Maps of Music

Take This to Your Grave (2003)

Where the lyrics of Take This to Your Grave take you, and where it was really made.

The debut was recorded in nine days on a budget far below what the label had put up, and the cover that became iconic was only the band's second choice.

Key places

Smart Studios in Madison: main recording site (2003)

Recording site Smart Studios — The band returned to Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin to record most of the debut album with Sean O'Keefe. The listed coordinates are for the studio's position in the candidate data. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Gravity Studios in Chicago: recording and mixing (2003)

Recording site Chicago Recording Company — Gravity Studios in Chicago is listed as one of the recording locations and as the place where the album was mixed. The point is placed at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Rosebud Studios in Skokie: recording site (2003)

Recording site Rosebud Studios — Rosebud Studios in Skokie, Illinois is listed among the recording sites, next to Smart Studios and Gravity Studios. The point is placed at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Take This to Your Grave is the debut studio album by the American rock band Fall Out Boy
• Released May 6, 2003 by Fueled by Ramen in the United States
• The only album the band released on that label; they signed to Island Records after it came out
• The band returned to Fueled by Ramen for its 2023 album So Much (for) Stardust
• Three singles came from the album, including the minor success 'Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy'
• Often named a vital blueprint for 2000s pop-punk

Background

• Fall Out Boy formed in 2001 in Wilmette, Illinois, by friends Pete Wentz and Joe Trohman
• Wentz had been a visible figure in the Chicago hardcore punk scene of the late 1990s, including the band Arma Angelus
• An early demo was recorded in Wisconsin and released as Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend
• John Janick of Fueled by Ramen heard an early version of a song online and cold-called the band
• Island Records offered a deal under which Fueled by Ramen released the debut as a one-off before the band moved to Island
• The album was made while the band was still building a fanbase, and the label investment did not bring immediate success
• The band toured across the country, including five days on Warped Tour 2004

Recording

• Sean O'Keefe had helped with the band's demo, and the band returned to Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin to record most of the album with him
• Recorded seven new songs in nine days and combined them with three songs from the demo
• Living on a stranger's floor for part of the time and running out of money halfway through
• Island Records put up a $40,000 investment, but the album was completed for roughly $18,000
• Wentz and Stump argued heavily over lyrics, and O'Keefe recalled ten revisions for one song

Cover

• The blue-tinted cover shows the four members on a broken futon, with their names printed above
• The tint recalls jazz records and nods to classic Blue Note jazz covers
• The original cover was rejected by Fueled by Ramen, and this image was the second choice
• Photographer Ryan Bakerink shot it in Wentz's bedroom, which the band turned into a set

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in 2001 in Wilmette, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
• Pete Wentz and Joe Trohman began it as a pop-punk side project; Patrick Stump joined shortly after.
• Andy Hurley became the drummer after several earlier drummers.

Members

• Current members: Patrick Stump (lead vocals, guitar), Pete Wentz (bass), Joe Trohman (guitar), Andy Hurley (drums).
• Wentz writes the lyrics and Stump is the primary composer.

Career

• The debut album Take This to Your Grave (2003) became an underground success through heavy touring.
• From Under the Cork Tree (2005) brought mainstream success with the singles "Sugar, We're Goin Down" and "Dance, Dance", and earned a Best New Artist Grammy nomination.
• Infinity on High (2007) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• After a hiatus from 2009 to 2012, the band returned with Save Rock and Roll (2013), its second number-one album.
• American Beauty/American Psycho (2015) and Mania (2018) also reached number one on the Billboard 200.
• So Much (for) Stardust (2023) marked a return to guitar-driven material.

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone praised the band's knack for mixing caffeinated, up-tempo tunes with sensitive, tortured lyrics
• Rolling Stone said the rest was run-of-the-mill material, similar to what other Warped Tour acts offered
• AllMusic's Johnny Loftus described the album as a "spectacular debut art project" and a smart collection of emo-influenced pop-punk tunes

Reappraisal

• Retrospective reviews have been very positive
• Alternative Press called the album a subcultural touchstone and a magical, transcendent and deceptively smart pop-punk masterpiece
• Rolling Stone placed the album at number 5 on its 50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums list in 2017
• Gigwise called it an almost flawless slice of pop-punk with just the right amount of sincerity, cynicism and pop-culture references
• Collider placed the album at the top of its 2025 list of 10 pop-punk albums that are amazing from start to finish
• Sputnikmusic gave a good review, saying the album is not original but feels personal and easy to enjoy
• AbsolutePunk praised the album, with the reviewer saying everything on it is done perfectly

Records

• Debuted on the US Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart at No. 31 in the week ending March 6, 2004
• Peaked at No. 11 on the Heatseekers chart in the week ending January 15, 2005
• Spent twenty-eight weeks on the Heatseekers chart in total
• Reached No. 96 on the UK albums chart in February 2006
• Sold 200,000 to 300,000 copies before the band signed with Island
• Certified gold by the RIAA in 2006 for shipments of 500,000 copies
• Sold over 553,000 copies by January 2007
• Passed 634,000 sales by the week ending August 24, 2008, according to Billboard
• Certified gold by the BPI in 2013 for over 100,000 shipments

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The opening track's chorus came out of many arguments between Wentz and Stump, and Wentz threw out all of Stump's lyrics for the first time in the recording process
• Stump particularly disliked the a cappella opening of 'Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy', which was O'Keefe's idea
• The original album cover was rejected, and the blue-tinted image that became the cover was the second choice
• During one Warped Tour 2004 date, the stage collapsed under the large crowd after only three songs, and the band finished with an a cappella performance
• Listening stations at Hot Topic helped move copies of the album
• A 2005 re-release, Take This to Your Grave: Director's Cut, added a dance remix and a cover of The Police's 'Roxanne'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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