"Weightless" is a song by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Towson, Maryland, in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson ...
and the first and
lead single
A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
A similar term, "debut ...
from the group's third studio album ''
Nothing Personal'' (2009). The single was released through
Hopeless Records
Hopeless Records is an American independent record label in Van Nuys, California.
History
Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-ha ...
as a
digital download on April 7, 2009, and was released in the UK on August 3, 2009.
The song is also available to download on the music video games ''
Rock Band
''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...
'' and ''
Guitar Hero 5
''Guitar Hero 5'' is a 2009 rhythm game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the fifth main installment and the ninth overall installment in the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was released internationally in ...
''. It became the first song by the band to receive radio airplay, exposing the band to a new audience, and helping it peak at No. 4 on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
. The song has become a live staple, and is considered to be one of the band's signature songs along with "
Dear Maria, Count Me In
"Dear Maria, Count Me In" is the debut single by the American Rock music, rock band All Time Low. The song is from their second studio album ''So Wrong, It's Right''. It was released May 6, 2008, through Hopeless Records as the album's second singl ...
". In 2014 the song was certified Gold by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.
Meaning
Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth stated in an interview with
MTVu
MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. MTVU programming initially served 750 college and univ ...
that "The whole mentality of the song is like, you feel like you're stuck in this like, negative space and you just want to get out. Summer's rolling up and uh, everybody's finishing up with school and everybody's getting like the exam beatdown".
In the ''Nothing Personal'' album trailer, Jack Barakat said that the song is about not wanting to grow up and just wanting to be a kid.
Music video
The music video for "Weightless" commenced filming on May 20, directed by Matthew Stawski.
Fans were invited to go on the set and be a part of the music video. It debuted on MTV,
MTV2
MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision.
The channel launched initially as an all-music ...
,
mtvU
MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. MTVU programming initially served 750 college and univ ...
and HITS the day before the album's release, on July 6, 2009.
The video opens with Alex Gaskarth being spoken to by some groupies backstage, with text representing his inner monologue, saying things over the girls such as "Only wants your money", "Obsessed", and "Get a restraining order on her." The video continues in this manner with the camera tracking through the venue; situations include Gaskarth backstage being pampered by crew members while text says that lead singers are spoiled, and also for people such as the merchandise seller, the roadies and crew, and various crowd members (including one who thinks "I'd rather be watching
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
.") The video also features cameo appearances by
Pete Wentz
Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician who is the bassist and lyricist for the rock band Fall Out Boy. Before the band's formation in 2001, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was the lead si ...
, bassist of
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
, and
Mark Hoppus
Mark Allan Hoppus (born March 15, 1972) is an American musician and record producer. He is the co-lead vocalist, co-founder, and bassist for the rock band Blink-182 and the only member to appear on every album.
Hoppus became interested in ska ...
, bassist and vocalist of
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
with a joke that Wentz tweets to Hoppus via mobile that All Time Low rips off Fall Out Boy. Hoppus then despairingly thinks to himself that both All Time Low and Fall Out Boy rip off Blink-182. The video ends with the slogan ''Nothing Personal'', which is not only a reference to the album, but is also the theme of the video.
Chart and certifications
Weekly charts
Certifications
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weightless (All Time Low Song)
2009 singles
All Time Low songs
2009 songs
Hopeless Records singles
Songs written by Jack Barakat
Songs written by Rian Dawson
Songs written by Alex Gaskarth
Songs written by Zack Merrick
Songs written by Matt Squire