Song of the Week: Stupid Much?

I have a slight confession to make: I was so certain that you would pick Stupid Much? this week that I actually started writing about it before the poll was even posted last week. What can I say? I know a sure thing when I see one, and it's no secret that Stupid Much? is a well-loved fan favorite.

Whether you are a brand new fan of the Skinner Brothers or have been following them since their inception, Stupid Much? is a track that will need no introduction. Arguably one of their most well-known and instantly identifiable songs, it is a slight deviation from their usual high energy scream-alongs. Instead, Stupid Much? showcases a more vulnerable and introspective side of the band that is truly relatable to anyone listening. The song is packed with regret and self-reflection; if you have ever been burned by a relationship, an employer, or anyone else you thought you could trust, this song is for you. It feels like a late-night phone call with your best friend after a particularly long day, and that feeling of relief that comes with knowing that someone else just gets it.

With a luscious fusion of indie rock, soul, and street savvy charm, it drives home the already well-known fact that you will not put the Skinner Brothers into a box without a hell of a fight. As the diamond of the Soul Boy II album, Stupid Much? blends unfiltered emotion with gritty authenticity, demonstrating both the range and depth the Skinner Brothers have hiding up their sleeve.

I'm sure the day-one fans already know that Zac is no stranger to versatility, but the soulful vocals and subtle guitar work in this track create an intimate storytelling atmosphere that sets it apart from any others in the catalog. This is the kind of smoldering song that originates in pain, and if there were a way to represent it visually you would see bricklayers building a cold, stone wall around someone's heart in real time.

“Yeah I said forever, but I only meant a while”

Admittedly, it does portray a pretty grim perspective of the world around us— the lyrics seem to paint a picture of someone internalizing a fair amount of guilt, and shouldering the weight of blame that was never theirs to carry in the first place. If you really want to go down that rabbit hole, the lyrics almost raise a question of what a healthy expectation of personal accountability should be—if you find yourself in a situation where you've been betrayed by someone close to you, how much of that is your own responsibility for being too trusting (as the lyrics seem to suggest) versus theirs for not being worthy of that trust to begin with? Are we meant to go about our daily lives constantly looking over our shoulders and waiting for those closest to us to stab us in the back? Surely, that can't be the only inevitable outcome?

Though this song is a bit melancholy, the video does offer a glimmer of hope towards the end. As we watch Zac cycle through the streets of London (while being relentlessly pursued by a blue billiard ball for some reason? I'm going to need some context here...) you get this impending feeling like the stress is reaching a boiling point. But then he enters the The Five Bells pub (where he once worked in real life, in case you missed that), meets up with some friends, and the entire mood shifts from one of dark contemplation to a more relaxed levity. You can almost feel the weight lift like a big sigh of relief through the screen, and slowly that defensive stone wall begins to crumble. The same scenes of cycling through London play again, but reversed this time, as if to suggest that spending time with people who care about you can help unwind all the negativity that builds up throughout the day.

”Life can be a bummer, but you've got to just smile”

On a similar note, after a few shots of playing pool toward the end of the video, it eventually ends with that same blue billiard ball spinning alone on the empty table. Was the ball just a random prop to use in the video, or was it accidentally (on purpose) intended to be a metaphor representing the nagging thoughts that follow us around all day? And then subsequently used again to illustrate leaving those thoughts behind after taking some time to unwind? Am I the only one seeing this, or am I just reading too much into blue balls? You know what.. never mind.

As poignant as it is powerful, it's no wonder why Stupid Much? is widely considered a fan favorite. It is a track that permeates the deepest recesses of your mind, lingering for days to come, and captures the essence of post-fuck-up clarity with unrelenting honesty. It is grounded in the type of resilience and character that can only come from lived experience, and by learning most of life's lessons the hard way... because sometimes that's the only path that is visible from the principles you choose to stand on. With that said, if you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything, and Stupid Much does a fantastic job of showcasing both sides of that particular coin.

I'm willing to bet that Stupid Much? was one of the first Skinner Brother's songs that many of you had committed to memory, but I'm feeling helpful today, so here are the lyrics anyway.

*insert usual speech about the possibility that these lyrics could be wrong here*

☘️🖤

We could walk these streets forever
Good kids caught down in the never never
Kicking up dust like the weather
Kicking up a fuss with a Stella

Keeping in kurupt 108 on the dial
Yeah I said forever but I only meant a while
Waking up in bad dreams becoming my -
Walls are closing in because I

Drink too much and I
Think too much - man high-
Smoke too much
Thoughts are coursing round my brain
Coz I. love too much and I
Trust too much man am I
Stupid much
I always fuck things up

Me and you are gonna live forever
From the block to the better weather
Fear no foe like a trend setter
Call the cops - yeah whatever
I keep it casual Adidas on the tiles
Life can be a bummer but you got to just smile
Waking up in bad dreams becoming my -
Walls are closing in because I

Drink too much and I
Think too much - man high-
Smoke too much
Thoughts are coursing round my brain
Coz I love too much and I
Trust too much man am I
Stupid much
I always fuck things up

We could rule the world together
Maccy Ds to the Ritz I tell her
Nothing gonna stop us never
White tracksuit she the street Cinderella
Cooking up a plan like we was Nigella
This is my united kingdom of whatever and my-
Walls are closing in because I

Drink too much and I
Think too much - man high-
Smoke too much
Thoughts are coursing round my brain
Coz I love too much and I
Trust too much man am I
Stupid much
I always fuck things up