"Flavor of the Weak" is a song by American rock band American Hi-Fi. The song was released as the first single from their self-titled debut album on December 22, 2000. To date, this song is their highest-charting single, reaching number 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaking within the top 50 in Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It has been used in various movie soundtracks. Background American Hi-Fi was formed by musician Stacy Jones in 2000, former drummer for cult favorites Letters to Cleo and Veruca Salt. He recruited several close friends in Boston initially to play cover songs. That same year, Jones was invited to participate in recording a Nina Gordon solo album in Maui, and brought the group along to rehearse. Bob Rock, veteran rock producer, was involved Gordon's album and lended his services to the band as well after hearing Jones's demos. The song's title is a play on the term "flavor of the week." Jones wrote the song for a female friend that he felt was being treated poorly by her boyfriend. "My angle wasn't 'she should be with me.' It was, 'Man, these guys are idiots,'" he said. He wrote and sang the song from her perspective, and Rock felt the song had immediate potential. He suggested he sing from his perspective instead, and also contributed the idea for its opening guitar riff. Its genesis was swift: the quartet recorded and completed the song in one evening. Jones took influence for the tune from power pop groups like Teenage Fanclub and Fountains of Wayne, but also older artists like Cheap Trick. In 2016, the band re-recorded the song, along with its debut album, in acoustic form. Music video The music video for the song, directed by Chris Applebaum, is a parody of the heavy metal documentary Heavy Metal Parking Lot. It takes place in 1986 and begins with a teenage boy, played by drummer Jason Sutter, and his friends cussing about how the heavy metal genre and its artists should be praised while punk rock belongs on Mars. The band American Hi-Fi is jokingly referenced among other metal musicians. The video then begins, flash-forwarding between a story about a girl who acts subservient to her boyfriend, not knowing about his cheating escapades, and the band performing. The video was a staple on MTV and MuchMusic USA. Reception The song initially saw