“Fake Out” by Fall Out Boy

“Fake Out” is the fourth track on the playlist of the album titled “So Much (for) Stardust”. This is a Fall Out Boy album which Fueled by Ramen, in conjunction with DCD2, dropped on 24 March 2023. 

Practically every song on the album, including this one, was written exclusively by the members of the band, who are as follows:

• vocalist Patrick Stump
• guitarist Joe Trohman
• bassist Pete Wentz
• drummer Andy Hurley 

The entire project was produced by Neal Avron, a regular Fall Out Boy collaborator from back in the day who was re-enlisted to participate on this full-length.

“Fake Out” Lyrics

Now that we’re delving deeper into the playlist of “So Much (for) Stardust”, one of the recurring themes we are coming across is the tracks therein seemingly being romance-based, but the featured romances having their fair share of dilemmas. Or, that’s one viable way of interpreting “Fake Out”. 

The verses revolve around the vocalist espousing the philosophy of ‘making no plans, and none can be broken”. Or put alternatively, disappointment is minimized when you don’t get your hopes up too high to begin with.

Along those same lines, the chorus implies that Patrick learned this the hard way, by getting too caught up in his own “dreams” only to later realize that he was faking himself out, i.e. believing in ideal fantasy more than hardcore reality. 

The reality, as inferred in the bridge, is that we all ‘start off’ bright-eyed and optimistic when it comes to romance. But after getting “flipped too many times”, it’s as if our expectations inevitably become tempered.

“Love is in the air, I just gotta figure out a window to break out
Buried alive insidе my dreams but it was all a fake-out
And I don’t care, I just gotta figurе out a window to break out”

And to reiterate, even though it is obvious that Fall Out Boy is speaking to the concept of disappointment within the context of relationships, it is never actually specified that they are referring to that of the romantic variety. 

But considering phrases such as “love is in the air” and again, other tracks found on “So Much (for) Stardust” (a title which itself alludes to disenchantment), that would be the most logically way of interpreting “Fake Out”.