What Do You Want from Me (Forever the Sickest Kids song)

"What Do You Want from Me"
Single by Forever the Sickest Kids
from the album The Weekend: Friday and Diary of a Wimpy Kid soundtrack
ReleasedOctober 30, 2009
Recorded2009
Genre
Length2:37
LabelUniversal Republic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Matt Squire
Forever the Sickest Kids singles chronology
"She's a Lady"
(2008) 		"What Do You Want from Me"
(2009) 		"She Likes (Bittersweet Love)"
(2010)

"What Do You Want from Me" is a single by the American band Forever the Sickest Kids. It is the lead single from their EP The Weekend: Friday. The song was first released on October 30, 2009 via the group's MySpace page.[1]

It has been featured in numerous Nerf commercials,[2] and in the ending credits of the film Diary of a Wimpy Kid, where it was re-released with minor changes in the lyrics.[3] The song was featured on Apple's QuickTime media player application.[4]

Composition and lyrics

"What Do You Want From Me" was written by Austin Bello, Caleb Turman and Shep Goodman while production was handled by Michael Goodman. Guitarist Marc Stewart spoke about the song's meaning with Alternative Press. He stated, "This song is about not listening to everyone around you and just realizing it's about you and not what other people think you should be. We wrote it during a time in our lives when everyone was trying to push us in different ways."[5]

On March 19, 2010, the single was re-released for the film Diary of a Wimpy Kid, entitled "What Do You Want from Me (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Mix)".[6] This version features slight changes in the lyrics from the original version, in order to make the song more kid-oriented.

The verse "I don't wanna waste my time again/By getting wasted with so-called friends", was changed to "I don't wanna waste my time again/By getting crazy with so-called friends". The second verse, "And I've been thinking that we've been drinking in hopes to maintain our sanity", was changed to, "And I've been thinking that we've been sinking in hopes to maintain our sanity."[7]

Music video

The music video for the song was filmed on November 12, 2009 at the Starland Ballroom and released on December 14, 2009 via MTV.[8] The band's manager (played by Verne Troyer)[9] informs the band that they need a change in their image. The band is skeptical at first, but goes along with the idea. The manager has them perform their song in many different fashions, such as hip-hop, goth, and being dressed in neon colors, all of which fail among their audience.[8] The band then decides to perform with their own, original style. When this finally gains the audience's approval, the manager claims to the band, "See? I told you guys. Just be yourself." The music video was directed by David Brodsky.[9]

Track listing

Album version
No.TitleLength
1."What Do You Want From Me"2:37
Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."What Do You Want From Me" (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Mix)2:39

Personnel

Credits for "What Do You Want from Me" adapted from album's liner notes.[10]

Release history

Release dates and formats for "What Do You Want from Me"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various March 19, 2010 Digital download Universal Motown [6]

References

  1. ^ "What Do You Want From Me - Forever the Sickest Kids". MySpace. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Forever The Sickest Kids, Every Avenue, There For Tomorrow have all starred in Nerf commercials". Alternative Press. April 3, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  3. ^ Jessica Norton (March 10, 2011). "Album Review: Forever the Sickest Kids". Seventeen. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Pete Freedman (January 15, 2010). "Check Forever The Sickest Kids' Apple-Approved "What Do You Want From Me?"". The Dallas Observer. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  5. ^ "Track-By-Track: Forever The Sickest Kids". Alternative Press. December 7, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "What Do You Want from Me? (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Mix) - Single by Forever the Sickest Kids". Apple Music. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  7. ^ What Do You Want From Me (Digital liner notes). Forever the Sickest Kids. Universal Motown. 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ a b Tamar Anitai (December 14, 2009). "Video Premiere: Forever The Sickest Kids, 'What Do You Want From Me'". MTV. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Forever The Sickest Kids What Do You Want From Me Video". Rockdirt.com. January 21, 2010. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  10. ^ The Weekend: Friday (booklet). Forever the Sickest Kids. Universal Motown. 2009.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)


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