The music video, which is in black-and-white and directed by Behn Fannin, begins with Ryan Ross playing his guitar and someone digging with a spade.
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It was filmed in Los Angeles in late September 2008.
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The black and white video was directed by Behn Fannin and produced by Refused TV. and that they were working on the concept for the music video. James Montgomery of MTV News ranked it among the best songs of 2008, writing that the song is "genuinely pretty and probably the best thing Panic will ever do." Music video Īt the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7, 2008, the band stated that "Northern Downpour" would be the next single released from Pretty. Rob Harvilla of The Village Voice felt it "actually quite stirring." Andrew Blackie of PopMatters praised Urie's vocal performance, writing that "he peels off a new timbre to his panting swank entirely, serving an emotionally bare, Robert Smith-esque performance that doesn’t sound like him at all." Freedom du Lac interpreted the "plaintive ballad" as a reference to the Beatles' " A Day in the Life".
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Sarah Rodman at The Boston Globe wrote that the song "combine trippy imagery and dreamy melodies that pay homage without naked, outright theft." The Washington Post 's J. The lyrics were based on the band's touring cycle, their girlfriends, and "everything that's been important to us in the past few years." In an interview, Ross noted that "There's a line in the song that goes, 'I know the world's a broken bone, but melt your headaches, call it home.' I told Brendon Urie to pay special attention to that line." He characterized it as the album's "most meaningful" song.