Released January 15, 2016 Genre Jazz
neo-swing
swing Label Fueled by Ramen | Recorded 2015 Length 3:18 | |
Published Listen to This Shhhh, Sam Hollander, Slushie Fund, BMG Platinum Songs, Manes and Reins Publishing | ||
"Crazy=Genius" is a song by American rock band Panic! at the Disco and is the sixth track on the band's fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor (2016). It was written by Brendon Urie, Sam Hollander, and Jake Sinclair and was produced by Sinclair. The song makes references to musicians Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson, and Mike Love from The Beach Boys.
Contents
Background and release
"Crazy=Genius" was written by Panic! at the Disco's lead vocalist Brendon Urie, Sam Hollander, and Jake Sinclair. Production was handled by Jake Sinclair. The song was released along with its parent studio album, Death of a Bachelor on January 15, 2016 through Fueled by Ramen. A snippet of the song was published to the band's official Twitter account on January 11, 2016. The song makes references to select members of the rock band The Beach Boys, as Urie sings "She said you're just like Mike Love / But you wanna be Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson" and "She said you're just like Mike Love / But you'll never be Dennis Wilson." This is likely a reference to Brian being the "crazy genius" behind the Beach Boys' success, as he suffers from schizoaffective disorder and was the brain behind the band's greatest achievements. Mike Love on the other hand, was known to be against Wilson's innovative sounds and was always one to "stick to the formula".
Reception
Pop Buzz described "Crazy=Genius" as a companion to Panic! at the Disco's song "There's a Good Reason These Tables are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought of It Yet", from their 2005 debut studio album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Entertainment Weekly mentioned that the song features "jazz flares" and saxophones, also stating that the song portrays "Urie at odds with a lover who finds him boring."
Consequence of Sound claimed that "Crazy=Genius" was standing in the way of any musical progression on Death of a Bachelor:
The song is squarely aimed at the nostalgia center of the fan-base.