Taking Back Sunday

Band

Photo: Caitlin Ison · Public domain
Active 1999-present
Origin Amityville, New York
Albums 8
Tracks 87
Most frequent collaborator Eric Valentine · 22 tracks
Genres EmoPost-HardcorePop PunkAlternative Rock
Complete Artist
100%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 87 of 87 tracks

Did Taking Back Sunday write their own songs?

Yes, on every album. How the credit is printed changes, though. Tell All Your Friends gives the lyrics to Adam Lazzara and John Nolan and the music to the band. Where You Want to Be, Louder Now, New Again, Happiness Is and Tidal Wave credit Taking Back Sunday as a group with no individual named. The 2011 self-titled album and 152 list the whole line-up on each track. Across the eight albums that works out to 31 tracks naming a member and 56 carrying the band credit.

By the Numbers

8
Studio Albums
87
Tracks Credited
100%
Self-Written
27
Years Active
9
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 87 / 87 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 87 tracks: how many Taking Back Sunday wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Taking Back Sunday has a writing credit100%
98%
2%
Sole author85tracks98%
Co-written2tracks2%
Outside writers0tracks0%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Taking Back Sunday's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 87 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)100%
Composer (music)100%
Producer0%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 87 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Adam Lazzara 2001-present
36%
24%
0%
0%
John Nolan 1999-2003; 2010-present
36%
24%
0%
0%
Shaun Cooper 2001-2003; 2010-present
24%
24%
0%
0%
Mark O'Connell 2001-2024
24%
24%
0%
0%
Eddie Reyes 1999-2018
13%
13%
0%
0%
Fred Mascherino 2003-2007
0%
0%
0%
0%
Matt Rubano 2003-2010
0%
0%
0%
0%
Matthew Fazzi 2008-2010
0%
0%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Taking Back Sunday's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
2002Tell All Your Friends
2004Where You Want to Be
2006Louder Now
2009New Again
2011Taking Back Sunday
2014Happiness Is
2016Tidal Wave
2023152
Early · 100% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
2000s
Tell All Your Friends, Where You Want to Be +2 more
100%
2010s
Taking Back Sunday, Happiness Is +1 more
100%
2020s
152

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Taking Back Sunday sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Taking Back Sunday
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Michael Bublé15%
Rascal Flatts29%
Jennifer Lopez46%
Sinéad O'Connor59%
Christina Aguilera74%
Smash Mouth83%
The Used92%
100%Taking Back Sunday
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

A Decade Under the Influence
Where You Want to Be
Written by Taking Back Sunday
Wrote it
MakeDamnSure
Louder Now
Written by Taking Back Sunday
Wrote it
Liar (It Takes One to Know One)
Louder Now
Written by Taking Back Sunday
Wrote it
Sink into Me
New Again
Written by Taking Back Sunday
Wrote it
S'old
152
Written by Shaun Cooper, Adam Lazzara, John Nolan, Mark O'Connell, Tushar Apte
Co-wrote

Discography 8 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Photo of Taking Back SundayTaking Back Sunday87 tracks
EV22Eric Valentine, 22 tracks Photo of Mike Sapone17Mike Sapone, 17 tracks LG11Lou Giordano, 11 tracks DK11David Kahne, 11 tracks Photo of Matt Squire11Matt Squire, 11 tracks SV10Sal Villanueva, 10 tracks TA10Tushar Apte, 10 tracks MJ6Marc Jacob Hudson, 6 tracks NC1Nathan Cogan Post, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. EV Eric Valentine · LG Lou Giordano · DK David Kahne · SV Sal Villanueva

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

The writing credits change shape three times across the catalogue. Tell All Your Friends splits them, with the lyrics going to Adam Lazzara and John Nolan and the music going to the band. The next four albums, from Where You Want to Be through Happiness Is and on to Tidal Wave, name nobody at all and credit Taking Back Sunday as a unit. Then the 2011 self-titled record and 152 go back to listing the line-up by name on every track. Of 87 tracks, 31 name a member and 56 carry the band credit, so the authorship figure on this page is measuring a credit convention more than it is measuring who wrote the songs.

Quick Facts

  • FromAmityville, New York, formed in 1999
  • Credit convention56 of 87 tracks are credited to Taking Back Sunday rather than to any member
  • Best sellerTell All Your Friends has sold 790,000 in the United States and is certified platinum
  • Biggest chart weekLouder Now debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 158,000 copies
  • Biggest song"MakeDamnSure" reached number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100
  • Line-upEleven official members since 1999; Nolan and Cooper left in 2003 and came back in 2010

Creative Fingerprint

A band that wrote in the room and labeled it three different ways: split lyrics and music at the start, a flat band credit through the middle, then every member named again from 2011 on.

The Story

Taking Back Sunday formed in Amityville, New York in 1999 and became one of the bands people point to when they talk about the early 2000s emo boom. Adam Lazzara and John Nolan trade and overlap vocal lines, which is the sound most listeners recognize. Eight studio albums have come out since 2002, on Victory, Warner Bros., Hopeless and Fantasy.

Frequently Asked Questions Taking Back Sunday

Did Taking Back Sunday write their own songs?
Yes, on every album. How the credit is printed changes, though. Tell All Your Friends gives the lyrics to Adam Lazzara and John Nolan and the music to the band. Where You Want to Be, Louder Now, New Again, Happiness Is and Tidal Wave credit Taking Back Sunday as a group with no individual named. The 2011 self-titled album and 152 list the whole line-up on each track. Across the eight albums that works out to 31 tracks naming a member and 56 carrying the band credit.
Who wrote "MakeDamnSure"?
Taking Back Sunday, credited as a band. Every track on Louder Now carries the same collective line. The single reached number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Who wrote the lyrics on Tell All Your Friends?
Adam Lazzara and John Nolan, on all ten tracks. The music on that album is credited to Taking Back Sunday as a whole.
Why do so many Taking Back Sunday songs list no songwriter?
Five of the eight studio albums print a single band credit instead of names. That is a labeling choice rather than a claim that nobody in particular wrote them, and it is why the authorship percentage on this page reads lower than the band's actual involvement.
How many albums has Taking Back Sunday released?
Eight studio albums between 2002 and 2023: Tell All Your Friends, Where You Want to Be, Louder Now, New Again, Taking Back Sunday, Happiness Is, Tidal Wave and 152.
What is Taking Back Sunday's best-selling album?
Tell All Your Friends, with 790,000 sold in the United States as of 2009 and over 1,000,000 worldwide. It was certified gold and then platinum in 2023.
Which Taking Back Sunday album charted highest?
Louder Now, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 in 2006 after selling 158,000 copies in its first week.
Who is in Taking Back Sunday?
Adam Lazzara on lead vocals, John Nolan on guitar, vocals and keyboards, and Shaun Cooper on bass. Drummer Mark O'Connell played from 2001 until he left in 2024. Founding guitarist Eddie Reyes was in the band from 1999 to 2018.
Why did John Nolan and Shaun Cooper leave and come back?
Both left in 2003 and formed Straylight Run. They rejoined in 2010, which put the Tell All Your Friends line-up back together for the 2011 self-titled album.
Did anyone outside the band write with them?
Rarely. On 152 the producer Tushar Apte is credited on "S'old" and Nathan Cogan Post on "Quit Trying". Every other track across the eight albums is credited to the band or to its members.

Sources

Wikipedia: Taking Back Sunday Wikipedia: Taking Back Sunday discography Wikipedia: List of Taking Back Sunday band members