Gym Class Heroes is known to many as the indie rap group that has been grabbed by “Cupid’s Chokehold,” but what many may not know is the band’s hit single – and the band itself – have been around for years, though it is just now getting mainstream attention.
That single, “Cupid’s Chokehold,” features Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump on the chorus and was recorded for the band’s second full-length album, The Papercut Chronicles, released February 2005. But since the song was re-recorded for the band’s latest album, As Cruel as School Children, it has soared to the top of the pop charts. Last week it held the No. 7 spot on the Hot 100 Countdown, and its popularity has helped sell out Gym Class Heroes’ show tonight at the 9:30 Club in Washington.
But when drummer Matt McGinley chatted with Diversions, he admitted that, although the newer version of the song has gained attention for the band, it is not his favorite.
“I am more nostalgic for the older version; it is more stripped-down and organic,” he said. McGinley added the band re-recorded “Cupid’s Chokehold” because “the first one was made on the budget of whatever money we could borrow from a rich friend. We wanted to polish the song before it was released with our new album.”
Regardless of all the notice from the pop-music world, “Cupid’s Chokehold” isn’t the band’s first well-known song. “Taxi Driver,” a song featuring the band incorporating the names of many indie bands into a story, was an underground hit that led many to fall in love with the band’s clever lyrics and flow.
In the song, vocalist Travis McCoy raps, “I took cutie for a ride in my death cab/ She tipped me with a kiss, I dropped her off at the meth lab/ Before she left, she made a dashboard confessional/ And spilled her guts in cursive.” Overall, the song features the names of more than 20 bands.
In fact, it was “Taxi Driver” that helped create the band’s first big break. After hearing the song, Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy became interested in the band and eventually signed them to his label, Decaydance, an imprint of the label Fueled by Ramen.
Since then, Gym Class Heroes has made great use of its labelmates, McGinley said. He likened the label to a big family and added since Fall Out Boy has also blown up in popularity during the past two years, Wentz and Co. were able to tell Gym Class Heroes what to expect.
“There are lots of bands going through the same things at the same time, so we can help each other,” McGinley explained.
After releasing The Papercut Chronicles for Decaydance, Gym Class Heroes was picked up by Atlantic Records – an important step for the band as it provided more exposure on MTV and the radio.
That exposure has since come in various forms: For example, last summer McCoy rapped a verse on the track “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It),” which was featured in the cult hit Snakes on a Plane. And appearing in some of Fall Out Boy’s videos – as well as having a track featuring the now ubiquitous Stump – certainly didn’t hurt the band’s rise to fame.
In order to stand out from other rap groups, Gym Class Heroes has to continually keep its sound unique. One way they accomplish this, McGinley said, is by using real instruments in place of the typical, programmed beats employed by other rappers.
“We aren’t just pinned into hip hop; we have other styles of music in our sound, like ’80s funk,” McGinley said. While he insisted he is a huge fan of other instrument-using rap groups, like Jurassic 5 and The Roots, McGinley said Gym Class Heroes is also unique for its incorporation of rock elements, as evidenced by the guest appearances from Stump and William Beckett from The Academy is…, who is featured on the song “Seven Weeks.”
Despite Gym Class Heroes’ recent fame, McGinley insists the band members won’t let it get to their heads -or, more importantly, their music. While he said the band will progress musically, and its sound may change, don’t expect the band to sell out.
“If we make a change musically, it will be for us, not because we want to sell more records,” McGinley said.
So far, its efforts have been appreciated by fans, as the band sold out a tour in the United Kingdom and has sold out several dates on its current tour, including the show tonight at the 9:30 Club in Washington, which is an “always very lively” venue to play, McGinley said.
“We are interested in putting together a whole show,” he added. “A lot of our songs will be off our last two albums, but we also play songs off of old albums that I’m sure many of our fans haven’t ever heard.”
Gym Class Heroes’ show tonight is sold out.
Contact reporter Jason
Koebler at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.
