Music in the Media: Vegas Lights

            Media isn't just big news. Media can encompass many things under the definition of widespread communication. One of those things is music. Any band or singer/songwriter with a following can spread messages. Whether they're on the tip of everyone's tongue, like One Direction or Beyoncé, have a sizeable following, like The 1975 or Sara Bareilles, or are relatively indie, like Bombay Bicycle Club, musicians have a voice, and they can speak to us through their music.

            Today, we'll be taking a look at a song by one of my personal favorites, Panic at the Disco, a small band that started in Las Vegas. The headman, Brendon Urie, has shown up on this blog before. However, that's no reason not to show him here again:

            Now that we have that sorted, I'd like to foray a little deeper into Panic's song, "Vegas Lights". As previously stated, Urie grew up in Vegas, so it can be assumed that his childhood had an effect on the composition of this song.

            The song begins with children singing a series of numbers, 1-10, increasing and then decreasing at a significantly faster speed. I find it interesting that this is how Urie chose to begin the song, as Vegas is seen as an adult's playground, and it can easily be forgotten that people actually live and raise their children there. The rapid counting down, from 5-1, is repeated throughout the song, suggesting decline.

Oh, if you only knew

What we've been up to

I guarantee you'd keep it secret

So give it to me now

We're lost in a dream now

Do it (5-4-3-2) one more time

            The next stanza is a representation of the sort of activities that happen in Vegas. It denotes things that are better left as secrets, and how people lose their inhibitions and forget reality.

In the Vegas lights

Where villains spend the weekend

The deep end

We're swimming with the sharks until we drown

            Afterwards, Vegas is described as a place "where villains spend the weekend". When Urie says this line, one can imagine that it refers to the compulsive gamblers, criminals, and other unsavory types associated with the idea of Vegas. "The deep end" is typically used as the point of no return. The "sharks" are probably loan sharks, who lend money to gamblers knowing that they will probably be unable to pay it back. The gamblers associate with these loan sharks until they are overwhelmed by their debts.

The Vegas lights

The lies and affectations

Sensation

We're winning 'til the curtain's coming down

            An affectation is defined as artificial behavior designed to impress. The "Vegas lights" are not like typical lights. They do not illuminate the truth behind the lying and showing off, or denote honesty and purity. Instead, these lights are part of the sensation, prolonging the illusion until the curtain comes down. After that, the show is over and people are their real selves again. It reminds me of the old truism: "People are only really themselves when no one is looking", or something to that effect.

Ain't it so, ain't it so perfect

Our cynical minds will make it totally worth it

So give it to me now

We're lost in a dream now

Do it (5-4-3-2) one more time

            Cynical has two definitions, and I think that the lesser known is, in this case, more logical and easier to use: concerned only with one's own interests and typically disregarding accepted or appropriate standards in order to achieve them. Vegas becomes perfect for self-interested people who are only concerned with self-gratification and greed. Again, there is a loss of inhibitions and disconnection with reality, and people begin their inevitable decline.

And we're all not here for nothing

And we're bored with looking good

We gotta be starting something

Would you change it if you could?

            This stanza, the last unique stanza of the song, is sort of the reasons given for the debauchery. The villains are bored with their appearances and being good on the outside, so they need to start something big to keep themselves occupied. "Would you change it if you could" is the question about Vegas itself, which is sort of seen as a capital of sin.

            When we really look at "Vegas Lights", it becomes more than just a catchy song sung by an attractive singer in a cool band. It really dives into the band's place of origin and how hard it can be for people to actually live in a place that is viewed as a land of impurity.

            Media isn't just about the cameras and big news. Sometimes it can come to us like this-- in a few stanzas and lyrics. Music isn't just expression and raw emotion. Music is a form of communication.