Paramore was an American band hailing from the great city of Franklin, Tennessee. These rockstars were lead by the fiery frontwoman Hayley Williams. In 2005, they burst onto the scene with their first L “All We Know Is Falling” which gave us classics such as “Pressure” “Emergency” and the sensational hard rock ballad “My Heart” (my first introduction to “screamo”). In wasn’t until 2007 that Paramore would take the world by storm with their second LP “Riot!” a pop-punk record with influences ranging from swing on “Fences” to teenage angst in tracks like “Misery Business” to from top to bottom that record was far from a sophomore slump, it was a commercial smash. The album would go on to selling over one million records.
With this success came more exposure. Paramore recorded a track for a small Hollywood franchise entitled “Twilight.” “Decode” went on to sell over one million copies. Paramore was on the move and they seemed unstoppable. The band would tour and ultimately release a DVD/CD combo commemorating the conclusion of the tour entitled “The Final Riot!” recorded at the Congress Theatre in Chicago. The band would release their third album “Brand New Eyes” in 2009.
“Brand new eyes” was praised by critics for its depth, especially in songwriting. The ballad “The Only Exception” peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200 charts, which made it the most successful single released from the album. At this point, Paramore aged like fine wine. Their art tended to grow in correlation with their popularity and influence. “Brand New Eyes” would provide 5 singles for the group while adding another million records sold for the band and then 2010 happened. The band developed a cult following, their videos were all over MTV and it was not uncommon to catch a fellow fan in a Paramore hoodie.
Their shows were some of the most interactive. Fans would sing the words back with such vigor. There’s promo and theirs unbridled love that comes with a brand people can relate to. Paramore’s lyrics were introspective and full of emotion. The band worked tirelessly on building a solid base through platforms such as LiveJournal, which created a unique sense of community. Paramore listened and fans responded by showing up to shows with a intensity and love that can be seen and heard through live recordings, especially “The Final Riot!” It sounds cliché, but Paramore truly created a family like atmosphere with their fans. Little did we know of what dissension occurring within the band itself.
Paramore did experience some drama while creating their first album “All We Know Is Falling” losing a member and having him come back only to almost kick him out again. Despite all of what was going on behind the scenes, Paramore found a formula that worked very, very well. In 2010, Josh and Zac Farro left the group. What happened to the band is all too common in music politics. Paramore started like any other rock band, a group of guys with a common interest jamming out in their garage. Frontwoman Hayley Williams was signed at the age of 14 and joined the then-unnamed band in 2004.
As the band transitioned from teenagers to then young adults, their perspectives changed. Josh and Zac wanted to be more than “hired guns”. I can imagine what they wanted to be, friends playing music with friends in a band with common goals and perspectives on values. The disconnect was not entirely surprising when you see the platinum party on the later part of “The Final Riot!” DVD, the celebration seemed to be more attributed to Hayley, I don’t blame her, she was young, but I wish her record deal never happened opposite her band members.
The brothers did not return and the band was never quite the same. The music was still there, but the spirit was not. The narrative changed from whether Paramore could sustain the magic to if they could ever recapture it. The band never felt the same. The kids we knew from Franklin, lost their innocence. The record deal, vetted interest in making Haley the star, and the band’s youth suffocated any chance of Paramore creating a solid foundation and this is why we can’t have nice things.
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