A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

Untitled

A Fever You Can't Sweat Out is the debut album by American rock band Panic! at the Disco, released on September 27, 2005 by Fueled by Ramen.

The album primarily deals with social issues that the band points on through various songs. Topics such as sanctity of marriage, adultery, alcoholism, prostitution and religions are woven throughout the album. Guitarist Ryan Ross also relates two of the songs to living with an alcoholic father. A majority of the material for A Fever You Can't Sweat Out was written while the band members were still in high school. The album has sold over 1.6 million copies in the US and 2.2 million worldwide.

Original bassist Brent Wilson did not play on the album, despite being credited. Brendon Urie played all the bass parts.

25,000 collector's editions of the album were released November 14, 2006 containing photographs, lyric cards, a DVD of a concert and many items reminiscent of vaudevillian shows. The collection shipped in a faux velvet-lined box with a purposefully aged appearance. Because of the limited release, second hand versions are selling for much higher than retail.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ryan Ross

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Introduction"	0:37
2.	"The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage"	2:57
3.	"London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines"	3:23
4.	"Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks"	3:52
5.	"Camisado"	3:11
6.	"Time to Dance"	3:22
7.	"Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off"	3:20
8.	"Intermission"	2:35
9.	"But It's Better If You Do"	3:25
10.	"I Write Sins Not Tragedies"	3:06
11.	"I Constantly Thank God for Esteban"	3:30
12.	"There's a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought of It Yet"	3:16
13.	"Build God, Then We'll Talk"	3:40
Total length:		40:16

Japanese Edition

No.	Title	Length
14.	"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (Live in Denver)	3:11
Total length:		43:27

Structure

The album is split in two stylistically, with tracks 1 through 7 featuring electronic instruments such as synthesizers and drum machines and tracks 9 through 13 using traditional instruments such as the accordion and organ. Track 8 (Intermission) serves as a link between the two halves, beginning with techno-style dance beats before switching to the piano interlude. On the vinyl record version of the album, side A holds songs 1-8 while side B holds songs 9-13, further highlighting the stylistic split in the album.

Pop culture references

• The first track, "Introduction", contains a sample of what appears to be a radio broadcast in Polish. The speaker is saying "...spotkało się z szerokim rozgłosem", which means "...gained significant popularity".

• The title of "London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines" is part of a line from Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland: "extremely torrid tunage from London beckoned songs about money written by machines".

• "Intermission" includes a sample from Orson Welles' famous radio adaptation of the classic novel The War of the Worlds: "Due to circumstances beyond our control..."

• The titles of the songs "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" and "But It's Better If You Do" come from a line said by Alice Ayers (portrayed by Natalie Portman) in the movie Closer: "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off... but it's better if you do."

• The title of "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" was inspired by a line from Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland: "What I write are not sins, I write tragedies."

• The song "I Constantly Thank God for Esteban" is a direct reference to the 2004 Wes Anderson film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which starred Bill Murray.

• The bridge melody of "Build God, Then We'll Talk" is derivative from the chorus of "My Favorite Things".

• "Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks" is a quote from Ryan Ross' father.

Several tracks on the album reference novels by Chuck Palahniuk:

• The title of "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage" is a line from Survivor.

• "London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines"'s bridge, "Just for the record, the weather today is..." is a recurring phrase in Diary.

• "Camisado" contains several references to Fight Club.

• "Time to Dance" is entirely based on Invisible Monsters.

Reception

A Fever You Can't Sweat Out received extremely mixed reviews upon its release. Pitchfork Media gave the album a negative review, awarding the record a poor 1.5/10.0 rating, stating "there's no sincerity, creativity, or originality." Allmusic shared some of Pitchfork's views, and gave it a modest two out of five stars. Kerrang! was positive, awarding the record four out five stars. Rolling Stone also gave a positive review, with a three and a half stars out of five. Webzines like Gigwise and Sputnikmusic also gave positive reviews.

The hit single "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" received massive airplay, and Panic! at the Disco's success came to a high-point when they won "Video of the Year" on the annual MTV Video Music Awards in 2006, beating fellow nominees like Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Shakira and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Personnel

Panic! at the Disco

• Brendon Urie – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboard, synthesizers, piano, programming, accordion, organ
• Ryan Ross – guitar, lyrics, keyboard, piano, accordion, organ
• Spencer Smith – drums, percussion

Additional instruments

• William Brousserd – trumpet
• Heather Stebbins – cello
• Samantha Bynes – violin

External links

• A Fever You Can't Sweat Out at MusicBrainz