Lyrics for Panic as interpreted by weezerific:cutlery

Panic Lyrics
Panic on the streets of London
Panic on the streets of Birmingham
I wonder to myself
Could life ever be sane again
On the Leeds side-streets that you slip down
I wonder to myself
Hopes may rise on the Grasmeres
But Honey Pie, you're not safe here
So you run down
To the safety of the town
But there's panic on the streets of Carlisle
Dublin, Dundee, Humberside
I wonder to myself
Burn down the disco
Hang the blessed D.J.
Because the music that they constantly play
IT SAYS NOTHING TO ME ABOUT MY LIFE
Hang the blessed D.J.
Because the music they constantly play
On the Leeds side-streets that you slip down
On the provincial towns that you jog 'round
Hang the D.J, Hang the D.J, Hang the D.J
Hang the D.J, Hang the D.J, Hang the D.J
HANG THE D.J, HANG THE D.J, HANG THE D.J
HANG THE D.J, HANG THE D.J, HANG THE D.J

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Forevergreen
05-11-2002

Rated +1 
A song that defines the time it was released, but if you're thinking of downloading it, with typical internet ignorance, you'd probably be better off searching for a non-existant song called 'Hang The DJ'. Tss.

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NoOtherOne
05-12-2002

Rated 0 
wow, i cant believe it would be called that. The name "Panic" is on the best parts. This song holds a lot of memories for me and always brings back a feeling.

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cactusdave
07-08-2002

Rated 0 
This song was Morrissey's answer to 80's new wave dance music. The press construed this as being anti-black music and therefore was accused of being a racist. I quite disagree and totally relate to shallow love songs that "say nothing to me about my life".

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butterflykiss84
08-13-2002

Rated 0 
After listening to the news of the Chernobyl disaster on Radio 1, Wham's 'I'm Your Man' was played immediatly after. Morrissey wrote this song, criticisng the 'pop' music that was around at this time as he was disgusted in what he heard. I felt for a while that 'The music that they constantly play, it says nothing to me about my life', but you learn to let that go. I hardly listen to the radio and very few new artists interest me at the moment. The Smiths are a band that fascinate me and I don't think I will ever stop listening to their music.

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1 Reply
sugaredreams
09-16-2002

Rated 0 
well i havent listen to the original yet but pete yorn did a pretty good cover of this song on his bonus cd for musicforthemorningafter.

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Miss_Chainsaw
10-14-2002

Rated 0 
hey, i'd just like to point out that this song still relates so much to the british music scene. there is so much dance music and "garage", not to mention the mindless identikit pop bands aroung that real music with proper instruments and lyrics that mean something rarely breaks through. one of the only good songs in the top ten took a car advert to get it there. without that it would have no hope of radio play. the sentiments in this song, such as 'the music the constantly play, it says nothing to me about my life' are felt by many young people today...

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SirThoreth
06-05-2003

Rated 0 
This song doesn't just relate to the British music scene, or even just the '80s. That's part of what makes it so great.

Every era has had its "popular" music, but this century, with the boom of technology allowing more and more people to hear an artist, has created a flood of disposable pop songs. This was as true in the "Roaring '20s" as it is today.

On the other hand, every era has also produced counterculture music. I mean, the bands the "hippies" listened to, such as Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Janis Joplin, the Doors, or even the Rolling Stones and later Beatles, were the "alternative" music of their day. They didn't get a lot of airplay back then, either, I understand.

As for "panic", well, there's always something everybody's getting worked up over, isn't there?

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Karl
06-11-2003

Rated 0 
Love this song, for some reason whenever I feel a bit down the line "will life ever be sane again?" comes to my head.

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INTERNET
06-14-2004

Rated 0 
When I first heard this song it was on MTV's Jackass while Chris Pontius was rollerskating around London with nothing but a jockstrap on. This was a couple years ago. I loved the song, but never heard it again until about a month ago on the radio. So I looked it up, only to find that it's "hang the DJ" not "I'm the dj" like I had thought. Then I read the lyrics, which make this song even better.

EXCELLENT SONG A+++++++++ WOULD LISTEN AGAIN!

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mdeaves
10-05-2004

Rated 0 
ITS CALLED PANIC NOT HANG THE DJ YA KNOW.
Yeh this song is great, im matthew/14/male. This song was easy to get and i knew it was about 80s music because OMG that was such a shameful era. The good bands: Talking heads
The smiths
INXS
Red hot chili peppers (wernt even recognised as much as today).
Morrissey of course

BAD BANDS:WHAM
George michael of course
Duran duran
etc.

Thanks!

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butterfingersbeck
10-20-2004

Rated 0 
I'm reliably informed that the "DJ" referred to was the superannuated tosspot Tony Blackburn, who during the mid-80s insisted on playing third-rate records that unfortunately gave soul music a bad name. Anyone remember "Sexual Therapy"? No, not the sublime "Sexual Healing" - just a bad imitation. "We Don't Wanna Die (Keep the Missiles From the Sky)"? A crap imitation of "War". "Jazz Rap"? An embarrassing bit of not-jazz-and-not-rap by George Melly and friends.

Hang the blessed DJ. Amen.

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Shiro_K
11-17-2004

Rated 0 
Morrisey also once allegedley described disco as "vile"...

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colossal_youth
11-21-2004

Rated 0 
this song reminds me of elvics costello's "radio, radio" for obvious reasons. i think it's basically about being discontent with pop music. and hey, i feel the same way. the mainstream has a bad habit of being catchy music, but not necessarily good. in response to butterfingersbeck, and other explanations of songs with specific events, it seems to me that a lot of the smiths lyrics are inspired by certain events but they apply to so many levels of life

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JohnnyMarr
12-05-2004

Rated 0 
not positive but the dj in question was steve wright i think, it wasnt tony blackburn

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Chinup
12-31-2004

Rated 0 
Miss_Chainsaw,
There's nothing inherently wrong with dance/garage music. There's good dance music, and there's bad, just like any other genre. I'm sure Mr. Morrissey was referring to expression, not the "type" of music.

real music with proper instruments and lyrics that mean something rarely breaks through
First, what is your definition of "real music"? I'd argue there's no such thing.
Proper instruments? I'll assume you're referring to the electric guitar and normal "band" instruments. I'd like to remind you that the electric guitar was invented in the 30's and didn't become widely popular until the 50's. So maybe a true "proper" instrument should be the lyre or the oud, or how bout a harp. My point is, again, it doesn't matter what instrument you play, but how you express yourself on it.

And stop worrying - there will be no magic morning where you will wake up to find the world has rid itself of bad music.

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rara.avis
05-13-2005

Rated 0 
what's wrong with duran duran!
i wasnt old enough at the time, so i dont really understand this hatred against them.. i think they were fabulous, there early stuff especially.
sorry, back to the smiths... i think morissey sums up the whole song in his lyrics:
IT SAYS NOTHING TO ME ABOUT MY LIFE
to me it's his discontentment with life firstly and then how music affects that.
but what do i know, i like duran duran...

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ZeroGenerator
07-11-2005

Rated 0 
Panic on the streets of london? Terrorist attack.

Panic on the streets of Birmingham? Birmingham was evacuated on saturday.

Odd coincidence, Leeds next

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ZeroGenerator
07-12-2005

Rated 0 
Fuck! i was right, there wasa 'controlled explosion' in leeds today

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Boss Man
07-27-2005

Rated 0 
For fuck's sake, keep it quiet or they'll have Mozza down the copshop again!

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infotainment_lad
09-10-2005

Rated 0 
It's about Steve Wright's coverage of the Chernobyl disaster, right? Or at least that sparked it off. Still, it could have applied to so many of the Radio 1 DJs. Tony Blackburn, Dave Lee Travis, so many of them. Of coursem there were the good/great ones (John Peel, of course), but then there were the ones who were basically just Smashie and Nicie personified.

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This Charming Man
01-24-2006

Rated 0 
No doubt that this is yet another wonderfull addition to The Smiths song collection, and I cant really say anything else that hasnt been said..
Except for this.

This group, you guys might know of them;
PANIC! AT THE DISCO
Took their name from another group [forgot] homage to this song, which disgusts me becuase Panic! is perhaps the worst band I have ever heard in my entire life, and I'm appaled that I have such a close connection to them and the Smiths.

Then again, I like Wham.
And according to mdeaves they are bad music.
Ha

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Mutant_Muppet
01-26-2006

Rated 0 
I agree with This Charming Man. Please stop naming your horrid bands after The Smiths songs.

I just freaking love this song. Even the little kids singing in the background is forgivable.

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CEREAL
02-17-2006

Rated 0 
Im guessing the kids singing in the background is another reference to chernobyll? Anyway, this is what I love about the Smiths. Most people think the songs are just depressing but can't see the underlying humour and wit.

Chinup hit the nail bang on the head. The song is about, as well as chernobyll, music with no soul. Music that says nothing to you about your life. Miss chainsaws thing about dance music not using real instruments is a bit of a stupid thing to say seeing as a hell of a lot of people who make dance music are clasically trained artists. Download a song like Max Graham-gone or massive attack-unfinished sympathy and tell me they say nothing to you about your life. Obviously there is poppy dance too, but dance music speaks to me. Even if its not got lyrics it can conjour up memories, evoke emotions. Its about the passion. After all a room full of hundreds of people worshipping the music and sharing a feeling, or a kid at home spending all his money on records to play on his decks working towards playing his music to other people wouldnt be possible without the passion or if the music was made purely to sell records.

These days the music this song Id consider applies to would be Pop trash and same old 50cent moaning about smashing peoples legs and bitches RNB and hip hop. But then not all hip hop is like that. Grandmaster Flash and the furious five, public enemy, even NWA all had something to say that was important. I guess what Im saying is that you can't just condemn a genre of music as being not "real music." The thing that defines it is if the music can speak to people about something, be it political, emotional, whatever. Music that doesnt misses the point.

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CharmingMan
02-27-2006

Rated 0 
The song was written in response to Steve Wright (Radio 1 DJ) playing Wham I'm your Man after the lunchtime "Newsbeat" which went out at 1230-1250 on Radio One. I recollect it was a Monday around April 1986. Apparently both Marr and Morrissey were appalled to hear Steve Wright report the Chernobyl disaster on the radio and then follow it by playing the Wham song and in an interview with NME in 1987, Marr says:

"'Panic' came about at the time of Chernobyl. Morrissey and myself were listening to a Newsbeat radio report about it. The story about this shocking disaster comes to an end and then, immediately, we're off into Wham!'s 'I'm Your Man'. I remember actually saying 'what the fuck has this got to do with peoples' lives?' We hear about Chernobyl, then, seconds later, we're expected to be jumping around to 'I'm Your Man'."

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vivamorrissey
03-08-2006

Rated 0 
great song, great song.
http://www.bluecatstore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=htdj01&Category_Code=morrissey

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