10 Songs About How The Music Business Sucks
7. London Beckoned Songs - Panic at the Disco
The music scene was going through a bit of a shakeup in the '00s era of music. In the wake of bands still mining the same tired post grunge sound, the more interesting bands were taking to places like MySpace to grow their brand, with acts like Arctic Monkeys using the Internet as their calling card. Though Panic! at the Disco also got discovered off of MySpace, they also had a bit of a silver tongue when it came to the corporate side of rock and roll.
Coming right after writing a self aware introduction to the album, London Beckoned Songs is a track where the band are acutely aware of their role as a product in the musical machine. While the song is in fact about making money, most of Brendon Urie's vocal inflections tell you that this is a satire of what record execs are really thinking behind the scenes, complete with a break in the music where the band meets the press and gets their one shot at glory.
When you get to the chorus, you can practically feel the band break the fourth wall in the music, where they talk about being the next cool trendy band and urging everyone to make them hip or get the hell out of their way. Once that jaunty piano comes in at the end though, these aren't just pinups anymore. No matter what weather comes their way, Panic are never going to give their critics the time of day any time soon.