Panic Station Explained

Panic Station
Cover:Muse - "Panic Station" (Single).jpg
Type:single
Artist:Muse
Album:The 2nd Law
B-Side:Madeon Remix
Recorded:October 2011July 2012
Genre:Funk rock[1] [2] [3]
Label:
Producer:Muse
Prev Title:Supremacy
Prev Year:2013
Next Title:Dead Inside
Next Year:2015

"Panic Station" is a song by English rock band Muse, released as the fifth single from their sixth studio album The 2nd Law on 31 May 2013. The song was written by Matthew Bellamy. It is featured as the third track on the album.

Music video

The music video for "Panic Station" was filmed in January 2013 in Japan when band was in the country for The 2nd Law World Tour. It was released on 22 April 2013.[4] The video is set in Shibuya, Tokyo.[5]

The original video featured the Rising Sun Flag in the intro. This drew the ire of many East Asian listeners, who felt that the flag represented Japanese militarism from World War II. The controversy led the band to apologise through Twitter and re-upload a new version of the video, which replaced the Rising Sun Flag with the Japanese flag.[6] [7]

Reception

Most reviewers compared "Panic Station" to other songs. In a review of the album, the BBC's Ian Winwood wrote that the song "borrows from both Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" and Michael Jackson's "Thriller", without ever attaining the majesty of either tune."[8] The A.V. Club called it the album's "catchiest song" and thought "it’s not hard to imagine Bellamy strutting around the stage like Michael Hutchence, oozing sex with his stunning falsetto backing metal-pop riffs." The reviewer, however, concluded that it "would be a real triumph if it didn’t sound so much like another band."[9] Helen Brown of The Daily Telegraph opined that the single had a "disco feel," with "nods at INXS's "Suicide Blonde", Queen’s "Another One Bites the Dust", David Bowie's "Fame" and Prince's "Kiss" – ends up sounding a bit like a Scissor Sisters number."[10] Billboard noted that the song is "aggressive until it serves up a 70s-sounding falsetto chorus with audacious horns. It's all incredibly self-indulgent in an impressively restrained amount of time, with every Muse hallmark included and every riff a champion."[11]

At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, the song received a nomination for Best Rock Song.

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2013)Position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[13] 75
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[14] 27

Release history

CountryDateFormatLabel
United Kingdom24 September 2012CD-R (BBC Radio 1 premiere)Warner Music Group
Belgium25 February 2013CD-R (Contemporary hit radio)Warner-Benelux
United StatesCD-R (Modern rock/Alternative radio)Warner Music Group
Worldwide31 May 2013Digital download
United Kingdom3 June 2013[15] CD-R (Contemporary hit radio; BBC Radio 1 rotation)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Alex . Young . Video: Muse on Saturday Night Live . 7 October 2012 . . 25 May 2015.
  2. Mark . Sutherland . Muse Fill London Show With Songs From 'The 2nd Law' . 1 October 2012 . . 25 May 2015.
  3. Web site: Album review: Muse, The 2nd Law. Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. Sandra. Sperounes. 1 October 2012. 8 November 2015.
  4. MUSE: NEWS – We've Arrived at Panic Station!. Muse.mu. 28 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130530191851/http://muse.mu/news,weve-arrived-at-panic-station_1536.htm?f=home. 30 May 2013. dead.
  5. News: Muse unveil new single 'Panic Station' music video – watch . Sam . Rigby . . 22 April 2013. 1 December 2013.
  6. Web site: MUSE: NEWS – Watch Panic Station Video Online Now. Muse.mu. 28 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130428113110/http://muse.mu/news,watch-panic-station-video-online-now_1538.htm?f=home. 28 April 2013. dead.
  7. News: Muse pull 'Panic Station' video after flag controversy – watch . . 23 April 2013 . 1 December 2013.
  8. News: Muse The 2nd Law Review . . Ian . Winwood . 2012 . 1 December 2013.
  9. News: Muse: The 2nd Law . . 9 October 2012 . 1 December 2013.
  10. News: Muse, The 2nd Law, CD review . . Helen . Brown . 28 September 2012 . 1 December 2013.
  11. Muse, 'The 2nd Law': Track-By-Track Review . . Zach . Dionne . 1 October 2012 . 1 December 2013.
  12. Web site: Schweizer Airplay Charts 26/2013 - hitparade.ch . hitparade.ch . 25 February 2022.
  13. Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2013 . . 21 December 2014.
  14. Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2013 . . 21 December 2014.
  15. Web site: Muse – Panic Station. Muse Discography. Discogs. 29 June 2013.