Infinity on High
Infinity on High is the third studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released on February 6, 2007, by Island Records. Recorded from July to October 2006 at Pass Studios in Los Angeles, California, its music was composed by lead singer and guitarist Patrick Stump and the lyrics were penned by bassist Pete Wentz. The album features collaborations with new producers and guest artists, such as Babyface and Jay-Z, and sees the band experimenting with genres including R&B, soul, and flamenco. Fall Out Boy also utilized instruments such as horns, violins, and pianos, which had not been used on previous releases.
Infinity on High
February 6, 2007
December 2005 – January 2006, July–October 2006
Pass Studios, Los Angeles, California
47:49
As reported by Billboard, the band "[drifted] further from its pop punk roots to write increasingly accessible pop tunes", a slight departure from the group's previous sound. Critics felt that its lyrics served as a response to the band's rise to fame. Fall Out Boy embarked on several tours to promote the album, including the Friends or Enemies Tour, the Honda Civic Tour, and the Young Wild Things Tour.
Infinity on High debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling over 260,000 copies in its first week of sales and becoming the band's first number-one album. It also reached number one in New Zealand and peaked within the top-five of countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Five songs were released as singles, four of which charted on the US Billboard Hot 100; the second single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", peaked at number two. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising Stump's vocals and the band's new musical direction, and has sold over two million copies worldwide and over 1.4 million in the United States alone.[1]
Background[edit]
After taking a two-month break following the band's Black Clouds and Underdogs tour in promotion of their 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree, Fall Out Boy returned to the studio to begin work on their follow-up effort.[2] The band began writing songs for the new album while touring, and intended to quickly make a new album in order to keep momentum in the wake of their breakthrough success.[3] Vocalist Patrick Stump stated that he wished to begin working on the record earlier, but the group's management urged the members to take time off to recuperate from their constant touring schedule.[2]
The band's label, Island Records, underwent changes while the group prepared to record, which postponed the studio schedule for three weeks.[4] Bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz asserted that "We're definitely writing all the time, so we're not going to try to squeeze every last drop out of the stone. That's part of what's been wrong with the rock industry: they keep fans waiting far too long, and bands go away and disappear off the face of the planet. That's not the way it's going to be for Fall Out Boy."[3] During this time off, Fall Out Boy contributed a cover of the song "What's This?" for the 2006 rerelease of The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack, as well as a remix of their song "Of All the Gin Joints in All the World" for the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack.[5][6] Wentz also purchased a house in Los Angeles, where he spent much time writing lyrics to new songs.[4]
Composition[edit]
Music[edit]
The album marked a departure in Fall Out Boy's sound in which the band implemented a diverse array of musical styles. As reported by Billboard, Fall Out Boy "drifts further from its hardcore punk roots to write increasingly accessible pop tunes," a slight departure from the group's previous more pop-punk sound.[17] Infinity on High has been compared to the work of pop-punk bands such as Green Day, with Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times commenting, "Whatever snot and feedback courses through these songs, sweetness always triumphs, carried forth by bubblegum bass lines, snappy drums and tunes as comforting as lullabies."[18] Stump explained that the album contains a variety of different moods: "It’s one of those things where you get older as a band and you do your own thing...The older Fall Out Boy elements, from the early records, are definitely there, and this album is an extension of that."[2]
Stump called "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" the "funkiest thing we’ve ever done", and attributes the change in musical style to his love of soul music, which he acquired by listening to oldies stations as a child.[2][19] Wentz describes the song "a bit of '70s funk mixed with [the band’s 2003 album] Take This to Your Grave with tight verses and big, fat choruses".[20] The song closing sing-along was influenced by Justin Timberlake's "Señorita".[21] Cory Apar of Allmusic compared the Babyface-produced track "I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)" to Maroon 5.[11] Wentz characterized Stump's vocal performance on the song as "straight-up Motown", continuing to say "If there wasn't a rock band playing, it'd be straight R&B, and he'd go on tour with just an upright bass and a drum and open up for R. Kelly."[4] "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" has been referred to as "a prime slab of what the boys have become famous for: highly caffeinated pop-punk mixed with a little white-boy soul and some hard-core yelping."[22] The song features Stump singing in a falsetto in the chorus over Trohman's "crunchy" guitars, as well as a breakdown in which Wentz employs death growl-style vocals.[22]
The band also used instruments that did not appear on previous albums, such as horns and violins. The members became more open to experimentation, but attempted to not over-produce the album; Stump stated that he "had to resist the temptation to use a lot of strings."[17] "Golden" consists exclusively of vocals, piano and organ, and Stump dubbed the song "much softer than anything we’ve ever done".[2] The group utilizes a full horn section on "I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers", a track which has been likened to Queen.[23] Violins are used on both "Thnks fr th Mmrs", in addition to an acoustic guitar strummed flamenco-style, and "The (After) Life of the Party", which also features electronic-influenced sounds.[23][24] Commenting on the instruments used on "Thnks fr th Mmrs", Stump stated "I never thought I'd get a euphonium onto a Fall Out Boy record".[21] "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave" features a gospel choir, while "Thriller" contains a spoken-word intro from Jay-Z.[25] Barry Nicolson of NME referred to the song as a "towering, Foo Fighters-esque slice of thunderous rhythm and radio-friendly melody."[26] Critics have described the album as being a pop-punk,[27] pop rock,[11] pop,[28] and alternative rock[29] album.
Packaging and title[edit]
The album's title is taken from a letter written by Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo in 1888, in which he describes his renewed health and the positive effect it has had on his painting. Originally written in Dutch, Van Gogh's phrasing has been translated as "Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all".[20] Speaking of the title shortly after its announcement in November 2006, Wentz stated "As for what that means in relation to the record, we'll just let it unfold when people hear it."[20] While Wentz declined to reveal the relationship between the title and the album's songs, MTV reporter James Montgomery opined that "It's not difficult to see it as a statement about the band rising above detractors and finding strength within themselves."[20]
The photography for the album was done by Pamela Littky, and the sets on the album artwork were designed by Todd Fjelsted. Chuck Anderson of NoPattern designed the artwork for the album. A winged sheep named Franklyn is depicted on the cover of the album in a bedroom with the moon and stars in the background, while the inside of the CD booklet features "tarot card" designs with photos of each of the band members.[10][33]
Singles[edit]
Four songs were released as singles from the album's fourteen tracks, of which three charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 and all reaching international charts. Infinity on High was spurred on by the lead single "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", which became the highest-charting song for band and their first to chart worldwide. Wentz commented on the band's decision to pick "This Ain't a Scene..." as the first single, saying "There may be other songs on the record that would be bigger radio hits, but this one had the right message."[21] It was sent to radio weeks before its digital release in January 2007; upon digital release the track debuted and peaked at number two on the Hot 100[47] where it stayed at that position for two consecutive weeks, spending nine weeks in the top ten. The single sold 162,000 digital downloads in its opening week,[48] breaking various music industry records and becoming the highest debut of 2007.[49] With this total it was the largest opening-week tally for a group since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital sales in 2003 and set a new record for the highest bow for a band since radio only titles joined the chart in 1998.[48] It also reached number one on the defunct-Pop 100,[48] number one on Billboard Digital Songs and came at number eight on Alternative Songs.[47] Internationally, "This Ain't a Scene..." debuted and peaked inside the top ten of many charts. It reached number one in New Zealand, number two in the UK, number four and Platinum status in Australia, number four on the Canadian Hot 100 and in Ireland, and placed at number nine on the European Hot 100.[47]
"Thnks fr th Mmrs" was released as the second single in the US in March 2007. It peaked at number eleven on the Hot 100 with twenty-eight chart weeks before it was retired. It came at number five on Digital Songs, but performed weaker on the Radio Songs chart at number forty.[50] It reached the two-million sales mark week ending December 27, 2009 in the US.[51] Its highest charting was in Australia where it peaked at number three on the Australian ARIA chart and achieved Platinum status in the region. In New Zealand, the UK, Canada and Ireland "Thnks fr th Mmrs" reached the top twenty.[52]
""The Take Over, the Breaks Over"" was released in August 2007 in the US as the third single and failed to chart on the Hot 100, although it did reach number 48 on the UK Singles Chart,[53][54] with its highest position at number seventeen in Australia, becoming the third consecutive top twenty hit from Infinity on High in that region. The fourth and last single, "I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)" managed to reach number 68 in the US and made the top 30 in Australia.[55][56] "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" was not an official single but it was released online by the band before Infinity's release[57] and was later given as an exclusive download to iTunes; it managed to reach number eighty-one on the Hot 100.[58]
Commercial performance[edit]
Infinity on High was a major commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 260,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[70][71] As of February 2013, Infinity has sold 1.4 million copies in the US.[72] It was the band's first US number one album and second consecutive top ten effort, as its previous release, From Under the Cork Tree, peaked at number nine.[70] The album spent its first six weeks in the top ten, out of a total of fifty two chart weeks. Infinity on High also opened at number one on Billboard's Rock Albums, Tastemaker Albums, and Digital Albums charts,[71] with over 27,000 digital sales making up the total first week tally.[73] In its second week, it fell to number five on the Billboard 200, selling 119,000 copies with a 54% decline during a post-Grammy week.[74] The album rose to number three in its third week with 79,000 units sold.[75] In its fourth week, the disc slipped to number four and sold 67,000 copies.[76] Infinity on High's sales again fell in its fifth week, moving 58,000 copies and descending to number eight on the chart.[77] In its sixth and last week in the top ten it fell to number nine and sold 43,000 copies.[78] In April 2007, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting the shipment of one million copies.[79][80][81] It finished the year at number twenty-one on IFPI's list of the "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums of 2007".[82] Infinity on High has shipped over two million copies worldwide.
The album also charted inside the top five worldwide, making it the band's most successful and breakthrough album internationally. Infinity on High charted all over Europe, debuting at number eight on Billboard's European Albums chart.[71] In Australia, it debuted at its peak of number four on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart.[83] It remained on the Australian chart for a total of fifty weeks,[83] spending its first seven weeks in the top ten. In its 31st chart week it broke into the top ten again where it remained for another six weeks in a row, accumulating a total of thirteen weeks in the top ten. The CD was certified Double Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of 140,000 copies.[84] Infinity on High debuted at number one in New Zealand, and remained at the top position for six consecutive weeks,[85] logging a total of thirty-seven chart weeks, making it the fifth longest chart sitter on the New Zealand charts in 2007. After marking its first twelve weeks in the top ten, it went on to spend a combined total of twenty-six weeks inside the top twenty and received a Platinum accreditation from the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for 15,000 shipments.[86] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number three with 64,054 first week sales and made nine weeks in the top twenty, being certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for 300,000 units shipped.[87] It went on to sell 446,807 in the UK to date January 2015.[88][89] The album debuted at number two in Canada with 21,000 first week sales.[71][90] Infinity was certified Platinum by Music Canada for shipments of 100,000 units.[91] In Ireland, the record peaked at number six according to the Irish Recorded Music Association with fourteen weeks within the top twenty,[92] and also went Platinum there.[93] After entering the French albums chart at number 64, Infinity on High reached its peak of number 17 and held on for 64 weeks in the top 150.