Panic Station

"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. Written by Matthew Bellamy, it was the first song from a Muse album to contain profanity; the first time it was used was in the B-side "Crying Shame".

"Panic Station"
Single by Muse
from the album The 2nd Law
B-side	"Madeon Remix"
Released	31 May 2013 (2013-05-31)
Recorded	October 2011 – July 2012
Genre	Funk rock[1][2][3]
Length	3:06
Label	Warner Bros. Helium-3
Songwriter(s)	Matt Bellamy
Producer(s)	Muse
Muse singles chronology
"Supremacy" (2013) "Panic Station" (2013) "Dead Inside" (2015)
Music video
"Panic Station" on YouTube "Panic Station" (Lyric Video) on Muse.mu

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."^[9] 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. It has also been used in an episode of the British TV series Top Gear (season 19 episode 5).

Track listing

Digital download^[12]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Panic Station"	3:04
2.	"Panic Station" (Alternate Version Mixed by Madeon)	2:53

Promotional single^[13]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Panic Station" (Album Version)	3:06
2.	"Panic Station" (Clean Version)	3:04
3.	"Panic Station" (Alternate Version Mixed by Madeon) (Album Version)	2:55
4.	"Panic Station" (Alternate Version Mixed by Madeon) (Clean Version)	2:53

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2012–13) Peak position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] 19 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[15] 30 Canada Rock (Billboard)[16] 15 France (SNEP)[17] 107 Switzerland Airplay (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 30 UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[19] 4 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[20] 27 US Rock & Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[21] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[22] 75 US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[23] 27

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
United Kingdom	24 September 2012	CD-R (BBC Radio 1 premiere)	Warner Music Group
Belgium	25 February 2013	CD-R (Contemporary hit radio)	Warner-Benelux
United States		CD-R (Modern rock/Alternative radio)	Warner Music Group
Worldwide	31 May 2013	Digital download
United Kingdom	3 June 2013[24]	CD-R (Contemporary hit radio; BBC Radio 1 rotation)