I'm Like A Lawyer...(Me & You)

I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You) by Fall Out Boy: Chart History

Fall Out Boy released "I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)" in 2007 as a promotional single from their third major-label studio album Infinity on High, released through Island Records. The album arrived in February 2007 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling approximately 260,000 copies in its first week, a remarkable commercial achievement for a rock band in a period when rock was increasingly struggling to match the sales figures of hip-hop and pop. Fall Out Boy had emerged from the Chicago post-hardcore and emo scenes in the early 2000s and had broken into mainstream consciousness with their 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree, which produced the crossover hit "Sugar, We're Goin Down."

"Me & You," as the track became commonly known due to its unwieldy formal title, was written by Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump, the primary creative partnership at the center of Fall Out Boy's songwriting process. Wentz provided lyrics and thematic concepts while Stump handled melody, composition, and vocal delivery, a division of labor that had produced some of the most commercially successful rock songs of the mid-2000s emo boom. The track's production was handled by Neal Avron, who had worked with the band on From Under the Cork Tree and brought a polished, radio-ready approach to the recording that broadened the band's appeal without alienating their core fan base.

The song features an appearance by Jay-Z, who contributed a brief passage to the track, a collaboration that reflected the ambitions of Infinity on High to position Fall Out Boy as crossover artists capable of operating across genre boundaries. Jay-Z had become something of a celebrity sponsor of the band, and his involvement on the record generated significant press coverage that amplified the album's commercial launch. The track was released to alternative radio and quickly established itself as a mainstream rock radio staple, receiving substantial airplay across both alternative and top forty stations.

On the Billboard charts, "Me & You" performed strongly on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it reached the top ten, and also crossed over to mainstream top forty radio in a way that was characteristic of the best emo-pop crossover moments of the era. The song's accessibility, anchored by Patrick Stump's melodic vocal performance, made it one of the more radio-friendly tracks on an album that ranged from orchestral arrangements to more aggressive rock sounds. Island Records' promotional team worked both rock and pop radio formats, giving the track broader exposure than a conventional rock release would receive.

Infinity on High itself was a significant moment in Fall Out Boy's commercial trajectory, consolidating the breakthrough success of From Under the Cork Tree while expanding the band's sonic and thematic ambitions. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and remained on the Billboard 200 for an extended period, demonstrating the sustained commercial interest in the band's output. "Me & You" was among the tracks that received music video production, and the clip received rotation on MTV and MTV2, extending the song's reach beyond radio.

The song arrived at the peak of the emo wave that had reshaped mainstream rock radio in the mid-2000s. Bands including My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, and Fall Out Boy had collectively demonstrated that rock music with melodic, confessional, and emotionally intense qualities could command enormous commercial audiences, particularly among teenage listeners. Fall Out Boy's ability to combine post-hardcore instrumental energy with pop songwriting craft was central to their commercial success, and "Me & You" exemplified this balance. The track's chart performance and radio success contributed to a year in which the band was among the most visible rock acts in American popular music.