--- title: "#Grownupz" meaning: "FEiN Times Issue #1 trust-fund satire: pill-poppin jump-jumpin kid who doesn't wanna grow up: mad stacks, grown ups are all sad, clap on everybeat." year: 2016 release: "Little Homes" releaseType: "album" artist: "FEiN" artistId: "#fein" coWriters: ["Brandon Michael Woodward"] credits: "Written by Luke Francis Walton and Brandon Michael Woodward (FEiN). Produced and recorded by FEiN at Tiny Giant; engineered at LMU; mixed and mastered by Frank Rosato at Woodcliff (Discogs). Brandon Woodward, bass." spotify: "https://open.spotify.com/album/2xWtW9VwcaoHkS7FnIJfaQ" apple: "https://music.apple.com/us/album/grownupz/1111956961?i=1111956969" officialVideo: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usz0siRteGI" press: - outlet: "ReverbNation Blog — FEiN interview (Jan 2017)" url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20220628192349/https://blog.reverbnation.com/2017/01/27/spotify-playlists-dragon-ball-z-and-collabs-an-interview-with-fein/" desc: "Luke/Brandon: 1M+ Spotify · 50k+ playlists · Viral 50 US/Canada/Mexico · Hype Machine; Discover Weekly snowball." - outlet: "Music Connection — NMC Artist of the Week (Sep 2014)" url: "https://lukefwalton.com/songs/monay-grabba/" date: "2014-09-26" desc: "New Artist of the Week · 8.0 · #Grownupz + Monay Grabba · Alternative · seeking Label/Film/TV." - outlet: "Music Connection — Top 25 New Music Critiques (2014)" url: "https://lukefwalton.com/songs/monay-grabba/" date: "2015-01-11" desc: "FEiN Times Issue #1 · FEiN 8.0 · feintimes.com · year-end Special Issue." - outlet: "BMI — Indie Spotlight" url: "https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/indie_spotlight_fein" - outlet: "I Heart Moosiq — #Grownupz premiere / viral recap (2018)" url: "https://iheartmoosiq.tumblr.com/post/177593085294/premiere-fein-lucky-you-lucky-us-we-get" - outlet: "I Heart Moosiq — Spotify U.S. Viral top 10 (#Grownupz)" url: "https://www.tumblr.com/iheartmoosiq/140252129934/its-been-far-too-long-since-ive-shared-fabulous-music-from" - outlet: "Hype Machine — #Grownupz" url: "https://hypem.com/track/25xjc/FEiN+-+Grownupz" - outlet: "Indie Shuffle — #Grownupz" url: "https://www.indieshuffle.com/fein-grownupz/" - outlet: "Fresh Beats 365 — Little Little Homes EP review" url: "https://freshbeats365.com/2016/03/10/fein-little-little-homes-ep-review/" date: "2016-03-10" desc: "Mar 2016 teaser EP: bubblegum indie-pop, child-vocal warping; Tom Roden Foster The People/Torches comparison." - outlet: "Fresh Beats 365 — #Grownupz (official MV)" url: "https://freshbeats365.com/2017/04/12/fein-grownupz-music-video/" - outlet: "#Grownupz (official MV)" url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usz0siRteGI" - outlet: "The Burning Ear: #Grownupz" url: "https://www.theburningear.com/fein-grownupz-girl-you-cant-hide-it/" - outlet: "Rivers Cuomo: DJ set (Melissa's party)" url: "https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ecIc0b9WmaP3soJSyZPB0" desc: "Feb 27, 2016 · #Grownupz track 3 · FEiN Times Issue #1 · archivist proof: /evidence/fein-grownupz-rivers-cuomo-dj-set-spotify-2016-02-27.png" - outlet: "WMBR — Insomnia Sounds (college radio)" url: "https://www.track-blaster.com/wmbr/playlist.php?id=25108" desc: "Nov 20, 2016 · 12:53 a.m. · FEiN Times Issue #1 cut." - outlet: "Natalie: CHAI album comments (Non, Cuomo)" url: "https://natalie.mu/music/news/542174" - outlet: "#Grownupz (8 Bit/Chiptune) — Cydoniac" url: "https://soundcloud.com/feinmusic/grownupz_8bit" desc: "FEiN × Cydoniac chiptune version on FEiN SoundCloud." themes: ["FEiN", "FEiN Times", "Little Homes", "satire", "wealth", "2014", "2016", "viral"] isrc: QZ2QB1600005 isrcSource: soundexchange lyrics: | Someone told me that, Desire is the root of suffering. But I've got mad stacks, So desire ain't a thing. I'll take your girl, And I'll sweep her off her feet yeah. (Sweep her off, Sweep her off.) My father worked so that, I didn't have to do a single thing. So lets have some fun I mean some pills, And play some games. I count to ten, Ca n you count higher than me yeah? That bass, Drop - drop - in' It keeps me jump - jump - jumpin, And uh, That kick, Drum - drum - in' It makes me go : Daddy I don't wanna, Grow up anyway. Grown ups are all sad. doesn't matter where I, Come from anyway. I'll grow up and get sad. Instead, I'll clap my hands, On everybeat. Who would ever wanna, Grow up anyway. I don't, No we don't, Oh . Hmm. Someone told me that, A - happiness a - come from deep inside. Well I bet he's poor, I bet he live a shitty life. C uz you know that don't, That just don't resonate with me, Yeah. My mother taught me that, With help you can accomplish anything. My nanny taught me, All the names of all the days I can say em fast, can you go as fast as me Yeah? Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Fri day Saturday aaaand Sunday Monday Tuesday Thursday Wednesday Friday Saturday Sunday Dayday Daddy I don't wanna, Grow up anyway. Grown ups are all sad. doesn't matter where I, Come from anyway. I'll grow up and get sad. Instead, I'll clap my hands, On everybeat. Who would ever wanna, Grow up anyway. I don't, No we don't, Oh . You, Oh what would you do If you were me? Raised , I n the pit of, Temptation and greed. draft: false --- Originally **August 25, 2014** on [**FEiN Times (Issue #1)**](https://music.apple.com/us/album/fein-times-issue-1-single/907610072) with B-side [**Monay Grabba**](/songs/monay-grabba/). Track five on [*Little Homes*](/albums/little-homes-fein/) (**May 31, 2016**), after [*Outro*](/songs/outro/). [SoundCloud](https://soundcloud.com/feinmusic/grownupz) (~339k plays; [album version](https://soundcloud.com/feinmusic/grownupz-2) ~137k) · [**#Grownupz (8 Bit/Chiptune)**](https://soundcloud.com/feinmusic/grownupz_8bit) (FEiN × **Cydoniac**) · [**official music video**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usz0siRteGI) — FEiN's only produced MV (also on [/music/fein/#videos](/music/fein/#videos) and [/music/#selected-videos](/music/#selected-videos)). Walton/Woodward co-write. **Recording:** **Michael Christofi** tracked **#Grownupz** vocal takes inside actor [**Gary Sinise**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Sinise)'s garage — laptop and interfaces on an ironing board, red acoustic foam on the wall. Indexed **Feb 22, 2016** FEiN Facebook throwback (archivist proof: [/evidence/fein-grownupz-christofi-ironing-board.png](/evidence/fein-grownupz-christofi-ironing-board.png)): *Throwback to recording #Grownupz on an ironing board with Christofi.* That mobile vocal pass sits alongside the earlier **LMU** drum day with Christofi that seeded [*Little Homes*](/albums/little-homes-fein/) — same engineer, different room. **Breakout:** FEiN's **#Grownupz** became the band's clearest early micro-breakout — not memory haze. [**Hype Machine**](https://hypem.com/track/25xjc/FEiN+-+Grownupz): **Dec 16, 2015** FEiN Facebook post (archivist proof: [/evidence/fein-grownupz-hype-machine-charts.png](/evidence/fein-grownupz-hype-machine-charts.png)) reports **#13 non-remix charts**, **#20 popular charts**, **#2 Twitter charts**, and **30,000+ plays**; chart screenshots match the indexed Hype Machine pages. The [track page](https://hypem.com/track/25xjc/FEiN+-+Grownupz) still indexes the song (**posted by 7 sites**; links [Fresh Beats 365](https://freshbeats365.com/2017/04/12/fein-grownupz-music-video/) and blog coverage). [**Indie Shuffle**](https://www.indieshuffle.com/fein-grownupz/) (**Dec 13, 2015**, Jason Grishkoff) shared **#Grownupz** as the duo's kickoff track (Aug 2014 Issue #1 release). [**I Heart Moosiq**](https://iheartmoosiq.tumblr.com/post/177593085294/premiere-fein-lucky-you-lucky-us-we-get) later described it as a **Spotify and Hype Machine** success, tied the arc to their earlier **#Grownupz premiere**, and indexed the path into later FEiN releases. A separate [I Heart Moosiq post](https://www.tumblr.com/iheartmoosiq/140252129934/its-been-far-too-long-since-ive-shared-fabulous-music-from) places **#Grownupz** in Spotify's **U.S. Viral top 10**; that aligns with [BMI](https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/indie_spotlight_fein) reporting **#4** on Spotify's U.S. Viral 50 and 500k+ streams by September 2016, [Canadian Press / *Globe and Mail*](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/feeds/canadian-press/entertainment/spotifys-top-10-most-viral-tracks/article28833695/) listing among Spotify's top viral tracks, and an indexed **Feb 13, 2016** FEiN Facebook artifact claiming **#4 most viral in the US** (post not fully archived here). **Press & spread:** [Fresh Beats 365 interview](https://freshbeats365.com/2016/04/09/fein-interview/) (**Apr 9, 2016**, Tom Roden) — Brandon on sudden **#Grownupz** Spotify activity driving the *Little Little Homes* teaser (*we wanted to update our presence on our page*). [ReverbNation Blog](https://web.archive.org/web/20220628192349/https://blog.reverbnation.com/2017/01/27/spotify-playlists-dragon-ball-z-and-collabs-an-interview-with-fein/) (**Jan 27, 2017**, Dave) — *Spotify Playlists, Dragon Ball Z, and Collabs* — Luke and Brandon on Christofi × [*The Disco*](/songs/the-disco-feat-mike-funk/) and **#Grownupz** stats: *over 1 million plays on Spotify, features on several playlists, and featured on Hype Machine*; Brandon on Discover Weekly saves/repeat listens snowballing; Luke on *near the top of the Spotify Viral 50 for the US, Canada, and Mexico* and **#GZ in 50,000+ playlists*. Asked what drove the breakout, Luke: *Hashtags and the letter z. #DragonBallZ* — same public window that names Dragon Ball Z in the headline ([Dragon Ball $d spine](/catalog/#dragon-ball-spine)). [Fresh Beats 365 EP review](https://freshbeats365.com/2016/03/10/fein-little-little-homes-ep-review/) (**Mar 10, 2016**) singled out **#Grownupz** on the *Little Little Homes* teaser as bubblegum indie-pop with child-vocal warping (*not any throwaway indie-electro artist*); their [**Apr 2017 MV feature**](https://freshbeats365.com/2017/04/12/fein-grownupz-music-video/) wrote that **#Grownupz** first put FEiN on most people's radars in **2014**. Indie blog traction: [The Burning Ear](https://www.theburningear.com/fein-grownupz-girl-you-cant-hide-it/) · [Poprock Record](https://poprockrecord.com/2016/02/16/kids-today/). **College radio:** [WMBR](https://www.track-blaster.com/wmbr/playlist.php?id=25108) *Insomnia Sounds* played the **FEiN Times Issue #1** cut **Nov 20, 2016** at 12:53 a.m. Post-*Little Homes*, [*LOVED*](/songs/loved/) (2017) became the duo's biggest track overall (~9M Spotify). Later public video: [KCRW 360° sessions](/music/fein/#videos) for [*Liminal*](/songs/liminal/) and [*Stupid Forever*](/songs/stupid-forever/) — live performance, not additional MVs. **Rivers Cuomo** ([Weezer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_Cuomo)) added **#Grownupz** (from [**FEiN Times Issue #1**](/songs/monay-grabba/), not the later *Little Homes* album cut) to his public Spotify playlist [**DJ set**](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ecIc0b9WmaP3soJSyZPB0) — **Feb 27, 2016**, track 3 (archivist proof: [/evidence/fein-grownupz-rivers-cuomo-dj-set-spotify-2016-02-27.png](/evidence/fein-grownupz-rivers-cuomo-dj-set-spotify-2016-02-27.png)). Cuomo’s playlist note: *here's the set I played at Melissa's party* (14 songs, 51:44 · 185 saves on capture). Full party set: Alan Walker “Faded” · Future/Drake “Where Ya At” · **FEiN “#Grownupz”** · Young Thug “Best Friend” · Desiigner “Panda” · Emmit Fenn “Painting Greys” · Rae Sremmurd “No Type” · Greyson Chance “Hit & Run” · Drake/Future “Jumpman” · Módl “Years From Now” · Dawn Richard “Not Above That” · Lil Yachty “1 Night” · Marian Hill “Down” · Drake “Know Yourself”. That is a direct Cuomo ↔ FEiN link separate from the CHAI production arc — but Cuomo and [**Non**](/songs/chai-yume-no-hanashi/) (のん) later both wrote [release congratulations comments](https://natalie.mu/music/news/542174) for CHAI's self-titled album **CHAI** (Sep 22, 2023), alongside Shingo Murakami, Kaho Nakamura, Orono, and Sui Ishida. Non stars in [*The Fish Tale*](/songs/chai-yume-no-hanashi/) (さかなのこ), where Walton sound-produced CHAI's **MY DREAM** theme — a Japan network where the **#Grownupz** title is coincidence, not a shared song, but the same quirky-indie orbit. B-side: [**Monay Grabba**](/songs/monay-grabba/). **FEiN Times (Issue #1)**'s *Recording Journal* (Aug 2014) names **money** as the inaugural theme and pairs this song with [*Monay Grabba*](/songs/monay-grabba/): imperialism on the B-side, a *pill-poppin, jump-jumpin trust-fund baby that doesn't wanna grow up anyway* on the A. Written in practice rooms, Venice and Downtown apartments, walks to Which Wich, a *little home in Westlake*, and voice notes in traffic. The LMU drum sessions that day (with **Michael Christofi**) were meant for an EP; fourteen hours later the band had the foundation for [*Little Homes*](/albums/little-homes-fein/). *Brandon was tired.* The joke is a rich kid weaponizing wisdom against itself. Told that desire is the root of suffering, he answers *I've got mad stacks, so desire ain't a thing*; told happiness comes from deep inside, *well I bet he's poor, I bet he live a shitty life*. Inheritance funds the regression: the father worked so he wouldn't have to, the nanny taught him the days of the week (which he then raps as a flex), and the whole thing dissolves into pills, an EDM body-count, and the title's refusal, *daddy I don't wanna grow up anyway, grown ups are all sad.* The bridge admits the cage without leaving it: *what would you do if you were me, raised in the pit of temptation and greed.* Same thread as [*American Man*](/songs/american-man/) and [*Sculptor*](/songs/sculptor/): here youth is the brand, sadness is for grownups, and the beat keeps you from thinking about either. Leads into [*Goodness Gracious*](/songs/goodness-gracious/). ---