The All-American Rejects – Move Along

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”When all you got to keep is strong / Move along, move along like I know ya do / And even when your hope is gone / Move along, move along just to make it through.” Simple lyrics, but immediately impactful from The All-American Rejects on their sophomore smash of a record called Move Along. The band found an immediate spark in their songwriting under the careful tutelage of veteran producer Howard Benson, recorded by Mike Plotnikoff, and mixed by a “living legend” in Chris Lord-Alge, AAR struck gold…rather platinum (x3). This was the first album to feature guitarist Mike Kennerty and drummer Chris Gaylor, while the band’s self-titled debut was a two-piece effort between Tyson Ritter (vocals/bass) and Nick Wheeler (guitars/keyboards/programming). Looking back today on the record that changed The All-American Rejects commercial prospects for the foreseeable future is a fun task. The album spawned three singles in the infectious guitar pop of “Dirty Little Secret”, the timeless title track, and the piano-laced ballad of “It Ends Tonight.” The band has found an entirely new shelf life to Move Along, and their entire discography, by self-promoting impromptu house parties to begin the next phase of the band.

The band began writing the material that would become Move Along in the fall of 2003, and the mid-tempo ballad of “Dance Inside” was the first track AAR would complete from these sessions. The set debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 with over 90,000 units moved in its first week alone. After a blistering 84 weeks on the Top 100 of the Billboard charts, it’s abundantly evident that this album has something remarkably special about it still. By the time the band were ready to start the next phase of their career (2008’s When the World Comes Down), Move Along was already double platinum and The All-American Rejects were on “Top of the World.”

There’s plenty to love about Move Along, even beyond the three massive singles that released during the nearly two-year promotional cycle, as cuts like “Top of the World” and “Stab My Back” showcased Wheeler and Ritter’s innate ability to write infectious earworms that would stay in your headspace long after the album had played out. The set most recently surpassed one billion streams streams on Spotify in December 2024, meaning that Move Along was a success beyond their label’s wildest dreams.

”Change Your Mind” features a very Panic! at the Disco-type of intro that the latter band would perfect on their single of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”, while the AAR song explodes with a shimmering chorus of, “And when the sky is falling / Don’t look outside the window / Step back and hear I’m calling / Give up, don’t take the fast road / It’s just your doubt that binds you / Just drop those thoughts behind you, now / Change your mind / You let go too soon.” These lyrics were more than just catchy, guitar pop. They became a mantra for The All-American Rejects to convince the music world that they belonged.

The steady beat of “Night Drive” features a cool stomping intro, while drummer Chris Gaylor truly shines in some of his best work behind the kit to date. “11:11 PM” is another deep cut that still feels right at home in the sequencing, while “Dance Inside” plays out like a high school prom song meant for bigger things than the band could’ve ever dreamed of. Even the slow-drip ballad of “Straitjacket Feeling” works with its backing orchestral arrangement over the carefully-strummed acoustic guitar of Wheeler. Ritter gives a great vocal performance more often than not, and it rewards the listener time and time again.

The band knows exactly when to pick things back up, tempo-wise, as evident in “I’m Waiting,” a guitar-heavy rock song that features lofty vocals from Ritter and another great performance from Gaylor, and Kennerty, alike. The album closer of “Can’t Take It” once again relies on the orchestral arrangement, while Ritter’s captivating vocal performance makes it a completely necessary closing statement. While The All-American Rejects may have wanted us all to Move Along, it’s clear this album has an undeniable legacy.

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