A gothic pop combination of heartfelt and soul lifting music combined in five albums, Panic! At the Disco is one of the best bands of the century. Originating in Vegas the original band members met in high school, they would get bored and met in one of their garages to play covers from Blink182. After getting tired of doing covers they recruited a few other classmates and created they band we’ve come to know as Panic! At the Disco. Not a lot of time had past before the base player of Fall out Boy Pete Wentz had heard them.
Wanting to create a label of his own Pete flew to Las Vegas and signed the band (Apar). After being signed, they released their first album “A Fever You Can’t Sweat out” in 2005 which went on to sell 2 million copies with an emo pop sound. As time went on, however, they would find the struggle of being who you are with all the pressure of the music world is hard to do. In the story of Panic! At the Disco, we learn that though difficult its not impossible to remain yourself and do what you love. Pete Wentz had heard of Panic! At the Disco when they posted a demo on Pete’s live journal and being so excited after hearing them flew to Vegas and signed hem – (Apar).
A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” put this band on the map with their number one hit “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”; A song about the singers brother who was getting married to a girl whom had been cheating on him. Not knowing how to tell hios brother after catching him he wrote this song and played it for him (all ready knew this fact). While “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” put their name on the map lead singer Brendan Urie grew to hate the song for it became the only song people knew from the album. The album includes songs like “The only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is
Press Coverage” which was about the struggle in the music business of being who you are and who they want you to be. Then there’s the song “But it’s Better When We Do” which is about getting your heart broken and going to a club to get drunk and forget the person who hurt you. The album is one many emotionally troubled teens and young adults can relate to due to the sorrowful notes and tuneful lyrics. A few years later the band decided to play around with the sound of 60’s and 70’s rock, folk music, and Indie rock for their album “Pretty Odd” released in 2008 (Reddit).
Nine In the Afternoon became the hit song on that album and sold many opies. The band spent some time playing around with a title for the album but when they heard their recording of the song “That Green Gentleman” they decided that the title should be “Pretty Odd” from the lyrics: “Things are shaping up to be pretty odd little deaths in musical beds”; They were inspired by the Beatles way of music. Instead of using a computer for their sound effects like they did in “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” they decided to use an orchestra (ultimate guitar author unlisted).
The album did not sell as well as the first, but they carried the sound of other musicians into this album very ell and its easy to hear what inspired them. The best song on the album that has more of a subtle vibe to it is “When The Day Met The Night” it depicts the struggle of two different people in a relationship who can come together and coexist in harmony. Album three “Vices and Virtues” was released in 2011 after the band went threw a split. A few of the members found that the struggle of fame was to intense and couldn’t handle it so they left leaving Brendan and what was left of Panic!
To find replacements. They took the feelings of the past and moving foreword into this album ith a steam punk/pop sound (James Montgomery). Featuring hit songs like “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” “Trade Mistakes” and Sarah Smiles” The band started getting back into their old sound and gaining their fan base back. The song “Sarah Smiles” was written about Brendan’s fiancee; it depicts the struggle of having a relationship in the music world but also good it can be. The song shows that even when times are hard you can always find happiness. In 2013 Panic!
At the Disco released their fourth album “Too Weird To Live, Too Rare to Die” with their hit song, and first track “This is Gospel”. They had tried drugs and went to parties and drank before but they found they found that they could always come down from that high it wasn’t a need for all but one of them. After the third album drummer Spencer Smith told Brendan and the band that he was addicted he couldn’t stop the drugs or alcohol consumption and didn’t want to. As a result, the band told him that while he has their love and support in this hard time; he cannot be a member of Panic!
At the Disco (all ready knew this). Brendan than wrote this is gospel about Spencer, Spencer’s struggle, and the intervention they had held for him. Taking the ords Spencer had spoke Brendan came up with the chorus “if you love me let me go, if you love me let me go, ‘Cause these words are knives and often leave scars the fear of falling apart and truth be told, I never was yours the fear the fear of falling apart”. This song meant a lot the band and to Spencer he valued their support; wanting to show that they loved him they put it on the record.
Not wanting to dwell on negativity though, they add songs like “Miss Jackson” “Nicotine” and “Girls/Girls/Boys/”. Over the years the band had developed a reputation as pop mavericks for never sticking to just one genre f music. From the Thomas Dolbyisms’ of “Girls/Girls/Boys” or the NIN-esque thumbing of “Girl That You Love” this album never settles on just one sound. The songs like “Nicotine” and “Collar Full” went back to the sound of their first album despite the dance floor impersonations coming from the synthesizers (Matt Collar).
This album is one of the best ones because of how they balance the 80’s synthesizer with Brendan’s Vocals; they put so much of themselves into this album that it came out as something you could relate to. The album while incredible was bittersweet for the members of Panic! At the Disco because of the dismissal of their friend, but they never let it interfere with there work they sent out statements and tweets reminding Spencer that if he ever needed a friend they would always be there for him.
Even though his addictions gave the band an image problem they still loved Spencer and went on the way they thought was best. Panic! At the Disco finally hit their long time goal of number one album on the Billboard with their newest release “Death of A Bachelor”. This album is full of ance provoking songs and is a thrill to listen to. With hits like “Victorious”, “Hallelujah”, “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time” “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “Death of a Bachelor” this album climbed to the top of the charts in just a few short weeks.
With all that’s happened to the band over the years’ Brendan took the reins on song writing for this album and wrote it completely himself. Inspired by many different artists he wanted to try and throw his voice around in the song “Death of A Bachelor” he does a Frank Sinatra impersonation that made this a favorite for many fans. Brendan used his wide range of vocal kills to bring all different types of genres in this album while still sticking to Panic’s feel and sound.
From the dance numbers that never let up to the oddly placed ballads of “Impossible Year” and “House of Memories” at the end of the album (Lisa Henderson). While this album is enjoyable, astonishing, and intriguing the last two songs on the album do take a turn for the heart strings. It’s an odd fit for the album but like all this Brendan found a way to make it all work and sure enough get them stuck in your head. In closing this band has been together for many years, their first album came out nine years ago and hit with a bang. They’ve been through a lot and have found loyal friends’ and followers.
From emo pop to goth pop to punk to power pop this band has beat down the doors of the music industry and slammed the world with hit after hit making a point that you don’t have to stick to one genre to be great. They knock down doors on every turn and never leave the audience wanting. They impress, surprise, and bring identity to an industry of yes’s and no’s. They give you a sense of so many genre’s and so many different artists in only five albums it’s like a lesson in music on its own. In the story of this band we learn that though its difficult its possible to remain yourself and do what you love.
