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 Single by PANIC!from the album TBATitle: why do the bad guys always win? Released: September 16, 2021 Studio: Sound City (Los Angeles, California), Genre: Synth-pop, electropop, indietronica Length: 3:26 Label: Self-released Songwriter(s): Geoff Hunter, Ashley Perry Producer(s): Nick Asher, Geoff Hunter, Ashley Perry "Why Do the Bad Guys Always Win?" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American rock band PANIC!, released as the lead single for the band's upcoming fourth studio album. It serves as the group's first single following the band's near ten year hiatus, regrouping in the spring of 2021, where they performed at the 8th Fan Choice Awards. The track was released on September 16, 2021, after being teased on both the band's official Instagram and on Ashley Perry's personal account in the days leading up to it. Upon its release, "Why Do the Bad Guys Always Win?" was considered to be a major departure from the pop-punk and alt-rock sound that was mostly found on their first three albums. The song was described as synth-pop, electropop, and indietronica in press reviews, due to its heavy dependence on synths and drum machines, mixed in with their more traditional real instrumentation, featuring a distorted guitar solo towards the back-end of the track. In the song's lyrics, Perry highlights the manipulation and betrayal of a self-obsessed ex-boyfriend. It touches upon themes of sexism, toxic masculinity, fame, and serial dating. Soon following it's release, it was speculated by fans and media alike that the song was inspired by American singer-songwriter Ryan Ross Hernandez, who dated Perry between 2007 and 2008. "Why Do the Bad Guys Always Win?" received polarizing reviews from critics, some calling it the perfect return, while others referred to it as an overall disappointment. While a majority of critics praised Ashley Perry's feminist-charged songwriting and earnest vocal performance, much of the divide came in the new sonic direction the trio took, many arguing that the group no longer feels like a collective force. Discussing the public discord upon its release, Billboard's Annabelle Sterling wrote "PANIC! were the antiheroes in a music era where not many acts are still standing. The trio could have chosen to bank on the nostalgia factor that their return means for many millennials whose school years they soundtracked. Instead, they opt to go all in on a brand new image that sounds very modern and that will ultimately upset some, while ushering in PANIC! to new generation." Ashley Perry wrote:"It was important for me to not hold back on this song. I had to write and deliver it without any self-editing. That's difficult to do because as a woman you're put under a microscope more so than your male counterparts and the judgement will come in a different manner. I'm 33, so I'm in this hyperaware phase of my life where I know what's going to happen. I know some men and even some women will listen to this song and write off because they think I come off as bitter or upset because I wasn't the endgame for this guy. When you come in already expecting that, you create this layer of yourself that is constantly fighting to reject those notions and not let the voices get to you. This song is detailing my particular experience with an ex who was caught up in his own world. We've all met a man who is a good looking smooth talker who has never been denied anything. Someone who is driven by success and sex and his own endeavors that it's not possible for him to love anyone else but himself. This is a relationship I had when I was 19 or 20 and that's why I say this song and the album it'll be featured on is not set in present day. It's a lot of stories from the past and you have to sometimes reopen the wounds so you can make sure that you properly heal in the long run." Geoff Hunter wrote:"When the opportunity to perform at the Fan Choice Awards this past April came up, we were all in different places. Nick [Asher] had been quarantining with his family in upstate New York. Ashley [Perry] was in Austin. I was in Los Angeles. So early on in the process of us reconnecting and making music together, we were doing everything over Zoom video calls which was challenging. "why do the bad guys always win?" was a song that Ashley already had written but we didn't compose any music for it until we all met in LA when we started doing rehearsals for the FCAs. From there it was a very quick process from beginning to end. Ashley had a clear vision of how she wanted this song to be and my job was to create a soundscape that worked without altering the lyrics. The synths and drum machines were brought in almost immediately. We wanted to create this frantic sounding track that was moody but also left enough air to breathe where Nick could still do his bass work and I could throw in some live electric guitar into and we could layer real drums along with the programmed percussions. It was a lot of fun to record because aside from a decade between recording together and reuniting after all that time, we were challenging ourselves to move away from the pop-punk realm we were in during the mid-and-late 2000s."
why do the bad guys always win?You left us high and dry
While you went on to Hollywood living
Are there any women you wanted who you haven't slept with?
Or at least gotten some head from?
You got that charm, it's a work of art
If I had gone and tried that
I would have been called
"A whore! A slut! A bitch!"
My value in the eyes of society would've crashed down
While yours is still praised and idolized
The more hearts you break, the more number ones' you get
And let's be frank, Jack
That's what you'll take to your grave
Along with all your money
I was one of the first you played
I was so young and you were so high above me
Wearing million dollar watches and drinking top shelf liquor
You looked so cool back then, untouchable
Now I see you were only a well-spoken pretty face
Have you ever really loved anyone other than yourself?
You're self-obsessed and the act is getting boring *yawn*
Some days I still think about you
At least not as much as I used to way way back
I don't pray for your unhappiness
I only wish you would own up to your mistakes
Instead of living day by day as if we all died
But you never apologized to my face
You sent a late night text two years later
I'm sure you did it when you were drunk
But don't blame the alcohol for all your troubles
Or the lack of a father in your life
You could have been a king
Too bad you are your own worst enemy
Dreaming up new ways to runaway and find a new girl
'Cause you always gotta challenge them
You weren't cruel, just kind of an asshole
A fuckboy before fuckboy was recognized in the mainstream
Best of luck to your future wife
If you ever give in to that institution you hated
I was one of the first you played
I was so young and you were so high above me
Wearing million dollar watches and drinking top shelf liquor
You looked so cool back then, untouchable
Now I see you were only a well-spoken pretty face
Have you ever really loved anyone other than yourself?
You're self-obsessed and the act is getting boring *yawn*
Some days I still think about you
At least not as much as I used to way way back
I don't pray for your unhappiness
I only wish you would own up to your mistakes
Instead of living day by day as if we all died
Why do the bad guys always win?
(Every fairytale is a lie)
Why do the bad guys always win?
(Every teardrop is a reminder)
Why do the bad guys always win?
(Every kiss was with open eyes)
Why do the bad guys always win?
(Every calculated move you make)
Have you ever really loved anyone other than yourself?
You're self-obsessed and the act is getting boring *yawn*
Some days I still think about you
At least not as much as I used to way way back
I don't pray for your unhappiness
I only wish you would own up to your mistakes
Instead of living day by day as if we all died--- Comparable To:
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