"Cupid's Chokehold" (also known as "Cupid's Chokehold / Breakfast in America") is a single performed by Gym Class Heroes, featuring Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy. The song relies heavily on the music, chorus and famous spoken "ba ba da da" line from Supertramp's hit song "Breakfast in America". It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on the Billboard Pop 100, #3 on the UK Singles Chart, and #3 on the Canadian Hot 100. It was first released in 2005 on The Papercut Chronicles, and re-recorded for their album As Cruel as School Children (which was re-released on November 4, 2006 with "Cupid's Chokehold" as an additional track). There are two music videos for this song, one for each version. The second version includes female backing vocals which are not included in version one. The second version of the video does contain the backing vocals of the first video. However, the female voice is integrated into the chorus behind Patrick Stump's vocals. The song has been featured on Discover and Download and Total Request Live.

Several versions were produced. The most common one features slow tempo and female backing vocals while the other one has a quicker tempo and Patrick Stump does backing vocals, along with Ookla the Mok's Rand Bellavia.

The song won an ASCAP award on April 9, 2008 for being one of the most played songs in ASCAPs repertory from the 4th Quarter 2006 through the 4th Quarter 2007.

As of September 2011, the song has sold 1,936,000 digital downloads.^[1]

Chart positions[link]

End of year charts[link]

Music videos[link]

[edit] The Papercut Chronicles version

The first version of the "Cupid's Chokehold" video directed by Andrew Paul Bowser for the album The Papercut Chronicles features MC Travis McCoy working at a toy factory. While working, he stumbles upon a "prototype toy" which turns out to be a life-size doll. The doll acts as McCoy's girlfriend in the video and fulfills his every wish.

However, she eventually becomes tired of being exploited and expresses this in a humorous scene where the two are playing Scrabble (she spells out the words 'krush', 'kill', and 'destroy'). The doll then begins to malfunction, and McCoy has no choice but to destroy her. He pushes her off a bridge, and she appears to be dead. At the end of the video, she is awakened by Patrick Stump, who also appears to be a robot. The two fall in love and walk down the road together.

[edit] As Cruel as School Children version

The second version of the "Cupid's Chokehold" is the official video directed by Alan Ferguson for the album As Cruel as School Children and is a more literal interpretation of the lyrics of the song. The second version is more widely recognized because music networks such as MTV and VH1 play this version instead of the original, and because the original does not appear on iTunes. The video begins with a dancing Cupid, played by a young Princeton (Jacob Alexander Emmanuel Perez) from Mindless Behavior, who shoots McCoy with a love arrow as he passes a girl. Patrick Stump can be seen watching from behind a newspaper as this happens. The two are madly in love at first, but as the video moves forward, the two begin fighting, and their relationship meets its end when McCoy's girlfriend walks in on him and his friends gambling. Cupid tries a second time to get McCoy into a relationship. This time, McCoy's girlfriend is more romantically involved with McCoy, but she becomes increasingly angry when he invites his friends to a party her parents are hosting. The relationship ends when McCoy comes home to find his girlfriend on top of a masked man in a compromising position. He proceeds to beat up the guy. McCoy's final relationship is with one of his fans in the audience at one of the band's performances (played by McCoy's then-girlfriend, Katy Perry). Initially, she went up to him when they were at a bar. This time the relationship works out, and Cupid does not have to shoot McCoy with an arrow even though he attempts to at first. However, Cupid himself gets shot with an arrow by a female Cupid, and the video closes with the two of them dancing together with McCoy & Perry watching from in front. (Cupid also dances several times before the ending). Musically, this version has the word Girlfriend repeated constantly in the background not found in other versions of the song exclusive to the video.

In this version of the music video, when McCoy and his friends are interrupting his girlfriend's party, McCoy raps a small part of "Wejusfreestylin Pt. 2" from The Papercut Chronicles.

Release history[link]

References[link]

1. ^ http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/74414/week-ending-sept-18-2011-songs-tony-sets-a-record/
2. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Gym Class Heroes – Cupid's Chokehold". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien.
3. ^ "Gym Class Heroes – Cupid's Chokehold – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien.
4. ^ "Gym Class Heroes Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Gym Class Heroes. Prometheus Global Media.
5. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200738 into search.
6. ^ "Gym Class Heroes – Cupid's Chokehold Hitlisten.nu" (in Danish). Tracklisten. IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music Control.
7. ^ "Finnishcharts.com – Gym Class Heroes – Cupid's Chokehold". Suomen virallinen lista. Hung Medien.
8. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
9. ^ "Chart Track". Irish Singles Chart. Irish Recorded Music Association.
10. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Gym Class Heroes – Cupid's Chokehold". Top Digital Download. Hung Medien.
11. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Gym Class Heroes search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40.
12. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Gym Class Heroes – Cupid's Chokehold". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien.
13. ^ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200735 into search.
14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Gym Class Heroes – Cupid's Chokehold". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien.
15. ^ "Gym Class Heroes – Cupid's Chokehold – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien.
16. ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company.
17. ^ "Gym Class Heroes Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Gym Class Heroes. Prometheus Global Media.
18. ^ "Gym Class Heroes Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Gym Class Heroes. Prometheus Global Media.
19. ^ "Gym Class Heroes Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Gym Class Heroes. Prometheus Global Media.
20. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Year-End 2007". http://www.billboard.com/features/best-of-2009-the-year-in-charts-more-1004052398.story#/charts-year-end/hot-100-songs?year=2007&begin=21&order=position. Retrieved 2012-04-15. 

Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump performing with Fall Out Boy in Noblesville, Indiana on June 13, 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Patrick Martin Stumph
Born	(1984-04-27) April 27, 1984 (age 28) Evanston Illinois
Genres	Pop rock, pop punk, alternative rock, synthpop, R&B, funk
Occupations	Musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, drums, percussion, keyboard, trombone, saxophone, trumpet, synthesizer, mandolin, guitalele
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Island, Nervous Breakdance Media
Associated acts	Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, Panic! at the Disco, Arma Angelus
Website	patrickstump.com
Notable instruments
Gibson SG, Gretsch Electromatic Stump-O-Matic Corvette

Patrick Vaughn Stump (born Patrick Martin Stumph on April 27, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He was the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is now a solo artist. Stump has been credited for being a soulful vocalist^[1] suitable for R&B,^[2] as well as one of the best voices in pop punk, according to Billboard.^[3] With Fall Out Boy he placed singles in the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and their 2007 album Infinity on High reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with two more albums peaking in the top 10. The band toured extensively since their early days and have performed over 1300 shows since their inception in 2001. He has collaborated with an extensive lists of artists and has produced albums for other artists including Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes.

Since Fall Out Boy's late 2009 hiatus he embarked on a solo project and released his debut solo album, Soul Punk, on October 18, 2011; on which he wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, as well as handling production and self-funding it. It served as an outlet for the music that he could not make with Fall Out Boy; he intends for the band to make more music in the future, but without set parameters. A remix of "This City" was released as the first single to iTunes and a music video has been created. Soul Punk garnered a generally positive critical reception, with critics praising Stump's musical direction, musicianship and creativity.

Stump released his debut 6-song EP titled Truant Wave on 22 February 2011.^[4] His solo work is a major musical departure from the pop punk sound of Fall Out Boy. His influence by Michael Jackson and Prince among many other artists is evident through his soulful electronic sound, which he coined as "soul punk" and "smart pop". He has toured in the US and played some dates in Europe in support of Soul Punk and Truant Wave. He supported Panic! at the Disco on their month-long US fall tour that began on October 9, 2011.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Stump was born in Evanston, Illinois to David Stumph, a folk singer, and Patricia Vaughn. He grew up in Glenview, Illinois and attended Glenbrook South High School. Stump's parents split up when he was eight. He has a younger sister named Megan, and an older brother named Kevin who is an accomplished violinist.^[5] Stump is a self-taught guitarist and musician who has said he is obsessed with Prince and David Bowie. His musical idols growing up also included Michael Jackson, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and Nat King Cole.^[6] He originally played the drums in various local suburban Chicago power violence and hardcore punk bands,^[7] most notably Xgrinding processX, Patterson and for two shows in Arma Angelus.^{[citation needed]} Stump lives in his hometown of Chicago and for work purposes spends a lot of time in a house he owns in Los Angeles.^[8]

With Fall Out Boy (2001–2009)[link]

Current Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman met Patrick Stump at a Borders bookstore over a mutual interest, and he introduced Stump to bassist Pete Wentz. Despite originally auditioning as the drummer for Fall Out Boy, and having no previous experience singing in a band nor a single singing lesson, Stump became the somewhat reluctant lead singer after his extensive vocal range and ability was discovered. Several lineup changes were to follow, after which he began playing rhythm guitar for the band when a guitar player quit only days before the band's first tour.^[5] As the group does not have specific guitar roles, Trohman and Stump switch between lead and rhythm guitar in recording sessions and at live shows, although Stump views himself as more of a rhythm guitarist because of his drumming background. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary composer for the band, with bassist Pete Wentz taking lyrical duties.

Following a 2002 Split EP with Project Rocket, the band's first mini-LP, Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend, was released in 2003 on Uprising Records, though they shortly left the label to sign to Fueled By Ramen. They released their first full-length album Take This To Your Grave in 2003. It has been credited with earning the band's first significant fan base, as well as some minor commercial success.

Fall Out Boy in concert. From left to right: Joe Trohman, Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump.

In 2003, Stump and his fellow band members went on to sign with Island Records, and released the acoustic-based EP My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue CD and DVD in 2004 to hold fans over while the group recorded their major label debut. The CD gave the band a Billboard 200 hit, charting at No. 153. This was followed by their third studio album, From Under The Cork Tree in 2005, which was the band's mainstream breakthrough. It has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA, with a sales total of more than 2.5 million. It debuted and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, becoming the band's first top 10 album. The chart topping lead single "Sugar, We're Goin Down" reached No. 8 on the Hot 100 and received heavy airplay rotation at Pop and Alternative radio. The album's second single, "Dance, Dance", also enjoyed mainstream success, peaking at No. 9 on the Hot 100 and becoming Fall Out Boy's second top 10 hit. It won various awards and was certified platinum. The band heavily toured in 2005 and 2006 in support of From Under the Cork Tree. Fall Out Boy was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy Award in 2005.

Fall Out Boy's fourth studio effort, Infinity on High, was released to major chart success in 2007. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 260,000 sales, becoming the group's first No. 1 album and second top 10 release. It also debuted atop other various Billboard charts and charted in the top five worldwide. Infinity was spurred on by the lead single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", which hit No. 2. "Thnks fr th Mmrs", the second single from the album, peaked at No. 11.

The band's most recent album, Folie à Deux, was released in December 2008.^[9] Its sales were less than stellar in comparison to Infinity on High, but gave the band its third consecutive top 10 album, debuting and peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 150,000 opening week sales. The lead single, "I Don't Care", landed at No. 21 on the Hot 100 and went Platinum. Stump recalled that he was overindulgent on the record, feeling that he pushed the band in a direction they may not have wanted to go.

The band was the opening act for Blink-182's reunion tour in 2009. They released their first greatest hits album, Believers Never Die - Greatest Hits, later that year, featuring all of their previous single releases, two new songs, including the single "Alpha Dog", and two rarities. In late 2009 the band took an indefinite break to "decompress," with the band members embarking on various side projects, with Stump going solo, Trohman and Hurley forming heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things, and Wentz starting the electropop/experimental group Black Cards.

Solo project (2010–present)[link]

In January 2010 Patrick Stump announced that he was working on a self-written, -performed and -produced solo album. He also debuted his slimmed down look which was a complete departure from his Fall Out Boy image. Later during that year he leaked the title of Soul Punk, which was released on October 18, 2011.^[10][11]

Stump explained that he named the album Soul Punk because he wanted to contribute to the musical vernacular of both. "I'm just as pissed off as I was while screaming in punk bands, but I feel like I'm directing it into something positive and centered around love." He has created a video on his website that shows him playing numerous instruments, starting with drum kit then adding more such as synthesizer, cowbell, electric guitar and bass, amongst others.^[10] He has already performed a few songs live at his debut solo performance, at SXSW 2010 in Austin, Texas, including "As Long As I Know I'm Getting Paid" and "Love, Selfish Love", that may have originally been off his upcoming solo album, but have since been included as a part of his solo debut EP, Truant Wave.^[12]

On November 29, 2010, Stump put up on his website two different versions of his debut song, "Spotlight". One is called "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)", and the other is called "Spotlight (New Regrets)", with download links for both songs. Stump claims after months he still could not decide which version he liked better and asked his fans to vote in the poll, also on his website, for the version of the single they liked better and wanted to see on the album. The polls closed leaning toward "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)",^[13] however Stump has since decided to include "Spotlight (New Regrets)" on Soul Punk and put "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" on his debut EP, Truant Wave, claiming that the votes were too close and that he felt as if "Oh Nostalgia basically needed its own record", building Truant Wave around it.^[14] In early 2011 Stump put up a poll asking which song he should do an a cappella cover of next.

Stump released the first EP of his solo career, Truant Wave, digitally on February 22, 2011, through his own record label, Nervous Breakdance Media.^[15] The extended play consisted of songs Stump "felt strongly about but didn't have place for within the narrative of Soul Punk" and includes special guest artists Alph-A-Bit, Om’mas Keith of Sa-Ra, David-Andrew 'D.A.' Wallach of Chester French, and Driis.^[16] On June 9, he released the EP on a 12" vinyl.

On April 6, 2011, Stump contributed an unreleased song, entitled "Saturday Night Again" to the album Download To Donate: Japan Tsunami Relief.^[17][18]

On May 6, 2011, Stump updated his website and also posted to his Facebook and Twitter, announcing "I feel like I'm gonna explode 5.9.11" with a link which led to a video called "Tsar bomba", which was a video of a bomb explosion. The "I feel like I'm gonna explode" phrase came from his song "Explode", which Stump premiered at his live show and ended up on Soul Punk. "Explode" was released on May 9, 2011. NyMag.com commented that the song is "heavily indebted to Michael Jackson and, in good news for FOB loyalists, not totally unlike Stump's old band".^[19] The song's video caption read "Soul Punk: coming late Summer".

On June 27, 2011, Stump wrote on his Facebook and Twitter page, "Tuesday".^[20] The next day (the Tuesday he was referring to), Stump released a remix of a Soul Punk track, "This City", featuring rapper Lupe Fiasco. On July 26, the remix was released as the album's first single to iTunes.

During the production of Soul Punk, Stump contributed a cover of Buddy Holly's "Everyday" to the 2011 tribute album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly^[21][22] to a positive reception. Victoria Asher provided backing vocals.^[23] Stump and the album's contributing artists performed at the tribute event at the Music Box Theater.^[24] It has been revealed that Stump is currently working on a track with Craig Mabbitt and TJ Bell of Escape the Fate.

Decision to stop supporting his solo album[link]

In a blog post in February 2012 after disappearing from the internet, Stump mentioned that he will halt performing. He stated that the relentless criticism he has received from Soul Punk and Fall Out Boy's latest release, Folie à Deux, was "some big cosmic sign that says I should disappear" and that although he was prepared for criticism, he was not prepared to accept that people who ostensibly supported something he was involved in would turn into "haters" and attack his ambition and slimmed down image. He went on to write "It’s tempting to say I won’t ever play/tour/record again, but I think that’s probably just pent up poor-me emotional pessimism talking."^[25]

On May 20, he returned to blog and offer an explanation of his lack of updates and his final decision on his music career. Confirming by saying: "I won’t ever quit music, I just may not release some of my own for a little bit" and that he may tour to support Soul Punk in the future. He says that in the last 6 months of going silent he has taken acting classes and co-written and collaborated with other musicians. These collaborations include: Kat Graham,^[26] Poreotics,^[27] Amountboyz,^[28][29] The King Blues, Escape The Fate, All Time Low, Before You Exit, and Yellowcard.^{[citation needed]}

Music projects[link]

As a producer, along with a handful of Fall Out Boy tracks, Stump has worked with The Hush Sound on Like Vines, Gym Class Heroes on As Cruel As School Children and Cobra Starship on ¡Viva La Cobra!. He also produced the song "Little Weapon" on Lupe Fiasco's The Cool.^[30] He was featured in a song by hip-hop group The Roots on their 2008 album Rising Down. In 2008, he executive- and co-produced The Cab's Whisper War and Gym Class Heroes' The Quilt, as well as several tracks on Tyga's No Introduction.

In addition to producing albums, Stump has also remixed various tracks for soundtracks or special releases. Among various others, he made a "Queen Of Apology" remix for The Sounds on the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack, a remix of the Fall Out Boy single "Dance, Dance" available on the "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" EP, a "Sugar, We're Goin Down" remix on Fall Out Boy's From Under the Cork Tree special edition release, and "Pace Yourself" for The Higher on their album, On Fire. He also remixed Good Charlotte's "Little Things" for their remix compilation, Greatest Remixes.

Stump also created his own version of the theme song for The CW's TV series, One Tree Hill. Stump's version was featured on the third episode of season 8, The Space in Between.

Stump provided a song for Season 5 Episode 3 Big Trouble in Little Clerks 2 of Adult Swim's Robot Chicken in which he parodied James Cameron's Avatar.

Non-musical projects[link]

In January 2008, Stump was a guest star on the television crime-drama Law & Order. He appeared in the Season 18 two-hour premiere as Marty Dressler, a lowly employee of an electrical company, who is suspected in the kidnapping of the wife and daughter of an executive. The episode, "Darkness", aired on January 2, 2008, on NBC. There was a rumor that he was not paid for this episode, but he has debunked that and said that he was paid well for his appearance.^[31][32][33]

Stump made a short film in 2009 called Moustachette^[34][35] which has been shown at film festivals. It was released online in September 2011.^[36]

On February 1, 2009, Gretsch released the G5135PS Electromatic Stump-O-Matic Signature Guitar, based on their model body with personal stylings by Patrick Stump such as a "kill switch" and stripes. Also, Stump signed and gave away two of his signature guitars that he used to record Fall Out Boy's fifth album, Folie à Deux. He has another Stump-O-Matic with white and silver stripes, which he used for most of the guitar recording on Soul Punk and at his solo concerts.^[37]

Stump appeared as a guest with Daryl Hall from Hall and Oates on 'Live from Daryl's House', playing guitar on several of Hall and Oates' own songs, as well as on a couple of Fall Out Boy selections, such as "Sugar, We're Goin Down" and "I Don't Care" and, additionally, performing as a drummer/vocalist on a version of "Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year" at the same show.^[38]

He also guest starred on House in the episode "We Need the Eggs" (season 8, episode 17) which aired on April 16, 2012.^[39]

Discography[link]

As a solo artist

Studio albums

• Soul Punk (2011)^[11] (Billboard 200 No 47, UK chart peak No. 143)^[40]

Extended plays

• Truant Wave (2011)^[16] (Billboard 200 No. 67)

With Fall Out Boy

• Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend (2003)
• Take This to Your Grave (2003)
• My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue (2004)
• From Under the Cork Tree (2005)
• Infinity on High (2007)
• Live in Phoenix (2008)
• Folie à Deux (2008)

With other artists (selected list)

Solo tour[link]

Stump played twelve small shows around the United States in support of Soul Punk and Truant Wave. He visited Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The tour began on April 3, 2011 in Chicago and ended on April 15 in California. It was his first tour as a solo artist. Tours were also scheduled in London, UK (2 dates); Paris, France and Koln, Germany.^[41] His five-piece backing band consists of bassist Matt Rubano (formerly of Taking Back Sunday), guitarist Michael Day, keyboardist/saxophonist Casey Benjamin (who has performed with Mos Def and Q-Tip), and drummer Skoota Warner.^[42]

He performed in a sleek black tuxedo, white moon boots and fingerless leather gloves, and on some songs he played the electric guitar. His setlist varied from show to show, and premiered songs possibly from Soul Punk, such as "Explode", "Allie", "Cryptozoology" and "Everybody Wants Somebody", as well as covers including "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes, "All of the Lights" by Kayne West, "Kiss My Sass" by Cobra Starship, "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince. He played songs from Truant Wave as well as "Spotlight (New Regrets)" which he previously released as a 7" vinyl.

In May 2011, he was the opening act for Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae on their "Hooligans In Wondaland Tour" for four shows.

He began his second US tour (first full-headline tour) August 3, 2011. Prior to that he performed at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan on July 30.^[43] As part of his US tour he played Lollapalooza in Chicago.^[44]

He announced a month-long US fall tour in support of Panic! at the Disco. It began on October 9. After the tour, he headlined the Metro in Chicago. He has been a guest at many radio sponsored shows. Stump's TV guest appearances include Good Morning New Orleans, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Hoppus on Music.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Patrick Stump

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Patrick Stump

• Official Patrick Stump website
• Patrick Stump at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Fall Out Boy website
• Decaydance Records
• Island Records
• Fueled by Ramen
• FriendsOrEnemies.com
• Patrick Stump "In My Room" SPIN Dec. '08 Issue
• Patrick Stump playing with Daryl Hall at livefromdarylshouse.com