Panic! at the Disco recorded their first demos while they were in high school. Shortly after, the band recorded and released their debut studio album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out (2005). Popularized by the second single, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies", the album was certified triple platinum in the US. In 2006, founding bassist Brent Wilson was fired from the band during an extensive world tour and subsequently replaced by Jon Walker. The band's second album, Pretty. Odd. (2008), was preceded by the single "Nine in the Afternoon". That album marked a significant departure from the sound of the band's debut. In 2009, Ross and Walker formed a new band, the Young Veins, leaving Urie and Smith as the sole remaining members of Panic! at the Disco.
Continuing as a duo, Urie and Smith released a new single, "New Perspective", for the movie Jennifer's Body, and recruited bassist Dallon Weekes and guitarist Ian Crawford as touring musicians for live performances. Weekes was later inducted into the band's lineup as a full-time member in 2010. The band's third studio album, Vices & Virtues (2011), was recorded solely by Urie and Smith in 2010, produced by John Feldmann and Butch Walker. Crawford departed once the tour cycle for Vices & Virtues ended in 2012.
As a three-piece, Urie, Smith, and Weekes recorded and released the band's fourth studio album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, in 2013. Prior to the release of the album, Smith unofficially left the band due to health and drug-related issues, leaving Urie and Weekes as the remaining members. The duo recruited guitarist Kenneth Harris and drummer Dan Pawlovich as touring musicians for live performances.
In 2015, Smith officially left the band after not performing live with them since his departure in 2013. Shortly thereafter, Weekes reverted to being a touring member once again, resulting in Panic! becoming Urie's solo project. In April 2015, "Hallelujah" was released as the first single from Panic! at the Disco's fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor (2016). In December 2017, Weekes officially announced his departure from the band. In March 2018, Panic! at the Disco released "Say Amen (Saturday Night)", the lead single from its sixth studio album, Pray for the Wicked (2018), which was released in June. Panic! at the Disco's seventh studio album, Viva Las Vengeance, was released on August 19, 2022.
On January 24, 2023, Urie officially announced that Panic! at the Disco would be disbanding following the conclusion of the Viva Las Vengeance Tour.
But It's Better If You Do
Panic! at the Disco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somewhere downtown where a burlesque queen may even ask my name
As she sheds her skin on stage
I'm seated and sweating to a dance song on the club's PA
The strip joint veteran sits two away
Smirking between dignified sips of his dignified
Peach and lime daiquiri
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, and isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, but I'm afraid that I
Well, I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead, d-dead, d-dead, d-dead in this place
Well I'm afraid that I
Well that's right
Well I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead in this place
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, and isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Well I'm afraid that I
Well, I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead, d-dead, d-dead, d-dead in this place
Well I'm afraid that I
Well that's right
That I may have faked it and
I wouldn't be caught dead in this place
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Oh, and isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Praying for love and paying in naivety
Praying for love and paying in naivety, oh
The lyrics to Panic! at the Disco's song "But It's Better If You Do" depict a moment of vulnerability and desperation. The singer is at a cabaret, watching a burlesque queen perform and hoping for love in a lap dance. The strip joint veteran sitting next to him seems to know exactly what he's doing there, while the singer is sweating and praying for a connection.
The repetition of "isn't this exactly where you'd like me?" suggests that the singer is trapped in a cycle of seeking approval from someone who doesn't care about him. He's willing to pay for attention and affection, even if it means faking his emotions. However, the line "I wouldn't be caught dead in this place" reveals that he's not entirely comfortable in this environment and has some sense of shame or regret.
Overall, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of a lonely and misguided individual seeking love in all the wrong places. It's a cautionary tale about the dangers of seeking validation from sources that don't truly care about us.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I'm of consenting age to be forgetting you in a cabaret
I am now old enough to move on from you and indulge in the world of entertainment.
Somewhere downtown where a burlesque queen may even ask my name
I am in a place where even the performers are interested in knowing me.
As she sheds her skin on stage
The dancer is shedding her inhibitions and revealing her true self on stage.
I'm seated and sweating to a dance song on the club's PA
I am sitting and sweating while listening to a song played on the club's PA system.
The strip joint veteran sits two away
An experienced person who frequents strip joints is seated two seats away from me.
Smirking between dignified sips of his dignified Peach and lime daiquiri
The veteran is drinking a dignified Peach and Lime Daiquiri and smirking while observing the performances.
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
A rhetorical question, indicating that the person who hurt the singer might want them to be in this undesirable place.
I'm exactly where you'd like me, you know
Acceptance of the fact that they are in this place because of the person who hurt them.
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
The artist is hoping to find love in a lap dance but knows they are being naive in their pursuit.
Oh, but I'm afraid that I
The artist is hesitant and fearful about their current situation.
Well, I may have faked it and
The singer admitting to pretending to be someone they're not.
I wouldn't be caught dead, d-dead, d-dead, d-dead in this place
The artist would rather die than be caught in this place.
Well that's right
Agreement with the previous statement about not wanting to be caught in the place.
And isn't this exactly where you'd like me?
Reiteration of the earlier rhetorical question, indicating blame on the person who hurt the singer for their current situation.
Praying for love in a lap dance and paying in naivety?
Restating the idea that the singer has unrealistic expectations while in this place.
Praying for love and paying in naivety
Reiteration of the previous line, indicating the irony of the situation.
Praying for love and paying in naivety, oh
Final expression of the artist's hopeless situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: George Ross, Spencer Smith, Brendon Urie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hanak5909
"an old one" u have two records
@itsvild4954
LMAO
@lukeandhismemes2418
I laugh at that every time I listen to this 😂
@hihi-xj7oc
true tho😂😂😂
@drangie4049
i just spit all over my phone omf
@renadams8144
😂
@bearzookas
my friday nights are wild, just watching these performances lol
@idkchey
Same lol
@memesareforme4550
Jae'lynn Bryant same
@chillgiver
Haha same