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Undid revision 646829413 by (Fernanda Vasconcelos) Find the source where Urie stated that, otherwise it is unsourced and will be reverted. It's also extremely unlikely for him to be an exec producer for his own band.
<ref>http://www.dallasvoice.com/brendon-urie-panic-disco-next-gay-interview-10177665.html</ref>
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| Length = 32:32
| Length = 32:32
| Label = [[Decaydance Records|Decaydance]], [[Fueled by Ramen]]
| Label = [[Decaydance Records|Decaydance]], [[Fueled by Ramen]]
| Producer = [[Butch Walker]]
| Producer = [[Brendon Urie]], [[Butch Walker]]
| Last album = ''[[Vices & Virtues]]''<br>(2011)
| Last album = ''[[Vices & Virtues]]''<br>(2011)
| This album = '''''Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!'''''<br>(2013)
| This album = '''''Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!'''''<br>(2013)
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'''''Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!''''' is the fourth studio album by American band [[Panic! at the Disco]], released on October 8, 2013 on [[Decaydance Records|Decaydance]] and [[Fueled by Ramen]]. Recorded as a three-piece, the album was produced by [[Butch Walker]], and is the first to feature bass guitarist [[Dallon Weekes]], who initially joined the band in 2009 as its touring bassist.
'''''Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!''''' is the fourth studio album by American band [[Panic! at the Disco]], released on October 8, 2013 on [[Decaydance Records|Decaydance]] and [[Fueled by Ramen]]. Recorded as a three-piece, the album was produced by [[Brendon Urie]], [[Butch Walker]], and is the first to feature bass guitarist [[Dallon Weekes]], who initially joined the band in 2009 as its touring bassist.


Described as a "party record",<ref name="AP">{{cite web |url= http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/what_happened_in_vegas_panic_at_the_disco_talk_fall_out_boy_past_members |title=What Happened In Vegas: Panic! At The Disco talk Fall Out Boy, past members and their "party" album |first=Evan |last=Lucy |work=altpress.com |accessdate=12 October 2013}}</ref> ''Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!'' was preceded by the singles "[[Miss Jackson]]" and "[[This Is Gospel]]", with "Girls/Girls/Boys" and "Nicotine" following after its release. The album's overall aesthetic is influenced by [[dance music]], [[electronica]] and [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]].
Described as a "party record",<ref name="AP">{{cite web |url= http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/what_happened_in_vegas_panic_at_the_disco_talk_fall_out_boy_past_members |title=What Happened In Vegas: Panic! At The Disco talk Fall Out Boy, past members and their "party" album |first=Evan |last=Lucy |work=altpress.com |accessdate=12 October 2013}}</ref> ''Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!'' was preceded by the singles "[[Miss Jackson]]" and "[[This Is Gospel]]", with "Girls/Girls/Boys" and "Nicotine" following after its release. The album's overall aesthetic is influenced by [[dance music]], [[electronica]] and [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]].

Revision as of 04:19, 13 February 2015

Untitled

Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! is the fourth studio album by American band Panic! at the Disco, released on October 8, 2013 on Decaydance and Fueled by Ramen. Recorded as a three-piece, the album was produced by Brendon Urie, Butch Walker, and is the first to feature bass guitarist Dallon Weekes, who initially joined the band in 2009 as its touring bassist.

Described as a "party record",[1] Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! was preceded by the singles "Miss Jackson" and "This Is Gospel", with "Girls/Girls/Boys" and "Nicotine" following after its release. The album's overall aesthetic is influenced by dance music, electronica and hip-hop.

Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, earning the band their second career number two.

Writing and composition

Musically, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! is inspired by hip-hop in that "there are no rules".[2] In an extension of that mantra, the album is an eclectic affair that varies wildly from song to song. Other inspirations for the album were drawn from electronic composers such as Kraftwerk and Wendy Carlos (composer of the soundtrack of A Clockwork Orange). [1]

Name origin

The name of the album is a quote from Hunter S. Thompson originally from an obituary titled "The Banshee Screams for Buffalo Meat" and later included in the 1998 film adaptation of his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It is a reference to the central idea of the album, which was inspired by lead singer Brendon Urie's home city of Las Vegas.

Lyrics

Urie's lyrical contributions to Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! were further inspired by the band's city. Prior to the album's release, he noted: "When we did our first record, we were really bitter toward the whole Vegas scene. We weren't old enough to experience all of what Vegas is really known for. Even the shows, most of them were twenty-one and over. There was a lot of hostility, but over the past couple years, I’ve started to get rid of that cynicism and see it in a new light [...] I wanted to celebrate it." He penned much of the album's lyrics in the city itself: "There's some glitz, some glamour, but there's also the dingy, old Vegas side to the music."

The record's lyrics are very personal in nature. The first track, "This Is Gospel", whose lyrics were written by Urie and bassist Dallon Weekes, was written about Spencer's drug addiction. The original demo sat on Uries laptop for months before he finally shared it with the rest of the band.[2] The album's lead single, "Miss Jackson", was written about Urie's first sexual experiences during his youth. "When I was younger, I would mess around; I'd sleep with one girl one night, sleep with her friend the next night, and not care about how they felt, or how I made them feel. And then it happened to me and I realized 'Wow, that's what that feels like? I feel really shitty.'"[3] A hidden preview of "Vegas Lights" was featured in the announcement video of Fall Out Boy's Save Rock and Roll fall arena tour.[4] "Vegas Lights" was intended as an anthem for carefree nights in Las Vegas, that most prominently reflected how Urie felt clubbing.[2] "I felt this weird energy where everybody was having a good time, and it didn't matter," he remarked. "Dancing like nobody's watching. It was kind of beautiful."[2] "Girl That You Love" was originally written in French following a five-day vacation in France. Bassist Dallon Weekes, who also performed lyrical duties for the album, later penned the English lyrics for the song based on Uries French demo.[5]

The album's third single "Girls/Girls/Boys" has been described by Dallon Weekes as being centered around a love triangle complicated by differing sexual orientations. When commented on about the video for "Girls/Girls/Boys", lead singer Brendon Urie said "It's inspired by D'angelo's 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)' video."

The YouTube release of "Casual Affair" samples the quote "Looks innocent enough, doesn't it? But sometimes there are dangers involved that never meet the eye. No matter where you meet a stranger, be careful if they are too friendly" taken from the 1961 public domain anti-gay film Boys Beware. This quote is not present in the official album release.[6][7]

"The End of All Things" was written about Urie's wife Sarah Urie. The song is written as Urie's vows in their wedding. The song was written two days before they got married.

  • Bonus track "All the Boys", written by Dallon Weekes, was rumored to have been inspired by his wife Breezy Weekes.

Promotion

In August 2012, the band's last tour cycle, it was announced during a show that a new album was in the works. Soon, pictures of the band busy in the studio were posted on the band's Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram. On July 15, 2013 the band announced Too Weird To Live, Too Rare to Die! for a release date of October 8 as an addition a new single "Miss Jackson" and music video. On July, 18. 2013 a small tour was announced to support the album with New Politics opening for them starting on August 1, 2013 and ending August 22, 2013. It was also announced that they would go on the Save Rock and Roll tour with Fall Out Boy. In support of the album release, On October 11, 2013 the band played a release show in Las Vegas @ Cosmo Pool. On October 14, 2013, 6 days after the album was released, The band announced a Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! tour starting January 14, 2014 ending February 16, 2014. The band is continuing to tour until May 13, 2014 and just announced a new The Gospel Tour beginning July 18, 2014 and ending August 31, 2014.

Artwork

The album's cover art features a black and white photograph of vocalist and guitarist Brendon Urie smoking a cigarette emitting rainbow-colored fumes. Drummer Spencer Smith and Bassist Dallon Weekes appear in photographs within the albums supplemental artwork. Regarding the decision to feature a photograph of himself on the cover, Urie noted, "I love being the center of attention, I'm shameless about it. And being the lead singer, everyone thought it made sense, for me to be front and center. It felt right, since I was so close to these songs."[8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk8/10[10]
AllMusic[11]
Alternative Press[1]
Rolling Stone[12]
Under the Gun Review6/10[13]

The album has received positive reviews upon release. It currently holds a score of 72/100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews" based on 8 critic reviews.[9] At one point, the album came in second on the charts for iTunes purchases, only behind Miley Cyrus' Bangerz.

Commercial performance

Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! is Panic! at the Disco's second No. 2 album on the US Billboard 200, selling 84,000 copies in its first week.[14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Is Gospel"
3:07
2."Miss Jackson" (featuring Lolo)
3:12
3."Vegas Lights"
  • Urie
  • Weekes
  • Walker
3:10
4."Girl That You Love"
  • Urie
  • Weekes
3:09
5."Nicotine"
  • Urie
  • Weekes
  • Salem
3:06
6."Girls/Girls/Boys"
  • Urie
  • Weekes
3:26
7."Casual Affair"
  • Urie
3:17
8."Far Too Young to Die"
  • Urie
  • Weekes
3:17
9."Collar Full"
  • Urie
  • Weekes
3:18
10."The End of All Things"
  • Urie
3:32
Total length:32:32
Japanese and Target bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Can't Fight Against the Youth"
  • Walker
  • Urie
  • Weekes
2:45
12."All the Boys"
  • Weekes
3:12
Total length:38:29

Personnel

Panic! at the Disco

Additional musicians

  • Butch Walker - additional guitar and backing vocals
  • Rob Mathes - string arrangements, conducting
  • Lauren Pritchard - additional vocals on "Miss Jackson"
  • Julian Leaper - concertmaster
  • Emlyn Singleton - violin (leader)
  • Peter Lale - viola (leader)
  • Dave Daniels - cello (leader)

Recording personnel

  • Butch Walker - producer
  • Jake Sinclair - engineer, mixing
  • Todd Stopera - assistant engineer
  • Amir Salem - additional engineering
  • Jonathan Allen - strings recording
  • Chris Barrett - strings recording assistant
  • Ted Jensen - mastering

Artwork

  • Alex R. Kirzhner - creative direction, photography and design
  • Panic! at the Disco - creative direction
  • Chris Phelps - additional photos
  • Anthony Franco - styling

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 26
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] 70
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 79
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 175
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 46
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 99
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] 77
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] 15
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24] 8
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 10
US Billboard 200[26] 2
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[27] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[28] 1
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[29] 2
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[30] 11

Release history

Region Date Format
Australia October 4, 2013 (2013-10-04) Digital download[31]
October 11, 2013 (2013-10-11) CD[32]

References

  1. ^ a b Lucy, Evan. "What Happened In Vegas: Panic! At The Disco talk Fall Out Boy, past members and their "party" album". altpress.com. Retrieved 12 October 2013. Cite error: The named reference "AP" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d James Montgomery (July 22, 2013). "Exclusive: Panic! At The Disco Say Too Rare Is Inspired By ... A$AP Rocky?". MTV News. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  3. ^ James Montgomery (July 16, 2013). "Exclusive: Panic! At The Disco Talk Dark, Decadent Too Rare To Die!". MTV News. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  4. ^ Fall Out Boy - Save Rock And Roll Fall Arena Tour - [Panic! At The Disco support Announcement]). YouTube. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  5. ^ http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/panic-at-the-disco-to-bring-punch-sparkle-to-eagles-ballroom-b9996655z1-223554791.html
  6. ^ Boys Beware. YouTube. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  7. ^ Panic! At The Disco: Casual Affair (Audio). YouTube. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  8. ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1710610/panic-at-the-disco-too-weird-to-live-rare-to-die.jhtml
  9. ^ a b "Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  10. ^ Ryan Gardner (October 10, 2013). "Panic! At The Disco - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To..." AbsolutePunk. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  11. ^ Matt Collar. "Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!". AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  12. ^ Caryn Ganz (October 8, 2013). "Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!: Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "REVIEW: Panic! at the Disco-'Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! =Under the Gun Review". October 10, 2013.
  14. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 11, 2013). "Miley Cyrus Set for No. 1 on Billboard 200, Pusha T and Panic at the Disco Aiming for Top Five". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Panic! at the Disco – Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  16. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Panic! at the Disco – Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Panic! at the Disco – Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Panic! at the Disco – Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  19. ^ "Panic at the Disco Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Panic! at the Disco: Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  21. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Panic! at the Disco – Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  23. ^ "Charts.nz – Panic! at the Disco – Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  25. ^ "Panic At The Disco | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  26. ^ "Panic at the Disco Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  27. ^ "Panic at the Disco Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.
  28. ^ "Panic at the Disco Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Panic at the Disco Chart History (Digital Albums)".[dead link] Billboard.
  30. ^ "Panic at the Disco Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
  31. ^ https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/too-weird-to-live-too-rare/id684954402 iTunes AU - Music - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! by Panic! At The Disco. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  32. ^ http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/music/alternative/too-weird-to-live-too-rare-to-die/691536 Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die | CD & DVD Music, Music Genres, Alternative : JB HI-FI. Retrieved 8 October 2013.