Infinity on High

After taking a two-month break following the band's Black Clouds and Underdogs tour in promotion of their 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree, Fall Out Boy returned to the studio to begin work on their follow-up effort. The band began writing songs for the new album while touring, and intended to quickly make a new album in order to keep momentum in the wake of their breakthrough success. Vocalist Patrick Stump stated that he wished to begin working on the record earlier, but the group's management urged the members to take time off to recuperate from their constant touring schedule. Bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz asserted that "We're definitely writing all the time, so we're not going to try to squeeze every last drop out of the stone. That's part of what's been wrong with the rock industry: they keep fans waiting far too long, and bands go away and disappear off the face of the planet. That's not the way it's going to be for Fall Out Boy." Wentz also purchased a house in Los Angeles, where he spent much time writing lyrics to new songs. ==Recording and production==

While writing the album, Fall Out Boy began searching for potential producers. The band sought out R&B singer/producer Babyface, as they admired his work on the soundtrack to the 2001 film version of Josie and the Pussycats. Babyface saw one of the interviews in which the band discussed its desire to work with him and contacted the group. Babyface produced two of the songs, "I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)" and "Thnks fr th Mmrs". Neal Avron, who also produced the band's previous album, handled production for eleven of Infinity on High's fourteen tracks. Before recording, the band began with six weeks of pre-production, which was encouraged by Avron. This period included both rehearsals and writing, as well as working out all the sounds and arrangements. It began in Chicago before the group relocated to the Swing House studios in Los Angeles. Much of the writing process was done individually by the band members. Generally, Wentz would write his lyrics first and send them to Stump, who would create a melody by playing guitar along to the words to "find a groove". Stump's goal with his songs was to create his music while changing Wentz's original lyrics as little as possible. After a melody was written, Stump would create a general rhythm for the song. Although Fall Out Boy has no specific rhythm or lead guitar roles, Stump viewed himself as more of a rhythm guitarist on the album due to his experience as a drummer in previous bands. Jay-Z recorded his introduction to the album's opening song "Thriller" while on tour in Australia and sent it to the band, who later put the vocal on the album. The band was unable to include the remix on the album due to time constraints, but a remix of West's version featuring Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, Travis McCoy, Paul Wall and Tyga was released in July 2007. During the recording of the album, the band members pursued other various activities. Stump, who co-produced "Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?" from Infinity on High, was also working on fellow Fueled By Ramen act The Hush Sound's album Like Vines. Wentz was often interviewed about the album at Clandestine fashion shows. ==Composition==

Music The album marked a departure in Fall Out Boy's sound in which the band implemented a diverse array of musical styles. As reported by Billboard, Fall Out Boy "drifts further from its hardcore punk roots to write increasingly accessible pop tunes," a slight departure from the group's previous more pop-punk sound. Infinity on High has been compared to the work of pop-punk bands such as Green Day, with Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times commenting, "Whatever snot and feedback courses through these songs, sweetness always triumphs, carried forth by bubblegum bass lines, snappy drums and tunes as comforting as lullabies." Stump explained that the album contains a variety of different moods: "It’s one of those things where you get older as a band and you do your own thing...The older Fall Out Boy elements, from the early records, are definitely there, and this album is an extension of that." and which itself led with a spoken introduction from Jay-Z, who owned the record label that produced the album, Def Jam Recordings. In an interview with Fall Out Boy, drummer Andy Hurley stated that the opening parts in "Thriller" were copied from "Islands to Burn" by Racetraitor, a band he once drummed for. The song was created as an reflection on the band's previous two years. Some lyrics reflect on previous mediocre album reviews the band received. The lyrics also call out the rise of the band's popularity, "But by fall we were a cover story". In context the song's opening lines are, "Last summer we took threes across the board, but by fall we were a cover story now in stores. Make us poster boys for your scene, but we are not making an acceptance speech." The song also features the lyric "Fix me in 45" which refers to the way singles were released on vinyl records. Some reviewers complained that the album did not have a hardcore edge, but the song "Thriller" was an exception. Alternative Press opined in February 2023 that the song was dominated by the soaring vocals of Patrick Stump and his pop arrangement, and described it as the tenth heaviest song in the Fall Out Boy body of work. Writing in August 2023, Tamzin Kraftman wrote that the song's "chugging pulse", played by Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman, "electrifies the track". Stump called "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" the "funkiest thing we’ve ever done", and attributes the change in musical style to his love of soul music, which he acquired by listening to oldies stations as a child. Wentz describes the song "a bit of '70s funk mixed with [the band’s 2003 album] Take This to Your Grave with tight verses and big, fat choruses". The song closing sing-along was influenced by Justin Timberlake's "Señorita". Cory Apar of Allmusic compared the Babyface-produced track "I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)" to Maroon 5. The song features Stump singing in a falsetto in the chorus over Trohman's "crunchy" guitars, as well as a breakdown in which Wentz employs death growl-style vocals. Violins are used on both "Thnks fr th Mmrs", in addition to an acoustic guitar strummed flamenco-style, and "The (After) Life of the Party", which also features electronic-influenced sounds. Commenting on the instruments used on "Thnks fr th Mmrs", Stump stated "I never thought I'd get a euphonium onto a Fall Out Boy record". Barry Nicolson of NME referred to the song as a "towering, Foo Fighters-esque slice of thunderous rhythm and radio-friendly melody." Critics have described the album as being a pop-punk, pop rock, album. Lyrics was lyrically inspired by rapper Lil Wayne on the album. While writing the album, Wentz drew lyrical inspiration from rapper Lil Wayne, whom he called "the best lyricist of [2006]." Critics felt that much of the lyrics address the band's rise to fame and the pressure of maintaining a loyal fanbase. Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker commented that "The only top-ten acts that talk about fame as much as Fall Out Boy does are rappers, although their take on selling records is less conflicted." Cory Apar of Allmusic opined that "Wentz' lyrics are oftentimes resentful, full of fame-induced angst, and really emphasize his need to drive home his position that stardom has not changed the band." The song discusses the band's Best New Artist Grammy loss, and Wentz calls it the "most narcissistic song on the album". The line "Fix me in forty-five" is a reference to the length of a therapy session. On "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", Wentz uses wartime-inspired metaphors to discuss their newfound popularity; he called the song "kind of a tongue-in-cheek look at the way we are so addicted and obsessed with new arts, cultures and loves – to the point where it just becomes oversaturated." "I'm Like a Lawyer..." has been described as "about as close to a love song as you'll get from this band, a rare moment of tenderness among songs about blog entries, guest lists, and therapy sessions." In a tribute to the politicized Chicago hardcore scene, Wentz describes the story of a rigged court case of African-American civil rights activist Fred Hampton Jr. in "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave". The song has been described as a "very well-written track, a welcome respite from the one-liners which permeate the majority of the record." ==Packaging and title==

The album's title is taken from a letter written by Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo in 1888, in which he describes his renewed health and the positive effect it has had on his painting. Originally written in Dutch, Van Gogh's phrasing has been translated as "Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all". ==Promotion==

performing on June 13, 2007, as part of the Honda Civic Tour. Promotion for the album began in November 2006 with the band performing "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" for the first time at the American Music Awards on November 21. The song was shipped to radio the same night as the performance. In the week following the performance, the single was the top added track at Pop and Alternative radio. The band then began the Friends or Enemies Tour in January 2007 to build interest in the album. The tour consisted of intimate club shows in fifteen cities throughout the United States, with New Found Glory, The Early November, Permanent Me and Lifetime. Two weeks before Infinity on High was released, the album was leaked online, which led to rumors on the band's message boards that the album would be released a week early. Although these rumors were incorrect, Fall Out Boy responded to the leak by including an exclusive live EP, Leaked in London, recorded in London's Hammersmith Palais at their sold-out show on January 29, 2007, with each purchase to encourage fans to buy the album. On February 6, 2007, the day of the album's release, Fall Out Boy played three free shows, each in a different city in the United States. The day started with a morning performance in Times Square in New York City, followed by a gig in the band's hometown of Chicago, and then a late-night show in Los Angeles. In March 2008, Fall Out Boy attempted to enter The Guinness Book of World Records for being the only band to perform in all seven continents in nine months, planning to perform in Antarctica for an audience of scientists while working with Greenpeace to raise awareness about global warming. However, the group was unable to make the flight from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica due to poor weather. Instead, Wentz and Stump went on to break the world record for the most interviews conducted by a duo in a 24-hour period, setting the mark at seventy-four. To promote the album after its release, Fall Out Boy embarked on an extensive tour schedule, with concerts across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe and Asia. It began with the 2007 Honda Civic Tour with Paul Wall, +44, The Academy Is..., and Cobra Starship. The tour was originally planned to begin on April 18, 2007, but the band decided to postpone the date until May 11, citing health issues and exhaustion. Wentz stated "It's a health issue, but not a health issue that anyone needs to worry about. It's not life-threatening, it's more about being overworked and worn down." Wentz described the tour as "our biggest show ever", with Stump adding that "We've been working really hard to make this show look and sound the best it's ever been for Fall Out Boy." For a Kiss-inspired fan contest, Wentz's brother created prints of images based on the record, created with ink mixed with the band members' blood. The band gave away prints to winners at every stop on the Honda Civic Tour. Wentz hoped that the contest would serve to "[shed] some light on the much-needed support for blood drives." The band also headlined the Young Wild Things Tour, an international arena tour featuring Gym Class Heroes, Plain White T's and Cute Is What We Aim For. Of the thirty one dates, twenty nine were in the US with two in Canada. The tour was inspired by Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are, and included sets designed by artist Rob Dobi containing images from the book. Commenting on the decision to incorporate elements from the book, Wentz explained "Where the Wild Things Are is a great narrative. It encapsulates pretty much every FOB song ever written: You know, tantrums and monster islands and all." ==Singles==

Four songs were released as singles from the album's fourteen tracks, of which three charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 and all reaching international charts. Infinity on High was spurred on by the lead single "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", which became the highest-charting song for band and their first to chart worldwide. Wentz commented on the band's decision to pick "This Ain't a Scene..." as a single, saying "There may be other songs on the record that would be bigger radio hits, but this one had the right message." where it stayed at that position for two consecutive weeks, spending nine weeks in the top ten. The single sold 162,000 digital downloads in its opening week, breaking various music industry records and becoming the highest debut of 2007. With this total it was the largest opening-week tally for a group since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital sales in 2003 and set a new record for the highest bow for a band since radio only titles joined the chart in 1998. It reached the two-million sales mark week ending December 27, 2009 in the US. Its highest charting was in Australia where it peaked at number three on the Australian ARIA chart and achieved Platinum status in the region. In New Zealand, the UK, Canada and Ireland "Thnks fr th Mmrs" reached the top twenty. ""The Take Over, the Breaks Over"" was released in August 2007 in the US as the third single and failed to chart on the Hot 100, although it did reach number 48 on the UK Singles Chart, with its highest position at number seventeen in Australia, becoming the third consecutive top twenty hit from Infinity on High in that region. The fourth and last single, "I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)" managed to reach number 68 in the US and made the top 30 in Australia. "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" was not an official single but it was released online by the band before Infinity's release and was later given as an exclusive download to iTunes; it managed to reach number eighty-one on the Hot 100. ==Critical reception==

Critical response for Infinity on High was generally positive, with many praising Stump's vocals and the album's new musical direction. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly commended the band's "new sense of swing" on its R&B-influenced songs and noted that Stump "has evolved into a superb frontman." Dave de Silva of Sputnikmusic agreed about Stump's new vocal style, saying that "his tone is smoother and more well-rounded, he’s cut out the borderline screechy high-end which made parts of the previous album unlistenable and, though occasionally still nasally, his tones are far more varied and adaptable to different styles" as well as calling Wentz' lyrics "as sharp as ever". Aaron Burgess of The A.V. Club enjoyed the disc's new pop direction and felt that the songs that were more typical of Fall Out Boy's original sound, such as "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" undermined the album's potential. Sven Philipp of Billboard called Infinity on High a "shamelessly melodic, wild and powerful pop record" and referred to Stump as the album's "true surprise". The album was ranked No. 38 on Q's 50 Best Albums of 2007. However, some critics felt that the album was overly ambitious and that the band's musical departure may alienate listeners. Chad Grischow of IGN felt that the album's dramatic hooks seem "bloated" at times: "The band does a great of focusing on what they do best, but the album does drown itself a bit with all the overwhelming enormity of it all." Barry Nicholson of NME found the number of guest producers to be unnecessary and disliked some of the songs, but admired the album's "infectious" nature. ==Commercial performance==

Infinity on High was a major commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 260,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. As of February 2013, Infinity has sold 1.4 million copies in the US. It was the band's first US number one album and second consecutive top ten effort, as its previous release, From Under the Cork Tree, peaked at number nine. In its second week, it fell to number five on the Billboard 200, selling 119,000 copies with a 54% decline during a post-Grammy week. The album rose to number three in its third week with 79,000 units sold. In its fourth week, the disc slipped to number four and sold 67,000 copies. Infinity on Highs sales again fell in its fifth week, moving 58,000 copies and descending to number eight on the chart. In its sixth and last week in the top ten it fell to number nine and sold 43,000 copies. In April 2007, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting the shipment of one million copies. It finished the year at number twenty-one on IFPI's list of the "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums of 2007". The album also charted inside the top five worldwide, making it the band's most successful and breakthrough album internationally. Infinity on High charted all over Europe, debuting at number eight on Billboard's European Albums chart. It remained on the Australian chart for a total of fifty weeks, Infinity on High debuted at number one in New Zealand, and remained at the top position for six consecutive weeks, logging a total of thirty-seven chart weeks, making it the fifth longest chart sitter on the New Zealand charts in 2007. After marking its first twelve weeks in the top ten, it went on to spend a combined total of twenty-six weeks inside the top twenty and received a Platinum accreditation from the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for 15,000 shipments. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number three with 64,054 first week sales and made nine weeks in the top twenty, being certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for 300,000 units shipped. It went on to sell 446,807 in the UK to date January 2015. The album debuted at number two in Canada with 21,000 first week sales. Infinity was certified Platinum by Music Canada for shipments of 100,000 units. In Ireland, the record peaked at number six according to the Irish Recorded Music Association with fourteen weeks within the top twenty, and also went Platinum there. After entering the French albums chart at number 64, Infinity on High reached its peak of number 17 and held on for 64 weeks in the top 150. ==Track listing==

Original release Australian/New Zealand tour edition bonus DVD Deluxe edition ==Personnel==

Fall Out Boy • Andy Hurley • Patrick Stump • Joe Trohman • Pete Wentz Guest artists • Jay-Z – Intro and outro in "Thriller" • Ryan Ross – guitar solo in "The Take Over, the Breaks Over" • Chad Gilbert – guitar solo in "The Take Over, the Breaks Over" • Butch Walker – guest vocalist in "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave"; crowd vocals on "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", "Hum Hallelujah", and "Bang the Doldrums" • Sofia Toufa – crowd vocals on "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", "Hum Hallelujah", and "Bang the Doldrums" • Lindsey Blaufarb – crowd vocals on "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", "Hum Hallelujah", and "Bang the Doldrums" • Babyface – B3 organ on "I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)" and mandolin on "Thnks fr th Mmrs" • Ron Lewis – string arrangements on "Thnks fr th Mmrs" • The Movement Orchestra – strings on "Thnks fr th Mmrs" • Los Angeles Master Chorale – crowd vocals in "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave" • Ken Wiley – French horn • Nick Lane – bass trombone • Darrell Leonard – euphonium, horn arrangements on "The (After) Life of the Party" and "I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers" • Guy Bettison – pan flute Design • Nate Newell and Liz Roth – styling • Louis Marino – art direction • Chuck Anderson – illustration and design • Pamela Litty – photography Production • Neal Avron – producer, recording, mixing • Babyface – producer on tracks: 4 and 7 • Butch Walker, Patrick Stump – producers on "Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?" • Erich Talaba – additional engineering • Zeph Sowers, Scott Riebling – assistant recording • Tom Lord-Alge – mixing on tracks: 4 and 7 • George Gumbs – mixing assistant • Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York City ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==