the letter we see the 18matsu’s immediately fly on the defensive and intervene to go one on one with these adults to protect Karamatsu. (Again they have no idea who the adults were, so these literal fresh out of high school teens were fully prepared to throw down with grown men)

And lastly at the very end of the fight between the adults and teens, the reason the teens end it as quickly as they do is because baby Todomatsu gets backhanded like 20 times, and they all throw their adult counterparts at adult Todomatsu because he’s hurting their babiest brother.

So we see more then once that the 18matsu’s were angry and defensive when one of their brothers was hurt or threatening to be hurt. Although they are the same age, we see them defend and protect Todomatsu more then once.

It’s just super sweet. Obviously it’s to show us that regardless of how angry they all were at each other they still cared for one another.

Either way I just found it really impactful that despite feeling like they were alone in the world and deciding to shut everyone (including each other) out, they still had that love and sense of family to protect one another. That’s just what family is, never mind how long you may hold a grudge, when they need you, you’re there. They even defended Karamatsu. They person they were fighting literally a minute ago. That’s family love at its finest, the I can beat you but other people can’t.

#osomatsu san #ososan #mr. osomatsu #osomatsu san analysis #I don’t think that’s the right name for that maybe it’s better to call it a break down #it’s the family element that gets me every time #can we acknowledge that in that fight baby Kara absolutely knocked hoes out with a head but #BL//Matsu shippers don’t touch this please let me have something nice #y’all literally infect the fanfics and the fanart please let me have my little break down posts #and neutrals please don’t touch this either politely thank you #Also the song when the memory world falls apart is a banger that scratches the brain right #I just like this movie despite its many flaws so y’all might hear more about it from me