The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage

The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage

Panic! at the Disco

The title is a quote from the Chuck Palahniuk novel, Survivor.

Ryan Ross criticizes artists who make music that seems to be racy or controversial only to gain fame. Cluing in from the song’s title, these artists are “martyrs” for their art, suffering criticism from perhaps more conservative voices. Yet, Ross calls them out as merely self-absorbed fame-mongers. They swear to “shake it up” (societal norms) as long as the fans “swear to listen.” In Ross' estimation, they are not who you think, merely donning the appearance of art-makers, a practice that requires suffering and criticism.

The title could also be interpreted as a criticism of the media’s tendency to fixate on tragedies of celebrities, while almost completely ignoring the deaths of anyone they cannot exploit for their own gain.
The implicit message of the title is simply that whether a person’s death is deemed important or not is independent of that person’s personal merit, the reason they died, or even how many people know of the death initially. All that matters is how much the media tells you to care about it.