Nine In The Afternoon

Album: Pretty. Odd. (2008)
Charted: 13 51
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Songfacts®:

  • Frontman Brendon Urie in the New Musical Express January 26, 2008: "It's a very positive rock song with a very positive message."
  • Guitarist Ryan Ross on MTV News: "This is the first song we wrote. It's a song we all wrote together. It's basically about our situation for the past few years, just kind of looking at it all in a good way, and as a positive thing. It's one of the most straightforward songs we've ever had, lyrically. We wanted to have a song people could just get on the first listen. It was one of those spur-of-the-moment songs that came together in a couple of hours. It's just a fun song; it's not really meant to be taken seriously."
  • The song was first performed publicly at the Virgin Festival 2007 in Baltimore.
  • This was the first single released by the band since they lost the exclamation point at the end of their name. Ross explained to MTV News: "At least for me, it got a little bit annoying to try to write that every time you're typing the name. It was never part of the name to us. People started writing it, and then it ended up in more and more things like that, so there it was. When we started doing new promo stuff for this album, we just told everyone not to use it anymore." Brendon Urie added: "We wrote it that way once, when we first started the band, and then people kept writing it that way, and it was a freakin' whirlwind. We never made a big deal out of pulling it off the name. I mean, every time I write [our name], I never put an exclamation point in there."
  • Like the rest of the album, this was produced by Rob Mathes. He'd previously collaborated with the band on their cover of "This Is Halloween," a song originally written for the animated musical The Nightmare Before Christmas.
  • Brendon Urie told the New Musical Express: "The new album's definitely gone in a new direction and it's definitely a more positive direction. The first record was a little more teenage angst - we were 16 and 17-year-old dudes writing music. With this one we're in our twenties, we're a few years older. We're more experienced as musicians and with the instruments we've been playing. We've been really happy on this record and less stressed so we've been writing happier songs. They're more organic: there's nothing as synthesized or anything like that, it involves more real instruments."

    Urie then discussed the writing process for the album: "It's been really different on this album concerning lyrics because we've all had a little hand in it. It's been great the way we worked with this record-all four of us would sit in a room together, in the place we wrote the first record, just talking about ideas. It's been more of a natural, less stressful environment and a really good experience for sure. We all wrote different songs and also had songs that the four of us wrote together."
  • Ross explained the album title to MTV News: "It just happened one night. We were working on a new song, and we weren't even talking about album titles, but it was just something I wrote down, and I brought it up to the guys. Like, 'Pretty. Odd.' And then they all liked it, and that was a couple of months ago, so we just kept it since then."
  • This is the first Panic At The Disco song where the title is part of the lyrics.
  • Ross explained to VH1 about the song title: "The title is this silly thing we came up with. There's really no significance, except for when we were writing the song that night no one knew what time it was and somebody said it was 9 in the afternoon."
  • Drummer Spencer Smith told Live Daily why they decided to enlist Rob Mathes to produce the album: "He arranged the strings for us when we did a cover of 'This is Halloween' when they re-released Nightmare before Christmas. That's where we met him. He normally gets hired to do orchestrations, different arrangements. He's done different things from, like, opera - Pavarotti - to I think he did string arrangement on one of the Jay-Z songs for that movie American Gangster. It's a pretty wide spectrum. But, at the same time, he grew up loving Led Zeppelin and Classic Rock. That's still kind of part of him and a part of music that he loves. He loves a classic Rock or Pop Rock band, whether they're The Beatles or anything. He's always wanted to work with a band in the similar style of George Martin with The Beatles: writing string arrangements and horn arrangements and different things that not a lot of people were doing. It was exactly what we were looking for, and it just kind of ended up being perfect."

Comments: 23

  • Nick from Las VegasUhh this song is about being high on mushrooms in the cabin they wrote this album in... I know this because at the same time my best friends band the cab were writing their album up in mt Charleston as well... everyone was at the age you start experimenting with the stronger stuff you know... every night both bands would meet at one or the others cabins and...... listen to the lyrics people...it’s Nine in the afternoon .. and your eyes are the size of the moon, “pupil dilation, and a time you’d only say if you were tripping balls because it doesn’t exists.” You’re welcome
  • Andy from Little RockDoes anyone else hear a Jeff Lynne/ELO type influence in this song? I noticed Beatle like comments, and that's purposeful by Panic, but I hear an edgier Jeff Lynne type song influence.
  • Aj from Trenton, NjI always had a feeling that they were high when they wrote this song but oh well great song!!
  • Hikaru from Ewa Beach, HiNine In The Afternoon is my favorite song when i first heard iT I was like HOLY CRAP THIS IS LIKE THE BEATLES! i love the Beatles and i think i was epic of Panic At The Disco to try and do what the Beatles did like adding classical instruments to their songs like the trumpet and violin and they did it awesome and pulled it off. but they did steal a Beatles idea. in part of the Nine In The Afternoon music video when there playin the instruments they have huge animal heads they took that idea from the I Am The Walrus by the Beatles. but its still awesome
  • Liz from Hollywood/clermont , FlOh and to the people who are saying PATD copied the Beatles. I see whatcha mean. The first time I listend to Pretty.Odd I was like "holy crap its the Beatles reincarnate. But there are a lot of differences. And I like A Fever You Can't Sweat Out btter anyway ;). U like the beatles then go for Ryros new band The Young Veins. I heard they'll have the Beatles-esque sound. Now P!ATD (as Bdon urie sed) will go back to how they were before a bit...I think
  • Liz from Hollywood/clermont , FlI jump around when I hear this song. :D makes me hyper!!!
  • Elziabeth Lela from Tukemterrie, IdThis song is about how in the first album {A Fever You Can't Sweat Out} they were concerned about being nonconformists, and now they are just being where they were, just more naturally. {Not to diss on noconformists, I'm the only vegetarian soccer player I've ever heard of}
  • Ryan from Anahola, HiThis song is on Rock Band 2 and is the only Panic at the Disco song in either Guitar Hero or Rock Band.
  • Jessica from Brookings, SdThis song is exactly like Penny Lane by The Beatles. I'm so glad someone else hears the Beatles in their music. "Back to the streets where we began" vs Penny Lane where Paul and John would meet? The trumpets are almost identical. But really, who isn't influenced by the Beatles? They could have hid it a little better on this song.
  • Casey from Lincolnton, AfghanistanThe song is about them being in a band, and their passion for music. "back to the streets were we began" means their writing a song about home, and when they first started out. Feeling as good as lovers can" DUH! lovers of music! "into a place were thoughts can bloom" get the wax out of your ears! that means their writing a song.
  • Gabanti from Your Mum, United Kingdomthis is about drugs.. think about it.. your eyes are the size of the moon and its good coz you can so you do and the fact its 9 in the afternoon which is obviously a made up place that you can go to when you are on drugs.. (:
  • James from Chicago, IlSmoke up and then listen to this song, you'll get it.

    Honestly, I can't see how people don't immediately realize this song is about being stoned out of your head. The lines don't even cleverly hide the message: "When it's nine in the afternoon, your eyes are the size of the moon," "Into a place where thoughts can bloom, into a room where it's nine in the afternoon...you know you can feel it to," and "back to the street, down to our feet, losing the feeling..."

    This crap isn't clever, it's typical stoner lyrics. They were probably in a room one afternoon, smoking and watching Dazed and Confused, and the clock on the VCR was flashing 9 because nobody bothered to set it when they came up with this song
  • Clb from A Place, VaI love how this album is so peaceful and happy! and for all the people saying that P!ATD is not uniqe and is copying the beatles, is everyone who sings peaceful music copying the beatles? come on, guys. and also, just because they're not like every band doesnt mean they're bad. Everyone accused them of being "emo and whiny" before this album, and now you're accusing them of copying another band? come on, GET A LIFE. If you dont like this band, then go comment on a band you like and do us all a favor
  • Christy from Palm Springs, Calisten to the Beatles and you will see how unoriginal these guys are although I admit this song and the album are interesting and catchy but if you know the Beatles well you can pretty much find something in every Pretty Odd song that was ripped off of them. Don't get all mad at me, and I still like Panic, and they're a hellofa lot better than most bands around today, but they nor anyone will quite match up to the masters ; )
  • Cdawg from Philadelpha, Palosing the feeling of feeling unique is my fave too. its true. but i like the emo-ish and the new one. i liked the ! but its kol with out one too. their two styles are both so different but but so great. ican listen to either album and love it.
  • James from Bedford, NsI thought that this song was about the feeling of home...
    and that uplifting feeling after getting high really fits into place with this.
  • Alex from Pompton Plains, NjI agree with Randi, "losing the feeling of feeling unique" is my favorite line of the whole song, and also right after when they sing, "do you know what i mean" and their harmonies are so tight it's awesome.
  • Hannah from Summerville, Arrly? i miss the punkier, emo p!atd
    and y the hell did they ditch the "!" ????!!!!! it was like, their little trademark :( oh well... i'll take the "!" oh, and being normal is for nerds, posers, and other profligate ppl. that being said...







    yes, i do bite! any other offending questions you'd like to ask?
  • Randi from Culpeper Killed Superman, VaI agree with Aldy. My favorite line is "Losing the feeling of feeling unique" it always makes me feel better like im not alone in feeling normal I guess? lol
  • Hailey from Madison Heights, Vai love thier new album!! i love how P@TD was able to make the transition from a sorta gloomy like band to a positive/ happier band
  • Angela from Cartersville, Gai love this song its alsome :)
  • Sunny from Pittsburgh, PaThis song, is the one that can brighten up my day when I'm feeling horrible. It just really helps to know that no matter what happens I can go home and just listen to this song over, and over, and over again and never get bored of it.

    It's an excellent song, and you can really tell that they (Panic at the Disco) are a lot happier than they were when they were younger. With this song they might have lost fans that only listened to them because they were 'hot emo boys, with angsty creative lyrics' but the lyrics are still creative a witty they are just now more light-hearted and I really appreciate it.
  • Aldy from Posadas, ArgentinaI REALLY LIKE THE SONG IT'S HAPPY BUT I'M NOT SURE I NOW WHAT EVERY LINE MEANS
see more comments

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