Five definitive moments from My Chemical Romance’s masterpiece ‘The Black Parade’ that make you want to punch the air
The problem with My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade isn’t that it exists in a vacuum, because it doesn’t. Not really. Instead, the problem is that it isn’t often regarded as one of the most significant rock albums in recent history, for reasons that are both obvious and completely unfathomable.
It might not have seemed like it back then, but now, we can easily assume that MCR’s place on the outskirts of the broader rock revolution is rooted in all the other reasons why rock groups are often shunned by the community’s more traditional loyalists: because they seemed to appeal to a different subgroup of people, with music that was more melodic, accessible, and, let’s face it, camp.
In the rock and metal community, such crimes brand you an outsider or worse, not worthy of your place among the other, straightforward rock groups that pander to all its usual tricks and tropes. Gerard Way wasn’t your typical machismo rock frontman, so he wasn’t celebrated as willingly as those who were; the fans, at one point or another, were typically teenage girls or those in the queer community, so the music was often dismissed as lacking in quality or meaning.
We can look back now, however, and give credence to all the ways the band and its countless devotees shaped the nature of modern rock as we know it today. Because that’s the truth of it, too: often, it’s the outcasts that create the best kinds of art, and once The Black Parade was out in the world, many of us never looked back.
The five most explosive moments in ‘The Black Parade’
‘The End.’ into ‘Dead!’
It’s no secret that one of the most revolutionary aspects of The Black Parade is its theatrical concept. Following the story of a man who dies of cancer and navigates the afterlife and its connections to memory and the spirit living on, The Black Parade is a masterclass in all the trials and tribulations of life and the things that make up who we are.
And what better way to kick off the entire narrative than an explosive transition from two of the strongest tracks on the record, ‘The End.’ and ‘Dead!’ – delivering a shift that jolts us abruptly from slower, more considered pacing into the more intentional ravenous rhythms that MCR became known for.
‘Welcome to the Black Parade’
“Do or die, you’ll never make me / Because the world will never take my heart / Go and try, you’ll never break me”
To some, ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ is an absolute classic; a mainstay of those good ol’ emo clubbing nights where you’re anticipating the inevitable excitable screams in response to that all-too-familiar G chord. To others, it’s one of the most overplayed rock tunes in recent history that lost its charm many moons ago.
And then there are those of us who see it as somewhere in the middle: a nostalgic gem that somehow still hits so long as you give it the time of day to remind you of all the reasons you fell in love with it in the first place. And if the first half doesn’t do it, then it’s surely the key change later on, and the invitation to scream your heart out to the words: “Do or die, you’ll never make me / Because the world will never take my heart / Go and try, you’ll never break me…”
‘Mama’
“Well, mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue / You should’ve raised a baby girl, I should’ve been a better son…”
One of the best songs you’ll probably ever listen to in your entire life, ‘Mama’ captures the absolute pinnacle of Gerard Way’s creative mind, with an extraordinarily impressive level of production and musical craftsmanship that is difficult to find anywhere else in the current rock landscape, past or present.
At first, it’s the song’s rhythmic, Ray Toro-crafted polka beat that pulls you in, before Way’s typical theatricality keeps you along for the ride, immediately getting the adrenaline pumping even on the umpteenth listen. And then, just before Liza Minnelli’s ghostly contribution sweeps you away into a false sense of calm, Way smashes the entire record to smithereens with a verse that makes you want to raise your fist to the air and yell out the words along with him: “Well, mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue…”
‘Disenchanted’
“You’re just a sad song with nothing to say / About a life long wait for a hospital stay…”
If you’ve had the pleasure of seeing MCR live, you’ll know just how special ‘Disenchanted’ can be. Some people gloss over this song, which is probably something to do with the fact that it’s one of the record’s slower, more contemplative tunes that takes you out of the broader chaos for a few minutes of temporary respite.
However, that’s also why it’s one of the best songs on the album, demonstrating Way at his melodic and lyrical best with a particularly endearing chorus that captures the ultimate catharsis of being an MCR fan. There are so many great moments across the entire track, but specifically, it’s hard not to be in your feelings whenever the words “you’re just a sad song” wash over you like a perfect storm.
‘Famous Last Words’
“‘Cause I see you lying next to me / With words I thought I’d never speak / Awake and unafraid, asleep or dead…”
Another song that’ll quite literally never go out of fashion, ‘Famous Last Words’ anchors all the reasons why MCR’s The Black Parade remains a staple of modern culture 20 years on, carrying the very ethos of the emo community and everything that spoke to them about the record way back when.
After all, one of the reasons the record resonated in the first place is because it voiced all the things people couldn’t put into words, giving credence to the darker and more sinister aspects of life, repackaged into a complex concept about spirituality, resilience, and belonging. ‘Famous Last Words’ is this world’s ultimate crescendo, both a resolve in the story and a promise to the fans that they’ll always be understood, no matter what.
