Sum 41 - 'Underclass Hero'
"I pledge allegiance to the underclass as your hero at large..."
HERO, is it? Blimey! Clearly Deryk Whibley is not someone who suffers from a lack of self-confidence. Which is probably a very good thing in some circumstances. I mean you don't want to find yourself married to someone like Avril Lavigne without being fairly sure of who you are and what you want out of life. Actually, chances are that's exactly HOW you get to be married to Avril Lavigne, so long as the answers to the questions a) Do you know who you are? and b) What do you want out of life? are a) Deryk Whibley out of Sum 41 and b) Avril Lavigne.
Still with me? Great. Now, I have two problems with this song. The first is to do with context and the second is to do with seeing the bigger picture.
The Problem To Do With Context:
Sum 41 haven't been around for a while. They've had personal issues, and personnel issues. All sorts going on. In the time they've been away, that pop-punk template they stole off Green Day pioneered has become a little tired. You have to dress it up a bit these days, otherwise you're Noise Next Door or Freefaller, and we're leaving.
So, having read some of Deryk's comeback interviews, about how the '41 are really moving with the times and writing songs which take the band to a whole new place, and how some of the lyrics are really personal and stuff...well, it sets a bar of expectation. You're kind of WILLING the band to jump over this bar with their brand new jazz/techno direction (or whatever it actually is), because they knew it was time to move on, as all great artists do.
However, listen to the record, and it's the chorus of 'Teenage Dirtbag' in riff form, followed by the verses from 'Fat Lip' followed by most of the structure of 'American Idiot', including a chorus which could not be more Green Day if it came with a free "George W Bush is a poobag!" sticker.
None of which makes it bad, it's just a shame to watch that bar come tumbling down.
The Problem To Do With Seeing The Bigger Picture:
If you're going to proclaim yourself as some kind of hero (even for a joke), the time to do it is probably NOT when you're trying to win back all the fans who forgot who you were in the last three years, with a song which sounds just like your old stuff. Good Charlotte and Avril have run off with the pop kids, Green Day got the...well the fans who left them to come to Sum 41 in the first place and everyone else has gone emo, despite frantically denying that any such thing has happened.
All of which makes this a three-star song which has gone a bit stale. Oh, look, this one's come right off...
Download: Out now
CD Released: July 30th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
can u send me car window sticker plz
to
11 tudo [Sniiiip! - Fraser]
bwahahahahaha
have a gold star i heart you, at last some ones got the balls to say it.
In some ways I like this song for still sounding like Sum41's old stuff because of everyone else changing so much. It reminds me of meringue before it gets cooked... it looks all thick and fluffy and tastes delicious and you'll always risk the salmonella and nab a finger-full.. but really there's nothing to it, mostly whipped up air that'll just perk you up a little bit afterwards.
I listened to 'With Me' on their myspace page... now THAT is a Simple Plan/Yellowcard cross and THAT is weird :P
ive only just bothered reading this blog (sorry). everything youve said i think is correct. and maybe this is one of those times when the band themselves need to shut up and just play music rather than trying to make it out to be moved with the times blah blah blah BUT the music is good (but no need for the whole green day holiday style thing talking into the mic), which is why i think they just should shut up and play. the whole pop/punk blink-182 thing was adults (acting like kids the majority of the time) having fun with the music, whilst making producing songs that rocked and i dont think really sum 41 have changed from that. something thats gonna make me sound sad now.. on tms (test match special for all you non-cricket liking people) the other day they had harry judd on at lunch as he likes cricket. he was saying how mcfly felt no pressure to leave behind their 10-14 year old girl fan base as if you try to change your style its usually changing from something youre good at to something youre not. take note sum 41. dont change pretend to change when you havnt really, you just loose respect cus i like youre old music!
and some people still like good charlotte (despite the new sounds and disagreeing with mr j maddens choice of who to have a child with (nothing against nicole as i dont know here, but shes the one whos just got a 4 day jail sentence for driving under the infulence.. great mum-to-be there)), green day, AND all 'emo' stuff as well as still listening to sum 41s old stuff.
erm.. goblins?? i posted a really, REALLY long comment here earlier which theres no way on earth im writing again so you had best have a record of it mr m!
i take it thats a guilty silence as there is no record of the comment XP
yay! :D you found it
I'm offended by the emo thing. Cos I get called emo. All the time. Cos I like MCR n that stuff. Oh well. Life goes on. Anyway, I quite like this song. Oh, wait a min.....PARAMORES ON THE HITS! :)
SHUT UP! green day are dead and lets face it: someone has to keep original punk alive!
oh! and green day will NEVER be sum 41!
scumbag u are fraser
[Sum 41? 'Original'? HAHAHAhahahaha! - Fraser]