Yellowcard is an L.A.-based Pop Punk band who formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1996 and voluntarily disbanded in 2016 before reforming in 2022. The lineup currently consists of lead singer Ryan Key, lead guitarist Ryan Mendez, bassist Josh Portman and violinist Sean Mackin. Yellowcard's original lineup featured Ben Dobson on vocals, Todd Clary on guitar and vocals, Ben Harper on guitar, Warren Cooke on bass, and Longineu Parsons III on drums.
They are best known for their inclusion of a professional violinist in their lineup, as well as their 2003 single "Ocean Avenue" and its namesake album, both of which are certified double platinum by the RIAA. Other well-known songs of theirs include "Only One" and "Lights and Sounds".
Discography:
- Midget Tossing (1997)
- Where We Stand (1999)
- One for the Kids (2001)
- Ocean Avenue (2003)
- Lights and Sounds (2006)
- Paper Walls (2007)
- When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes (2011)
- Southern Air (2012)
- Ocean Avenue Acoustic (2013)
- Lift a Sail (2014)
- Yellowcard (2016)
This band contains examples of:
- Call-Back: Possibly in "Life of Leaving Home" to Lights and Sounds."Every song was a snapshot of my life"
- Also, "With You Around" to "Only One"
"Do you remember when I said you were my only one?" - Central Theme:
- Paper Walls: What do you do when you hit rock bottom?
- Yellowcard: Saying goodbye.
- Driven to Dual Suicide: "You and Me and One Spotlight" may be one of the most beautiful examples of this trope ever.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Their first two albums featured a completely different lineup and the music was hardcore rather than punk-pop. They were literally a completely different band in all but name.
- Fond Memories That Could Have Been: "Ten", about the narrator pondering about how his life would be different if his girlfriend had not had a miscarriage. The title comes from how old the child would be if they had been born.
- Grand Finale: Their final album, simply titled Yellowcard, was written to be the band's final one. Every song on it was written as a way to say goodbye.
- "Groundhog Day" Loop: The music video for "Ocean Avenue
" finds the lead singer having to suffer some terrible fates, each one forcing him to repeat the same day, until he gets it right, in a similar reference to the German film Run Lola Run. - Harsh Vocals: Most prominently in "Way Away".
- I Am the Band: Violinist Sean Mackin is the member to be in the band since the beginning. Ryan Key was also a founding member, but quit before their debut album was released before returning.
- Let's Duet: "How I Go".
- Love Nostalgia Song: "One Year, Six Months" appears to be one, the singer apparently meeting with an ex-lover who has forgotten him.
- Lyrical Dissonance: Often, particularly in "View From Heaven".
- New Sound Album: One for the Kids, their third album, completely changes their genre to pop-punk. Lights and Sounds is a milder example, going from pop-punk to alternative. Lift a Sail had a slower, arena rock sound.
- Pop Punk/Punk Rock: They get put into these groups a lot, but have said on occasion that they don't feel "punk" is an accurate description of their musical styles and prefer to put themselves closer to Alternative Rock.
- Punk Opera: The album Lights and Sounds tells the story of a girl named Holly Wood and her experiences in Los Angeles.
- Revolving Door Band: In particular, they have a lot of trouble holding onto bassists. Their first two albums, released in 1997 and 1999, are the only albums to feature their original lineup; since then, Lights and Sounds (2006) and Paper Walls (2007) are the only other albums to feature all the same band members twice in a row.
- Studio Chatter: At the beginning of "Rough Draft", Ryan can be heard faintly saying, "One, two, three, four..."
- Surprisingly Gentle Song: At least once an album. "One Year Six Months", "How I Go", "Dear Bobbie", "Hang You Up", "Ten", "California", "Wrecking Ball", and "Fields and Fences".
- Take That!: During their tour to promote Ocean Avenue, Ryan would boast a baseball hat which read "Not My President" before the band played "Believe," their tribute to the victims of 9/11.
- Teenage Death Songs: "Two Weeks From Twenty", fitting the trope by, well, two weeks.
- We Used to Be Friends: A recurring theme.
