From Under the Cork Tree by Fall Out Boy

From Under the Cork Tree, Fall Out Boy's second album and their major-label debut, came out on Island on May 3, 2005, and it's the moment Fall Out Boy became a mainstream force. Neal Avron produced. Patrick Stump wrote the music and Pete Wentz wrote all the words, the same split they'd tried on some of Take This to Your Grave, and Wentz said the lyrics were about the worry and gloom that come with taking a hard look at your own life.

The sound is pop-punk supercharged: Stump's soulful, acrobatic voice wrapped around racing guitars from Stump and Joe Trohman, Wentz's bass and Andy Hurley's hard-hitting drums. "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" is a crackling, sing-along rush that bristles with nervous energy, "Dance, Dance" is a jittery, disco-punk strut, and "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More Touch Me" rides a cocky, bouncing swagger.

"Sugar, We're Goin' Down" and "Dance, Dance" both cracked the Hot 100's top 10, getting heavy play on pop and alternative radio alike, and the album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200, their first top 10 record. It went on to become their longest-charting and best-selling album: certified 5 times platinum in the US and over seven million sold worldwide. They toured hard behind it, and a special Black Clouds and Underdogs edition added new songs and remixes.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.