On April 20, 2015, when Panic! at the Disco’s new song was released, it was certain that all sinners stood up and sang “Hallelujah.” Why would they not do so? It has been years since the band popular for intelligent lyrics and outlandish interpretations released a song. For whatever it is worth, “Hallelujah” just takes the band to whole new dimensions. It is dark, at the same time that it takes you to church. It is a grand throwback to why they became popular, and a foresight on what to expect come the time they release their fifth studio album.
Imagine being down on your knees trying to repent on everything you have done wrong. Recall the most sinful indulgence you have ever exposed yourself into. Remember the worst mistake you have ever committed. Despite all these, reminisce the sincerest prayers you have ever thought of. Think of the time when you were asking for God’s divine forgiveness. Sinfully good and heavenly debaucheries are juxtapositions that could best explain the ambivalence towards the emotions derived from “Hallelujah.”
As expected, the band masterfully puts the most appropriate words to elucidate the need to take responsibility to all your actions. It is a poetic wordplay to the amount of sins that must be addressed so that redemption would be possible. Lyrically, it was a moving deliverance from all the evils lurking beneath the complexities of the self. The song progresses to lyrical heights towards the part when it is ”the time for being sad is over / And you miss them like you miss no other / And being blue is better than being over it, over it!” After all, the best remedy is “say your prayers / sing Hallelujah.”
After all have been said and done, “Hallelujah” is a special song this year because it is so good that it makes you want to cry in disbelief that in a world full of chaos and turbulence, there is still hope. Likewise, Panic! at the Disco emerges victoriously by delivering a solid track that would definitely stand the test of time. When everything else just sounds and feels the same, here is a song that demands attention because it stands above the rest.
The passion in the vocals of “Hallelujah” mixed with the aggressive beats with hints of gospel magically works for the song’s advantage. So many great things are happening today in music. However, there is always a spot for something like “Hallelujah.”