Fat Lip

This song is about lead singer Deryck Whibley's parents, who wanted him to be just another normal person. Deryck had other ideas: He wanted to do what he loved, not become another victim of conformity. At concerts, he explained that while the song was inspired by his upbringing and the travails of being a teenager, he encourages everyone to chart their own course and not give a damn about what other people think about it.

"Fat Lip" struck a chord with young people eager to break free from the shackles of their parents' expectations. The song comes off as very genuine because it was: Whibley was just 20 when he wrote it with guitarist Dave Baksh and drummer Steve Jocz, who were about the same age.

This was the first hit for Sum 41, who signed a record deal in 1999 and released an EP called Half Hour Of Power in 2000. It was the last song completed for the All Killer No Filler album; they had the song "In Too Deep" slated as the first single, but bumped it because everyone loved "Fat Lip."