Welcome to the first edition of the Wichitan’s Song of the Week for the fall semester of 2024!In celebration of the start of the school year, this week’s pick is “Gives You Hell” by American rock band The All-American Rejects.
Released Sept. 30, 2008, as a single for their third studio album “When the World Comes Down,” “Gives You Hell” is a song about the feeling of frustration, anger, bitterness and revenge in relation to a relationship coming to an end or one that has ended.
They sing about the feeling of contentment knowing someone who wronged you is unhappy in the life they now live after you. They sing a different side of moving on. Whether it’s moving on from a toxic relationship or friendship, they sing about how much life is better without the other person and how they hope they are living in a type of “hell.”
Whatever the interpretation is, The All-American Rejects wrote the song to be the ultimate breakup song fueled by vindication and schadenfreude.
In “Gives You Hell,” The All-American Rejects took a different approach to songwriting. Rather than writing a song about a niche topic, they decided to write a song that tells a universally relatable story.
Formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma, The All-American Rejects is an American rock band consisting of four core members, lead vocalist and bassist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist Mike Kennerty and drummer Chris Gaylor.
The band is well known for several hits like “Dirty Little Secret” or “Gives You Hell” which won several awards, nominations and recognition.
The All-American Rejects’s early years were marked with intense changes and a meteoric rise to success in mainstream rock.
In 1999 while still in high school, Ritter and Wheeler formed the band and chose the name because they believed it sounded cool. In 2000, Ritter, Wheeler and newly added guitarist Jesse Tabish created a self-titled demo.
Then in 2001, the demo became a new EP called “Same Girl, New Songs,” which the band sent to Doghouse Records, earning them a record deal. Later towards the end of 2002, the band released their first ever single, “Swing, Swing,” and their debut studio album self-titled “The All-American Rejects.”
Following the debut of their album, the band began to look for new members to join as they were planning on doing a tour to promote the album. This led to the addition of Gaylor and Kennerty.
After different lineup changes and a switch from Doghouse Records to DreamWorks Records, their album peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. The lead single, “Swing, Swing” peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The band finally hit the road on their first headlining tour titled, the “Too Bad for Hell Tour.”
While on tour, the band’s debut album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and “Swing, Swing” was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry. After the tour, the band released their first ever DVD titled “Live from Oklahoma… The Too Bad for Hell DVD” which was later certified gold by the RIAA. This early rise to fame and success grew alongside the band.
In the summer of 2005, the band released their sophomore album, “Move Along” which featured the band’s second single, “Dirty Little Secret.” Following the release of their sophomore album, the band started to become more popular and well-known in the rock scene as they played the 2005 New Years’ Eve with “Fall Out Boy” on MTV.
In 2008, the band released their third studio album, “When the World Comes Down” which featured what would become the band’s most popular and successful song, “Gives You Hell.”
“Gives You Hell” peaked No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop charts and iTunes charts.
It was also the fifth-most downloaded song and the most played song of 2009. The song also went platinum four times in the United States, once in the United Kingdom and Australia, and went gold in Germany and New Zealand.
Following the huge success of the song and their third album, the band became recognized as an important aspect of the rock world inspiring other rock bands to share in the same sound as them.
“Gives You Hell” is my favorite song from the album and my favorite from The All-American Rejects’ entire discography. In “Gives You Hell,” the band wrote a song created to be the breakup anthem.
They invoke many strong feelings of anger and frustration as they dare the listener to contemplate a time in their life when they have been in a relationship that they should not have entered. The song showcases how vindicating it feels to celebrate one’s life improvements while hoping the other person feels nothing but regret.
Lastly and most importantly, it is a song about moving on from a toxic relationship and the feeling of being better off without the other person, while hoping they are in a sort of hell every time they think of you.
As stated in previous editions of the Song of the Week, lyricism is an important aspect of any song and Ritter and Wheeler understood that when writing “Gives You Hell.”
In “Gives You Hell,” Ritter and Wheeler utilize imagery, metaphor, satire and hyperbole to tell a story about an important thing in life, moving on. My favorite lyric in the entire song is:
“When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you hear this song and you sing along, but you never tell (but you never tell)
Then you’re the fool, I’m just as well, hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)”
Complex topics and the complexities of human emotion are recurring themes in The All-American Rejects’ discography. In “Gives You Hell,” The All-American Rejects sings about an important part of humanity that they believe needed an anthem, breakups, and the feeling of moving on from a toxic relationship. Breakups can be difficult and can invoke many different feelings. The song is a great listen with a powerful message.
