I Write Sins Not Tragedies
Encyclopedia
"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" is a song by American rock band Panic! at the Disco
, and is the lead single
from their debut studio album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
(2005). It was released on April 27, 2006 on both compact disc
and 7 inch vinyl
. The song was written by guitarist Ryan Ross
. The song reached #7 on the United States Billboard Hot 100
. This is the band's only top 40 hit in America. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies features a mandolin
in the song's introduction.
In the UK
, the song was released on February 27, 2006 as a limited edition single with a free sticker. Because the sticker was included with the CD single, the song was not eligible for the UK singles chart. UK chart rules state that stickers are not allowed in single releases. Later, in September 2006, due to the popularity of the track and following further single releases there of "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off
" and "But It's Better If You Do
", going top 40 there, the single was re-released on October 30, 2006. Despite receiving significant radio airplay upon its re-release, the single only reached #25 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Many U.S. radio stations, in response to the language found in the song, wanted an edited version. The lyrics "The poor groom's bride is a whore" and "Haven't you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?" were changed by replacing "whore" with a "shhh" sound and removing "god" in "goddamn". Some stations — generally modern rock
stations – still play the original version.
The song was covered by Fall Out Boy
, fellow Decaydance band, for their live album, ****: Live in Phoenix. (Fall Out Boy commonly uses the song's chorus as a lead-in to "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
" in concert.)
"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" was rank #3 in Billboards Best 2000's Video poll.
's novel Shampoo Planet
, wherein the main character, Tyler Johnson, says: "I am writing a list of tragic character flaws on my dollar bills with a felt pen. I am thinking of the people in my universe and distilling for each of these people the one flaw in their character that will be their downfall — the flaw that will be their undoing. What I write are not sins; I write tragedies."
"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" is Panic! at the Disco's first single to have a music video. ("The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage
" was the first single, but no video was filmed.) The video for the song takes place at a strange, circus-themed wedding played by the Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque
.
The video starts as the bride, played by Jessie Preston, and groom, Daniel Isaac, are about to be married. Her family dress and behave formally, but are revealed later to have fallen asleep and have eyes painted on their eyelids. His family are lower-class entertainers and carnival folk, and interrupt the wedding. The ringmaster, played by vocalist Brendon Urie
, acts as narrator and disrupts the events. After an argument between the two families, the bride runs out and is followed by one of her guests. The ringmaster drags the groom outside by his tie, where his fiancée is kissing the guest who followed her out of the church. The groom straightens up, looking shocked, and Urie and the groom bow to the camera. The ringmaster is revealed to be the groom's alter ego.
The music video by director Shane Drake
won the award for Video of the Year
during the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards
. This marked the first occasion since the 1989 VMAs that the winner of Video of the Year did not win anything else. The video was also ranked #7 on VH1's
list of the Top 100 Videos of 2006.
The video was shot in December 2005. According to vocalist Brendon Urie
, he and guitarist Ryan Ross
suffered from the flu while filming the video clip. Recently, the video won Best VMA Winning Video of All Time, on a world-wide poll on the MTV website.
UK CD/Digital (February 2006)
WMI CD/Digital (May 2006)
UK CD/Digital (October 2006)
UK 7" gatefold sleeve (October 2006)
UK 7" picture disc (October 2006)
Enhanced CD (October 2006)
Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is an American alternative rock duo, formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005. Since its split, the band's line-up includes Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith . Former members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker left the group in 2009...
, and is the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from their debut studio album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Panic! at the Disco. Recorded primarily at SOMD! Studios in College Park, Maryland with producer Matt Squire, the album was released September 27, 2005 on Decaydance and Fueled by Ramen Records.Written and...
(2005). It was released on April 27, 2006 on both compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and 7 inch vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. The song was written by guitarist Ryan Ross
Ryan Ross
George Ryan Ross III is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter most known for his work as the lead guitarist, backup vocalist and main songwriter for the band Panic! at the Disco, before his departure from the band in 2009...
. The song reached #7 on the United States Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. This is the band's only top 40 hit in America. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies features a mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
in the song's introduction.
In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the song was released on February 27, 2006 as a limited edition single with a free sticker. Because the sticker was included with the CD single, the song was not eligible for the UK singles chart. UK chart rules state that stickers are not allowed in single releases. Later, in September 2006, due to the popularity of the track and following further single releases there of "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off
Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off
"Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" is a single by the alternative rock band Panic! at the Disco, from the album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out...
" and "But It's Better If You Do
But It's Better If You Do
"But It's Better If You Do" is the third single by Panic! at the Disco, from the album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out .-Song information:...
", going top 40 there, the single was re-released on October 30, 2006. Despite receiving significant radio airplay upon its re-release, the single only reached #25 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Many U.S. radio stations, in response to the language found in the song, wanted an edited version. The lyrics "The poor groom's bride is a whore" and "Haven't you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?" were changed by replacing "whore" with a "shhh" sound and removing "god" in "goddamn". Some stations — generally modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
stations – still play the original version.
The song was covered by Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
, fellow Decaydance band, for their live album, ****: Live in Phoenix. (Fall Out Boy commonly uses the song's chorus as a lead-in to "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
"This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy and the lead single from their commercially successful fourth studio album Infinity on High . The song was first played on September 30, 2006 at a Philadelphia radio station, 102.1, and leaked onto the internet...
" in concert.)
"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" was rank #3 in Billboards Best 2000's Video poll.
Title
The title of the song refers to Douglas CouplandDouglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland is a Canadian novelist. His fiction is complemented by recognized works in design and visual art arising from his early formal training. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularized terms such as McJob and...
's novel Shampoo Planet
Shampoo Planet
Shampoo Planet is Douglas Coupland's second novel, published by Pocket Books in 1992. It is a thematic followup to Coupland’s first novel, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. The novel deals with Tyler, a Global Teen, who shares many characteristics of the character Tyler from...
, wherein the main character, Tyler Johnson, says: "I am writing a list of tragic character flaws on my dollar bills with a felt pen. I am thinking of the people in my universe and distilling for each of these people the one flaw in their character that will be their downfall — the flaw that will be their undoing. What I write are not sins; I write tragedies."
Music video
The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage
"The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage", shortened to "The Only Difference" for radio and convenience, is a single from Panic! at the Disco's debut album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out . It achieved some commercial success and exposed the new band to an audience,...
" was the first single, but no video was filmed.) The video for the song takes place at a strange, circus-themed wedding played by the Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque
Lucent Dossier Experience
Lucent Dossier Experience is an interactive, avant-garde circus, electronic rock band, performance troupe and entertainment company...
.
The video starts as the bride, played by Jessie Preston, and groom, Daniel Isaac, are about to be married. Her family dress and behave formally, but are revealed later to have fallen asleep and have eyes painted on their eyelids. His family are lower-class entertainers and carnival folk, and interrupt the wedding. The ringmaster, played by vocalist Brendon Urie
Brendon Urie
Brendon Boyd Urie is an American musician and the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, pianist and singer-songwriter of Panic! at the Disco. He also plays drums, bass guitar, accordion, organ, cello, violin, and trumpet.-Early life:...
, acts as narrator and disrupts the events. After an argument between the two families, the bride runs out and is followed by one of her guests. The ringmaster drags the groom outside by his tie, where his fiancée is kissing the guest who followed her out of the church. The groom straightens up, looking shocked, and Urie and the groom bow to the camera. The ringmaster is revealed to be the groom's alter ego.
The music video by director Shane Drake
Shane Drake
Shane C. Drake is an American music video director originally from Redding, California. He has directed videos for bands such as Trivium, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Angels & Airwaves, Flo Rida, Timbaland, Blindside, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Almost, Hawthorne Heights and...
won the award for Video of the Year
MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the main award handed out at the yearly MTV Video Music Awards. It was first awarded in , when The Cars won it, and has been given out since. Eminem has been the most nominated solo artist, male solo artist, and act in this category, having been...
during the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards
2006 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 31, 2006, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Jack Black at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
. This marked the first occasion since the 1989 VMAs that the winner of Video of the Year did not win anything else. The video was also ranked #7 on VH1's
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
list of the Top 100 Videos of 2006.
The video was shot in December 2005. According to vocalist Brendon Urie
Brendon Urie
Brendon Boyd Urie is an American musician and the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, pianist and singer-songwriter of Panic! at the Disco. He also plays drums, bass guitar, accordion, organ, cello, violin, and trumpet.-Early life:...
, he and guitarist Ryan Ross
Ryan Ross
George Ryan Ross III is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter most known for his work as the lead guitarist, backup vocalist and main songwriter for the band Panic! at the Disco, before his departure from the band in 2009...
suffered from the flu while filming the video clip. Recently, the video won Best VMA Winning Video of All Time, on a world-wide poll on the MTV website.
Track listing
UK 7" poster bag (February 2006)- A. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
UK CD/Digital (February 2006)
- "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
- "Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks" (demo version)
WMI CD/Digital (May 2006)
- "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" – 3:10
- "Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks" (demo version) – 3:57
- "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage" (Tommie Sunshine Brooklyn Fire Remix) – 5:04
UK CD/Digital (October 2006)
- "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
- "Karma PoliceKarma Police"Karma Police" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead from their 1997 third studio album OK Computer. The song's title and lyrics derive from an in-joke among the band, referring to the Hindu theory of retributive enforcement, known as karma....
" (Live in Denver)
UK 7" gatefold sleeve (October 2006)
- A. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
- B. "But It's Better If You DoBut It's Better If You Do"But It's Better If You Do" is the third single by Panic! at the Disco, from the album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out .-Song information:...
" (Live from Glasgow)
UK 7" picture disc (October 2006)
- A. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
- B. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (Live in Denver)
Enhanced CD (October 2006)
- "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
- "Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks" (demo version)
- "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage" (Tommie Sunshine Brooklyn Fire Remix)
- "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (video)
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 12 |
| Australian ARIA Digital Track Chart | 8 |
| Canadian Hit Chart (Airplay) | 60 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 29 |
| RIANZ New Zealand Top 40 | 5 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
25 |
| UK Official Download Chart UK Official Download Chart The UK Official Download Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the music industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being published on a Wednesday afternoon, so as to not to clash with the release of the main UK Singles Chart... |
44 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
7 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Ringtones Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... |
5 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
2 |