Top 10 Fall Out Boy Songs

As the second single following their extended hiatus, this Save Rock and Roll track further solidified Fall Out Boy’s comeback. Infused with snippets from Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 7,” the song helped the band rise from the ashes and return to the recording studio when the symphony’s fourth movement captivated lead vocalist Patrick Stump. Initially released digitally, “The Phoenix” climbed to #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 after its official single release - rebirth successful!

As the song suggests: they really don’t care what you think, so long as you’re thinking about them. Referred to as a “narcissist’s anthem” by Pete Wentz, the tune is an upbeat commentary on the superficial sentiments of its time, particularly with the rising number of YouTubers and extravagant trends in the fashion industry. While the song didn’t peak as high as some of the band’s previous lead singles, making it to the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40, it did achieve platinum status in the U.S.

Here’s a song that was far from dead when it arrived at the ears of the band’s oldest fans. Serving as the group’s debut single, the tune’s cited as a major milestone in music not only because it elevated the band’s prominence, but also because it helped revive the pop-punk and alternative rock genres during the 2000s. Today, it remains one of Fall Out Boy’s more popular early songs, and is a playable track in “Rock Band.”

One of the earlier unrequited love songs of the emo era, Fall Out Boy’s sophomore single garnered them further prestige by demonstrating the band’s lyrical potency as well as their capacity to be instrumentally balanced. The track, among others off the record Take This To Your Grave, is credited with helping initiate the pop punk music trend of long song titles. It’s considered one of the band’s more classic and well-known songs and continues to be performed live.

Here’s another long song title, which served as the third and final single from the band’s sophomore record. Originally called “A Little Less Molly Ringwald, a Little More Samantha Fox,” the tune was one of many tracks off From Under the Cork Tree whose name was changed for legal reasons. Though another solid torch song, it didn’t quite reach the same heights as preceding singles, but nonetheless received its share of glory through moderate airplay as well as the accompanying, epic extended music video that features the band as vampire hunters.

“Thanks For The Memories” stands as one of the group’s most commercially successful songs as well as one of their most massively recognized singles. Concerning the absence of and need for love in a sexual relationship, the song garnered praise among fans and critics for its gloomy poetry that’s meshed with an ironic dance melody the way only a Fall Out Boy song can pull off. Top it off with yet another comical music video featuring chimpanzees, and you’ve got a hit that’s far from being just a memory.

Serving as the lead single for their first ever chart-topping record, this song cemented the band’s presence in the spotlight. Ironically, the funk pop-punk number serves as a therapeutic call-to-arms, using wartime metaphors to describe the band’s inner battles with mainstream success and lyricist Pete Wentz’s vexations with the era’s “emo” scene. Adding further irony was the song’s colossal success, as it became Fall Out Boy’s first major international breakthrough with worldwide record-breaking sales.

Taking its title from a previously unreleased demo track, the new “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” was a great deviation from not only the original recording, but also the group’s previous sound. Doing away with the pop and punk melodies that made them big, “Light Em Up” adds some electronic influences into the mix. This ultimately paid off when it became a triple platinum single by the end of 2013. Talk about a comeback!

For our silver song pick, we’ve chosen a classic we can all dance to. At the time of its release, the track became the band’s second consecutive single to make the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 – but while it peaked at #9 on that chart, it certainly ranks much higher in our book. With the sexual overtones of its lyrics, “Dance, Dance” is undoubtedly one of the band’s more fun and famous rave tunes, finding its way into numerous video games and ranking high as a beloved and classic pop punk hit.

Before we rock out to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Young Volcanoes”
Save Rock And Roll (2013)
- “I’m Like a Lawyer with the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)”
Infinity on High (2007)
- “What a Catch, Donnie”
Folie à Deux (2008)
- “Alone Together”
Save Rock and Roll (2013)
- “Saturday”
Take This to Your Grave (2003)

Taking top honors on our list is the song that launched Fall Out Boy to mainstream stardom. A song about continued battles at the end of a harsh relationship, “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” is admired by fans for its lyrically bitter yet musically upbeat attitudes towards love, a vibe for which the band has since come to be known and praised. Peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, it became the band’s first top 10 hit and held the title for five weeks. It’s straight up pop punk fun and our number one.

Do you agree with our list? With dozens of other awesome songs out there to choose from, we’re sure we might have missed a few. Which Fall Out Boy song is your favorite? For more rock-and-rollin’ top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com!