Panic (The Smiths song)

"Panic" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, released in 1986 and written by lead vocalist Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. The band's first recording as a five-piece featuring new member Craig Gannon, "Panic" bemoans the state of contemporary pop music, exhorting listeners to "burn down the disco" and "hang the DJ" in retaliation. The song was released by Rough Trade as a single and reached No. 7 on the Irish Singles Chart and No. 11 in the UK Chart. Morrissey considered the song's appearance on daytime British radio a "tiny revolution" in its own way, as it aired amongst the very music it criticised. Morrissey later gave a controversial interview for Melody Maker about the song's subject matter, which spurred allegations of latent racism in the lyrics and allusions to the Disco Sucks campaign of the 1970s, which some commentators at the time accused of being motivated by racism. This was strongly denied by the Smiths, who also claimed that the interview had grossly misquoted Morrissey. The affair led to debate about the song's meaning, including more recent speculation that it is in fact about Jimmy Savile and his then-veiled sexual abuse. It was later included in the compilation albums The World Won't Listen and Louder Than Bombs (both 1987).