“Cute Without The “E” (Cut From The Team),” Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday specialize in songs of unsympathetic portrayals of the perpetrators of heartbreak, heaping blame on others while heaping pity on themselves—and they did it better than anyone. As Adam Lazarra wails, “Why can’t I feel anything from anyone other than you?” John Nolan murmurs in the background, “I won’t ever ask if you don’t ever tell me, I know you well enough to know you never loved me,” creating a sonic experience that is irresistibly self-indulgent in its sadness.
“Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy,” Fall Out Boy
I could write pages on what this song means to me. Its message is a simple, timeless plea to an unimpressed object of affection, “You need him, I could be him. I could be an accident, but I’m still trying, and that’s more than I can say for him.” The piercingly sincere lyrics coupled with Stump’s acrobatic vocals make for an anthem of unrequited teenage love. To this day, I’m still wondering where your boy is tonight.
Staff writer Alexander Tang can be reached at alexander.tang@thecrimson.com