"Fake You Out" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo

Twenty One Pilots Twenty One Pilots (stylized in Letter case, all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris ...

from their third studio album, '' Vessel'' (2013). The song was written by

Tyler Joseph Tyler Robert Joseph (born December 1, 1988) is an American singer, rapper, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman for the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside bandmate Josh Dun. He has been nominated for ...

, who co-produced it alongside

Greg Wells Greg Wells is a Canadian musician, record producer, songwriter and audio engineer. Wells has songs on over 130 million albums sold. He has worked with John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ariana Grande, Jazmine Sullivan, Kid Cudi, Adele, Rufus Wai ...

. "Fake You Out" is a quirky

techno-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

track composed of momentary injections of

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

and

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, alongside record

scratching Scratching, sometimes referred to as scrubbing, is a DJ and turntablist technique of moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable to produce percussive or rhythmic sounds. A crossfader on a DJ mixer may be used to fade between two record ...

and screams. Lyrically, it discusses the difficulty of telling people the truth about ourselves, while also referencing suicidal temptations. The song was released as the album's fourth single on September 15, 2013 and was made available for free

downloading In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...

as the Single of the Week through the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

in the United Kingdom. "Fake You Out" received generally favorable reviews from contemporary

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. The single charted on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s

Christian Rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

songs chart, peaking at number 21 and spending five weeks on it. It was also certified Gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for 500,000 units sold in the country. The band performed "Fake You Out" during their Quiet Is Violent World Tour (2014), as part of a medley with a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of " Summertime Sadness" by American singer

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent ...

Recording

"Fake You Out" was produced by

and recorded at Rocket Carousel Studio in Los Angeles, California. The track was then mixed at Rocket Carousel Studio and

mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

at Howie Weinberg Mastering in Los Angeles, California. During an interview with ''

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...

'', Tyler Joseph provided insight into each track on the band's forthcoming album ''Vessel''. He elaborated about how he played the key tar for "Fake You Out." Joseph composed the track in F-sharp, the first note he learned to play on

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

while using the black keys, because he considered it easier than the C note.Track By Track Video Commentary, from ''Vessel'' (Bonus Tracks Version). Twenty One Pilots. iTunes Store. Fueled by Ramen. 2013. Joseph stated that he was excited while writing the track, since he implemented on it many elements that he had not heard on music before. During the verses, he sings in

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

; regarding this, he called this part one of his favorite melodies because he wanted to write a song that had verses as infectious as the chorus: "I feel like writers slack on verses when it comes to melody... I've always felt like why not have the verses—the melody of the verses be just as infectious as the chorus? So I'm proud of this song in that way". The vocalist also expressed that he tried to implement many musical genres in the song; he elaborated: "Also, it does the whole mash-up genre thing that everyone is freaking out about. Truly, I just didn't know that there were rules to

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

and, you know, so I just worked on transitioning from one genre to the next. I wanted to hear a song that did that. I've never heard a song do that before, I wanna hear that, so I made that".''Vessel'' ommentary Version Twenty One Pilots.

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

. Fueled by Ramen. 2013. Concerning the meaning of the lyrics, Joseph stated:

Composition

"Fake You Out" is a

song that lasts three minutes and fifty-one seconds. According to the

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc, it is composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

F-sharp major F-sharp major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has six sharps. The F-sharp major scale is: : Its relative minor is D-sharp minor (or enharmonically E-f ...

(F) and written in the

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

, with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 115

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. The quirky track is composed of a

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

, momentary injections of

and sharp

, alongside light showers of record

and screams. The musical arrangement has a pulsing beat at the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, and flirts with immediacy. Lyrically, "Fake You Out" poignantly discusses the difficulty of telling people the truth about ourselves, even those whom we’re supposedly the most close to. Additionally, the song's lyrics reference suicidal temptations. The individually expressive song comes tinged with determined youth. "Fake You Out" maintains a dichotomy between managing to be both quirky and brutal. Similar to its title, "Fake You Out" feigns happiness with its beat, when it is actually a rather sad song lyrically: "I, I'll never be, be what you see inside."

Release and promotion

In January 2013, Twenty One Pilots released third studio album ''Vessel'' as their major-label debut under

Fueled By Ramen Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City. History John Janick conceived of the lab ...

, including the

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

"Fake You Out." In the United Kingdom, the song was featured downloadable for free as the Single of the Week on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

. The free download offer was provided through the same platform in Netherlands in the week of October 13, 2013.

Critical reception

"Fake You Out" received generally favorable reviews from contemporary

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Fred Thomas highlighted "Fake You Out" as an album track pick. He stated, "banging tunes like 'Fake You Out' leaning closer to

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...

Fun. Fun (stylized as fun.) is an American pop rock band based in New York City. The band consists of Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train and Bleachers), Andrew Dost (formerly of Anathallo), and Nate Ruess (then-former lead singer of the Format). Fun fo ...

than they do to

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

, but with an eye toward both sides of the coin." Maria Sherman of ''

Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

'' remarked, "'Fake You Out" feels like a Killers tune with a purposeful-youth tinge; there's that pulsing beat on the bridge, and the immediacy they flirt with on other releases but comes full circle on '' Vessel''."

Commercial performance

"Fake You Out" charted on ''

''s

songs chart during 2015, peaking at number 21 and spending five weeks on it. On February 27, 2019, "Fake You Out" was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 paid digital downloads.

Live performances

Twenty One Pilots provided a live rendidtion of "Fake You Out" before 5,000 fans at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois on October 2, 2014 during their Quiet Is Violent Tour. The closing performance was as part of a medley alongside a

of " Summertime Sadness" by American singer

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Vessel''. Twenty One Pilots *

– lead vocals, bass guitar,

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

, piano, keytar, co-

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, programming, keyboards *

Josh Dun Joshua William Dun (born June 18, 1988) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside Tyler Joseph, and also contributes backing vocals and trumpet to the band's work. He has collabora ...

– drums, percussion Additional musicians *

– production, mixing, programming, keyboards *

Howie Weinberg Howie Weinberg is an American audio mastering engineer with over 2,257 mastering credits, three TEC Awards, 21 Grammy Awards, two Juno Awards, and one Mercury Prize. Career Weinberg mastered Herbie Hancock's 1983 album ''Future Shock''. Other m ...

– mastering * Dan Gerbarg – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fake You Out 2013 singles Twenty One Pilots songs Synth-pop songs 2013 songs Fueled by Ramen singles Songs written by Tyler Joseph Song recordings produced by Greg Wells