Although Paramore has been a band for more than a decade now (their debut, All We Know Is Falling, was released 10 years ago this past July), the pop punk group has been critically overlooked nearly throughout their entire existence. To some extent, they still are, despite the relative critical and commercial success of their most recent release in their 2013 self-titled effort.
Part of why Paramore has been — and continues to be — underestimated is past and current personal turmoil within the band. Yet, despite all of this, the band has thrived with the star power of their dynamic frontwoman, Hayley Williams.
And in a male-driven scene rampant with sexism and misogyny, the presence of a female lead often hurts the “legitimacy” of a band, according to more antiquated critics. Paramore has fallen victim to this ugly, unfortunate truth in the past, and as a result, their albums were more often critically dismissed rather than taken seriously. Williams’ 27th birthday is an excellent opportunity to take a look back at Paramore’s underappreciated discography, and why they’re worth listening to.
All We Know Is Falling was released rather quietly in the midst of a pop punk scene which followed the mainstream success of Green Day, Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, Saves the Day, Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory, and many others in the early 2000s. The debut establishes a solid foundation built upon the already polished and powerful vocals of Williams, backed by the solid musicianship of co-songwriter and guitarist Josh Farro, and his brother, drummer Zac Farro.
Even favorable reviews of the auspicious debut inevitably mentioned the youthfulness of “the band’s 16-year-old female vocalist, Hayley Williams,” and made lazy comparisons to Avril Lavigne. Aside from featuring female lead vocalists, Lavigne’s hit song, “Sk8r Boi,” shares some common DNA with some of Paramore’s catchier songs, like “Here We Go Again,” but that’s where the similarities end.
A better example of Paramore’s sound is the album’s energetic lead single, “Pressure,” featuring power pop chords and Williams’ urgent vocals about universal punk themes of uncertainty, emptiness, and letting go. Paradoxically, some critics were quick to wave off Paramore for supposed lack of chemistry and “real dynamic musicianship,” but still praised the band for being “a few steps ahead on no basis on other than the vocals.” However, the pop punk community took notice, and the band played at least a portion of both the 2005 and 2006 Warped Tours.
After making an impression in the pop punk scene, Paramore followed up their debut with the breakthrough 2007 album, Riot! While the band’s first Billboard Top 40 hit, “Misery Business,” doesn’t stray far from All We Know Is Falling, the Tennessee-based band showed their range with the post-rock influence of “Let the Flames Begin” and ballads like “When It Rains” and “We Are Broken.” Paramore also sharpened their pop punk chops with “crushcrushcrush” and “That’s What You Get.”
Despite Paramore’s more diverse sound, they were punished by some critics for branching out. Others once again praised Williams’ vocals, while somewhat minimizing the band’s contributions. NME gave Riot! a 5 out of 10 score and praised “Misery Business” for “angsty lyrics, a kiss-off riff and an undeniable chorus,” but ripped “When It Rains” for sounding like Heart and “crushcrushcrush” for sounding like Shania Twain if “she ‘went emo.” Spin and Alternative Press each reviewed the album favorably overall, but on the strength of “an 18-year-old siren with… an undeniable knack for writing contemplative love song” and a “chick [who] can wail,” respectively.
Here is where an undeniable pattern started to emerge: Critics started to focus on Williams’ talents as a vocalist, overshadowing the improved songwriting and musicianship of Paramore. The contributions of the Farro brothers, bassist Jeremy Davis, and touring guitarist Taylor York took a backseat to the “Great Orange Hope,” as John Mayer nicknamed Williams. This imbalance seemed to take a toll. Co-songwriter and lead guitarist Josh Farro was even quoted as saying, “We are a band. It’s not just Hayley — it’s not her band. Just because she’s the lead singer doesn’t mean she’s the only one involved,” prior to Paramore cancelling the remainder of its European tour.
In spite of the drama, Paramore came back stronger with the release of Brand New Eyes in 2009. By all appearances, it looked like Josh Farro and Williams eventually found a way to co-exist, once again sharing songwriting duties. Admittedly, the title alluded to “seeing each other, seeing everything, in a whole new perspective” and “let[ting] go of whatever we might have struggled with the past.”
The lead single, “Ignorance,” wasted no time reintroducing the revitalized band. The music video shows Paramore performing in a claustrophobic room, with a light bulb illuminating all of the band members. The song is frenetic, featuring the group’s signature power chords and driving percussion. The track addressed the internal tensions and turmoil which almost caused the band to scrap the album head-on, seemingly leave no doubt about its renewed strength. The next single, “Brick By Boring Brick,” finds Paramore in similar territory, with an infectious sing-a-long chorus and a theme of facing the real world.
To be clear, Brand New Eyes is not merely a throwback to Paramore’s original sound. “The Only Exception” is the band’s most optimistic ballad yet, featuring an acoustic guitar and hopeful lyrics about true love.
Then there’s “Playing God,” the final single released before the departure of the Farro brothers. Williams said the song is about “ripping at self-righteous people.” It has a back-and-forth chorus which points out the hypocrisy of being judgmental. The music video leaves room for interpretation, starring Williams as she addresses the other band members with the accusatory lyrics. Whether or not the song was originally written about the band’s issues, perhaps the visual was Paramore’s final goodbye before the lineup change.
Of course, reviews still focused on Williams, but there was finally some acknowledgement of her bandmates’ contributions. While Spin’s positive review couldn’t resist calling Williams “the flamed-haired Paramore frontwoman,” the magazine admitted her “bandmates don’t leave her hanging,” while noting an “upgrade in focus and intensity.” However, Rolling Stone sarcastically said the band “had a hard time turning pro.” While NME was once again not impressed by “The Only Exception” and another acoustic song, “Misguided Ghosts,” the British magazine praised the album’s “joyful pop.”
Unfortunately, just as Paramore began to earn some critical praise in addition to their growing fanbase, original band members Josh and Zac Farro called it quits after their Fall 2009 and 2010 tours. Tellingly, the band released a statement which said, “None of us were really shocked. For the last year, it hasn’t seemed as they wanted to be around anymore.” Meanwhile, the Farro brothers’ exit statement gave more details about their story.
The statement says Paramore started out making music “for the love of it,” but things changed once Williams signed as a solo artist. According to the brothers, the band was a “manufactured product… riding on the coattails of ‘Hayley’s dream.” The statement also alludes to Josh Farro and Williams’ breakup during the Riot! album cycle, after which things “started going downhill.” Eventually, disagreement with the lyrics from Brand New Eyes caused the band to “split into two sides,” and the Farros chose to leave.
https://twitter.com/yelyahwilliams/status/16652893545308160
Losing two original members didn’t deter Paramore from finishing their 2011 tour dates as a trio. Its rallying cry of “Paramore is (still) a band” originated from a tweet referring to its “Paramore is a band” t-shirt.
Paramore’s first single minus the Farros, “Monster,” was featured on the Transformers: Dark of the Moon soundtrack. In addition, the band announced Singles Club on its website, releasing three exclusive songs at the end of 2011. In 2012, the trio began recording their first album with the new lineup, and emerged with Paramore, its most critically acclaimed and expansive album yet.
The unabashed power pop dedication to Williams’ now fiancé, New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert, “Still Into You” set things off. The soul-influenced “Ain’t It Fun” features a catchy chorus backed by a gospel choir and funky bass guitar, with its universal, self-motivational theme about stepping out of the bubble into the outside world.
The song obviously resonated, reaching no. 2 on the Billboard Top 40 and giving Paramore their biggest hit yet. The album also features songs hemming to its “signature sound” (“Fast in My Car” and “Anklebiters”), ballads (“Hate To See Your Heart Break”), and optimistic, mid-tempo songs (“Daydreaming” and “Last Hope”).
Following this critical and commercial success, Paramore hit the road in late 2014 and 2015 to capitalize on the band’s strongest effort yet, but this period of relative stability was not to be. Earlier this month, the band announced bassist Jeremy Davis was again departing from the band (he’d previously left during the recording of All We Know Is Falling).
Paramore vows to continue on as a band, and there’s no reason to think why that won’t be the case. It’s proven to be resilient, through a breakup and the loss of two founding members. Williams herself tweeted out:
If year 26 really wanted to take me down, it shoulda taken me out. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. 27, bring it.
And most importantly, Paramore have fought long and hard to be recognized as a complete band, rather than Hayley Williams backed by some random guys who play instruments. For that and the body of work they’ve put forth, they deserve far more praise and recognition than they get. Perhaps, picking up here is a good start.
