Fun., We Are Young | Bangerz N Bopz 🔥

In the 76^th edition of Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 (2025), we highlight “We Are Young” performed by Grammy-winning alt-pop band Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe. 

[nx_dropcap]B[/nx_dropcap]ring on the bold, fierce songs! Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 serves up background info and insight into songs of various styles, especially songs that raise eyebrows and/or stir the pot.  Featured records can be classic or brand new. In the 76^th edition of Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 (2025), we break down “We Are Young” performed by Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe.

“Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart.” Oh, snap! “We Are Young” is one of the most beloved anthems of the 2010s. Perhaps that is an understatement describing a RIAA diamond-certified single. Youth is clearly on the side of Grammy-winning alternative pop band, Fun. (Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, and formerly, Jack Antonoff). “Young” is the third track from their 2011 triple-platinum album, Some Nights. Beyond the lead vocals of Ruess, the alt-pop trio tapped Grammy-nominated R&B singer/songwriter and actress Janelle Monáe for the assist. The record was nominated for two Grammys at the 55^th Annual Grammy Awards: Record Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. In both categories, they lost to one-hit-wonder Gotye for “Somebody That I Used to Know”.

There is a lot to adore about “We Are Young.” The production and sound of the record are striking.  Sigh, there is nothing like the pounding drums that open the cut to get you going! Nate Ruess shines with his clear and, dare I say, youthful-sounding vocals! Songwriting is a selling point throughout, filled with carefree, irresponsible experiences associated with youth. Lyrics like, “My friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the Empire State,” catch the ears, also affirming a youthful, carefree, and high-risk mindset. Later, Ruess asserts, “So if by the time the bar closes / And you feel like falling down / I’ll carry you home.” Noted, and quite drunk.  The section to beat is the chorus, where there is a timely tempo change. Spiritedly, Nate sings:

“Tonight

We are young

So let’s set the world on fire

We can burn brighter

Than the sun.”

Higher, huh? Brilliant! It’s giving young, invincible, and giving zero fucks. Is the youthfulness prevented arrogantly? It’s easy-going, but when we are young, we do tend to be too full of ourselves, overconfident. Janelle Monáe plays a more modest role in the song compared to songs where she’s the lead artist with a huge personality. But, she nails that bridge (“Carry me home tonight”), singing alongside Ruess in select moments (“The moon is on my side /… The angels never arrived, but I can hear the choir”). Fun. were only relevant for a short time, but the trio cemented its place in musical history with “We Are Young”, period.