Fall Out Boy had their breakthrough with 2005’s From Under the Cork Tree. They’ve gone on to enormous success, and are the current kings of the pop-punk genre. Their latest album, Folie a Deux, is the work of a band that knows they can do no wrong. Exuberant melodies, soaring harmonies, exciting guitar licks - it is the sort of album that you will love immediately.
One of the stand-out tracks is What a Catch, Donnie. It’s a rhythmic ballad about the suicide of acclaimed soul musician, Donny Hathaway -
I’ve got troubled thoughts
And the self-esteem to match
What a catch
What a catch
Songwriter Pete Wentz says the song was written for lead singer Patrick Stump, but many fans think it reflects Wentz’s own struggles with depression. Either case is likely - depression, especially amongst men, is at epidemic levels. I’ve heard figures suggesting that at least a quarter of the male population now suffer from this problem, and the figure is rising.
I wish we could say that Christians are less prone to this scourge, but there is no evidence for that. Indeed, the sensitive, intelligent, introspective men who often go into ministry are especially at risk. There are no easy answers, and I fully accept that clinical problems require clinical solutions. But this issue reminds me, again, that it is very important that we seek joy just as earnestly as we seek the other fruits of the spirit. And I’m not talking a glum and stoic kind of joy here. I mean the sort of heartfelt delight and gratitude and contentment that marks the lives of the most mature Christians we know. God commands us to delight in Him - and He promises to then give us the desires of our hearts. Sounds pretty good!
The Fall Out Boy song finishes with these lines -
They say the captain
Goes down with the ship
So, when the world ends
Will God go down with it?
No, God isn’t going down with the ship, and nor are we. And it’s just possible He may be offering us some help along the way…
Further study
* Desiring God by John Piper
* When the Darkness Will Not Lift by John Piper
* Keys to Happiness by Arch Hart
