But It's Better If You Do

"But It's Better If You Do"
Single by Panic! at the Disco
from the album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
Released May 16, 2006 (UK)
July 5, 2006 (U.S.)
Format CD
Recorded Dang! Studios (Lewisville, Texas)
Genre Emo, pop punk
Length 3:25
Label Fueled by Ramen, Decaydance
Writer(s) Ryan Ross
Producer(s) Matt Squire
Panic! at the Disco singles chronology
"I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
(2006)		 "But It's Better If You Do"
(2006)		 "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off"
(2006)

"But It's Better If You Do" is the third single by Panic! at the Disco, from their 2005 debut album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.

Song information

Written by Ryan Ross and released on May 4, 2006 as a CD single, "But It's Better If You Do" is the third single to be released by Panic! at the Disco, and the second with an accompanying video.

"It's a song about being in a strip club but not actually liking being in there. So I wanted it to be about the sort of complex inner-monologue," he said. "It's not completely fiction, though. It's based on a scenario when I was going through a breakup with a girl. Because in reality, I don't like strip clubs. I think they're kinda perverted", says Ryan Ross. Ross went on to say, "When I wrote it, I never thought about it being played in strip clubs. But I guess it would be kind of a change from what they usually play in there", he said. "It would be a surreal experience, for sure. I think the tempo is too fast, though. So maybe someone would have to do a chopped-and-screwed version or something."[1]

This was the last video to feature Brent Wilson on bass.

Title

The title is a quote from the movie Closer. In the movie, the character portrayed by Natalie Portman says, "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off... but it's better if you do". "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" is also the title of another song by Panic! at the Disco. In the UK iTunes the title is But It's Better When We Do.

Music video

The music video takes place in a masquerade-style strip club.

At the beginning of the song's music video, the song playing in the background is "Intermission", the song preceding "But It's Better If You Do" on the A Fever You Can't Sweat Out CD.

The music video begins with a black-and-white introduction of a man (played by the band's lead singer, Brendon Urie), arguing with his girlfriend. She is worried about him always singing at illegal strip clubs; he says he doesn't go to illegal strip joints, but he goes anyway.

The music video continues with the song in the overview of the strip joint. Urie performs onstage with the other members of Panic and a Las Vegas showgirls dance group. Urie sees a woman who seems to be unusually interested in him. They retreat to a private room. The two begin to kiss and Urie removes his mask. The woman likewise removes her mask to reveal that she was in fact his girlfriend. His girlfriend slaps him and turns to leave. As she gains headway, however, the police bust into the club and arrest her. Urie brawls with the chief, but is apprehended. They both are put into a police car, smirk knowingly at one and another, and the scene fades in the same black-and-white color as the intro.

The video for "But It's Better If You Do" debuted on Total Request Live daily countdown on June 29, 2006 at #8 and was directed by Shane Drake.

Track listing

UK CD/Digital (May 2006)
  1. "But It's Better If You Do"
  2. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (91X Acoustic Session)
UK 7" poster bag (May 2006)
UK 7" colored vinyl (May 2006)
WMI CD (October 2006)
  1. "But It's Better If You Do"
  2. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (91X Acoustic Session)
WMI CD/Digital (September 2006)
  1. "But It's Better If You Do"
  2. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (91X Acoustic Session)
  3. "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" (Live in Denver)

Chart performance

Following its release in the USA, the song debuted at number 4 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, before dropping to number 8 on the chart dated September 23, 2006. It peaked at number 81 on the Pop 100 chart, and number 74 on the Hot Digital Songs chart.

In Europe, the song had better success. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at #23; and, in the Netherlands, it peaked at #89 on the Dutch Singles Chart. The single also reached #1 on the UK Rock Chart on May 14, 2006. "But It's Better If You Do" also found success in the Oceanic regions; on the Australian Singles Chart, it peaked at #15, and on the New Zealand Singles Chart, it reached #10.

References

  1. ↑ "Panic! At The Disco May Have Written Next Stripper Anthem". MTV. Retrieved November 2, 2007.

External links