Billy Joel covered an onslaught of newsworthy items from the ’40s to the late ’80s in his track, “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Now, Fall Out Boy is here to pick up where he left off.
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The emo rockers created their own version of the classic karaoke tune with headlines from 1989–when Joel released his original version–and 2023. The updated rendition has a harder edge musically. The band swapped Joel’s synth-led melody for a wiry electric guitar one.
Another difference between the two versions is a lack of chronology on Fall Out Boy’s part. The band jumps around decades singing about a 1990 cartoon and a 2010 riot back to back. But, the same sentiment of the world’s problems not being the fault of any one generation is present in the new version.
Some of the more current things the band talk about include Trump’s impeachment hearings, Brexit, the feud between Kanye West and Taylor Swift, the controversial Fyre Fest, and Stranger Things.
Trump Gets Impeached Twice / Polar Bears Got No Ice / Fyre Fest / Black Parade / Michael Phelps / Y2K / Boris Johnson / Brexit / Kanye West / Taylor Swift / Stranger Things / Tiger King / Ever Given Suez, frontman Patrick Stump sings.
Along with the song, the band released a lyric video chock full of black-and-white news footage that coincides with the lyrical content of the song. Check it out, below.
Fall Out Boy is currently on their So Much For (Tour) Dust run. The tour is in support of their latest studio album, So Much (For) Stardust. The band released the record back in March.
“We wanted to get back to the way we used to work,” Stump shared in a statement of the record. “We wanted to make a record that was really lovingly crafted and deliberate and patiently guided – like someone cooked you a delicate meal. I’m not a very proud guy, but I’m pretty proud of this record.”
Photo by Pamela Littky / Courtesy of Elektra Music Group
