Death of a Bachelor | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 15, 2016 | |||
Recorded | April 2015 | |||
Studio | Urielectric Studios | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 36:06 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Panic! at the Disco chronology | ||||
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Singles from Death of a Bachelor | ||||
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Death of a Bachelor is the fifth studio album by Panic! at the Disco, and their first as a solo project, released on January 15, 2016 by Fueled by Ramen and DCD2. It is the follow-up to the band's fourth studio album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! (2013), with the entire album written and recorded by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Brendon Urie, who collaborated with other writers including Jake Sinclair, Morgan Kibby, Lolo, and Sam Hollander. It is the band's first album to not feature drummer Spencer Smith and also follows bassist Dallon Weekes' departure from the official line-up, subsequently becoming a touring member once again. [12] [13]
Death of a Bachelor debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, with 190,000 album units, earning Panic! its best sales week and first number one album. [14] The album has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of at least 2,000,000 copies. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. [15]
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight , Urie stated that Death of a Bachelor was lyrically inspired by his wife Sarah Urie and his lifestyle, stating: "This whole album was written at my house where she and I live and it reflects very much the lifestyle I was living [while writing it], which is so different from who I used to be." [16] In an interview with Alt 98.7 mid-2015, he had to say about the album: "It's going to be a little bit different, it's this mix between Sinatra and Queen, if that makes any sense...Every time we do a new album, for me, it's always evolving and changing—in the best way. There's going to be a new energy live." [17]
In April 2015, Urie began recording Death of a Bachelor. [18] A small studio had been built and a piano was bought specifically for the album's production. [18] Production was handled by Jake Sinclair [19] and Urie. [20] Sinclair, who is a friend of Urie's, helped him view the music in "different ways". [18] Urie said he "loved" working in the studio, often running between that and the piano. [18] He played every instrument minus the horns, which he also "love[d]". [18] His views had "all changed from [ Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! ]", having "different things" he wanted to discuss. [18]
On October 22, 2015, Brendon Urie released a statement through the band's Facebook page on the background of the album:
When I was a little kid and I heard a song I liked on TV, I would jump up and run to the piano to try and figure it out by ear. When I was 10 or 11, I built myself a drum kit in the garage made out of empty laundry detergent buckets, old lawn chairs, paint cans, and old trash cans. Around that time, my parents got me my first guitar. A baby acoustic. I jumped between all of these instruments constantly to satisfy the ideas I heard in my head. At this young age, I realized that music would play a huge part in my life. I had no idea.
'Death of a Bachelor' is in honor of those times I spent alone as a kid. Allowing music to consume me. Playing everything myself just to get the idea right and out of my head. It's a beginning to a new era. And an homage to how it all began.
This album is me. Running to the piano. Building a drum kit. Strumming a guitar.
Some things never change. [21]
On January 6, 2016, in an interview with Mixdown magazine, Urie commented on bassist Dallon Weekes' move from the official lineup.
Dallon has been playing with us for a long time, and I'm so grateful for that. Sometimes, you try working creatively with people, and it doesn't always work out the way you think it will. In this case, it ended up just being better to have someone to tour with. It's an oversight sometimes, but you have to have people that you connect with and get along with. Touring can be long and it can be intense – you need people that will see you through that. Dallon has been that for me. [22]
On the day of the titular track's premiere Brendon Urie said on social media:
Frank Sinatra turns 100 this year. I attach his music to so many memories: Opening presents on Christmas day, my grandparents teaching the rest of the family to swing dance, watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit with my siblings (Sinatra makes a cameo in the form of a cartoon sword singing "Witchcraft"). His music has been a major player in the soundtrack of my life. So it's only right that I return the favor and/or pay it forward. I wrote a new album this year and even in the few songs that don't sound remotely similar to any of his music I still felt his influence in the writing and the need to relate so personally to each song. "Death Of A Bachelor" is very important to me. It expresses the bittersweet (but mostly sweet) end of an era. A look back at a part of my life now deceased. An "It's A Wonderful Life"-esque look into a possibly different future. But mostly an appreciation for the present. [23]
Urie also stated in an interview with Upset magazine that he feels that the song is "very jazzy, very Sinatra esque.. but then put it with this beat that sounds like Beyoncé's Drunk in Love". [24] The song is also where Urie got the album title from. [18]
Only one song was cut from the album, "Night Birds" described as a "...Driving arena-rocker with a flashy guitar solo". Urie described the song as "A little too early Butch Walker, but definitely not as good" in an interview with Alternative Press.
"Hallelujah" was released as the lead single on April 20, 2015, and serviced to alternative radio. A lyric video was uploaded on the same day and the official music video premiered on July 7, 2015. [25] "Death of a Bachelor" was premiered on Beats 1 on Apple Music by Pete Wentz on September 1, 2015. [26] "Victorious", co-written and produced by CJ Baran, was released for digital download on September 29, 2015, as the second single from the album [27] "Emperor's New Clothes" and its music video was released for digital download on October 21, 2015, as the third official single to coincide with the album's announcement. [28]
The official music video for "Death of a Bachelor" was released on YouTube on December 24, 2015. [29] On December 31, 2015, the band made "Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time" available for streaming. [30] On January 15, 2016, the band premiered the rest of its tracks on its YouTube channel at the same time the album was released. The band went on the Weezer & Panic! at the Disco Summer Tour 2016 with Weezer to promote both of their new albums. On September 22, 2016, the official music video for LA Devotee was released on the band's YouTube channel to coincide with the announcement of the Death of a Bachelor Tour.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 5.9/10 [31] |
Metacritic | 69/100 [32] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Alternative Press | [33] |
The A.V. Club | B [5] |
DIY | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [34] |
The Guardian | [35] |
PopMatters | 7/10 [36] |
Q | [37] |
Rolling Stone | [38] |
USA Today | [39] |
Death of a Bachelor received generally positive reviews from music critics. It holds an average score of 69/100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [32] In a positive review, The New York Times commented on the album's second single, "Victorious", writing that "[Urie] evokes both the flamboyant swagger of Queen and the mechanized gleam of Daft Punk". [40] Evan Lucy in Alternative Press writing, "For all of its precocious, borderline bratty moments, Death of a Bachelor is a remarkably nuanced affair...it's hard not to break out in goosebumps and marvel at the moving songwriting." [33]
Conversely, The Guardian called the album "hollow and shapeless", also stating that "Urie affects a Vegas croon, indicating a desire to reinvent himself as an edgy Michael Bublé", and how "it's unlikely to pay off". [35] Q wrote, "It's a confusing affair, where [Urie] foolishly tries to croon like Frank Sinatra on the title track and never quite nails down whatever the big idea was supposed to be. Still, there are moments to cherish." [37] AbsolutePunk writer Aaron Mook scored the album a 6/10, noting, "It's been a while since I've heard an album that's so divisive in its quality, so manic on one end and so lazy on the other." [41] Consequence of Sound panned the songs "Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time" and "Crazy=Genius", stating that "['Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time'] lazily squashes together a sample of the B-52s' "Rock Lobster" with lackluster lyrics ("Who are these people/ I just woke up in my underwear") out of tune with their surroundings" and that "'Crazy=Genius'...only serves to remind of how many days have gone by and stand in the way of any musical progress". [42]
Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Grammy Awards | Best Rock Album | Nominated | [43] |
2018 | Billboard Music Awards | Top Rock Album | Nominated | [44] |
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with 190,000 album-equivalent units. It also earned Panic! at the Disco its best sales week yet for an album, as it sold 169,000 in pure album sales. [45] In its second week, the album fell to number 5 on the Billboard 200 while selling 39,000 equivalent album units (down 79 percent). [46] It was the twelfth best-selling album of 2016 with 506,000 copies sold, [47] which also made it the second best selling rock album of 2016. Including streams and tracks sales, the album has totaled 845,000 units in the United States in 2016. [48] The album was also certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over two million units in the United States.
Songwriting credits per booklet. [49]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Victorious" |
|
| 2:58 |
2. | "Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time" |
|
| 3:33 |
3. | "Hallelujah" |
|
| 3:00 |
4. | "Emperor's New Clothes" |
| Jake Sinclair | 2:38 |
5. | "Death of a Bachelor" |
|
| 3:23 |
6. | "Crazy=Genius" |
|
| 3:18 |
7. | "LA Devotee" |
| 3:16 | |
8. | "Golden Days" |
|
| 4:14 |
9. | "The Good, the Bad and the Dirty" |
|
| 2:50 |
10. | "House of Memories" |
|
| 3:28 |
11. | "Impossible Year" |
| Jake Sinclair | 3:22 |
Total length: | 36:06 |
Notes
Adapted from the album booklet. [49]
Panic! at the Disco
Additional musicians and production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [81] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [82] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [83] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [84] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2004 by childhood friends Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, Brent Wilson, and Brendon Urie. Following several lineup changes, Panic! at the Disco operated as the solo project of frontman Urie from 2015 until its discontinuation in 2023.
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out is the debut studio album by American pop rock band Panic! at the Disco. Produced by Matt Squire, the album was released on September 27, 2005, through Decaydance and Fueled by Ramen. The group formed in Las Vegas in 2004 and began posting demos online, which caught the attention of Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. Wentz signed the group to his own imprint label, Decaydance, without them having ever performed live. It is the only album released during original bassist Brent Wilson's time in the band, but the exact nature of his involvement in the writing and recording process became a source of contention upon his dismissal from the group in mid-2006.
"Miss Jackson" is a song by American rock band Panic! at the Disco, released on July 15, 2013, as the first single for the band's fourth studio album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! (2013). The song features vocals from Lolo. A music video directed by Jordan Bahat accompanied the song's announcement as well as the album's title and release date, and headlining tour dates. It was the band's first release since 2011, and the first release to feature Dallon Weekes on bass. The Butch Walker-produced track has been described as "darkly anthemic". It reached the top 10 on iTunes on its release and sold 56,000 digital downloads in its first week to debut at No. 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 27 on Digital Songs. It also became Panic! at the Disco's first top ten hit on the Alternative Songs chart since "Nine in the Afternoon" in 2008. In January 2015, it was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Brendon Boyd Urie is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is best known as the former lead vocalist and frontman of Panic! at the Disco, the only constant member throughout the band's 19-year run.
Panic! at the Disco is an American rock band that originated in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their 2005 debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, reached number 13 on the US Billboard 200, and has sold more than 2.2 million copies in the US (pure) and been certified 4× platinum by the RIAA since its September 2005 release, spearheaded by the eight platinum top-10 hit single, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies". The band's second album, Pretty. Odd., was released on March 21, 2008, entering the US chart at, and peaking at, number 2 and is certified platinum by RIAA. Their third effort, Vices & Virtues, was released on March 18, 2011, and peaked at number 7 in the US and is certified gold by RIAA, spawned iconic comeback smash hit "The Ballad of Mona Lisa". Their fourth album, 2013's Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, entered and peaked at number 2 on the US chart, and contained hits such as "Miss Jackson", "This Is Gospel", and "Girls / Girls Boys". The band's fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor, was released in January 2016 and became their first number-one album in the US. It has been certified 2× platinum in 2019. It is currently the most streamed album. Their sixth album, Pray for the Wicked, was released on June 22, 2018, and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. It has been certified 2× platinum by RIAA. It later became band's most successful era in terms of achievement and tour gross. Their seventh and final album, Viva Las Vengeance, released in August 2022, became the band's most critically acclaimed album to date.
Dallon James Weekes is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was a member of Panic! at the Disco from 2009 to 2017, performing in the band as a bassist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist. He was also the frontman of the indie band and later solo musical project The Brobecks. Weekes currently performs as the frontman of I Dont Know How But They Found Me.
Vices & Virtues is the third studio album by American pop rock band Panic! at the Disco, released on March 22, 2011, by Fueled by Ramen. Produced by John Feldmann and Butch Walker, the album was recorded as a duo by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith, following the departure of lead guitarist, backing vocalist and primary lyricist Ryan Ross and bassist/backing vocalist Jon Walker in July 2009.
Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! is the fourth studio album by American pop rock band Panic! at the Disco. The album was released on October 8, 2013 by Decaydance and Fueled by Ramen. Recorded as a trio, the album was produced by Butch Walker, and is the only album to feature bassist Dallon Weekes since he officially joined the band in 2010. This was also the final album to feature drummer Spencer Smith, thus making this Panic!'s final album as a rock band, with further releases being made as a solo project fronted by Brendon Urie.
"Girls / Girls / Boys" is a song by American rock band Panic! at the Disco. It was released as the third single from their fourth studio album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, on October 7, 2013. The music video for the song, directed by DJay Brawner, was also released on the day after. It peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.
"Hallelujah" is a song by American solo project Panic! at the Disco. It was released as a single on April 19, 2015 through Fueled by Ramen as the first single from their fifth studio album Death of a Bachelor. "Hallelujah" debuted at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 selling over 71,000 copies, becoming the band's second top-40 hit single and the first in nine years since "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" was released in 2006. It is the first single not to include drummer Spencer Smith and bassist Dallon Weekes, thus making "Hallelujah" Panic! at the Disco's first single as a solo project.
"Death of a Bachelor" is a song by American solo project Panic! at the Disco from the solo project's fifth studio album of the same name. The song premiered during an Apple Music broadcast hosted by Pete Wentz on September 1, 2015. A music video for the song was uploaded to Fueled by Ramen's YouTube channel on December 24, 2015. It was later sent to alternative, hot adult contemporary and pop radio as the album's fourth and final single.
"Victorious" is a song by American solo project Panic! at the Disco released as the second single from the band's fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor, on September 29, 2015 by Fueled by Ramen and DCD2. The song was written by Brendon Urie, CJ Baran, Mike Viola, White Sea, Jake Sinclair, Alex DeLeon, and Rivers Cuomo and was produced by Sinclair with additional production by Suzy Shinn. A music video for the song was released on YouTube on November 13, 2015. It was the final song released during Dallon Weekes's tenure in the band, though it was never confirmed if he played bass on the single. Notably, "Victorious" was the band's first single in almost 10 years to chart on Billboard Pop Songs chart, since 2006's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies".
"Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time" is a song by American rock band Panic! at the Disco released as the second promotional single from the band's fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor, released on December 31, 2015. The song features a sample of "Rock Lobster" by new wave band The B-52's. The song is featured in the NBA 2K18 soundtrack.
"Emperor’s New Clothes" is a song by American solo project Panic! at the Disco released as the third single from the project's fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor, on October 21, 2015 through Fueled by Ramen and DCD2.
"LA Devotee" is a song by American rock band Panic! at the Disco. It was released as the first promotional single from the band's fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor, on November 26, 2015 through Fueled by Ramen and DCD2. The song was written by Brendon Urie, White Sea and Jake Sinclair and was produced by Sinclair.
All My Friends We're Glorious: Death of a Bachelor Tour Live is the fourth live album by Panic! at the Disco and their only live album as a solo project, fronted by Brendon Urie. It was released on December 15, 2017, in digital versions and as a limited edition double vinyl LP, and documents the band's 2017 Death of a Bachelor Tour concert tour following the release of their fifth album, Death of a Bachelor.
"Say Amen (Saturday Night)" is a song by American pop rock solo project Panic! at the Disco from their sixth studio album, Pray for the Wicked (2018). It was released as the lead single for the album on March 21, 2018. The song became Panic! at the Disco's first number one single on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in June 2018.
Pray for the Wicked is the sixth studio album by American pop rock solo project Panic! at the Disco. The album was released on June 22, 2018 on Fueled by Ramen in the United States. It is the follow-up to the band's fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor (2016). The album was produced by Jake Sinclair and promoted by the singles "Say Amen ", "High Hopes" and "Hey Look Ma, I Made It", with "(Fuck A) Silver Lining", "Dancing's Not A Crime" and "King of the Clouds" as promotional singles. It received generally positive reviews upon release, with many critics noting Urie's Broadway influences following his performance in Kinky Boots.
"High Hopes" is a song by American pop rock solo project Panic! at the Disco. Their song was released through Fueled by Ramen and DCD2 Records on May 23, 2018, as the second single from the band's sixth studio album, Pray for the Wicked (2018). Their song was written and produced by Jake Sinclair and Jonas Jeberg, and co-written by Brendon Urie, Jenny Owen Youngs, Lauren Pritchard, Sam Hollander, William Lobban-Bean, Taylor Parks, and Ilsey Juber, with additional production by Jonny Coffer. It was serviced to alternative radio on July 31, 2018, and impacted hot adult contemporary radio on August 27, 2018, and US pop radio the following day.
Viva Las Vengeance is the seventh and final studio album by American pop rock solo project Panic! at the Disco, released on August 19, 2022, through Fueled by Ramen and DCD2 Records. It is their first studio album in 4 years since their 2018 album, Pray for the Wicked, marking their longest gap between studio albums, and the last album prior to the project's disbandment. It was announced alongside the release of the lead single and title track "Viva Las Vengeance" on June 1, 2022, and was supported by a tour that began in North America in the third quarter of 2022, and ended in Europe in March 2023. The tour included support from Jake Wesley Rogers, Marina and the Diamonds, and Beach Bunny in the United States, and Fletcher on international dates. The tour saw Urie perform the album in its entirety, along with greatest hits. The tour sold out several venues worldwide and earned the band's highest grossing concert of all time at their Madison Square Garden show.
very jazzy, very Sinatra esque.. but then put it with this beat that sounds like Beyoncé's Drunk in Love
{{cite AV media notes}}
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