Fall Out Boy Pay Tribute to Chicago in ‘Centuries’ Video
Fall Out Boy have paid tribute to their home city of Chicago in the “hyperlapse edition” of the video for “Centuries,” the anthemic first single from their as-yet-untitled sixth album. For about four minutes, a camera zooms through the Windy City, like a punk version of Koyaanisqatsi, displaying it in black and white (with red and blue tinges) as Lake Michigan swells around it and traffic throbs in its streets; it ends with a little promo graffiti on a Chicago wall. The group has promised to issue the song’s official video soon.
“The idea of the song is a David versus Goliath story,” bassist Pete Wentz told DIY about the song. “When we were growing up, it was like, ‘We’ll never be U2 because we’re from the suburbs of Chicago and nothing happens here,’ but the idea now is to inspire that kid – you can be the person up onstage and it’s only the power of your belief that is going to get you there.”
Regarding the “doo-doo-doo” vocal hook that the group borrowed from Suzanne Vega’s 1987 hit “Tom’s Diner,” Wentz told Radio.com that the group wanted to “re-inject” the iconic melody into pop culture. The group’s label-mate Lolo sang the hook. “I feel like it was so ubiquitous when we were kids,” frontman Patrick Stump said of Vega’s tune. “I mean, that song was absolutely everywhere and it just kind of disappeared. I haven’t heard it in a minute. And I was like that’s a shame. That was such an amazing song. I would love for that to get some kind of tip of the hat.”
Wentz told DIY that the group had written most of the upcoming album and had recorded about half of it. He estimated they would be done with it early next year.