“Fatlip” by Sum 41

Sum 41 is a Canadian punk rock band that found a lot of success in the early 2000’s when pop punk was all the rage. This was the age of studded wristbands, spiky hair, and lots of baggy black clothes. This was also the age of many wearing chucks to show off their rebellious side, which is exactly what happens in the music video for their song, “Fatlip”. The track was the first single off the band’s 2001 debut album, All Killer No Filler, and peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The song is textbook early 2000’s pop punk, with a little Limp Bizkit-esque rap rock thrown in for good measure. The lyrics are about the group’s life growing up in the suburbs: going to parties, hanging out with friends, and causing trouble. Uptempo and featuring a driving hard rock beat, the lead vocals are divided between Deryck Whibley, Dave Baksh and Steve Jocz, with Jason McCaslin offering backup vocals as well.

The music video opens with the band rapping at the counter of a convenient store, as the clerk looks on with utter indifference. The video then brings in the music as the focus shifts to a gathering of every possible punk teen trope from the early 2000’s that’s taking place down by the railroad tracks. There are so many piercings and chucks it’s near impossible to count, but drummer Steve Jocz is one of the more prominent ones as we see him wear a pair of black chucks in the video. The concert the band throws at this gathering looks to be incredible because the crowd there is really into this song. The video then cuts to the group and crowd in front of the liquor store from earlier which actually works well thematically since this occurs when the rap portion of the song is at its peak. The music video is absolutely a product of its time, but it’s one that fits so incredibly well with the genre of music. From the wardrobe, to the setting, to the look of the band, everything here will bring back memories for an entire generation that grew up on this genre, and it’ll make them say, “Where’s my chain wallet and chucks?”.