Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!

Writing and composition

Musically, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! is inspired by hip hop in that "there are no rules". In an extension of that mantra, the album is an eclectic affair that varies wildly from song to song. Other inspirations for the album were drawn from electronic composers such as Kraftwerk and Wendy Carlos (composer of the soundtrack of Tron and A Clockwork Orange). The album's sound has been described as pop, dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop, indie rock, rock, hip hop, and emo.

Name origin

The name of the album was lifted from Hunter S. Thompson's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It is a reference to the central idea of the album, which was inspired by lead singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith's home city of Las Vegas.

Lyrics

Urie's lyrical contributions to Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! were further inspired by the band's city. Prior to the album's release, he noted: "When we did our first record, we were really bitter toward the whole Vegas scene. We weren't old enough to experience all of what Vegas is really known for. Even the shows, most of them were twenty-one and over. There was a lot of hostility, but over the past couple years, I’ve started to get rid of that cynicism and see it in a new light [...] I wanted to celebrate it." He penned much of the album's lyrics in the city itself: "There's some glitz, some glamour, but there's also the dingy, old Vegas side to the music."

The record's lyrics are very personal in nature. The first track, "This Is Gospel", whose lyrics were written by Urie and bassist Dallon Weekes, was written about Spencer's drug addiction. The original demo sat on Urie's laptop for months before he finally shared it with the rest of the band. The album's lead single, "Miss Jackson", was written about Urie's first sexual experiences during his youth. "When I was younger, I would mess around; I'd sleep with one girl one night, sleep with her friend the next night, and not care about how they felt, or how I made them feel. And then it happened to me and I realized 'Wow, that's what that feels like? I feel really shitty.'" A hidden preview of "Vegas Lights" was featured in the announcement video of Fall Out Boy's Save Rock and Roll fall arena tour. "Vegas Lights" was intended as an anthem for carefree nights in Las Vegas, that most prominently reflected how Urie felt clubbing. "I felt this weird energy where everybody was having a good time, and it didn't matter," he remarked. "Dancing like nobody's watching. It was kind of beautiful.". The song also uses a sample from "Number 5", (a song used on Sesame Street in the 1970s) at the beginning of the song. "Girl That You Love" was originally written in French following a five-day vacation in France. Bassist Dallon Weekes, who also performed lyrical duties for the album, later penned the English lyrics for the song based on Urie's French demo.

The album's third single "Girls / Girls / Boys" has been described by Dallon Weekes as being centered on a love triangle complicated by differing sexual orientations. When commented on about the video for "Girls / Girls / Boys", lead singer Brendon Urie said "It's inspired by D'Angelo's 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)' video."

The YouTube release of "Casual Affair" samples the quote "Looks innocent enough, doesn't it? But sometimes there are dangers involved that never meet the eye. No matter where you meet a stranger, be careful if they are too friendly" taken from the 1961 public domain anti-gay film Boys Beware. This quote is not present in the official album release.

"The End of All Things" was written about Urie's wife Sarah Urie. The song is written as Urie's vows in their wedding. The song was written two days before they got married.

Promotion

In August 2012, the band's last tour cycle, it was announced during a show that a new album was in the works. Soon, pictures of the band busy in the studio were posted on the band's Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram. On July 15, 2013 the band announced Too Weird To Live, Too Rare to Die! for a release date of October 8 as an addition a new single "Miss Jackson" and music video. On July, 18. 2013 a small tour was announced to support the album with New Politics opening for them starting on August 1, 2013 and ending August 22, 2013. It was also announced that they would go on the Save Rock and Roll tour with Fall Out Boy. In support of the album release, On October 11, 2013 the band played a release show in Las Vegas @ Cosmo Pool. On October 14, 2013, 6 days after the album was released, The band announced a Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! tour starting January 14, 2014 ending February 16, 2014. The band continued to tour until May 13, 2014 and announced a new The Gospel Tour beginning July 18, 2014 and ending August 31, 2014.

Artwork

The album's cover art features a black and white photograph of vocalist and guitarist Brendon Urie smoking a cigarette emitting rainbow-colored fumes. Drummer Spencer Smith and bassist Dallon Weekes appear in photographs within the album's supplemental artwork. Regarding the decision to feature a photograph of himself on the cover, Urie noted, "I love being the center of attention, I'm shameless about it. And being the lead singer, everyone thought it made sense, for me to be front and center. It felt right, since I was so close to these songs." In another interview, Urie said "[the album] really was just about times I had growing up in Vegas. I wanted to create that character. The person I am on the cover is not who I am. Even the smoking cigarettes — I’ve quit since then. But when I was a kid, that was the guy who ran around Vegas and owned it. He had a Liberace jacket and he was smoking a cigarette. He was owning the desert, he didn’t give a fuck, and the smoke was colored — that to me was the quintessential Vegas guy."

Reception

The album has received positive reviews upon release. It currently holds a score of 72/100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews" based on 8 critic reviews. At one point, the album came in second on the charts for iTunes purchases, only behind Miley Cyrus' Bangerz.

Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! is Panic! at the Disco's second No. 2 album on the US Billboard 200, selling 84,000 copies in its first week. As of January 2016, the album has sold 407,000 copies in the United States.

Personnel