Вкус Недолговечности: История Песни American Hi-Fi

2000 single by American Hi Fi

"Flavor of the Weak" is a song by American rock band American Hi Fi. The song was released as the first single from their self titled debut album on December 22, 2000. It is the band's highest charting single, reaching number 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaking within the top 50 in Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

American Hi Fi was formed by musician Stacy Jones in 2000, former drummer for cult favorites Letters to Cleo and Veruca Salt. He recruited several close friends in Boston initially to play cover songs. That same year, Jones was invited to participate in recording a Nina Gordon solo album in Maui, and brought the group along to rehearse. Bob Rock, veteran rock producer, was involved Gordon's album and lended his services to the band as well after hearing Jones's demos. The song's title is a play on the term "flavor of the week." "My angle wasn't 'she should be with me.' It was, 'Man, these guys are idiots,'" he said. He wrote and sang the song from her perspective, and Rock felt the song had immediate potential. He suggested he sing from his perspective instead, and also contributed the idea for its opening guitar riff. Its genesis was swift: the quartet recorded and completed the song in one evening. Jones took influence for the tune from power pop groups like Teenage Fanclub and Fountains of Wayne, In 2016, the band re recorded the song, along with its debut album, in acoustic form.

The song initially saw success on alternative and modern rock radio, with programmers grouping in the new coming band in with acts like Sum 41 or Good Charlotte. The band's fanbase and perception shifted drastically upon the song's crossover to the top 40 format; alternative stations began to disregard the band as a pop act. "Flavor of the Weak" was among the first of many crossover pop punk hit singles in the early aughts. The song's huge success was unusual for the band, who had just formed: "We had never even played a real show, and all of a sudden we had a song on the radio," said Jones. "Flavor of the Weak" was well received by music critics. Robbie Daw at Billboard called the tune "a perfect mix of gritty guitars and infectious hooks." Anna Gaca at Spin ranked the song among the best pop punk choruses of the 21st century. Mike Rampton at Kerrang! dubbed it "one of the all time top entries [of its kind]."

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref. (Reference)United StatesDecember 22, 2000Alternative radio, Alternative, Campus radio, college, Adult album alternative, triple A radioIslandFebruary 7, 2001Top 40 radioJapanJuly 18, 2001United KingdomAugust 27, 2001CD, cassetteMercury