Fall Out Boy – Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued

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  Song Meaning:I think that there are many different interpretations of the song - most of which change depending on what you think the original title was. ("I Loved You Before You Turned Into a Myspace Whore", "Sell Out Boy" or "My Name's David Ruffin And These Are The Temptations")
  
  If you think about it in the 'Myspace Whore' angle of things, the flashing at the beginning can be of people taking way too many pictures of themselves, as these Myspace Whores supposedly do. The chorus is failr self-explanitory - these people are only useful for way they they look, for making you look popular because you're friends with them.
  
  The 'David Ruffin' look at things will basically make the song from Ruffin's point of view, the song being incredibly narcissistic.
  
  If you think about it from the Sell Out Boy view, which is in my opinion the one which makes most sense, it's the band talking to the fans about how they have signed to a new label. As the song is the first on the album, this makes even more sense - telling their old friends to brace themselves for change.
  The flashing at the beginning shows the paparazzi, their rise to fame, etc.
  Some of the lyrics are clearly sarcastic and humourous, for example 'we're only liars, but we're the best' and I think they are quoting what they think other people think of them - that they're 'selling out' and changing their style to something that's not who they really are.
  Even though the chorus sounds playful I think it's about how since back then they were one of the bands that were part of this new type of music (alternative, emo, whatever you want to call it), they're 'in style' and getting famous because of it.
  
  Also, the line 'The ribbon on my wrist says "Do not open before christmas"' can, like most of you have obsessed over (it seems to be the only bit you lot care about...), be interpreted as not being able to slit your wrists. But I think you're all taking that line a bit too far and it's not to be taken literaly - I think it's there to say that their steretype is 'emo', it's on the outside but they don't know what they're really like.
  
  Besides, basically all of this song is sarcastic and open to any kidn of interpretation.

  Flag rosy2lee2on July 20, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:Okay, all of you are wrong...DEAD wrong (well at least all of the comments I read). There were two original names for this song, "I loved you before you were a myspace whore" (which had nothing to do with the song so they changed it" and the second title was "Sell outs of the year". See they already had a contract so they can't do anything to damage their reputation because the label wants money so their lawyer actually advised them to change the name of the song so they wouldn't get sued OR dropped from the label. The reason it was called "Sell outs of the year" is because all artists debut album is totally who they are but by the Sophomore album they're all thrown into the bucket that the label wants to be in. If your label wants you to do something you do it-fast. So they didn't believe they were Fall out boy anymore, they sold their souls to the label. So the song is telling the listeners that basically they're gonna let them down. They'll be the fallout boy everyone knows and loves one minute and the next minute they're whatever the label tells them to be. And the "ribbon on my wrist says 'do not open before Christmas'" part-I THINK that Pete was pretending to be a teenage boy with a fallout boy album for christmas. They say that they'll leave you high and dry. And they're talking about how unlike most artists they go against the label sometimes so "we're only liars, but we're the best" is saying how they're trying to be themselves.

  Flag Markeseeon February 04, 2010   Link

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    Markesee couldn't have said it any better. Jesus Christ that was right on the nail.

    Flag xX3xCHEERSx4xSWEETxREVENGEXxon August 30, 2010  
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  General Comment:What's more punk rock than insulting your fans?
  
  These lyrics essentially skewer the Hot Topic, McPunk culture, as well as a few jabs at themselves being that they were at this point the unofficial spokespeople of that very scene.

  Flag marginxxwalkeron November 23, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:Haha, I would like to open them before Christmas.
  d:

  Flag muycalienteon February 13, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:i disagree will all of this comments---
  i feel ive figured out all the meaning to this one...
  starting off with the title. I think fob was going to name this song "sell out boy".. but they changed it to "our lawyer made us change the name of this song so we wouldn't get sued" because of the impact that title would have had on the fans. If you read through this song and pick out some lines like, "we're only liars but we're the best,
  we're only good for the latest trends". i believe that this line refers to how they might have sold out on their sophmore album. before i start getting judged, i dont believe fob "sold out". i believe they were forced to. their style got very main stream on their sophmore album, and the younger fans ate it up and sky rocketed the fob market, thats why I think they've made most of their money. but i believe this song is clearly in refernce to how they might have "sold out"

  Flag getupscarykidson June 21, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:i agree with what a load of people have said about people who've heard maybe a couple of FOB songs on the radio or mtv or whatever ad reckon they're like fob'a biggest fans. its frustrating but it makes me laugh tbh os does it really matter??

  Flag OhSoInLoveon June 15, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:Hmm, I agree that the "ribbon on my wrist..." line is about wrist cutting, although when i first listened into this song, i thought it was to do with abstinance, as in those bands that people wear when they think it's cool to advertise this to people (WHY???) which christmas being a euphamism for getting married.
  
  Just my original interpretation, but the whole scene interpretation makes more sense really, looking at the lyrics as a whole.
  
  Anyone else think the same when they first heard it?

  Flag de210on May 03, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:the part with "the ribbon on my wrist says do not open before christmas" i think it means that christmas is like "family time " :X , and he shoulndt cut his wrist before xmas, becuase his family would be dissapointed... idk any others?

  Flag itslaurennnxon February 26, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:wahaahaha i love how there are only like a couple people who accually(sp?) talk about the meaning. . .the others are either making fun of somthing that toattally has absolutly nothin to do with fob! and then others are [[talking]] about how cute the members are. . .

  Flag LonelyMuffinon February 19, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:wahaahaha i love how there are only like a couple people who accually(sp?) talk about the meaning. . .the others are either making fun of somthing that toattally has absolutly nothin to do with fob! and then others are [[talking]] about how cute the members are. . .

  Flag LonelyMuffinon February 19, 2008   Link

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