This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
Encyclopedia
"This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" is a song by American rock
band Fall Out Boy
and the lead single
from their commercially successful fourth studio album Infinity on High
(2007). The song was first played on September 30, 2006 at a Philadelphia radio station, 102.1
, and leaked onto the internet soon after. It was officially debuted on November 21 at the American Music Awards
and was shipped to radio stations that night (with an impact date of December 5 in the United States
). The music was composed by vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump
and the lyrics were penned by bassist Pete Wentz, following the band's songwriting approach which first began with some songs on their 2003 effort Take This to Your Grave
. Production was handled by Neal Avron
, who also produced the band's previous From Under the Cork Tree
album. Commenting on the band's decision to pick the track as the first single, Wentz said "There may be other songs on the record that would be bigger radio hits, but this one had the right message."
The track was a commercial success and the band's worldwide breakthrough. "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100
with 162,000 sales and broke various records. It is the group's first single to chart worldwide in countries (besides the UK) including Australia, New Zealand and most of the European nations, where it reached the top five in many.
The website that bassist Pete Wentz promotes, FriendsorEnemies.com, made "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" available to the internet community on November 17, just after its radio debut in Indianapolis.
The single was released as a CD single
, digital download
and also as a 7" blue vinyl
and 7" purple vinyl. The B-sides
, "G.I.N.A.S.F.S." and "It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't", were released as bonus tracks from Infinity on High in certain countries. Both the songs were included as bonus songs on the deluxe editions of the album. There is an official remix featuring Kanye West
which the band tried to rush onto Infinity on High but was unable to do so due to time constraints.
The song was released as a downloadable track for the video game Rock Band
on May 6, 2008, and is also on Rock Band Track Pack Volume 2 The January 2009 issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine lists Fall Out Boy's "This Ain't A Scene, It's an Arms Race" as second on its list of Rock Band’s "Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin' Downloadable Songs." The song is also available as downloadable content
for Guitar Hero 5
.
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. Bassist Pete 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". The song closing sing-along was influenced by Justin Timberlake
's "Señorita
".
called it "an unexpectedly funky battle cry that likens the quest for respect and fame to a combat situation."
The song is reportedly about Wentz's frustration with the ever growing "emo
scene". As he told Rolling Stone
, "There may be other songs on the record that would be bigger radio hits, but this one had the right message." Wentz's inspiration for the "arms-dealer" metaphor came from the movie Lord of War
. The song has also been interpreted to be about artists making music just for the money and fame, an "arms race", instead of music for the fun of it.
because the lyrics, "I'm a leading man; and the lies I weave are oh-so intricate," were mistaken for, "I'm a little man; I'm oh-so evil; also into cats."
onto Infinity on High
, but it didn't make it in time. A remix to this remix leaked on FriendsorEnemies.com featuring Kanye West, Paul Wall
, Skinhead Rob, Lupe Fiasco
, Tyga
, Travis McCoy, and Lil Wayne
. This remix was performed at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
, along with Brendon Urie
(of Panic! at the Disco
).
), all music composed by lead vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump
(of Fall Out Boy
).
CD single
7" Blue Vinyl
7" Purple Vinyl
" video, it shows the band members leaving the video shoot among the supposed "fans", all but a few of which turn out to be cardboard cutouts. The video portrays the band in a series of "celebrity" situations such as dealing with paparazzi
, as well as recording their song in a very out-of-character hip-hop studio (a reference to a song they recorded on Timbaland
's album). Patrick starts singing and making strange movements with his hands, much like Joe Cocker
. The rest of the band look at each other strangely and start jumping around at the chorus. Joe knocks a bottle of liquor out of a rapper's hand, and a tabloid headline reveals that the rappers proceeded to assault the band and throw them out of the studio. The next scene shows the band playing in a hotel room, making a huge mess. It transfers to Pete, at a photo shoot. The photographer takes a cell phone from his coworker and takes pictures with it, and prompts Pete to show his penis
, making it look like Pete took them (in reference to real cell phone photos leaked from Pete's cell phone after he took them to send to his girlfriend). Several teenage girls are outraged after they see the pictures and realize Pete has a big penis. Following the incident, Andy goes to a party at a parody of the Playboy Mansion
with a crotch-stuffing. The scene goes back to the hotel and everyone is jumping around. A woman complains to the manager but when they get to the hotel room no one lets them in. While partying, a heavy set man (who bears slight resemblance to rapper Fat Joe
) jumps on to the other side of the bed that Pete is on, causing him to fall out a window. At his funeral, cameo appearances are made by several characters from their previous music videos, such as Pete's date in "Dance, Dance", the teenage girl from "Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy
"'s music video, their stunt man and close friend Dirty, the deer-boy from "Sugar, We're Goin Down" (Donald Cumming of the The Virgins
) William Beckett
's vampire from "A Little Less Sixteen Candles..." and Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes
, (who also danced in "Dance, Dance"), celebrities Seth Green
and Michelle Trachtenberg
, among others. Joe Trohman is performing a guitar solo on top of Pete's coffin as the it rises out of the burial, before Pete bursts out of his coffin. (Trohman claims this is a reference to guitarist Slash
in the Guns 'N Roses video for November Rain
although some fans have likened it to Synyster Gates
's solo in Avenged Sevenfold
's video for Seize The Day
.) The ending of the video reveals that the entire video is nothing more than a dream of Pete's. Andy (who was sitting next to Pete) then realises that they are late for a performance at a school and as they make their way on stage, they continue playing the rest of the song from the last chorus skipping the interlude Trohman would have played on the single. The end of the video shows Pete attempting to stage dive.
s, the word "God
" is removed from the song, to avoid using the profanity "Goddamn
", although "damn" is simultaneously removed in some other versions. This censor was also kept on the Rock Band downloadable track of the song, though it was not censored in the United Kingdom
or on United States Rock radio.
where it stayed for two weeks, spending its first nine weeks in the top 10 out of a total of 20 chart weeks. In its Hot 100 opening week with digital availability the song soared to No. 1 on the defunct-Pop 100
chart from its previous week's position of No. 86. In its opening week, it sold 162,000 digital downloads, setting a new record for the highest bow for a band since radio only titles joined the chart in 1998. In addition, its download totals are the largest opening-week tally for a group since Nielsen SoundScan
began tracking digital sales in 2003. It also set a record as the highest debut of 2007 and is the eighth song to debut at the runner-up position in the history of the Hot 100. Prior to its digital release, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" spent several weeks doing well on Pop radio airplay. In its first week of digital availability the single catapulted to the top of the digital downloads chart as well as the overall pop singles chart. It is Fall Out Boy's first number one hit song and was certified Platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) for shipments of one million units.
It is to date Fall Out Boy's highest charting song, and on the strength of 162,000 opening week downloads earned the band their first No. 1 Billboard Hot Digital Song and also a No. 1 on the defunct-Pop 100
chart. It stayed atop the Digital Songs chart for four consecutive weeks, gathering over 500,000 downloads in that period. Internationally, it reached the top position in New Zealand and No. 2 in the UK, making it their largest hit in those countries. In Australia it reached No. 4 and was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA). This song was ranked No. 40 on Rolling Stone
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
and the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from their commercially successful fourth studio album Infinity on High
Infinity on High
Infinity on High is the fourth studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released on February 5, 2007 by Island Records as the follow-up to the band's commercially successful 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree. Pre-production began in the group's hometown of Chicago, where writing and...
(2007). The song was first played on September 30, 2006 at a Philadelphia radio station, 102.1
WIOQ
WIOQ, known as "Q102", is a CHR/Pop radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area. The station appeals to a generally young demographic. WIOQ is owned by Clear Channel Communications. Its transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.-WFIL-FM/Popular 102:The...
, and leaked onto the internet soon after. It was officially debuted on November 21 at the American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
and was shipped to radio stations that night (with an impact date of December 5 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). The music was composed by vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump
Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
and the lyrics were penned by bassist Pete Wentz, following the band's songwriting approach which first began with some songs on their 2003 effort Take This to Your Grave
Take This to Your Grave
Take This to Your Grave is the second studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy. It is the group's first release under the Fueled by Ramen label and was released on May 6, 2003. The album title is taken from a line from the lyrics of the track "The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes", which...
. Production was handled by Neal Avron
Neal Avron
Neal Avron is an American musician, record producer, mixer, and audio engineer. Working predominately in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Everclear's 1997 album So Much For The Afterglow...
, who also produced the band's previous From Under the Cork Tree
From Under the Cork Tree
From Under the Cork Tree is the third studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy. It was released on May 3, 2005, through Island Records as the band's major label debut...
album. Commenting on the band's decision to pick the track as the first single, Wentz said "There may be other songs on the record that would be bigger radio hits, but this one had the right message."
The track was a commercial success and the band's worldwide breakthrough. "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
with 162,000 sales and broke various records. It is the group's first single to chart worldwide in countries (besides the UK) including Australia, New Zealand and most of the European nations, where it reached the top five in many.
The website that bassist Pete Wentz promotes, FriendsorEnemies.com, made "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" available to the internet community on November 17, just after its radio debut in Indianapolis.
The single was released as a CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
, digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
and also as a 7" blue vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and 7" purple vinyl. The B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, "G.I.N.A.S.F.S." and "It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't", were released as bonus tracks from Infinity on High in certain countries. Both the songs were included as bonus songs on the deluxe editions of the album. There is an official remix featuring Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
which the band tried to rush onto Infinity on High but was unable to do so due to time constraints.
The song was released as a downloadable track for the video game Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
on May 6, 2008, and is also on Rock Band Track Pack Volume 2 The January 2009 issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine lists Fall Out Boy's "This Ain't A Scene, It's an Arms Race" as second on its list of Rock Band’s "Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin' Downloadable Songs." The song is also available as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5 is a music video game and the fifth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision, and released internationally in September 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, 3 and Wii consoles...
.
Music
Vocalist and guitarist Patrick StumpPatrick Stump
Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
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
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, which he acquired by listening to oldies stations as a child. Bassist Pete Wentz describes the song "a bit of '70s funk mixed with [the band’s 2003 album] Take This to Your Grave
Take This to Your Grave
Take This to Your Grave is the second studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy. It is the group's first release under the Fueled by Ramen label and was released on May 6, 2003. The album title is taken from a line from the lyrics of the track "The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes", which...
with tight verses and big, fat choruses". The song closing sing-along was influenced by Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
's "Señorita
Señorita (song)
"Señorita" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his solo debut album Justified . It was released on September 2, 2003 by Jive Records as the fourth single from the album. The song was co-written by Timberlake, and The Neptunes' Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo...
".
Lyrics
On "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", Wentz uses wartime-inspired metaphors to discuss the band's newfound popularity; he called the song "kind of a tongue-in-cheek look at the way we are so addicted and obsessed with new arts, cultures and loves — to the point where it just becomes oversaturated." He commented, "I think people are gonna read into it what they will. In the back of my head it's a call to arms, but not [in the traditional sense] — more in the way that you sometimes need to just talk to yourself in the mirror." Slant MagazineSlant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
called it "an unexpectedly funky battle cry that likens the quest for respect and fame to a combat situation."
The song is reportedly about Wentz's frustration with the ever growing "emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
scene". As he told Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, "There may be other songs on the record that would be bigger radio hits, but this one had the right message." Wentz's inspiration for the "arms-dealer" metaphor came from the movie Lord of War
Lord of War
Lord of War is a 2005 French-German-American action drama film written and directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Nicolas Cage. It was released in the United States on September 16, 2005, with the DVD following on January 17, 2006 and the Blu-ray Disc on July 27, 2006.Cage plays an illegal arms...
. The song has also been interpreted to be about artists making music just for the money and fame, an "arms race", instead of music for the fun of it.
Misheard lyrics
The song became an internet memeInternet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
because the lyrics, "I'm a leading man; and the lies I weave are oh-so intricate," were mistaken for, "I'm a little man; I'm oh-so evil; also into cats."
Remix
Fall Out Boy tried to rush the remix for the song featuring Kanye WestKanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
onto Infinity on High
Infinity on High
Infinity on High is the fourth studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released on February 5, 2007 by Island Records as the follow-up to the band's commercially successful 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree. Pre-production began in the group's hometown of Chicago, where writing and...
, but it didn't make it in time. A remix to this remix leaked on FriendsorEnemies.com featuring Kanye West, Paul Wall
Paul Wall
Paul Michael Slayton , better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper. He is currently affiliated with Swishahouse Records, having released several albums under the label as well as...
, Skinhead Rob, Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
, Tyga
Tyga
Michael Stevenson , better known by his stage name Tyga , is an American rapper signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent...
, Travis McCoy, and Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
. This remix was performed at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
, along with Brendon Urie
Brendon Urie
Brendon Boyd Urie is an American musician and the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, pianist and singer-songwriter of Panic! at the Disco. He also plays drums, bass guitar, accordion, organ, cello, violin, and trumpet.-Early life:...
(of Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is an American alternative rock duo, formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005. Since its split, the band's line-up includes Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith . Former members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker left the group in 2009...
).
Track listing
All lyrics written by bassist Pete Wentz (of Fall Out BoyFall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
), all music composed by lead vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump
Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
(of Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
).
CD single
- "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race"
- "The Carpal Tunnel of LoveThe Carpal Tunnel of Love"The Carpal Tunnel of Love" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy from their 2007 album Infinity on High. It was originally leaked online by the band, and later given to iTunes as a digital download before Infinity on High was released. In addition, a web-exclusive video was released, but...
"
7" Blue Vinyl
- "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race"
- "It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't"
7" Purple Vinyl
- "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race"
- "G.I.N.A.S.F.S."
Music video
The video was directed by Alan Ferguson. Beginning with the end of the "Dance, DanceDance, Dance
"Dance, Dance" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy and the second single from their third studio album, From Under the Cork Tree. Released in late 2005, in the United States it reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2006, becoming the band's second consecutive top 10 hit single....
" video, it shows the band members leaving the video shoot among the supposed "fans", all but a few of which turn out to be cardboard cutouts. The video portrays the band in a series of "celebrity" situations such as dealing with paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
, as well as recording their song in a very out-of-character hip-hop studio (a reference to a song they recorded on Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
's album). Patrick starts singing and making strange movements with his hands, much like Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
. The rest of the band look at each other strangely and start jumping around at the chorus. Joe knocks a bottle of liquor out of a rapper's hand, and a tabloid headline reveals that the rappers proceeded to assault the band and throw them out of the studio. The next scene shows the band playing in a hotel room, making a huge mess. It transfers to Pete, at a photo shoot. The photographer takes a cell phone from his coworker and takes pictures with it, and prompts Pete to show his penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
, making it look like Pete took them (in reference to real cell phone photos leaked from Pete's cell phone after he took them to send to his girlfriend). Several teenage girls are outraged after they see the pictures and realize Pete has a big penis. Following the incident, Andy goes to a party at a parody of the Playboy Mansion
Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion is the home of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner. Located in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, California, the mansion became famous during the 1970s through media reports of Hefner's lavish parties.-History:The house is described as being in the "Gothic-Tudor" style...
with a crotch-stuffing. The scene goes back to the hotel and everyone is jumping around. A woman complains to the manager but when they get to the hotel room no one lets them in. While partying, a heavy set man (who bears slight resemblance to rapper Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
) jumps on to the other side of the bed that Pete is on, causing him to fall out a window. At his funeral, cameo appearances are made by several characters from their previous music videos, such as Pete's date in "Dance, Dance", the teenage girl from "Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy
Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy
"Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy and the second single taken from their 2003 album, Take This to Your Grave. The breakthrough mainstream success that Fall Out Boy received with the follow-up release of their 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree...
"'s music video, their stunt man and close friend Dirty, the deer-boy from "Sugar, We're Goin Down" (Donald Cumming of the The Virgins
The Virgins
The Virgins are an American band formed in 2006 in New York, consisting of Donald Cumming , Wade Oates , and Nick Ackerman .Their first outing on the road was a 7-week American tour in direct support for the Australian band Jet...
) William Beckett
William Beckett (singer)
,William Eugene Beckett Jr. was the lead singer of the band The Academy Is... , who were signed to Atlantic Records/Fueled by Ramen/Decaydance Records. While still in high school in 2002, Beckett and guitarist Mike Carden came together from rival bands in Chicago to form The Academy Is......
's vampire from "A Little Less Sixteen Candles..." and Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes
Gym Class Heroes
Gym Class Heroes is an American hip hop rock band from Geneva, New York. They have collaborated with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump on numerous occasions, notably for providing backing vocals on the song "Cupid's Chokehold." Stump also produced the majority of their album The Quilt.The group formed...
, (who also danced in "Dance, Dance"), celebrities Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
and Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Christine Trachtenberg is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Dawn Summers in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl...
, among others. Joe Trohman is performing a guitar solo on top of Pete's coffin as the it rises out of the burial, before Pete bursts out of his coffin. (Trohman claims this is a reference to guitarist Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
in the Guns 'N Roses video for November Rain
November Rain
"November Rain" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, written by lead singer Axl Rose and released as a single in June 1992. It appears on the album Use Your Illusion I. The music video for this song was also released in 1992, and won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography...
although some fans have likened it to Synyster Gates
Synyster Gates
Brian Elwin Haner, Jr. , better known by his stage name Synyster Gates or simply Syn, is an American musician, best known for being the lead guitarist of the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold.-Early life:...
's solo in Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
's video for Seize The Day
Seize the Day (song)
"Seize the Day" is a song by Avenged Sevenfold, the song is released as the fourth single from their third album City of Evil."Seize the Day" has been released on July 27, 2010 as a downloadable track in Rock Band 2 along with "Nightmare" and "Scream"....
.) The ending of the video reveals that the entire video is nothing more than a dream of Pete's. Andy (who was sitting next to Pete) then realises that they are late for a performance at a school and as they make their way on stage, they continue playing the rest of the song from the last chorus skipping the interlude Trohman would have played on the single. The end of the video shows Pete attempting to stage dive.
Censorship
In most public performances of the song, as well as in radio editRadio edit
In music, a radio edit is a modification to make a song more suitable for airplay, whether it be adjusted for length, profanity, subject matter, instrumentation, or form...
s, the word "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
" is removed from the song, to avoid using the profanity "Goddamn
Damnation
Damnation is the concept of everlasting divine punishment and/or disgrace, especially the punishment for sin as threatened by God . A damned being "in damnation" is said to be either in Hell, or living in a state wherein they are divorced from Heaven and/or in a state of disgrace from God's favor...
", although "damn" is simultaneously removed in some other versions. This censor was also kept on the Rock Band downloadable track of the song, though it was not censored in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
or on United States Rock radio.
Commercial performance
The single was a commercial success worldwide. In the United States, the song debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
where it stayed for two weeks, spending its first nine weeks in the top 10 out of a total of 20 chart weeks. In its Hot 100 opening week with digital availability the song soared to No. 1 on the defunct-Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
chart from its previous week's position of No. 86. In its opening week, it sold 162,000 digital downloads, setting a new record for the highest bow for a band since radio only titles joined the chart in 1998. In addition, its download totals are the largest opening-week tally for a group since Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
began tracking digital sales in 2003. It also set a record as the highest debut of 2007 and is the eighth song to debut at the runner-up position in the history of the Hot 100. Prior to its digital release, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" spent several weeks doing well on Pop radio airplay. In its first week of digital availability the single catapulted to the top of the digital downloads chart as well as the overall pop singles chart. It is Fall Out Boy's first number one hit song and was certified Platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) for shipments of one million units.
It is to date Fall Out Boy's highest charting song, and on the strength of 162,000 opening week downloads earned the band their first No. 1 Billboard Hot Digital Song and also a No. 1 on the defunct-Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
chart. It stayed atop the Digital Songs chart for four consecutive weeks, gathering over 500,000 downloads in that period. Internationally, it reached the top position in New Zealand and No. 2 in the UK, making it their largest hit in those countries. In Australia it reached No. 4 and was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA). This song was ranked No. 40 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Charting
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
4 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
48 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 22 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
4 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 18 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 41 |
| European Hot 100 | 9 |
| French Singles Chart | 11 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
5 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... Singles Chart |
26 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 59 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Digital Songs Hot Digital Songs The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop Songs | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Pop Songs | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Radio Songs | 35 |