"Panic Switch" is a song by the American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Silversun Pickups Silversun Pickups is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles that was formed in 2000. The band is composed of Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester. The band released their debut EP, '' Pikul'', in July 2 ...

. It was the first single released from the group's second album, '' Swoon'' (2009), on March 17, 2009. The song reached number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart, becoming their first number-one single on any Billboard chart. "Panic Switch" was the first song by an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

artist to reach number one on the chart in 11 years. After a one-week stay at number one, it spent 11 weeks at number two behind

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...

's "

New Divide "New Divide" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song is released as a single and was recorded specifically for the soundtrack, '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – The Album'' to Michael Bay's film '' Transformers: Revenge of t ...

". It is also their first

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

entry, peaking at number 92.

Background

When asked about the song, singer Brian Aubert told

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

that the song was added late to the album, almost as an afterthought. It is meant to represent a nervous breakdown, which is a major theme of the album.

Reception

The song was ranked at no. 45 on ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

s ''Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit from Worst to Best''.

Use in other media

The song appeared in the trailer for ''

Sucker Punch A sucker punch (American English), also known as a dog shot, coward punch, king hit or one-punch attack (Australian and New Zealand English) or cold-cock (American English), is a punch made without warning or while the recipient is distracted, ...

'' and in the Honda Stage video package during the 2016 NHL Winter Classic. In 2012,

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

's presidential campaign received a

cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...

request from Silversun Pickups, who alleged illegal use of their song at a campaign event set-up in North Carolina. Romney's spokeswoman, Amanda Henneberg, stated that playing the song before the event began was covered under the campaign's regular blanket license and would not play it again. It is featured in Fortnite's Rock & Royale radio station in-game.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2009 singles Silversun Pickups songs 2009 songs Dangerbird Records singles