08/21/2025
Link in bio ~ Echoes of the Past; the Folk Tradition of Cover Songs— ‘Panic” by The Smiths
Part Eight: Welcome to Now; Plenty of Panic to Go Around...
When Panic first hit shelves in July 1986, it arrived as a standalone single from The Smiths — their first recording as a five-piece with new member Craig Gannon on rhythm guitar. It climbed to No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 7 in Ireland, cementing itself as one of the band’s most instantly recognizable tracks. Part of its punch came from the origin story: Morrissey and Johnny Marr were in a car, listening to a BBC Newsbeat bulletin on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, only to have it smash-cut into Wham!’s “I’m Your Man.” That tonal whiplash became fuel for one of the most pointed refrains of the decade — “Hang the blessed DJ.” As Marr later said in an interview, “What the f**k has this got to do with people’s lives?”
For Ramon, the irony wasn’t lost. He’d spent the past two years working weekends at a nightclub — a job that put him right in the center of DJ-driven nights. When it came time to celebrate the Blankets release, he hosted the party there with longtime friend behind the decks.
“I’m not like ‘hang the DJ,’” he says, “but I do feel like a lot of the music doesn’t say much to me about my life— then there’s that other side of that perspective, and whether or not I feel the music speaks to me, what can I learn from it, and why am being exposed, or exposing myself to it, so regularly at this point in time. That’s part of why I found resonance in leaning into a synth-heavy, more lo-fi electronica approach — almost like a DJ remixing the song. There’s some irony to it.”
Read the full article reflecting on .andthemind ‘s experience crafting their take on ‘Panic’ along with playlists for both & featuring 10 different versions, featuring, + more
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