Culture
Artist Spotlight: Fun. By Samantha Costanza / Assoc. Culture Editor Fun. is an indie-pop band with a style all its own and some pretty catchy tunes. Period. Fun. officially exploded onto the music scene in 2011 with the release of its single “We are Young,” featuring guest vocalist Janelle Monáe. The single was a huge success; it was used on many television shows and reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. That made Fun. the first rock band in 10 years to have a song reach number one (its predecessor was Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” in 2001). Fun. consists of three main band members: Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, and Jack Antonoff. Ruess was originally a member of the band The Format. Following their split, Ruess asked Dost and Antonoff (of the bands Anathallo
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and Steel Train, respectively) to join him on a new project, and thus Fun. was born. Fun. released its debut album, Aim and Ignite, in 2009 with less-than-stellar results. Despite many great tracks, the album never really took off due to the band’s lack of popularity. Aim and Ignite hit its peak position of 71 on the US album charts. In 2010, the song “Walking the Dog” was used in a commercial for Expedia.com, generating some buzz for the then underrated band.
Why the period?
No, it’s not a typo. The band’s name is really spelled f-u-n-period. Why did they decide to punctuate their name, you ask? It wasn’t for emphasis or hipster irony. It was actually for legal reasons. Once the band decided on a name, they received
an email from a Finnish noise rock band of the same name asking them to subtly change their title. And so, the period beat out the question mark and the exclamation point and became the extra oomph to help pack the band’s musical punch.
What to listen to?
Although the group’s first album did not experience the massive success of Some Nights, its second album, fans are now coming to realize that both albums are packed with incredible lyrics and fresh, original melodies. Fun.’s sound is like a combination of Freddie Mercury’s vocals mixed with Electric Light Orchestra’s synth sounds, all wrapped up in an indie-pop-rock bow. Here are just a few of the best songs from both albums: Aim and Ignite
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“Some Nights” “Benson Hedges” Best Lyric: “Now I believe the sun, it’s like a symphony. /But what it’s trying to play, I don’t know.” “All the Pretty Girls” Best Lyric: “Oh c’mon, what’s a boy to do when all the pretty girls can’t measure to you?” “I Wanna Be the One” Best Lyric: “Clever comes in truth when truth begets the past.” “The Gambler” Best Lyric: “I knew nothing of romance, but it was love at second sight.” Some Nights “Some Nights” Best Lyric: “Some nights I
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wish that my lips could build a castle. /Some nights I wish they’d just fall off.” “Carry On” Best Lyric: “May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground. /Carry on.” “Out On the Town” Best Lyric: “I was out on the town, so I came to your window last night. /I tried not to throw stones, but I wanted to come inside.” “All Alone” Best Lyric: “How do you cry with inanimate eyes?” “Stars” Best Lyric: “We’d stay up late, debate on how we’d find our way, say it’s all up in the stars.”
debuted The band’s latest album, Some Nights, emphasis to rave reviews. It features heavier ents such rum inst on synthetic sounds and odd Ruess de” On. rry as Irish drums in the song “Ca Times York scribes the album’s style to the New nd.” sou as “reinventing” the “70s pop-rock
Fun fact
Jack Antonoff, lead guitar player and drummer of Fun., is currently dating Lena Dunham, creator and star of the hit HBO show Girls. Maybe someday they’ll get married and have little musical, hilarious children.
The Ally Coalition
Designer Rachel Antonoff, sister of Fun.’s Jack Antonoff, teamed up with Fun. to form The Ally Coalition. TAC works with entertainers, musicians, and members of the fashion world to raise awareness and funds to support equality in the LGBTQ community. The goal of the coalition is to gather a large group of people who will encourage artists and everyday teens and young adults to lend their voices to the cause and end discrimination by challenging homophobia. Screenshots by Mary Yuengert/ Gavel Media Photo
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