If you grew up in the early 2000s with a lip piercing and a heavy heart, you knew the lore. It was the feud that launched a thousand LiveJournal posts. Jesse Lacey and John Nolan—the two architects of the Long Island scene—didn't just write songs; they wrote manifestos against each other.
But honestly? Most of what people "know" about the beef is kind of a game of telephone that’s been warped over twenty-five years. People think they hated each other forever. They didn't. They think it was all about a girl. It was, but also it wasn't.
By 2026, looking back at the wreckage of Brand New and the enduring legacy of Taking Back Sunday, the story of Jesse and John feels less like a rock star rivalry and more like a tragic coming-of-age story that just happened to be played at maximum volume.
The Night Everything Changed at a House Party
It’s 1999. Jesse Lacey is the founding bassist of a new band called Taking Back Sunday. He’s best friends with John Nolan. They’ve been close since they were kids. John actually taught Jesse how to play guitar back in high school. They were the kind of friends who shared everything—until they shared a girl.
The "incident" is the stuff of emo legend. At a house party, John Nolan reportedly hooked up with (or made a move on) a girl Jesse was dating or very interested in. Accounts vary on whether it was a full-blown affair or just a "make-out session," but for Jesse, it was the ultimate betrayal.
He didn't just quit the band. He went home and started writing.
📖 Related: Ashley Johnson: The Last of Us Voice Actress Who Changed Everything
Why "Seventy Times 7" and "There's No 'I' in Team" Still Matter
You can't talk about Jesse Lacey and John Nolan without talking about the "diss tracks." This wasn't some subtle Taylor Swift-style Easter egg hunt. It was a scorched-earth policy.
When Brand New released Your Favorite Weapon in 2001, "Seventy Times 7" was the standout. The lyrics weren't just angry; they were violent. Jesse famously sang about hoping his "best friend" would drive his car into a bridge and have his head go through the windshield. It’s brutal. The title itself—a biblical reference to how many times you should forgive someone—was a sarcastic middle finger. Basically, Jesse was saying, "I know Jesus says to forgive you, but I'd rather you be dead."
Taking Back Sunday fired back on Tell All Your Friends with "There's No 'I' in Team."
Here’s the part people forget: John Nolan didn't just write a response; he stole Jesse's own lyrics. He took the line "Best friends means friends forever" from "Seventy Times 7" and twisted it. The two songs even share the same bridge melody and lyrics in a call-and-response format.
"Is this what you call tact? I swear you’re as subtle as a brick in the small of my back."
👉 See also: Archie Bunker's Place Season 1: Why the All in the Family Spin-off Was Weirder Than You Remember
That line? It was reportedly something Jesse said to John over the phone during their breakup. John threw it right back in his face. It was petty. It was genius. It was exactly what every heartbroken teenager in 2002 needed to hear.
The Reconciliation Nobody Noticed
Here’s the weird part. While fans were busy picking sides, Jesse and John actually made up pretty fast. By 2002, Brand New was opening for Taking Back Sunday.
There are old videos—grainy, 240p footage—of Jesse Lacey coming out during Taking Back Sunday's set to sing the bridge of "There's No 'I' in Team." John would do the same for Brand New. They were kids who realized that being famous together was better than being miserable apart.
John Nolan actually gets a "special thanks" in the liner notes of the first Brand New album. Jesse is thanked in the TBS liner notes. The "feud" between the two of them was mostly buried by the time the world even heard the songs.
The Adam Lazzara Factor
If Jesse and John were cool, why did the beef feel like it lasted for decades? Enter Adam Lazzara.
✨ Don't miss: Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises: What Most People Get Wrong
While Jesse and John reconciled, Jesse’s relationship with TBS frontman Adam Lazzara remained... complicated. Or, as Adam put it in 2015, Jesse was "just a dick." The rivalry shifted from a personal betrayal between childhood friends to a professional cold war between two massive bands.
When John Nolan left Taking Back Sunday in 2003 (largely due to Adam Lazzara's personal drama involving John's sister), Jesse actually sided with John. He helped John's new band, Straylight Run, get on their feet. The "Long Island Sound" split into two camps: the Jesse/John alliance and the Adam Lazzara-led Taking Back Sunday.
The 2026 Perspective: What We Learned
Looking back from 2026, the Jesse Lacey and John Nolan saga is a masterclass in how personal pain creates timeless art. Brand New went on to become a reclusive, experimental powerhouse before their 2017 hiatus (and 2024-2025 reunion tour), while Taking Back Sunday became the reliable elder statesmen of the genre.
The lesson here isn't about "who won." It's about how two friends from Levittown used a messy, high-school-level mistake to build a blueprint for an entire genre of music.
What you should do next to really understand the history:
- Listen to the "Binary" versions: Play "Seventy Times 7" followed immediately by "There's No 'I' in Team." If you listen closely to the bridges, you’ll hear how they perfectly mirror each other.
- Check out the Straylight Run debut: If you want to hear what John Nolan felt after the dust settled, the song "Your Name Here (Sunrise Highway)" is widely considered his olive branch to Jesse.
- Watch the 2025 reunion clips: If you can find footage from the Brand New 2025 shows, look for the moments where Jesse references the old days. It’s a stark contrast to the bitterness of 2001.
Ultimately, the beef was the best thing that ever happened to their careers, even if it was the worst thing that happened to their friendship at the time. They turned a phone call into a legacy.
Actionable Insight: If you're a musician or creator, don't shy away from the "tactless" details of your life. The reason these two grew into icons is that they weren't afraid to be petty, specific, and vulnerable in a way that made every listener feel like they were part of the secret.