Fake I.D. (song)
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| "Fake I.D." | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Joyce Manor | ||||
| from the album Cody | ||||
| Released | August 8, 2016 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:20 | |||
| Label | Epitaph | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Rob Schnapf | |||
| Joyce Manor singles chronology | ||||
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"Fake I.D." is a song recorded by the American rock band Joyce Manor. The song was released on August 8, 2016, through Epitaph Records, as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album Cody. The song depicts a hopeless one-night stand with a conversational narcissist. Frontman Barry Johnson wrote the song's lyrics, which reference a litany of public figures, including rapper Kanye West, author John Steinbeck, and actor Phil Hartman.
Critics appreciated "Fake I.D."; the song's sardonic tone and West line were praised by critics. The song was selected for an All Songs Considered column by NPR, and was ranked as the eighth-best song of its year by Time. The song's music video, the first of three for the album directed by Christopher Good, illustrates a teen obtaining a fake I.D. in order to buy alcohol through unorthodox methods.
"Fake I.D." shares songwriting credits between all of the members of Joyce Manor at that time. The tune centers on a protagonist having a one-night stand with someone younger, who enjoys hearing themselves talk, about the immeasurable talent of Kanye West, who she opines is better than the actor Phil Hartman, or the author John Steinbeck. As the song concludes, vocalist Barry Johnson retreats to his memories,[1] alluding to the death of his friend Brandon Carlisle, the drummer of Wyoming punk act Teenage Bottlerocket, who unexpectedly died in 2015.[2] Johnson said the lyrics of "Fake I.D." toe the line between "idiotic" and realistic; "the song reads like a fucking ClickHole article or something," he said.[3] Johnson characterized the track as "one of the most upbeat and fun songs we have ever done."[4] Despite this, he feared for the song's reaction from their fanbase before its release, figuring its tone (major-scale) and lyrics (mainly the West line) might irritate listeners.[5]