fall out boy movie references
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10 times Fall Out Boy made movie references in their music

Fall Out Boy have buried pop culture references in their song titles and lyrics for well over a decade. In honor of the band’s sixth album, American Beauty/American Psycho, which gives a nod to two classic films in the name alone, officially turning 5 this month, we’ve compiled a list of our 10 favorite Fall Out Boy movie references. Check them out below.

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1. “American Beauty/American Psycho” – American Beauty and American Psycho

“She’s an American beauty/I’m an American psycho.” 

This self-titled track off the album American Beauty/American Psycho compares the apple of the narrator’s eye to the 1999 film American Beauty starring Kevin Spacey. Meanwhile, the narrator compares himself to the 2000 film American Psycho. Starring Christian Bale, the film is based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name. 

2. “Uma Thurman” – Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill: Vol 2

“She wants to dance like Uma Thurman/Bury me till I confess.”

The fifth track off Fall Out Boy’s sixth album references Uma Thurman’s dance moves in the Quentin Tarantino classic Pulp Fiction. The song also honors another Thurman scene from a different Tarantino flick, Kill Bill: Vol 2, when the bride finds herself buried alive: 

3. “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More ‘Touch Me’” – Sixteen Candles

This track can be found on Fall Out Boy’s 2005 hit album From Under The Cork Tree. “Sixteen Candles” in the song’s title is an obvious homage to the ’80s John Hughes’ (The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) film that stars that era’s go-to girl, Molly Ringwald (The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink). The “Touch Me” in the title also refers to Samantha Fox’s 1986 record of the same name. Bonus reference: The music video features homages to The Lost Boys and Blade.

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4. “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out” – A Christmas Story

First appearing on 2003 compilation, A Santa Cause: It’s A Punk Rock Christmas (and later as a bonus track on their 2009 album Believers Never Die – Greatest Hits), “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out” is a direct tribute to the famous line from the 1983 classic holiday movie A Christmas Story. It references the warning Ralphie is repeatedly told when he says he wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.

5. “Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner” – Dirty Dancing

This song originally appeared as an acoustic version on Fall Out Boy’s 2004 EP, My Heart Will Always Be The B-side To My Tongue, before making its debut on From Under The Cork Tree a year later. The song title is a straight-forward reference to the famous line from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, which starred Jennifer Grey (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and Patrick Swayze. 

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6. “Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part To Save The Scene And Stop Going To Shows)” – The Shawshank Redemption

This song appears on From Under The Cork Tree and gets the first part of its title from a famous line in the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption. The line is said by both Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman).

7. “Pretty In Punk” – Pretty In Pink

“Pretty In Punk” made its debut on Fall Out Boy’s Evening Out With Your Girlfriend. The title of the song is a direct spin-off from the John Hughes’ 1986 film Pretty In Pink starring Molly Ringwald. 

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8. “Tell That Mick He Just Made My List Of Things To Do Today” – Rushmore

“Tell That Mick He Just Made My List Of Things To Do Today” can be found on their 2003 debut full-length, Take This To Your Grave. The title is a line from the 1998 film Rushmore, a threat Max Fischer utters when he finds out another student was spreading lies about him. 

9. “Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)” – Cast Away and Moonrise Kingdom

“I hope the roof flies off and we get blown out into space.”

“Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)” appeared on 2018’s MANIA. “Wilson” in the title refers to the name Tom Hanks gave to his best friend, a volleyball, in the 2000 film Cast Away. A line in the song’s chorus also references a line spoken in the 2012 Wes Anderson film Moonrise Kingdom. 

10. “Of All The Gin Joints In All The World” – Casablanca

This track can also be found on From Under The Cork Tree. The name of the song comes from a line in the 1942 classic Casablanca, which starred American icon Humphrey Bogart. 

Let us know what your favorite FOB movie or pop culture reference is in the comments below!