FANS of Panic! At the Disco were saddened by Brendon Urie’s announcement on Instagram that Panic “will be no more.”

The band was formed in Las Vegas back in 2004 by Urie and three of his childhood friends who all eventually left. It started as a solo project and ended how it all began, with one man, Urie, left standing. 

According to his post, he intends to spend more time with his family as his wife is expecting.

Panic, along with the Killers and Kings of Leon, saw rock stay relevant in the transition years of 2005-2010. Eventually, along with the aging millennials, Panic and some of the few rock hold-outs faded in the amber of trap, dream-pop and k-pop trends. 

These are five of the most memorable Panic songs:

I Write Sins Not Tragedies (A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out 2005)

This is the song that put Panic on the map. It was the first single from its debut album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, which came out in 2005 and which gave the band instant success. 

It sold 2.2 million albums on the back of the release of this single, earning a quintuple platinum album in the process with anything in excess of 2 million albums sold. 

The song was written by the band’s guitarist and main lyricist Ryan Ross who at the time broke up with his girlfriend. 

What a debut it was. It instantly established the band’s sound and musicality.

Nine in the Afternoon (Pretty. Odd. 2008)

In a year where there was Beatles’ nostalgia because of the movie called Across the Universe, this song sounded like it. 

There is a hint in the lyrics that the band was facing the pitfalls of stardom and corresponding feeling of stress that go with it. It can also be about a woman the narrator in the song just met and how he’s not sure if he’s ready to face the day. 

Like most songs, this is open to interpretation and that is why it is relatable.

Ballad of Monalisa (Vices and Virtues 2011)

It speaks of the dangerous allure of love and desire. Panic gets a little dark with its message here and the music video captures that. It’s set up like a Tim Burton movie with hints of Todd Sweeney and Edward Scissorhands vibe. 

This was the time when the cracks started to show in the band, with Ryan Ross and Jon Walker eventually leaving that year.

Don’t Let the Light Go Out (Viva Las Vengeance 2022)

Some fans are deeply affected by the experience of loss narrated in the song. However, the song is about hope and perseverance in the face of difficult times. 

It encourages the listener to hold on to hope and not give up, even when things seem darkest. 

Came out at the right time when the world needed something positive to look forward to after so much loss, heartache and the prevailing feeling of isolation during the pandemic.

High Hopes (Pray for The Wicked 2018)

“I spent too long not setting my expectations high enough, worried about how it felt to fail. I hit a point when I realized I had to aim high and fail, fail, fail in order to keep growing. This one is for all of you who helped me go for it all. I thank you,” Brendon Urie tweeted when the song was released in 2018.

It also was a period of transition for him as he was left all writing duties ever since Ross moved on. This was the modern pop direction Urie wanted to take on in contrast with Ross’ idea of nostalgic rock that caused them to part ways.

Like the spectacle in the video where he vertically walked on the glass walls of the building, Panic at the Disco left fans in awe and perhaps for a moment, remember something spectacular happened here.