Song
Released: September 5, 2005Genre: Emo, Pop Punk
Length: 3:49
Label: Island/Def Jam
Producer(s): Neal Avron
History
"Sugar, We're Goin Down" would rise and fall in inconsistent patterns. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 2, 2005, at #93. Ten weeks later, on September 17, 2005, the song entered the top 10 at #8, giving Fall Out Boy their first top 10 single. At this point, the song did not have much airplay but had relied on the strength of downloads alone, and they experienced a sales surge following their performance at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.[citation needed]Following this download surge, however, downloads fell, and the song dropped to #15 the following week. During this time, though, mainstream radio support kicked in, and while downloads were falling, airplay was able to help stabilize the song. As a result, the song rose in the following weeks to be at either position #10 or #11. The single peaked at #2 on Hot Digital Songs and its airplay peak was #19 on the Hot 100 Airplay; it also peaked at #1 on Hot Digital Tracks.
On the Pop charts, "Sugar, We're Goin Down" displayed a slightly better performance. With the same digital download stats, but with an airplay panel to their advantage, the song reached a peak position of #6 on the Pop 100 with its component airplay, Pop 100 Airplay, being #6. In terms of total spins versus total impressions, the single also peaked at #6 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart.
In the UK, the song first charted on January 21, 2006, hitting outside of the Top 20 at #24. However, it appeared again on the charts in February, and entered the chart in the Top 10, at its peak position, #8. It remained in the UK Top 75 for seventeen weeks.
Music video
The video for "Sugar, We're Goin Down", directed by Matt Lenski, deals with surreal elements as it stars a boy with antlers. The first part shows the town rejecting him because of the antlers, with an example of this rejection being a little boy throwing things on the antlers, then giving him the finger. He then meets a girl, who seems to like him. The video intercuts between shots of Fall Out Boy performing, and the antler-headed boy and the girl together, on innocent dates. The girl's father disapproves of him because of the deer antlers. The boy then decides to try and cut off his antlers but is saved by the girl. Later on, the father tries to shoot the boy with an arrow, but he (the father) gets hit by a car. The camera follows a trail of arrows to show the antler-headed boy beside the man lying on the ground. The antlered boy is startled to find out that the man has deer feet. The man then accepts the antler boy and his daughter together, and the video ends. It has been described as a "warped fairytale love story" by members of the band. The music video turned out to be a hit and became their first to retire on Total Request Live.Another version of the video exists, and has been played on some UK and Australian music channels. The video simply features the footage of the band playing from the main video, added to footage of the band's live performances and tour movies. This version won the "MTV2 Award" at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.
Lyrics
Am I more than you bargained for yetIve been dying to tell you anything you want to hear
Cause thats just who I am this week
Lie in the grass next to the mausoleum
Im just a notch in your bedpost
But you're just a line in a song
(A notch in your bedpost, but you're just a line in a song)
Drop a heart and break a name
Were always sleeping in, and sleeping for the wrong team
Were going down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, were going down swinging
Ill be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it
Were going down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, were going down swinging
Ill be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it
Is this more than you bargained for yet
Oh don't mind me I'm watching you two from the closet
Wishing to be the friction in your jeans
Isnt it messed up how Im just dying to be him
Im just a notch in your bedpost
But you're just a line in a song
(Notch in your bedpost, but you're just a line in a song)
Drop a heart, break a name
Were always sleeping in, and sleeping for the wrong team
Were going down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, were going down swinging
Ill be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it
Were going down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, were going down swinging
Ill be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it
Down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, were going down swinging
Ill be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it
Were going down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, were going down swinging
Ill be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it
Were going down, down
(Down, down)
Down, down
(Down, down)
We're going down, down
(Down, down)
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it
Were going down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, were going down swinging
Ill be your number one with a bullet
A loaded gun complex, cock it and pull it