"Ain't It Fun" by Paramore, Monday, August 28, 2023 (repost)
Paramore's second album Riot! made the pop-punk emo band of late millennials famous with the summer Alternative Rock and pop radio hit "Misery Business," which is still arguably the band's signature hit. Usually, though, a band's signature hit is either their highest charting song or their located within the era of the band's commercial peak. However, seven years after the summer of "Misery Business," Paramore charted the highest with their 2014 final single from their eponymous record, "Ain't It Fun." This shift from emo to more conventional pop was in line with fellow bands Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco did as well. Just as the scene kids were growing up as every generation of rebellious rock 'n' roll had, "Ain't It Fun" is a song about growing up and realizing that the world isn't as easy as you once thought it was. It may not be punk-rock, but it's certainly still got some emo sentimentality.
WHERE YOU'RE FROM, YOU MIGHT BE THE ONE WHO'S RUNNIN' THINGS. Every Paramore record comes with its share of drama. In fact, the formation of the band was unorthodox. Hayley Williams signed a record deal with Atlantic Records at the age of 14, the label wanted her to be a pop star. Williams, however, wanted to be a rock singer. Williams formed Paramore with friend Zac Farro, who had played together in a group called The Factory. The band was signed to a niche, subsidiary label Fueled by Ramen, while Williams was signed to Atlantic Records. This uneven record deal was one of the controversies that kept changing band members over and over throughout the band's tenure. Issues between band members and resolutions made band membership like a revolving door. At the time of the band's self-titled album, drummer Zac Farro had departed when his brother Josh was ousted for writing a homophobic blog post. This is the time that Underoath and The Almost's Aaron Gillespie stepped in as the band's touring drummer. The video for "Ain't It Fun" features Williams, guitarist Taylor York, and bassist Jeremy Davis. Davis would leave the group due to a lawsuit for collecting royalties to "Ain't It Fun," which was based on a loop recorded by Taylor York. The drama from this album's touring cycle along with Williams' divorce from New Found Glory's lead vocalist Chad Gilbert would lead to the lyrical content of the band's 2017 record After Laughter.
IT'S EASY TO IGNORE TROUBLE, WHEN YOU'RE LIVIN' IN A BUBBLE. "Ain't It Fun" is a sarcastic song Williams wrote about herself. She called it a "kick in the butt" when she was missing her hometown of Franklin, Tennessee, after moving to Los Angeles. At first, I thought the song sounded a little mean-spirited when it says: "Don't go cryin' to your momma, 'cause you're all alone in the big world" and it doesn't help that a gospel choir is amplifying the bridge, almost mocking the listener of the song." However, the song takes on a different meaning knowing that Williams was writing to herself in the second person. We're often hardest on ourselves, and our inner second-person dialogue can be pretty harsh. Williams was 28 at the time of the move, and she felt that it was time to live away from the safety of her hometown. Even though she was a star, coming home to family can be difficult when you're away for such a long time. And even though you are making your own money, you feel that family is a safety net in case something doesn't work out. So many in this generation rely on their families for much longer than the previous generation. The effect of the economy's instability on the millennial workforce will have dire consequences on our future stability. There are so many millennials, even older than me, still relying on their parents. I feel anxious whenever I think about what if Korea doesn't work out or something happens that makes me go back to relying on my parents for a bit. I should be saving for retirement. I think about my parents who haven't saved for retirement just as many baby boomers haven't because they supported their millennial children for longer than their parents had supported them. And while it's kind of nice knowing that you can go and buy a cake and eat it for breakfast and not make your bed if you don't want to, growing up, you start to see the effects of your choices. And that ain't fun.
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