All 96 Panic! at the Disco songs, ranked

On January 24, Brendon Urie announced that he had gathered up the members of Panic! at the Disco…consisting of himself and that’s all…and decided that the band would disband at the end of their “Viva Las Vengeance” tour in Europe this spring.

What would have been crushing news to 15-year old James made 23-year old James laugh like a mad man at the fact that this man really broke up a band that consisted of only him, not to mention it coming after what I thought was their worst album yet.

But now that Panic is counting down it’s days of existence, I wonder what their legacy in pop punk and rock will be. For the first time in my life, there’s a finality over one of my favorite bands.

Then, I decided to rank Panic! at the Disco songs and after listening to each song on this list probably three times over the course of a week, I can safely say that this band did in fact have at least 96 songs.

Some of this is me trying my best to analyze music, a topic I know literally nothing about. Some of this is history of the band. Most of it was written at 2 in the morning. All of it, at the end of the day, is just my opinion. If you’ve never listened to Panic before, here’s a terrible introduction. If you’ve heard their stuff here and there, here’s a deeper dive into some stuff you might like. If you’ve been a fan for a long time and know all these tracks, here they are again with my terrible opinions latched on.

Special credit to Songfacts and the Panic! at the Disco Wikia for some of the background information on the songs.

If you enjoy, let me know! If you want to share your thoughts with me on a song, I’d love to discuss! If you want to write a mean message about how my opinion is wrong, don’t!

96. “Local God” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

Part of what led to an eventual dip in Panic’s work was Brendon Urie being left to his own devices. He got to amass all the commercial success of their last three albums with no one keeping him honest. What you get as a result is “Viva Las Vengeance”, the final album under the band’s title where Urie spends most of the album basically humble bragging while trying to find sound that reflects some of his favorite music, which more often than not missed with Panic’s audience.

The real kick in the teeth of the album is this. It’s one thing if it’s just got a really corny and obnoxious opening guitar riff. What bothers me is the lyrics, which are a bit open ended and provide a weird “choose your own adventure” listening experience in which Urie is two different types of asshole. There’s the one path where it’s Urie looking back on himself and is his own cheerleader, talking about how he has a “heart of gold” (despite a laundry list of controversies ranging from transphobia to his silence on sexual assault accusations against both himself and Zach Hall, Urie’s bodyguard) and how he “never really cared” about being a star (riiiight). The other route is him taking shots at former bandmates — like Ryan Ross and Dillon Weekes, who we’ll mention later — who he had fallen out with for not wanting to chase fame and be, as the title implies, local gods.

It’s either a self reflection song that isn’t an honest self reflection, or it’s an attack on former band members that were responsible not just for calling out Urie’s B.S. but making the band a success in the first place. Either way, it should stand as the calling sign that maybe this band should die.

95. “Star Spangled Banger” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

The intent behind “Local God” is the only reason this one isn’t occupying the bottom spot. Coming right after the previously mentioned song, it’s more generic riffs and drums with maybe the most annoying vocals and lyrics from Urie. Including, no joke, honest-to-god scat singing.

94. “Something About Maggie” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

This track, as coincidentally the lyrics imply Urie feels about a DJ named Gilly, “makes me want to slit my wrist.”

93. “Can’t Fight Against the Youth” Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die (2013)

This sounds like a demo that got released — or in this case escaped. This is a bonus song from “Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die”. I guess they enjoyed adding electronic elements through the album so much they just kinda lost their minds.

92. “Do It to Death” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

Urie lets the theater kid in him loose throughout “Viva” and at other points in Panic’s history, but typically to a point where it can actually tie itself down in the band’s identity. This is also the last song on the album, a spot that’s typically a layup for Panic. This one fails miserably in doing either well.

91. “Middle of A Breakup” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

Unlike some of the previous “Viva” songs, you can press play on this and in a few seconds know the inspiration. This is just Grease with a music video taking inspiration from the musical as well. It doesn’t sound terrible at first…but then you get to the bridge.

“Oh shit, you’re kissin’ my neck, kissin’ my chest

Now I remember why we fell in love..”

Hmm, cringey. Oh, here comes the chorus!

“Keep your disco, gimme me T-Rex

Makeup sex in the middle of a breakup…”

…WHAT?

90. “The Girl You Love” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

Another one off “Too Weird To Live…” that leans into electronic but misses. Urie said he wanted to write a song in French, did, and then just made all the song match syllables in English. Weird enough? Let’s make it monotone and auto tuned to hell!

89. “One of the Drunks” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

A decent portion of “Pray for the Wicked” is about getting drunk! Cool for some, not really something I relate to all that much so it doesn’t stick for me. That being said, don’t know how people who love songs about getting fucked up feel about a song implying they are, in fact, a drunk.

88. “House of Memories” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

The most boring, bland song from “Death of a Bachelor’’ that for some reason blew up on TikTok, but not in its original state. This song slowed down is all over the damn internet to the point where the last official release from Panic before the announcement they were disbanding was a rerelease of this song both sped up (it’s called nightcore, kids, get it right) and slowed down.

87. “Roaring 20s” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

The start of where we get into territory of songs that are neither so bad they make me angry nor good enough they stand out. Just kind of forgettable white noise to me.

86. “Old Fashioned” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

Kinda weird sound combination between verses and chorus that, while okay separate, don’t work very well together in yet another classic from the “Now That’s What I Call Alcoholic Music” portion of “Pray for the Wicked.”

85. “All by Yourself” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

I believe Urie is singing to a teenager in this track, which he calls “sweet, little kitten.” That line produced a genuine physical recoil from me when listening. There’s actually some half-decent vocals in the ending portion of this song but that’s all that’s redeemable.

84. “Do You Know What I’m Seeing?” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

As its title implies, “Pretty. Odd” was a pretty. odd. time in the band’s history. They were the models of what an emo band looks and sounded like. Suddenly, they turned into the Beatles and were singing about “clouds, marching along, singing their song”. Just a nothing song.

83. “From a Mountain in the Middle of the Cabins” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

Then-bassist Jon Walker said this feels like “an outro” and “an ending” to “Pretty. Odd.”…it’s not the last song though, so why not put it last? It sort of throws off the whole mood of the album’s end. Plus, why would you want this snooze fest finishing your album?

82. “Hey Ya!” Spotify Singles (2018)

I was literally finished making my list when I went back over all the songs and realized I had left one out. That’s right, a Spotify-exclusive cover of, honest to god, Outkast. This idea terrified me, but it’s not as bad as I expected. Brendon’s vocals aren’t great, but at least he doesn’t try to rap.

81. “Sad Clown” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

The internet had fun with this title after the album dropped. This should probably be lower, but it’s just so damn weird it almost feels like something you have to hear a few times to dissect.

80. “Feels Like Christmas” Feels Like Christmas (2017)

Oh god, I forgot this one too. I legit heard this once when it came out and never again. Love a good Christmas song where I feel like I’m being attacked by the beat. Mariah Carey ain’t losing sleep over this.

79. “Crazy=Genius” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

There’s no better description for this I can come up with than this quote from Songfacts.

“In this song, Brendon Urie draws the line from crazy to genius, saying that if crazy equals genius, he’s a f — king arsonist. It might not make sense, but that’s kind of the point.”

78. “The Good, the Bad and the Dirty” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

Not bad, but nothing on it really stands out. Most have probably heard this one or two times and then skipped it forever after.

77. “The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

Weirdly reminds me of “Old Fashioned” in that it sounds like two ideas for songs merged together and just didn’t work.

76. “Oh Glory (Demo)” Vices & Virtues (2011)

Another bonus track, this time off the “Vices & Virtues” album that proved to be a nice bridging point between their early sound and later stuff for the band that was down to Urie and drummer Spencer Smith. It’s kinda mixed weirdly, but it is a demo after all.

75. “Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks” A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (2005)

There’s something about this one that’s bugged me for a long time and I can’t put my finger on anything other than the vocals being kinda all over the place. That or the fact the acoustic demo is a little better. This was one of their first three songs the band ever wrote and it’s a distant third.

74. “We’re So Starving” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

Good sound that suffers from weird lyrics that I can only describe as sounding like something you’d hear in a kids show.

“Oh, how it’s been so long

We’re so sorry we’ve been gone

We were busy writing songs for

You” *Panic, Steve and the rest of the cast of Blue’s Clues all point at camera*

73. “I Constantly Thank God for Esteban” Fever… (2005)

On an album with a lot of loud and exciting ideas, this one’s way more subdued. For that reason, it’s probably the most forgettable from their debut record. Decent, but nobody’s favorite.

72. “I Have Friends in Holy Spaces” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

Decent but lower rated in part because it’s an interlude — by the way, I didn’t include “Introduction” or “Intermission” on this list based on them not having lyrics.

71. “Behind the Sea” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

One of the many led either as a writer or lyrically — in this case both — by Ryan Ross. His voice actually works better here than Urie and this song would probably be higher if the last minute wasn’t just “Oh, waves of wooden legs” over and over again.

70. “Sarah Smiles” Vices & Virtues (2011)

Another song that falls under the “not bad, but not memorable” umbrella. Urie wrote this to impress his then-girlfriend Sarah, he told Spin Magazine. It worked, and the two are now married and having a kid, so I guess they can live with this not being all too high.

69. “Folkin’ Around” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

A short folk interlude that feels super out of place, even on “Pretty. Odd.” However, it does feature some of the best vocals and lyrics from Urie on the album.

68. “I Wanna Be Free” Vices & Virtues (2011)

If you bought the deluxe edition of the album, congrats! Here’s your prize…eh.

67. “Stall Me” Vices & Virtues (2011)

Maybe you’ll like what’s behind door #2! Oh, this was written between Urie, producer John Feldmann and Fall Out Boy’s bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz.

66. “Into the Unknown” Frozen II Soundtrack (2019)

The first of three cover singles on this list, this one from the Frozen II soundtrack. It doesn’t quite touch the original performance from Idina Menzel, but a solid rendition.

65. “(Fuck A) Silver Lining” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

A nice tone setter for the horns and sampling you see throughout “Pray for the Wicked”. Urie said he wanted to be more ambitious with this song and album and it shows. If not for the repetitive, zero calorie lyrics — “Fuck a, Silver lining” is said 13 times in just under three minutes — this might have been a stronger opener to the album.

64. “Viva Las Vengeance” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

The warning shot that this album might suck was this being the title track and first single. It’s not bad by comparison to other songs on the album but Urie’s vocals are all over the place and the rest of the song isn’t quite strong enough to make up for it.

63. “High Hopes” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

You probably heard it on the radio or once for every sporting event broadcast for like three years and it definitely never got annoying!

62. “Dancing’s Not a Crime” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

It’s fun to imagine a Panic fan who went into a coma right after “Fever…” dropped, waking up and being like “So what’s Panic sound like now?” and someone plays them this.

61. “Kaleidoscope Eyes” Vices & Virtues (2011)

This song is really catchy! I hope Brendon doesn’t maniacally laugh at the end of it.

“[Spoken Outro]

Come on, you can do this, you’re so st…

Come on, don’t get, don’t get yourself down

You got this, pace yourself, pace yourself…

[Maniacal Laughter]”

Damn.

60. “The Calendar” Vices & Virtues (2011)

Another track where Wentz contributed lyrically. It’s strong in that department, but there’s way better songs that convey this same sort of message of letting time go by without getting to appreciate things. Probably some better ones written by Wentz as well.

59. “She Had the World” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

Great lyrically, but a prime example of what made “Pretty. Odd.” a miss for most Panic fans. It’s a really mellow, slowed down snoozer of a love song.

58. “Bohemian Rhapsody” Suicide Squad (2016)

My friend ruined this cover for me. It does the original justice, but my friend pointed out the constant breathing and breathy voice from Urie and now it’s all I notice during the opening portion.

57. “Victorious” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

Another single like “High Hopes” that sounds made for radio and sports.

56. “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

*sigh* Annnnottheeer made for radio and sports song that isn’t going to make you feel anything except excited or annoyed.

55. “Vegas Lights” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

Another made-for-ESPN sounding song, but I like this one. I think it’s not as tiresome and — for lack of a better term — empty as the others. It’s about Panic’s hometown of Vegas and while you really aren’t going to listen to this for the lyrics, it sure does capture the fun of Vegas nightlife.

54. “Collar Full” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

This is one of those songs you listen to while you’re driving that just makes you zone out and not remember anything about it. Easy to kind of get lost in.

53. “Mad as Rabbits” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

Ross told VH1 that this track was originally slower and on acoustic guitars before transforming into a quicker paced, horn filled jam to end the record. It probably works better this way.

52. “Emperor’s New Clothes” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

SpooOooOOookKKyyyy. This is a jumping off point into Urie taking over the band’s direction now as its sole member. It definitely leans into the theatrical elements that he likes and Urie, by his admission, says this song is meant to be arrogant in an “I don’t care what you think about this, it’s mine now” way. It was both a firework display of his abilities to make epics…and a warning shot of what would come.

51. “Don’t Let The Light Go Out” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

This is by far one of the easiest listens on this album…even with some way-too-high pitch vocals during the chorus. The lyrics and melody are nice and there’s no overly cheesy guitar riffs.

50. “Always” Vices & Virtues (2011)

It’s the rare Panic track that’s super stripped down. Acoustic guitar, clapping, light mix of string instruments. Works well.

49. “Impossible Year” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

The lower range mixed with the slow piano and brass makes for a song that feels far more doom and gloom than the rest of the album. It’s solid as a stand alone but it’s a weird closer that stirs more intrigue than finality.

48. “Pas de Cheval” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

Remember how I talked about how “Old Fashioned” and “The Piano…” both sounded like the band took two ideas and fused them into one big mess. That’s actually what Ryan Ross said they did here, but done with the idea of being one song. This time it worked. It’s up-tempo, has some great guitar backing and it‘s fun.

47. “Sugar Soaker” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

There’s nothing quite more old school rock-n-roll than a track that’s really catchy with a gross analogy about women. What’s a sugar soaker? That’s up for the worst parts of our brains to figure out. Still, simply not being obnoxious as hell puts it in the top tier of the album.

46. “The Greatest Show” The Greatest Showman (2018)

I’d reckon this got more play on the radio and in streaming than the original sung by Hugh Jackman and company. For those keeping track, Queen > Elsa > Panic > Wolverine.

45. “The Overpass” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

The opening blast from the horns and Urie’s vocals are enough to lift this past quite a few of the others on “Pray for the Wicked”. It draws clear inspiration from *squints* 70’s soul with James Brown and Lyn Collins sampled?

44. “The End of All Things” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

A really nice, slowed down ballad that Urie again wrote for his now-wife Sarah. It draws in listeners in the same way I feel “Always” does, simplified to a piano and strings.

43. “London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines” Fever… (2005)

If “The End of All Things” is a lazy river love song, then this one off “Fever” is a rollercoaster on rickety tracks. Named after a line from the Douglas Coupland book Shampoo Planet — the band really liked to read! — this is loud, fast and in your face in delivering a message to those who doubted Panic from the jump.

42. “Nicotine” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

Musically, it sounds like a club remix. Lyrically, it’s supposed to be a cautionary tale of loving someone you know is bad for you. Vocally, Urie is singing his heart out. Each of these elements grabbed a different type of Panic fan, which I believe is why it got so successful to the point of getting a single release.

41. “Memories” Vices & Virtues (2011)

For some reason, the word wholesome comes to mind with this song. It’s two lovers trying their best to get through life and thinking of days gone by.

40. “Hallelujah” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

The first single for “Death of a Bachelor” was the first leap into solo work for Urie. Hearing it back, the change between “Too Weird…” and this was more drastic than I remember.

39. “She’s a Handsome Woman” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

“Go on, grab your hat and fetch the camera/Go on, film the world before it happens” weirdly makes me think of summer, which may be why this is so high on this list right now.

38. “Say It Louder” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

Lyrically this still has that “c’mon gang, don’t we love rock and roll” feel to it, but it feels like a bit of a throwback to “Too Weird…”. It’s a little catchy.

37. “Mercenary” Batman: Arkham City The Album (2011)

This legit could probably earn a really high spot…if it wasn’t for the Joker monologue in the middle. Damn you, Batman: Arkham City.

36. “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage” Fever… (2005)

An introduction to Panic (after “Introduction”) that’s another theme park ride of a song with constant change of pace and even sound. Acoustic guitars to electric to drums to techno. It’s all over the place but an undeniable dance song.

35. “Hurricane” Vices & Virtues (2011)

There was a certain time when Panic’s more risqué songs weren’t creepy (probably before Urie was writing all of them) and this one is actually really clever.

“I led the revolution in my bedroom

And I set all the zippers free

We said, “No more war, no more clothes

Give me peace! Oh, kiss me!”

34. “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

One of the few Urie-era “let’s party” songs that actually makes parties sound fun. I credit one line that’s basically what most people think of when they hear this song.

“I lost a bet to a guy in a Chiffon skirt

But I make these high heels work”

Some of you just did the dance.

33. “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

Brendon took all the ingredients he had for this album — strings, horns, sampling — and mixed them all to get this gem.

32. “Bittersweet” Vices & Virtues (2011)

The most Candyland (no pun intended) upbeat ass song I can imagine from Panic prior to Urie’s solo run. Makes you wanna move.

31. “Turn Off the Lights” Vices & Virtues (2011)

I love the melody throughout this song, but the chorus is great. This album generally might have been peak Brendon vocals before he went off the deep end in later albums.

30. “God Killed Rock and Roll” Viva Las Vengeance (2022)

The only redeeming track on this whole album…is kind of a rip off of “Bohemian Rhapsody”. It’s obviously not as well done, but the opening has all those elements that helped make “Bohemian” more of an experience than a song. To top it off, Brendon’s vocals for the chorus has some soul to it.

29. “All the Boys” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

The only song on the album with no contributions from Brendon as Dallon Weekes makes a drum heavy, anxious song about love for a dangerous girl. If you like this track, Dallon now has his own band. I Don’t Know How But They Found Me.

28. “Let’s Kill Tonight” Vices & Virtues (2011)

You naturally want to move to this song. Forget the lyrics or vocals or anything, this is this high just for the beat, the snare and the sound.

27. “Golden Days” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

This song is solid on its own, but that bridge that builds to a chorus takes it over the top. Few Panic songs can give you chills, that part might do it for some.

26. “Dying in LA” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

A contrast to another song higher up on this list, this was about how the magic of LA isn’t quite there when you’re struggling to find success. It takes a somber tone and closes out the album with maybe its most memorable track.

25. “Far Too Young to Die” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

A reworking of a song from Weekes band, The Brobecks, this one is more focused on a darker, electronic sound. It’s pretty light on lyrics, but takes the same chorus from the original with Brendon’s flair.

24. “Casual Affair” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

This is a little devious bastard. Chaotic, drum and electronic-filled song about…well, an affair. In my opinion, the best use of electronic sound on the album as it fits the sort of theme of the rush of doing something you probably shouldn’t.

23. “King of the Clouds” Pray for the Wicked (2018)

Brendon is in over his head on a lot of ideas on the solo albums he did. That said, writing an entire song based on a conversation about Carl Sagan and being like “this song is about my imagination and how good it is”…I mean it’s tough to have a comeback when you come up with something this good.

22. “Death of a Bachelor” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

Throughout his career, Urie talks about his love for Frank Sinatra and his magnum opus tribute to him is this. As opposed to his normal breathy or high pitched verses, this one’s a little deeper and richer like Sinatra. It’s dignified sounding. Then, we get the Panic we expect in the chorus with high-notes and beats that lend themselves more to moving.

21. “Nine in the Afternoon” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

While so much of the self-reflection stuff that comes later in the band’s life is somber or pompous, this is a very happy and wholesome look at how far they’ve come and is a perfect tone setter for “Pretty. Odd.” Songfacts said this song was first played at Virgin Festival 2007. That checks out.

20. “Trade Mistakes” Vices & Virtues (2011)

The best of Pete Wentz contributed songs, lyrically and otherwise. Pete played a big role in Panic’s early success, signing them to Fueled by Ramen before they ever played a show. Not to get too off course, but the reason I think I love Fall Out Boy so much is the lyrics Pete writes that set up singer Patrick Stump to make great melodies and sound. This rings true of the songs where he helps out Panic as Brendon delivers the song so well.

19. “LA Devotee” Death of a Bachelor (2016)

A love letter to Urie’s new home of Los Angeles. It’s one where you’ll probably focus on the music rather than the lyrics or melody because it’s just so catchy.

18. “There’s a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven’t Thought of It Yet” Fever…(2005)

From the jump, this song is so high energy and high tempo that I find it impossible to not bop my head to it. Brendon’s vocals on it are actually really good on it as well. Fantastic closing stretch. I understand why it doesn’t hold up commercially, but god it’s fun.

17. “Camisado” Fever…(2005)

Ross writes several times about his father on the debut album and this one hits the hardest. This one carries a sense of dread and pain in its lyrics while being a little more upbeat in sound than the others. That contrast makes it a two-edged sword, a toe-tapper for some and a heart wrencher for others.

16. “But It’s Better If You Do” Fever…(2005)

To be honest, I’m just now realizing this is a crazy ass song for a bunch of teenagers to be singing about. A man falls in love with a stripper but doesn’t like being at the strip club. But it’s one that gets stuck in your head after a few listens.

15. “When the Day Met the Night” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

Panic is really good at storytelling through songs if you can’t tell by now. This is an angelic look at star crossed lovers that feels like it was made for a movie. It’s an easy listen.

14. “Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)” Vices & Virtues (2011)

You naturally want to move and dance to this one. It’s really an introspective song that I think is about getting out of your comfort zone and going for something you’ve wanted to for a long time, which kind of coincides with Brendon’s rise from singer to frontman to…well…the entire band.

13. “C’mon” C’mon with fun. (2011)

Some of the best vocals from Brendon his entire career come in a random throwaway single done with fun. This actually was right before that band got launched into the mainstream with “Some Nights”. This bridges the best parts of “Pretty. Odd.” and “Vices & Virtues” while also being pretty ambitious for a random single.

12. “That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

The two songs Ryan Ross said the whole band made together are probably the two most commercially successful on the album. It’s whimsical and fun and one of my friends made an argument that it should be number one. On my list, it simply can’t be. It’s a great song no doubt, but what my friend doesn’t know is that this song carries trauma for me.

When I was in high school, I made one of the gravest mistakes of my entire life. I decided I should take part in…a talent show. I did this twice…and this was one of the songs I tried to perform. Was it good? I’ll give you two guesses. This song can’t be much higher unfortunately, but it’s not their fault, it’s mine.

11. “Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” Fever…(2005)

This song is about SEX! HIDE THE KIDS!

It’s actually more about cheating, but it’s still scandalous and outlandish by the band’s standards. I don’t know if there were too many pop punk bands that were outright saying “f–k” and talking about being better at sex than someone…maybe for the best.

That outlandishness, along with a great rhythm in the chorus, makes it stand out in their early work.

10. “Northern Downpour” Pretty. Odd. (2008)

A full three years after singing about “testosterone boys and harlequin girls,” there’s a different attitude and mood surrounding another song about love. An acoustic heavy track with fantastic lyrics from Ross that sets up Urie so well for a melody that climbs as the verses go. There’s so many great lines in this song, but Ross said in an interview with Rolling Stone he told Urie to “pay attention” to one in particular.

“I know the world’s a broken bone

But melt your headaches, call it home”

9. “New Perspective” Soundtrack of Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Jennifer’s Body is a film known to many audiences today as “oh man, that shit sucks but they had that one Panic song in it.”

The first song released by the band after Ross’ departure was actually written well before him leaving. It’s got a vibe that kind of matches with “Pretty. Odd.” lyrically and “Vices & Virtues” sound wise with more guitars and such. This was just a throwaway song the band had after making “Pretty. Odd.” that they thought might work for the movie. It ended up being easily one of the best parts of the film and probably could have been a hit on its own.

8. “Girls / Girls / Boys” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

Part of the band’s identity that stood out, at least to me as a high schooler struggling with my own sexuality, was the welcomeness they had towards the LGBTQ+ community. They stood up against anti-gay protesters who showed up at a show in Kansas City. Brendon frequently adorned pride flags fans brought to shows. The Highest Hopes Foundation has donated millions towards helping train students in developing Gay-Straight alliances at schools. Brendon himself came out as pansexual in 2019.

This song is more pop than most, but I think the message and story behind the song connected really well with me and a decent portion of the band’s fanbase. This song is about a girl who likes a boy and a girl, making the girl what those in the music industry refer to as bisexual. It’s already a fun and catchy song as is but I think the outright acknowledgement and celebration of sexuality is what makes it popular amongst the fan base.

7. “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” Fever…(2005)

It’s about as iconic a track — and subsequent music video — as Panic ever had. Even if you don’t know Panic, you probably can identify this song by the opening acoustic. This song is a blast. It’s peak early Panic and a lot of people’s favorites…but not quite mine? I don’t think I’m just some try hard hardcore fan who’s just like “I only like the deep cuts, I don’t listen to the hits, mwahhh.” That said, I think I got to a point with this song where I just heard it be the go-to for Panic for so long that I’m like “yeah sure but they have some other cooler stuff that doesn’t get the success it deserves.”

Urie pointed something out in an interview that I think stands as a defining feature of this song. Even at concerts today, he said he sees young fans singing along and it takes him by surprise that the song has such longevity and can reach beyond time, genre and beyond.

6. “Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met…)” Vices & Virtues (2011)

…so remember how I said I was in two talent shows? Yeah…the first one I did was this. It was bad…and yet I still like this song. Truly incredible that my enjoyment of this song survived me taking it on stage and beating the shit out of it at 15.

Panic did have a few Halloween songs — including a cover of “This Is Halloween” that I’m not covering because I literally just FINISHED THIS — but some of this feels like it could be played in a haunted house. Then you get the melody of the chorus with a choir at the end. I love this song on its own, but it is amazing live from the performances I’ve seen. For a while, it was the close out to their concerts and it would build and build to a grand finale.

5. “Build God, Then We’ll Talk” Fever…(2005)

This is a personal favorite that from other lists I’ve seen aren’t nearly as high, but it’s a great capsule of what I love from this album and era of Panic. The tempo goes from 0 to 60 to 100 to 0 throughout this song. It’s a story in a song with a lot of that gothic, “emo” imagery in the lyrics that I think really drew people into their stuff. The guitar and drums and even strings over the ending sequence, a kind of sinister version of “My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music, makes me want to bang my head and transport myself back to first hearing it in high school. It’s an epic conclusion to the album.

4. “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” Vices & Virtues (2011)

One of the first singles in the band’s history without Ryan Ross felt like an evolution of the sound they created with him. It’s dramatic, there’s a story happening, there’s some piano in there and the music video is in a church with a lot of top hats. It feels like a tribute to “I Write Sins…” but done with a new attitude.

There’s an atmosphere to this song that felt new to the band. “Vices & Virtues” has a very different vibe from almost any other album. There’s a little something to admire for everyone, from the drums to the guitar to the vocals.

3. “Miss Jackson (feat. LOLO)” Too Weird To Live…(2013)

Everything is near perfection in this song. The drums sound so damn good, the bassline during the verses is really damn good, the melody is great, Urie delivers a great performance. It feels like a throwback in having those peaks and valleys of energy you’d get on “Fever…”

One of the things I really like is how ambiguous the song’s meaning feels. Brendon says it’s about how he slept around a lot when he was young, but it could also be from the perspective that slept with Brendon. Then there’s the music video where it’s sung after Brendon kills a woman in a hotel room and tries to bury her in the desert. Then there’s whatever the imagination can conjure up. Is this about someone who cheated? Someone who’s not good for you? Janet Jackson?

Regardless, either the sound or meaning will make you want to play this on repeat.

2. “Time to Dance” Fever…(2005)

It sure as hell is time to dance. This song is so good it got me to read a book. Not even kidding. The first song the band ever wrote or made was based on Chuck Palahniuk’s “Invisible Monsters” and I listened to this so much I got the audiobook (so I guess I didn’t read a book, I take that back, but still).

This is pop-punked out of its mind. The guitars are going throughout, the drums are going, there’s some beep, boop, bops in there, Brendon’s vocals are the best on the album. This song is what I think of when I think of this album and Panic as a whole. It’s a banger and the song I’ll listen to most frequently.

1. “This Is Gospel” Too Weird To Live… (2013)

My favorite song by Panic may have been the first I ever heard. The heartbeats give way to wavey, echoed vocals from Brendon and soon the drums. It builds up momentum to the drop and the line that hooked me. “If you love me, let me gooooo.”

The line is the brunt of the emotional umph on this track. It’s a song Brendon wrote — with the help of Dallon Weekes — about bandmate and friend Spencer Smith’s drug and alcohol addiction and how he felt powerless to help him. Urie said in a Reddit AMA that he cried when he demoed the chorus. Whereas the bottom of this list, “Local God,” was a dishonest attack on former members and those who hated Urie for his pompous attitude, this is nearly the exact opposite. It’s as genuine, valuable and clear as day about as a track gets from this band.

It also has universal reach in its content. Not everyone loves parties or is nostalgic for old rock-n-roll. Everyone does have some point in their lives where they feel helpless in making something better or get scared of letting go of something they love, even if it’s right. Panic in their early days got the label “emo” tagged onto them like a bumper sticker but nothing they did before or since “This is Gospel” quite touches it in terms of evoking emotion.

There’s so many lyrical gems on here and the vocals are perfect. The sound on the original matches up pretty well, but a while after they released a piano cover that makes those lyrics cut even deeper than before. The live crowds already loved “This is Gospel” in its original state, but some turned on the waterworks when the piano cover was played. Either way, the Panic I first knew was this. I listened to everything with their fingerprints on it and got a lot of different feelings. I sang to some, vibed and toe tapped to others. I couldn’t let this one go.