K.I.S.S.

Imagine there’s no Heaven It’s easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today

-John Lennon, Imagine

So in case you haven’t heard, apparently there’s a new album due out by this band called “Panic! at the Disco.” Supposedly it’s much anticipated. Or something like that.

I kid, I kid. I’m well aware of Panic’s sophomore effort releasing next year. And I’m actually looking forward to it. Especially since the band has openly said they are experimenting with their music. But of course, as soon as the band announced that, their fans began to voice their own opinion.

Negative reaction to Panic announcing their major influences were The Kinks, the Beach Boys and the Beatles surprised me. These are three extremely successful bands who made generally GOOD music. Drawing inspiration for the Beatles especially is nothing new in music…and that brings up the question of WHAT ERA of the Beatles, since they themselves changed their sound again and again. I wouldn’t say Ryan Ross is John Lennon (And I will adamantly defend Keltie Colleen against anyone who might claim she’s Yoko Ono), but I will say that there are worse places to draw musical influence from.

Along with that complain came the complains about the change in Panic’s look. Notably, mention that Ryan Ross has stopped straightening his hair and wearing make up and has turned into a skinny smiling hippie boy.

But the insinuation that really REALLY bugs me involves Panic! lyrics. The idea that because the lyrics are simple, they will no longer be deep.

This is a ridiculous assumption, especially considering that the boys are drawing from the Beatles. Just because lyrics are simple DOES NOT mean they are not deep. Look at Imagine, the song I quoted at the beginning of this blog. Minus words you’ll see on your SATs, but the message is one of peace and understanding…and of the things that separate us. Also along those lines is Let It Be, a song Paul McCartney wrote about his mother’s death. But to read the lyrics, they’re fairly simple and straight forward. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme as recorded by Simon and Garfunkle has simple lyrics, as does Bob Dylan’s rendition of Blowin’ in the Wind. Janis Joplin’s Mercedes Benz doesn’t have long drawn out metaphors, but the song has a meaning.

Sometimes the simpler songs are the ones you have to think about MORE. You might have to assign personal meaning to metaphor, rather than having the band tell you what it means. You might have to think about the music not less, but a little harder.

So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Just like Ryro does these days.