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Tuesday, 2 October 2018

Panic! at the Disco analysis by James and Emilia

I write sins not tragedies


It was released in 27 February 2006 and is the second single from Panic! At The Disco’s debut album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out”.  The band’s reasoning behind the song was that at the time, all other bands sounded very similar. They decided to start the song with a cello, because rock songs rarely start in such a way and they wanted to let listeners know from the beginning that this is unlike any other song they’d heard.


The video begins in a church, and then cuts to Brendon Urie singing. It then makes multiple cuts between him and the church, and he then bursts into the church at the beginning of the chorus. The family in the stands all have face paint on and their eyes closed. This shows how they are choosing not to see the immediate issues between the soon to be married couple. Once Urie and his group of misfits enter the room, they blow powder into the guests’ faces, so they then get up and start dancing.

The church it is set in is an incredibly old, run down building which appears to be in the middle of nowhere. This could mean that it is set in the far south of the USA. Brendon’s star persona is a chaotic force, who is seemingly aware of all the details of the wedding arrangement. He is dressed half in a sort of wedding outfit and half in a circus ringmaster outfit. Only the groom’s side of the family are dressed as circus freaks, which could mean the groom thinks they are crazy for trying to ruin his wedding, when really they are aware of his bride’s misdeeds.

It is likely that Brendon’s character is the groom’s conscious, as he is torn between his family and his bride. At the end of the video, the groom becomes the ringmaster, showing that he has sided with his family.


This may also be the reason that, on multiple occasions, Brendon’s character covers his mouth to stop himself from saying something. This is because the groom is in denial and therefore, preventing himself from thinking such things.

Girls/Girls/Boys

It was released 8 October 2013 as the third single of Panic! At The Disco’s fourth album “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die”. It peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart and was the final single released while drummer Spencer Smith was part of the band. The video was directed by DJay Brawner.

The video is one continuous shot, which changes between close ups and mid shots. It is a performance based music video, with Brendon Urie, the band’s singer, being the only person in the video. This puts the focus entirely on him, especially since the background is blacked out. He dances slightly, spinning around and swinging his arms about. He is completely naked and in multiple instances, the video teases panning below his hips, though it never does.

The video is highly sexualised, which fits with the lyrics. It explores the idea of casual sex and bisexuality. It emphasises the importance of holding a truthful sexual identity, as well as celebrating the courage to take it public. The song was originally written about Brendon’s first threesome experience and the music video is closely tied with the lyrics. Because he is naked, it shows that he is vulnerable, as he is opening up about his sexuality.

The song is evidently on the topic of a first experience, as shown by lines like  “And never did I think that I/ would be caught in the way you got me”. It is likely about a girl coming to terms with her sexuality, and the lyrics “I don’t want to hear you got a boyfriend” shows that the narrator is unconvinced by her attempts to hide it.

Death of a bachelor

It was released on 1 September 2015 as part of Panic! At the Disco’s fifth album, “The Death of a Bachelor”. It was a homage to Frank Sinatra, as Brendon Urie stated he had fond memories connected with his music.. He also stated in an interview with Upset magazine that he feels the song is “Very jazzy, very Sinatra esque… But then put it with this beat that sounds like Beyonce’s ‘Drunken in Love’”.


The music video is in grey scale, reminiscent of the era Frank Sinatra was from. It stars Brendon Urie in a suit, standing on a stage singing into a microphone. There are instances of panning away from Urie, close ups of parts of his face, and jump cuts in quick succession. During the song, Brendon Urie sings the line “I’m playing hooky”, which means to purposely avoid responsibility. This  shows that the narrator is avoiding his inevitable marriage, which will cause his ‘death’ as an available man. Lines like “I see the shadows on my face, People have told me I don't look the same, Maybe I lost weight” show that the narrator is now ready to mature as he takes his next step in life.

here is also a depressing undertone, with lines like “The lace in your dress tangles my neck” and “The death of a bachelor, seems so fitting for happily ever after. How could I ask for more?” seem to have sarcastic tones to them, as if the narrator is acknowledging how big an event marriage is, but honestly does not care much for it himself. It is as if he is mocking the concept that it is  an amazingly positive event in our lives.

Part of the song’s inspiration may have also been Brendon Urie’s marriage to Sarah Orzechowski . While the occasion was positive, it is likely the song was Brendon venting his insecurities and worries around getting married. It is also most likely tied in to Frank Sinatra, as he wrote many songs about love and romance, so perhaps this is a parody of that.

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