label Island Records wanted them to record three more tracks, the cost rose to $300,000. Music and lyrics The music of The Art of Losing has been described as pop-punk, power pop, and rock, while it was compared to the works of Blink-182 and Sum 41. The opening title track evokes the sound of the Clash. Jones said the song is about being an underdog and moving on regardless of being told what to do by others. "The Breakup Song" is reminiscent of American Hi-Fi's song "Flavor of the Weak", "First Date" (2001) by Blink-182, and the music of the Police. The lyrics, which included a reference to "Crimson and Clover" (1968) by Tommy James and the Shondells, discuss relationship issues with the narrator placing more focus on retrieving his record collection rather than his ex-girlfriend. The acoustic song "Save Me", along with "This Is the Sound", recalls the works of Goo Goo Dolls. "Nothing Left to Lose" uses hip hop phrases such as "Holla back y'all" and "All the bitches in the back", and allusions to the Undertones, Jackson Browne, Dennis Rodman and Jackie Chan, as well as cribbing the work of Good Charlotte. It is followed by rock numbers "Teenage Alien Nation" and "Rise". "The Gold Rush", alongside "Happy", recalls the music of Buzzcocks. "Built for Speed" is reminiscent of the music Nirvana; Jones said he took the verse music from "He's a Whore" (1977) by Cheap Trick for it. It is followed by the closing track "Happy", which features guitar licks sampled from "Taxman" (1966) by the Beatles. Release and promotion In December 2002, the band filmed the music video for "The Art of Losing" in Hays, Kansas, with their friend Chris Applebaum directing. The video was shot over a period of three days and cost a million dollars to make. It shows American Hi-Fi performing in a fan's house; this was inspired by some fans previously approaching the band after a gig and giving their addresses. "The Art of Losing" was released to US radio stations as the album's lead single on January 7, 2003. The track marked the start of an initiative from The Island Def Jam Music Group, which made radio singles available as digital downloads to coincide with their radio add-dates. Larry Mattera, the label's vice-president of new media, said it would aid them to gauge audience reactions as soon as people purchased