Lane Boy

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"Lane Boy"
Single by Twenty One Pilots
from the album Blurryface
ReleasedMay 4, 2015
StudioSerenity West Recording (Hollywood, Los Angeles)
Genre
Length
  • 4:13 (album version)
  • 3:56 (video version)
LabelFueled by Ramen
Songwriter(s)Tyler Joseph
Producer(s)Ricky Reed
Twenty One Pilots singles chronology
"Stressed Out"
(2015) 		"Lane Boy"
(2015) 		"Ride"
(2016)
Music video
"Lane Boy" on YouTube

"Lane Boy" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, for their fourth studio album, Blurryface. "Lane Boy" was released on YouTube worldwide on May 4, 2015,[1][2] being released as a single on Google Play Store on the same day.[3] The music video was released on July 20, 2015.[4][5]

Background[edit]

The direction of Blurryface elaborated on the lyrical theme Twenty One Pilots had honed by the arrival of their third album Vessel, where primary discussion topics were feelings of self-doubt and insecurity as well as how to overcome them.[6] They continued addressing these topics with their fourth studio album, but projected them onto the pressure to release a second consecutive hit album, including on single "Lane Boy."[6] It both musically and lyrically scorns at the notion of staying in one's lane.[7] With the song, the fourth wall is broken as Twenty One Pilots explores what it's like working in the modern music industry.[8]

During an interview with Fuse, Tyler Joseph said, "For us, music has always been about transparency, so for me 'Lane Boy' is that song on the record that you kind of break that fourth wall and you can look into what it's like to really be a normal person in our position."[9] Even though Blurryface maintained Joseph's concerns relating to real life and the world at large, the album also contained a moment of personal disagreement with "Lane Boy."[10] The song is about discarding others' expectations and demands, specifically in regards to where the duo's place was in the industry, and the greater scheme of where they fit in contemporary music culture.[10] In an interview with Alternative Press, Joseph further explained, "I describe 'Lane Boy' as the moment where I broke character. Saying things that weren't necessarily artistic or beautiful, but exactly what I wanted to say and exactly what I was feeling. I broke character and became a frustrated human. For a moment. I don't imagine needing to say things like that anymore. I remember showing that song to some people and they said, 'I don't think you want to say that...' And Josh said to me, 'Let's say it.'"[10] However, Dun said not to read too far into a certain line in "Lane Boy" pertaining to the current state of music, because he himself actually does listen to top radio tracks for musical influence.[6] Dun said, "That song in no way is to meant to bash the industry or the whole idea of singles, I've always been intrigued by Billboard Top 40. ...And I enjoy it, anyway. It's not a loss to incorporate some of that stuff."[6]

Recording[edit]

"Lane Boy" was produced by Ricky Reed and recorded at Serenity West Recording in Hollywood, California. The track was then mixed at The Casita in Hollywood, California and mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City.[11] Compared to tracks from Blurryface that were produced by Mike Elizondo, "Lane Boy" is influenced by Reed's more pop production and contains chattery programming.[12][13] One new musical left-turn which stood out on their fourth studio album was the reggae brimming throughout, with songs such as "Lane Boy" taking inspired dub detours.[14] The song has a chorus where Joseph sings what can be perceived as an explanation of their approach, a music genre mashup they call "Schizoid-Pop."[15][16] According to Dun, while navigating pop and other influences was difficult, places of inspiration they drew from ranged from European reggae to his parents. He claimed, "Sometimes I think, 'Well, my mom would like this kind of song.'"[6] He continued saying, "The challenge is really making it us. Because the scary thing is taking a lot of different influences or things that you love and meshing it all together, but then it could turn into some crazy toxic sludge that doesn't make any sense. ...We really have to work to make it a Twenty One Pilots song and not this crazy thing. That's the challenge, but it's also the fun part."[6]

An official remix of "Lane Boy" was created by hip hop record producer DJ Premier.[17] In an interview with Complex over e-mail, Premier explained, "While I was in L.A. recording with Dr. Dre for the Compton soundtrack, one of my homies told my tour manager to check out Twenty One Pilots. I bought Blurryface and liked it immediately, so I started looking for videos as well. I saw the 'Lane Boy' video and loved the concept of the song and video. It's about refuting the idea that artists should stay in a 'lane' or be defined by a particular style or sound."[17] "Lane Boy" was the song DJ Premier desired to remix after watching the videos.[17] Twenty One Pilots sent the stems for the track over to Premier and told him to rock out with it.[17] For the remix, Premier decreases the tempo of its instrumental in order to give the track a slow, mellow vibe.[17] Towards the end, he integrates his trademark scratching.[18]

Alexa Shouneyia for Billboard stated, "If you loved Twenty One Pilots' 'Lane Boy' before, get ready to fall in love all over again with DJ Premier's remix... DJ Premier definitely takes the track into his own lane."[18] Jessie Morris from Complex described the official remix as an "essential new banger."[17]

Composition[edit]

"Lane Boy" is an alternative hip hop song that runs four minutes and thirteen seconds.[12][19] The genre-bending track is infused with reggae and has textures that feature a hyrbrid of musical styles, including jungle, dubstep, hip-hop, electropop-inspired rock, dancehall and ska rock.[20][21][7][22][23][24][15] The musical composition consists of Tyler Joseph singing and rapping over a computerized instrumental, accompanied by a light drum line.[25] The song's breezy instrumentation maintains a distinctive Caribbean groove, which is underscored by a plucked melody and Josh Dun's drumming.[22][26] Joseph delivers his lyrics in a hard, staccato style of rapping over a kaleidoscopic mixture of reggae rhythms, electronic beats, bouncy reggae rock and urgent, full-bore EDM.[22][13][27][28] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music, the song is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderately fast tempo of 160 beats per minute.[19] "Lane Boy" is composed in the key of A minor while Tyler Joseph's vocal range spans one octave and five notes from a low of F3 to a high of C5.[19]

"Lane Boy"
"Lane Boy" is an alternative hip hop track infused with reggae.[27][20] The song contains an unorthodox mixture of musical styles as well as a mission statement.[20][21] Tyler Joseph performs both frenetic rapping in double-time in addition to singing during the chorus over hyperactive electronic beats.[14][27]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

With a frenetic vocal style, Joseph both raps in double-time and belts melodic lines as the composition meanders into dub-inspired passages before entering a convulsive drum'n'bass section.[14][29][8][26] At the chorus, Joseph sings in a laid-back vocal tone before the track transforms roughly halfway as grizzly synths are introduced alongside robotic voices, distorted bass guitar and two-step drumming.[16][26] During the middle of the song, the vocals pause and techno beats take over in a spontaneous mashup of bass and drum.[25] The track devolves from swaggering to a pause in order to accommodate for an urgent dubstep breakdown replete with zippy synths, percussion and pulsating, full-fledged EDM.[13][30] After its trek through an abundance of breakdowns, "Lane Boy" closes with an electro jubilee.[31] At its conclusion, the musical composition exhibits anthemic electropop-tinged rock sounds.[8][24][12]

Lyrically, "Lane Boy" is a meta-manifesto about doing what one desires and not following a set path.[32][33] It discusses how Twenty One Pilots is able to craft music that suits the mainstream, but that doesn't define them.[33] On "Lane Boy", the duo break the fourth wall while exploring their experience working in the contemporary music industry and defiantly defending their experimental musical approach.[34][8] The song's rich lyrical content is laden with character.[22][13] Tyler Joseph exhibits tongue-twisting, mercurial rapping that propels the conviction of his personal nonconformist spirit.[22][13] His lines are scathing indictment of narrow-minded music industry practices.[6][13][22] He mocks the strictures of record companies, rapping, "If it was our way, we'd have a tempo change every other time change."[32] Nevertheless, Joseph admits their driving, clear pop sensibilities come with a heavy burden: "Honest, there's a few songs on this record that feel common / I'm in constant confrontation with what I want and what is poppin'/ In the industry / It seems to me that singles on the radio are currency / My creativity's only free when I'm playing shows.”[8][6][32][14][23] As a warning, Joseph advises, "Don't trust a perfect person and don't trust a song that's flawless."[21][32] "Lane Boy" harbors something of a mission statement.[20] During its chorus, Joseph mockingly commands, "You should stay in your lane, boy."[26][32] He continues singing, "They say, 'Stay in your lane, boy' / But we go where we want to".[20] He backhands his seniors at major record labels with the snide remark, "Will they be alive tomorrow?"[32]

Critical reception[edit]

Billboard's Garrett Kamps compared "Lane Boy" to the work of Jamaican sound engineer King Tubby while labeling the single "especially schizoid."[14] Stereogum's Chris DeVille said, "And the DnB/reggae/rap rave-up “Lane Boy” musically and lyrically scoffs at the notion of staying in your lane. Given where they've been and where they're going, it appears they don't have to."[7] Alternative Press commented, "'Don't trust a perfect person and don't trust a song that's flawless,' warns on the furious reggae/jungle/dubstep hybrid 'Lane Boy.' And he's absolutely right; great art is rarely made by normal people."[21] Citing it as the album's "big push-back moment," Jason Pettigrew, from the same publication, mused, "Although he wouldn't publicly use this vernacular, the reggae/jungle/dubstep amalgam 'Lane Boy' is the duo's 'fuck-you' song."[10] He ranked "Lane Boy" as the band's penultimate song, calling it, "The most attitude-laden track in the TOP songbook."[13] Kerrang!'s Emily Carter called the song an "electropop-infused rock anthem."[24] Sam Law, from the same publication, opined, "'Lane Boy' pips 'Ride' by dent of its richer lyrical treatment. Cruising on that breezy instrumentation, we get wave after wave of attitude as Tyler unloads on music industry narrow-mindedness... before showcasing the mercurial best of the TØP sound with a barrage of tongue-twisting staccato rap and explosions of EDM/dubstep colour. A song to overtake to."[22] Rolling Stone Australia writer Rod Yates deemed the song "a defiant defence of their genre-hopping."[34] Madison Desler of Orange County Register quipped that the song's refrain, "may be the best explanation of their genre-busting approach.'"[16] Anne Nickoloff and Troy Smith from The Plain Dealer remarked, "It's far from being a flawless song – and that's the whole point."[29] Going further, Smith stated, "the ending of 'Lane Boy' evokes the best electropop aspects of Vessel."[8] Liam Dryden of PopBuzz claimed, "new single "Lane Boy" has definitely been a standout track."[35] Writing for Eagle News Online, Ashley Wolf commented, "Tracks such as “Lane Boy," ...are much more dubstep than their usual rap/hip-hop sound. ...The introduction of new genres adds to the duo's authenticity and originality as well as proves to the listeners that they took the time to find a way to add variation to their sound."[25] In a less favorable review, Cole Waterman from Spectrum Culture opined, "Joseph merits some cred for his self-awareness with 'Honestly, there's a few songs on this record that feel common,' a lyric from 'Lane Boy,' but referencing mediocrity doesn't excuse one for creating it."[36]

Music video[edit]

Twenty One Pilots released the music video for "Lane Boy" on July 20, 2015.[35] During an interview with Fuse, Tyler Joseph provided a breakdown of the music video. According to Joseph, "It's kind of a manifestation of that battle with seeing some success."[9]

The music video features Tyler Joseph slowly being followed by a pair of men wearing hazmat suits in the dark.[35] It blends and splices in video footage from a recent live concert performance.[35] Throughout the video, Joseph appears to obey the men by bending down and listening to them while almost being in choreography with their grooving movements.[9][35] Once the duo get out in front of a like-minded audience, they kneel down to them.[9]

Reception[edit]

Characterizing it as being "both creepy and epic," PopBuzz's Liam Dryden called the music video a "standout."[35] Rachel Campell from Alternative Press considered the use of live footage for the video creative.[37]

Live performances[edit]

"Lane Boy" has since become a crowd favorite at live concert venues.[16][28] Twenty One Pilots performed "Lane Boy" during a concert held at Comerica Theatre on in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona October 14, 2015. The duo began their performance with video effects of men in hazmat suits and gas masks dancing before shifting to live stage performer dancing in hazmat suits and gas masks, all while in keeping with the song's lyrics.[38]

They performed the song an at the Forum in Inglewood, California during their Emotional Roadshow World Tour, emphasizing the reggae beats and rhythms during their arena performance.[28]

While still on the tour the duo provided a live rendition at the Honda Center in Anaheim on February 15, 2017. The concert was a spectacle, featuring two stages and a giant hamster ball.[16]

Twenty One Pilots performed "Lane Boy" before an audience at a sold-out concert at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 5, 2019.[27] "Lane Boy" was among the tracks the duo performed during a medley for a concert held at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa on their Bandito Tour. Joseph performed wearing a scarf over his head while smoke filled the stage as men with gas masks sprayed more down onto the crowd.[39]

Track listing[edit]

Digital download / stream
No.TitleLength
1."Lane Boy"4:13
CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Lane Boy"4:13
2."Lane Boy" (video version)3:56
3."Lane Boy" (instrumental)4:13
4."Lane Boy" (TV track)4:13
5."Lane Boy" (a cappella)4:13

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[42] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[43] Platinum 80,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[44] Platinum 20,000‡
United States (RIAA)[45] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label
Worldwide[3] May 4, 2015
Fueled by Ramen
UK Radio October 21, 2016[5] Airplay Fueled by Ramen

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Twenty One Pilots - "Lane Boy" (Audio)". YouTube. May 3, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  2. ^ "twenty one pilots Stream New Song, Lane Boy". Kerrang!. May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Twenty One Pilots – Lane Boy". Google Play Store. May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  4. ^ "Twenty One Pilots - "Lane Boy" [OFFICIAL VIDEO]". YouTube. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Radio 1's New Music Friday Playlist 21/10/16's playlist's Top Tracks - BBC Playlists". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Poffenberger, Robby (September 23, 2015). "Twenty One Pilots". Salt Lake City Weekly. John Saltas.
  7. ^ a b c DeVille, Chris (May 28, 2015). "The Week In Pop: Meet Twenty One Pilots, The Biggest Band You've Never Heard Of". Stereogum. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Troy L. (May 18, 2015). "Twenty One Pilots' 'Blurryface' Leaves a Haze of Disappointment (Album Review)". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d Sherman, Maria (August 3, 2015). "Twenty One Pilots Chat About "Lane Boy" at Lollapalooza 2015". Fuse. Fuse Media, LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d Pettigrew, Jason (June 20, 2016). "How Twenty One Pilots Were Almost the Next Mumford And Sons". Alternative Press. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  11. ^ Blurryface (Booklet). Twenty One Pilots. Fueled by Ramen. 2015. 7567-86692-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ a b c Recensioni. "v Recensioni | Dischi | Twenty One Pilots - BLURRYFACE su Rockol". Rockol (in Italian). Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Pettigrew, Jason (September 26, 2019). "Twenty One Pilots Songs Ranked In All Of Their Pop Majesty". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  14. ^ a b c d e Kamps, Garrett (May 19, 2015). "Pop Duo Twenty One Pilots Makes a Hot Mess (in a Good Way) on 'Blurryface': Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Schulz, Chris (December 22, 2018). "Review: Twenty One Pilots Pull a Repeat Performance Out of the Bag". The New Zealand Herald. NZME. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d e Desler, Madison (February 16, 2017). "Twenty One Pilots at Honda Center a spectacle with two stages and a giant hamster ball". Orange County Register. Ron Hasse.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Morris, Jessie (November 21, 2016). "Premiere: DJ Premier Remixes Twenty One Pilots' "Lane Boy" Into a Banger". Complex. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Shouneyia, Alexa (November 21, 2016). "DJ Premier Adds His Own Flavor to Twenty One Pilots' 'Lane Boy'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  19. ^ a b c Joseph, Tyler. "Twenty One Pilots 'Lane Boy' Sheet Music in A Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  20. ^ a b c d e Greene, Andy (January 14, 2016). "Twenty One Pilots: Inside the Biggest New Band of the Past Year". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  21. ^ a b c d AltPress (May 19, 2015). "twenty one pilots - Blurryface". Alternative Press. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g Law, Sam (April 24, 2020). "The 20 Greatest twenty one pilots Songs – Ranked". Kerrang!. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  23. ^ a b Curtin, Kevin (October 2, 2015). "ACL Fest 2015 Saturday Record Review – Twenty One Pilots: Blurryface (Fueled by Ramen)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  24. ^ a b c Carter, Emily (August 7, 2020). "twenty one pilots: Every Album Ranked From Worst To Best". Kerrang!. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  25. ^ a b c Wolf, Ashley (May 28, 2015). "Album Review: Twenty One Pilots – A Change in Sound, But for the Better". Eagle Newspapers. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  26. ^ a b c d Parker, Jack (May 29, 2015). "Album Review: Twenty One Pilots - Blurryface". All Things Loud. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  27. ^ a b c d Tady, Scott (June 8, 2019). "21 moments at the Twenty One Pilots show". Ellwood City Ledger. Gannett Co. Inc.
  28. ^ a b c Larsen, Peter (July 24, 2016). "Twenty One Pilots perform at the Forum in Inglewood on Saturday". Orange County Register. Ron Hasse.
  29. ^ a b Nickoloff, Anne; Smith, Troy (July 5, 2019). "All 65 Twenty One Pilots Songs Ranked from Worst to Best". The Plain Dealer. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved April 22, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ Levy, Piet (October 21, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Pull Out All the Stops at Explosive 'Bandito Tour' Show in Milwaukee". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  31. ^ Curcic, André (June 5, 2015). "Album Review: Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  32. ^ a b c d e f Wilson, Carl (January 24, 2017). "The Mood Swing Vote". Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  33. ^ a b Darus, Alex (July 27, 2018). "Find out which Twenty One Pilots song matches your zodiac sign". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  34. ^ a b Yates, Rod (May 11, 2015). "Twenty-One Pilots – Blurryface". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  35. ^ a b c d e f Dryden, Liam (July 21, 2015). "You Need To See Twenty One Pilots' Eerie New Video For "Lane Boy"". PopBuzz. Global.
  36. ^ Waterman, Cole (May 31, 2015). "Twenty One Pilots: Blurryface - Review". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  37. ^ Campbell, Rachel (February 24, 2016). "Twenty One Pilots Videos Ranked Worst to Best". Alternative Press.
  38. ^ Hillman, Mitchell (October 14, 2015). "Twenty One Pilots Fans Are Truly Fanatical". Phoenix New Times. Kurtis Barton.
  39. ^ Porter, Sierra A. (October 26, 2019). "Prepare for liftoff: Twenty One Pilots takes fans on journey of hits in Des Moines tour stop". The Des Moines Register.
  40. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  41. ^ "Hot Rock Songs : Dec 31, 2015 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  42. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  43. ^ "Canadian single certifications – twenty one pilots – Lane Boy". Music Canada. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  44. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2020 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  45. ^ "American single certifications – twenty one pilots – Lane Boy". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links[edit]

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