FINALLY saw them live 2022 in Sweden. It was like coming home. I've been a fan since Black Parade and I missed their 2011 Helsinki show, I had just turned 18. And then, well, they broke up.
right! its the fact they literally DID save kids lives in a sense where, even now, our world is a literal piece of shit and we have nothing else to go to (because of covid for example, parents, kids including myself feeling more depressed, suicide rates going up, etc) and we become little tiny nerds for music just as they were when they were young! they saved mine, and im glad when i talk to other fans who've became my friends, were also saved by them too :-)
They actually adressed the "save kids lifes" thing in one of the grammy museum interviews that are on the official mcr channel. I don't remember the excact quote but it was Frank who said something like "you should give yourself more credit, we might have worked as a soundtrack for it but it was you who saved your life" or something like that
Yeah exactly. I sorta disagree with what's said in this video, since especially in their live shows and interviews they talked and still talk about mental health and such a decent amount. So while not all their lyrics are addressing these topics, I still think its fair to say that it is a message they took seriously. But yes I love that quote from Frank
@@liahansen8291 going to shows & existing within a community do wonders to ward off alienation. even if 99% of people don't get you, spend the rest of your life with 1% that do. At least, that's how I choose to interpret "Save kids lives".
Was and am a huge fan of theirs. Saw them at a bar before 3 cheers came out with like 20 people.. and the next year at warped tour playing to 2000.. the absolute wildest overnight success story ever.
I think the “saving lives grift” isn’t really a grift, I think it was something the band actually believed (and ended up being kinda true). Considering the members and their relationships to music, I think it’s fair to say that (especially in the early days) they felt like certain artists/albums had saved their lives, and since they were basing their own sound and careers on those artists, “saving lives” really was their goal since it was what they thought those other artists did. Especially since thousands of people were constantly explicitly saying that they saved their lives. I think you can tell that later in their careers they all realized it wasn’t quite as literal as they used to think, like how Frank said that their music was just the soundtrack to people saving themselves around the Danger Days era. Going from being the depressed kid stuck at home idolizing an artist, to being the artists that other depressed kids idolized probably gave them a sense of perspective, and also a ton of pressure because all these kids were essentially saying their lives were in their hands.
I agree, but I also think one of the things missing here - ironic since it was one of the first things talked about - is the context. These were outcasts or isolated people. It was the band, not the album, that was saving lives. They wanted people like them to have a community, a place they felt they fit in and belonged. It's why they have way more years touring than they did writing music. (Or one of, since they didn't make much money off albums but did from shows, as a band that came out just before 360 deals became the norm.)
@@sweetistweeter yea and the cathartic aspect that art in general and theatricality have also plays a very important aspect in saving people in a sense idk, it rlly gives you an outlet for your feelings and community to be in as u said
@@trashcatt9442 I agree. I do think they hit difficulty when it got so big though, because the parasocial part of that community meant each fan felt extremely connected to the band. It might also be part of why MCRmy are seen as so annoying, which, personally, I think is superficial and crude take. The fans are like any group: the loudest, weirdest, most irritating people are the ones that get heard.
We also got to see Gerard's struggle with depression and addiction after the band got a big label, if we own the CD/DVD set for LotMS, then later during the recording process for The Black Parade we learned that Mikey has Bipolar Disorder (which is where the inspiration behind Famous Last Words came from, since Mikey had to leave the process for treatment). It's nice to see both of them in a better place now. I feel like the Way brothers helped fans be aware of mental illness/disorders and pushed them to get treatment.
Def agree. Gerard’s personal demons were a huge part of Bullets/Revenge. I can see holding off on talking about them until a full Revenge breakdown, though.
I feel like a lot of the bullets songs are so very underrated. The entire album is so raw and feels so emotional. It’s my favorite album from mcr, it’s helped me a lot mentally. I can’t wait to see your 3 cheers video!! :3
I completely agree with your take on Monroeville and Cubicles. Those tracks are so good and are way too underrated. The ending of Monroeville is such a beautiful a cut to just pure vocals with the line “but does anyone notice, there’s a corpse in this bed.” It hits so incredibly hard.
Not that I think MCR saved me. I went through a lot after graduating high school. I joined the military and married my high school sweetheart. We fought a lot, my professional life was in the toilet, and most of the people i served with secretly hated me or made fun of me. I listened to MCR in high school and really enjoyed it. I started to understand it in my early 20s. MCR made that part of my life bearable. It might not be as grandiose as they put it, but it helped.
I’ve been a fan of MCR for quite some time now, and I’m glad that Bullets has been getting some love over the years. I’m also especially happy that the band still plays a handful of songs from their debut, which a lot of bands don’t do. Amazing video as always, and here’s to hoping that the band works with Goeff Rickly again.
24:47 would love it if you could do a whole video on all franks other projects! they aren’t talked about enough and I absolutely love them, especially death spells, parachutes and barriers. you can also hear his different influences on mcr’s sound.
I was a young teen around 2008 when I started listening to them. Those were hard times for kids; technology was booming, the internet was a wild west, teens were self-harming, the world was in a recession, and all I wanted to do was pursue art. You can imagine how my boomer parents felt about that. I was the picture-book fan of them. I just had little to no emo or punk clothes; back then, at least where I lived, it was looked down upon for people who 'looked emo' or listened to 'emo bands.' I was legitimately afraid to tell even my close friends what music I was into. Those were strange times; teens now have more freedom to express themselves however they like.
Right. I threw all my clothes in the washer and added two boxes of Rit Black dye. Guyliner and a bad haircut added to it making an identity for me and a lot of other kids.
I was too poor for band merch, and could dye my hair at all. I made my own merch using crazy neon puffy paint and a black old navy t-shirt. It really sparked my art to be honest haha. Middle school was interesting- people were bullied for absolute nonsense.
every time i try to escape mcr something always drags me back. this is an insanely good deep dive for new fans! even as someone who has self-proclaimed seen everything there possibly is to see in relation to mcr, i learned some new things.💗
@@graymads it really is glossed over way too often though when i seen them the past two times on the last tour they actually did play best day ever which surprised me
I'm obsessed with Sunsets and Demolition Lovers. You can just feel the importance and extra love put into these tracks compared to the others. Where has MCR been all of my life? Idk, but I'm glad I'm starting to finally get into the band now. I haven't heard one album I was iffy with yet, and I've listened to three of theirs now, good stuff.
I didn’t even realize this video came out today. PLEASE MAKE MORE! I can’t wait to see your in-depth review of Three Cheers and potentially The Black Parade. Def earned a sub!
in highschool i actually wrote an essay on how my chemical romance saves lives through the culture they create within their fanbase, they never claimed the lyrics alone were life saving. i loved this video though!! i love listening to people talk about my favorite band, even if i knew it all already. so glad this popped up on my recommended, im a long time fan of well over a decade now and i find it rare to find a good, long, mcr video essay. im going to watch the other one now!! great work!! :))
okok, just finished the vid dude, the editing is AWESOME, also the storytelling, the presentation of the info, even the bits of humor, it's amazing as someone whose entire flavor of autism is mcr(/hj) i really appreciate the effort and research that you put into this, and i find it so fucking cool that mcr is getting this talked about even in 2024 can't wait for the rest of the series covering the other albums!! im especially excited for the next one, as three cheers is my all-time favorite album keep up the great work, i'll see if i can support you any further, but for now, you got a new sub!
I dont think they saved my life, but they do make life more bearable. I've found a reason to live multiple times from music. Yeah the pain would go away, but so would music, and Id like to be here to experience it some more.
@@gregsmith8977 The general reputation of emo. A lot of reasons people cite for not liking emo aren’t really traits in their sound and they’re seen as the figureheads of those traits and blamed for them.
That mention of Dying is your latest fashion hit me in the gut. Love that record to death and wish they did more together before going down the mabbit hole
Early sunsets is their most gut wrenchingly beautiful song. I remember reading from the true lives of mcr book. Geoff rickly recalled how emotional Gerard was when doing vocals for the song. Here’s the quote, “the band was left shaken in the aftermath of the rage-fueled session. "Afterwards, everybody just left and went outside to smoke cigarettes because they couldn't deal with looking at him after he had sung that," he explained. "He had just ripped himself open in front of everybody. He'd taken it so far that it was uncomfortable for anyone who was friends with him. They hadn’t seen him as Gerard the singer, they still saw him as their buddy Gerard. It's a little scary to see someone do what he did." Early sunsets will forever be my favorite mcr song because of how raw and emotional it is. You can really hear the passion Gerard puts into his singing. In some aspects, imo, this song ties into the “saving kids lives” narrative. Hearing Gerard get so vulnerable is somehow comforting. Not to be like that but early sunsets actually saved my life 🤪
I’m so glad you commented this I didn’t know this and I’m glad I do now, I emphasize with gerard so heavily and early sunsets is my favorite song of all time
0:58 As an mcr fan, I can agree with this. I feel like most of the fandom is doomed. Not only are some obnoxious (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) or crazy but, people just overall don't respect the band's privacy, and that pisses me off. I just wish they could learn some boundaries.
for fucking real 😭😭 like i get some mcr fans be joking around and crushing over the band members in the craziest but most respectful way possible like with how me and my friends are (like joking around saying omggg gerards my wife yada yada LMAO) but some people, who i mostly call stans (bc a fan would never act like this) just take it TOOOOO far i remember once i saw a twitter post(?) where someone LITERALLY TAGGED FRANK in a post where it showed a picture of him with the caption "im wet" HELLO?? he even replied and said "well dry urself off" (LMAO)...it just goes to show how they just dont respect any privacy at all its crazy
this is probably the least amount of blatant misinformation in an mcr video ive ever seen! only minor factual/timeline mistakes and a couple notable omissions. genuine compliment, i know how hard working out the early parts of mcr lore is. i disagree w a lot of your presentation but this is decently well researched my chemical romance content for once 👍 love to see it
my parents were quite the emos in high school and loved early mcr. so naturally i grew up on bullets, three cheers and black parade.. its cool to get some insight on a band that’s been so instrumental in me growing up :) thank you for this!
MCR has been my favorite for over 20 years. The kids thing wasn’t a gimmick, as others have said. Demolition Lovers remains my favorite song of all time. Monroe is also one of my favorites. MCR forever 🫶🏼🖤🤘🏼
Sunsets Over Monroeville has always been extra cool to me because Monroeville is right by where I live (technically not in Pittsburgh but may as well be with how close it is) :)
Brought back so many memories. I was 13-16 around this time and my sister was 18-20. She had the privilege of going to Warped Tour/Taste of Chaos in its early infancy..but MCR was her and I’s favorite band and we would listen to them in her car often. I knew they were a bunch of nerds, and that’s what drew me to them. I was also into comics,horror,video games and the emo aesthetic..something I tried to change in my young adult years but now have come back too. MCR wasn’t like other bands, they didn’t have “swag” they didn’t have songs about meeting girls and sex. They had this weird geeky horror montage of this I enjoyed as a teen and still do till this day. It really was the last great rockstars of our generation, they fit in because they didn’t even try to fit in. They knew they were clowning around and being stupid..it reminded me a lot of my friend group back then
Great video! Looking forward to the others you make on MCR. Hot take, but after reading “Sellout” by Dan Ozzi and listening to their discography a ton over the past year, I’ve come to the conclusion that “Danger Days” is their best album. I think the “making music to save kids” thing is totally sincere at least when it comes to MCR. They got Rob Cavallo to produce Danger Days and Black Parade because he produced “Dear You” by Jawbreaker. That inspiration combined with the lyrical references to the song “Save Your Generation” crystallizes what they mean about “saving kids with music” imo. “Save Your Generation” by Jawbreaker is all about actively choosing to live instead of committing suicide, and how living a good life can save those around you. I think that is the core message of Danger Days and MCR at large. MCR’s avatars in that album’s story aren’t the heroes: they are just there to save “the girl,” whom I interpret as a stand in for their fans. And the girl is the one who is ultimately going to go on to save the world. So to me, Danger Days is all about telling the fans “the world needs you in it. We’re the backing band that’s gonna throw a party at the end of the world for you, and you’re gonna use that energy to help the people in your life.” Danger Days is the culmination of the message they wanted to send all along: that life is worth living and “if you can save yourself you could save us all.” Plus they just are tight as hell on that record. The years of tour really show in their performances. Looking forward to the next video!
Love the level of depth, research and narrative writing you put into this! I'm kinda averse to other channels covering My Chem with baiting fandom engagement, covering only surface-level info and the lack of a critical eye but knew you'd do it justice, especially for Bullets. Can't wait for the Revenge one
For what you said about the "save kids lives" thing, I think it was unfair. It could definitely be seen as a bit grand or dramatic, but saying it was just a "half-hearted grift" honestly hurt to hear. MCR is a big reason I'm here today. Listening to their music gets me through really rough times with how powerful and emotional it is. The things they have said (and continue to say) in concerts about mental health, lgbtq+ rights, etc. has helped me a ton when coping with the stuff I have going on in my life. I understand that if you haven't had a similar experience with their music that it could be hard to see how it helps, but for me, it definitely has. Especially with how many people constantly thank them for saving their lives, I don't see how that was a fair thing to say. Overall I loved the video, it was super well researched and produced! I just personally feel that one section was unnecessarily cynical.
All those comments and just thinking about MCR make me feel as happy like I‘m in love, haha I just fucking love them and their music and message really helped me through a lot ❤ I‘m thankful for them and the fandom they‘ve created, giving people like us a place to be ourselves and connect with others through (not only) their music 🙏
this video was amazing, insane quality man, absolutely subscribing, love the topics and the videos, the production quality and everything, I don't even have words. Incredible job you've done here, please keep going, I'm absolutely looking forward to everything else you'll put out!!
One of my personal favourites bands and the black clothes I wear are the reason I listen to MCR and a reason why I click to black and white clothes with the exceptions to red or green.
i think the reason why my chem is how they are today would be how they took on very heavy subject matter that a lot of rock artists didn't. the way my chem did it was "Hey you're going through a lot of crap!! lets talk about it and what emotions you are feeling!" but on the other hand whenever you hear a song that has meaning of "i am going through something, so i will write a song that talks about it." it might make the song about the singers problems and not problems that everyone could go through. but with my chem each song has a different vibe that makes you think about how you're life is, with giving you this sort of comfort that is more of you wanting to talk to someone.
Although The Black Parade is their greatest masterpiece and probably one of the greatest rock albums from the 2000s, Bullets is my favorite MCR album. I spent all my teenage years listening to the band, living in a small town, dreaming about getting out and now that I am in the city, I feel like this album sounds exactly like my hometown, with its nostalgia and rawness. When I miss home, this album feels like a big hug, all my memories from my younger days come flooding. Early Sunsets in particular is the one that hits me most.
Bullets is my favorite mcr album and I just can't get enough of it, I'm so glad I got to learn more about it and the band, I've been a big fan in my early teen years but didn't know the majority of things in the video. Thank you so much for the work you put in this, can't wait for the next videos!
Funny you show Billy Corgan when mentioning bands led by one person. The smashing pumpkins have been my favorite band for close to 30 years and my chemical romance become another one of my favorites because they are the first band I could tell were heavily influenced by the smashing pumpkins.
I grew up in North Jersey. I remember 3 of my friends saw them by chance in either 2001 or 2002 at Bloomfield Ave Cafe on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair New Jersey. This was around "you gave me your bullets.." (whatever their first album is called- which is the album of theirs I really liked). And then a year later they were literally everywhere. I also had some older friends who saw Jimmy Eat World at the legendary Skaters World in Wayne, NJ (a total and beloved icon from the 80s, 90s, and died in the 2000s... RIP)
I got into MCR in 2023 and they are now my favorite band :) This is a great video, and although I watched lotms many times, I still learned a few things from this video so thank you
will you ever dive into the Way's and their being raised catholic and the trauma that manifests itself through the music, and just in general? i think that's a very interesting/important thing to take into account when speaking about the band. Anyways, i am looking forward to the rest of your MCR videos. This was great!
Man, even though I didn’t listen to their music, I will put some respect on there name though. they really were one of the last major rock bands that everyone actually cared about.
Adding on to the discussion, though it might not be explicitly stated through their lyrics, I agree with other fans that the "saving kids lives" thing wasn't just something they said. They demonstrated life was worth living through the quality of their art, with their unique sound and concepts and aesthetics. I've been listening to them for over 10 years now, and it could be that it's because I came across their music during my pivotal early teenage years, but falling in love with this band really did make the world feel like a less lonely place and they still inspire me to this day. I didn't need them to say that part so explicitly in their lyrics (of course they were always very vocal about being anti-suicide and general mental health awareness through other avenues), their art was proof enough that things might not be as bleak as they would seem. I connected with everything they made and their often macabre ideas and presentation reflected so well with how I perceived things around me; I really felt like I was the audience. Like @sabinam.8653 said, this idea of saving lives very likely comes from the band members feeling like they were saved by the art they interacted with and emulated their heroes by staying alive and making the best art they could.
Always heard about them as a kid. Never got to REALLY listen to them until recently. With pandemic existing I thought MRC would finally be inspired to write another album and rejoin. Sadly they never did. I hope we get more music from them someday
I was there for their first two albums 😏 yes I am old haha. I know fans love black parade but I listened to it once and never listened to it again. I’m sure now I could appreciate it from a music standpoint but I loved their first two omggggg they were heavenly to my 13 year old mind.
fun fact: when gerard was recording the vocals for Sunsets Over Monroeville, he was told to just forget about everything and sing. His singing was so raw and emotional that the rest of the band left to go smoke cigarettes. In the making of Bullets video, Ray is seen tearing up.
Very well done! I'm from North Jersey, my ex actually used to make buttons for pency prep. I wanted to comment on what you said about snarky metal heads hating them...most of the bands they like are studio bands and never put in any work. My chem comes from the NJHC scene. They put themselves out there playing every chance they got and Gerard drew shirt designs and demo covers for local bands to get his name out there and find the band. I'm not a huge fan, and actually only really like this album and the second one (second one not as much). But they're the real deal and I'd put this up there with any other NJ punk classics like saves the day "can't slow down" and Lifetime "jerseys best dancers)! It's that good!
I was hoping that this video came out a while ago so that the others would already be out but just looked and saw that it came out only nine days ago, guess I’ll have to wait for the others 😭 Great vid man!!
The fact that I alerady knew every second of information given in this video and still watched captivadedly is kinda astounding to me. I'm THAT far gone into mcr 💀
Could you do a video on Taking Back Sunday’s first real album “Tell All Your Friends”? They’re my favorite band ever. For 17 years. I’ve seen them in concert in Boston and I’m seeing them again in August this year. They are everything to me. Every album was an era of my life throughout the last 17 years.
The whole ‘save kids lives’ thing is less about lyrical content and more about creating a space and a community
Having been to 2 MCR shows I have never felt more comfortable, welcome and embraced in a space or within a community than I did at those shows
FINALLY saw them live 2022 in Sweden. It was like coming home. I've been a fan since Black Parade and I missed their 2011 Helsinki show, I had just turned 18. And then, well, they broke up.
right! its the fact they literally DID save kids lives in a sense where, even now, our world is a literal piece of shit and we have nothing else to go to (because of covid for example, parents, kids including myself feeling more depressed, suicide rates going up, etc) and we become little tiny nerds for music just as they were when they were young! they saved mine, and im glad when i talk to other fans who've became my friends, were also saved by them too :-)
They actually adressed the "save kids lifes" thing in one of the grammy museum interviews that are on the official mcr channel. I don't remember the excact quote but it was Frank who said something like "you should give yourself more credit, we might have worked as a soundtrack for it but it was you who saved your life" or something like that
yeah, cause you can be inspired and all, but you’re the only person that can give yourself the will to live again ❤️🩹
Yeah exactly. I sorta disagree with what's said in this video, since especially in their live shows and interviews they talked and still talk about mental health and such a decent amount. So while not all their lyrics are addressing these topics, I still think its fair to say that it is a message they took seriously.
But yes I love that quote from Frank
@@liahansen8291 going to shows & existing within a community do wonders to ward off alienation. even if 99% of people don't get you, spend the rest of your life with 1% that do. At least, that's how I choose to interpret "Save kids lives".
Was and am a huge fan of theirs. Saw them at a bar before 3 cheers came out with like 20 people.. and the next year at warped tour playing to 2000.. the absolute wildest overnight success story ever.
lucky you, I would have loved to see a small show with them playing.
Never heard of Greta van fleet
lucky! i wasent even born yet
I think the “saving lives grift” isn’t really a grift, I think it was something the band actually believed (and ended up being kinda true). Considering the members and their relationships to music, I think it’s fair to say that (especially in the early days) they felt like certain artists/albums had saved their lives, and since they were basing their own sound and careers on those artists, “saving lives” really was their goal since it was what they thought those other artists did. Especially since thousands of people were constantly explicitly saying that they saved their lives. I think you can tell that later in their careers they all realized it wasn’t quite as literal as they used to think, like how Frank said that their music was just the soundtrack to people saving themselves around the Danger Days era. Going from being the depressed kid stuck at home idolizing an artist, to being the artists that other depressed kids idolized probably gave them a sense of perspective, and also a ton of pressure because all these kids were essentially saying their lives were in their hands.
I agree, but I also think one of the things missing here - ironic since it was one of the first things talked about - is the context. These were outcasts or isolated people. It was the band, not the album, that was saving lives. They wanted people like them to have a community, a place they felt they fit in and belonged. It's why they have way more years touring than they did writing music. (Or one of, since they didn't make much money off albums but did from shows, as a band that came out just before 360 deals became the norm.)
@@sweetistweeter yea and the cathartic aspect that art in general and theatricality have also plays a very important aspect in saving people in a sense idk, it rlly gives you an outlet for your feelings and community to be in as u said
@@trashcatt9442 I agree. I do think they hit difficulty when it got so big though, because the parasocial part of that community meant each fan felt extremely connected to the band. It might also be part of why MCRmy are seen as so annoying, which, personally, I think is superficial and crude take. The fans are like any group: the loudest, weirdest, most irritating people are the ones that get heard.
We also got to see Gerard's struggle with depression and addiction after the band got a big label, if we own the CD/DVD set for LotMS, then later during the recording process for The Black Parade we learned that Mikey has Bipolar Disorder (which is where the inspiration behind Famous Last Words came from, since Mikey had to leave the process for treatment). It's nice to see both of them in a better place now.
I feel like the Way brothers helped fans be aware of mental illness/disorders and pushed them to get treatment.
nah you can’t say it isn’t corny, forced, and contrived. it’s actually part of the reason everyone thinks their fan base is so lame.
Early sunsets and demolition lovers are literally so powerful tho. Like 🤌🤌🤌
The best 🫶🏼
I had really hoped at the “elephant in the room” part you were gonna address Gerards addiction and alcoholism in the early days
Def agree. Gerard’s personal demons were a huge part of Bullets/Revenge. I can see holding off on talking about them until a full Revenge breakdown, though.
There's also Mikey's breakdown during the The Black Parade recording process at Paramour Mansion. (That [accursed] place)
I feel like a lot of the bullets songs are so very underrated. The entire album is so raw and feels so emotional. It’s my favorite album from mcr, it’s helped me a lot mentally. I can’t wait to see your 3 cheers video!! :3
My favorite album of all time is Bullets,, so this video was fun as hell to watch. Really great job talking about their early days in depth
Wanted to do it justice!
You definitely did!@@graymads
It's such an underrated album
@@LA-sz6yo ikr
I completely agree with your take on Monroeville and Cubicles. Those tracks are so good and are way too underrated. The ending of Monroeville is such a beautiful a cut to just pure vocals with the line “but does anyone notice, there’s a corpse in this bed.” It hits so incredibly hard.
As a resident, New Jersey got hella weird after the Revolution.
Based Early Sunsets Over Monroeville enjoyer
Its an unsung classic
BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM TBH
A GOD TIER TRACK
LATE DAWNS AND EAARLYYY SUNSEEETTSSSSSS JUST LIKE MY FAVORITE SCENESS
@@tea_funz THEN HOLDING HAANNDDDSSSS ANNNNNNDDDD LIFE WAS PERFEEEECCCCT
Not that I think MCR saved me. I went through a lot after graduating high school. I joined the military and married my high school sweetheart. We fought a lot, my professional life was in the toilet, and most of the people i served with secretly hated me or made fun of me. I listened to MCR in high school and really enjoyed it. I started to understand it in my early 20s. MCR made that part of my life bearable. It might not be as grandiose as they put it, but it helped.
I’ve been a fan of MCR for quite some time now, and I’m glad that Bullets has been getting some love over the years. I’m also especially happy that the band still plays a handful of songs from their debut, which a lot of bands don’t do.
Amazing video as always, and here’s to hoping that the band works with Goeff Rickly again.
24:47 would love it if you could do a whole video on all franks other projects! they aren’t talked about enough and I absolutely love them, especially death spells, parachutes and barriers. you can also hear his different influences on mcr’s sound.
Although, also on 24:27, I think that's still one of Pencey Prep's songs, "Attention Reader"
I was a young teen around 2008 when I started listening to them. Those were hard times for kids; technology was booming, the internet was a wild west, teens were self-harming, the world was in a recession, and all I wanted to do was pursue art. You can imagine how my boomer parents felt about that. I was the picture-book fan of them. I just had little to no emo or punk clothes; back then, at least where I lived, it was looked down upon for people who 'looked emo' or listened to 'emo bands.' I was legitimately afraid to tell even my close friends what music I was into. Those were strange times; teens now have more freedom to express themselves however they like.
Right. I threw all my clothes in the washer and added two boxes of Rit Black dye. Guyliner and a bad haircut added to it making an identity for me and a lot of other kids.
I was too poor for band merch, and could dye my hair at all. I made my own merch using crazy neon puffy paint and a black old navy t-shirt. It really sparked my art to be honest haha. Middle school was interesting- people were bullied for absolute nonsense.
mads summoning all the mcr stans with this, rile 'em up 🫶
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
KILLJOYS MAKE SOME NOISE 🫡
Awake and unafraid, asleep or dead ❤️
I LOVE GERARD WAYYYYY 😭🖤💀💅✨✨✨✨✨ HE IS SO BABYGIIIIRRRRRLLLLLL!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭
@@kamiikiraa WHERE'S DR. DEATH!?
every time i try to escape mcr something always drags me back. this is an insanely good deep dive for new fans! even as someone who has self-proclaimed seen everything there possibly is to see in relation to mcr, i learned some new things.💗
There's no way out, hun 😌
I actually have an original copy of bullets on cd. Glad you've done a deep dive on their early days and struggles
its the unsung hero for that band
@@graymads it really is glossed over way too often though when i seen them the past two times on the last tour they actually did play best day ever which surprised me
Also unrelated, I'd love to see your take on scary kids scaring kids 👀
I still have the listening station copy that I stole from Hot Topic when I worked there.
Does it say the pirating vampire thing?
im so so happy cubicles was mentioned you have no idea
I'm obsessed with Sunsets and Demolition Lovers. You can just feel the importance and extra love put into these tracks compared to the others.
Where has MCR been all of my life? Idk, but I'm glad I'm starting to finally get into the band now. I haven't heard one album I was iffy with yet, and I've listened to three of theirs now, good stuff.
I love that people are still making videos about MCR after all these years 🖤
I didn’t even realize this video came out today. PLEASE MAKE MORE! I can’t wait to see your in-depth review of Three Cheers and potentially The Black Parade. Def earned a sub!
So happy that Cubicles is getting the love it deserves!
in highschool i actually wrote an essay on how my chemical romance saves lives through the culture they create within their fanbase, they never claimed the lyrics alone were life saving. i loved this video though!! i love listening to people talk about my favorite band, even if i knew it all already. so glad this popped up on my recommended, im a long time fan of well over a decade now and i find it rare to find a good, long, mcr video essay. im going to watch the other one now!! great work!! :))
okok, just finished the vid
dude, the editing is AWESOME, also the storytelling, the presentation of the info, even the bits of humor, it's amazing
as someone whose entire flavor of autism is mcr(/hj) i really appreciate the effort and research that you put into this, and i find it so fucking cool that mcr is getting this talked about even in 2024
can't wait for the rest of the series covering the other albums!! im especially excited for the next one, as three cheers is my all-time favorite album
keep up the great work, i'll see if i can support you any further, but for now, you got a new sub!
bless you, glad you enjoyed the video!
bullets is the album that turned me into a crazy mcr fan
i’ve been blessed with a long video essay about my favorite band i am jumping around in circles and cheering rn
I dont think they saved my life, but they do make life more bearable. I've found a reason to live multiple times from music. Yeah the pain would go away, but so would music, and Id like to be here to experience it some more.
thank you so much for this video, Bullets is so criminally underrated
It definitely used to be underrated, but now it's a favorite among younger fans
I find that MCR is blamed for a problem they didn’t start
what problem?
@@gregsmith8977 The general reputation of emo. A lot of reasons people cite for not liking emo aren’t really traits in their sound and they’re seen as the figureheads of those traits and blamed for them.
That mention of Dying is your latest fashion hit me in the gut. Love that record to death and wish they did more together before going down the mabbit hole
As an Ohioan it was hilarious to see him straight up roast my state for no reason
Also, I dump all of my time into my Guitar hobby to escape the misery of Ohio
Early sunsets is their most gut wrenchingly beautiful song. I remember reading from the true lives of mcr book. Geoff rickly recalled how emotional Gerard was when doing vocals for the song. Here’s the quote, “the band was left shaken in the aftermath of the rage-fueled session. "Afterwards, everybody just left and went outside to smoke cigarettes because they couldn't deal with looking at him after he had sung that," he explained. "He had just ripped himself open in front of everybody. He'd taken it so far that it was uncomfortable for anyone who was friends with him. They hadn’t seen him as Gerard the singer, they still saw him as their buddy Gerard. It's a little scary to see someone do what he did."
Early sunsets will forever be my favorite mcr song because of how raw and emotional it is. You can really hear the passion Gerard puts into his singing. In some aspects, imo, this song ties into the “saving kids lives” narrative. Hearing Gerard get so vulnerable is somehow comforting. Not to be like that but early sunsets actually saved my life 🤪
I’m so glad you commented this I didn’t know this and I’m glad I do now, I emphasize with gerard so heavily and early sunsets is my favorite song of all time
Their first record is so underrated
0:58 As an mcr fan, I can agree with this. I feel like most of the fandom is doomed. Not only are some obnoxious (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) or crazy but, people just overall don't respect the band's privacy, and that pisses me off. I just wish they could learn some boundaries.
for fucking real 😭😭 like i get some mcr fans be joking around and crushing over the band members in the craziest but most respectful way possible like with how me and my friends are (like joking around saying omggg gerards my wife yada yada LMAO) but some people, who i mostly call stans (bc a fan would never act like this) just take it TOOOOO far
i remember once i saw a twitter post(?) where someone LITERALLY TAGGED FRANK in a post where it showed a picture of him with the caption "im wet" HELLO?? he even replied and said "well dry urself off" (LMAO)...it just goes to show how they just dont respect any privacy at all its crazy
@@selfryed Omg ik that tweet. Frank handled that so well.
As someone who's favorite band has been MCR for almost 3 years now, I really enjoy video essays on them like these, keep up the good work
thanks for tuning in
this is probably the least amount of blatant misinformation in an mcr video ive ever seen! only minor factual/timeline mistakes and a couple notable omissions. genuine compliment, i know how hard working out the early parts of mcr lore is. i disagree w a lot of your presentation but this is decently well researched my chemical romance content for once 👍 love to see it
most of my friends didn't like MCR, but they all loved Thursday.
Thursday the best 🤌🏻
this is really good! so many of these types of videos about mcr repeat the same lore whereas I can see this was well researched. nice one.
my parents were quite the emos in high school and loved early mcr. so naturally i grew up on bullets, three cheers and black parade.. its cool to get some insight on a band that’s been so instrumental in me growing up :) thank you for this!
I got psychic damage from this comment because I was in high school when it came out 😆. I'm so glad you have such cool parents.
Y- your PARENTS?
@@Bainbridge40 100%
Hmm
@@Bainbridge40 haha yes, i am only sixteen if that helps?!
MCR has been my favorite for over 20 years. The kids thing wasn’t a gimmick, as others have said. Demolition Lovers remains my favorite song of all time. Monroe is also one of my favorites. MCR forever 🫶🏼🖤🤘🏼
Sunsets Over Monroeville has always been extra cool to me because Monroeville is right by where I live (technically not in Pittsburgh but may as well be with how close it is) :)
I became a fan right before three cheers came out. Got called all kinds of things because i loved them and AFI throughout high school.
AFI was my favorite band from 98 until like 2010. Followed by Thursday and then MCR.
early sunsets over monroeville has been my favorite song since i was 12 and it will be the song i walk down the isle to i stg
Brought back so many memories. I was 13-16 around this time and my sister was 18-20. She had the privilege of going to Warped Tour/Taste of Chaos in its early infancy..but MCR was her and I’s favorite band and we would listen to them in her car often.
I knew they were a bunch of nerds, and that’s what drew me to them. I was also into comics,horror,video games and the emo aesthetic..something I tried to change in my young adult years but now have come back too.
MCR wasn’t like other bands, they didn’t have “swag” they didn’t have songs about meeting girls and sex. They had this weird geeky horror montage of this I enjoyed as a teen and still do till this day. It really was the last great rockstars of our generation, they fit in because they didn’t even try to fit in. They knew they were clowning around and being stupid..it reminded me a lot of my friend group back then
I also saw them during Taste of chaos and warped tour. This was my favorite band for about 20 years now
Great video! Looking forward to the others you make on MCR. Hot take, but after reading “Sellout” by Dan Ozzi and listening to their discography a ton over the past year, I’ve come to the conclusion that “Danger Days” is their best album.
I think the “making music to save kids” thing is totally sincere at least when it comes to MCR. They got Rob Cavallo to produce Danger Days and Black Parade because he produced “Dear You” by Jawbreaker. That inspiration combined with the lyrical references to the song “Save Your Generation” crystallizes what they mean about “saving kids with music” imo.
“Save Your Generation” by Jawbreaker is all about actively choosing to live instead of committing suicide, and how living a good life can save those around you. I think that is the core message of Danger Days and MCR at large. MCR’s avatars in that album’s story aren’t the heroes: they are just there to save “the girl,” whom I interpret as a stand in for their fans. And the girl is the one who is ultimately going to go on to save the world. So to me, Danger Days is all about telling the fans “the world needs you in it. We’re the backing band that’s gonna throw a party at the end of the world for you, and you’re gonna use that energy to help the people in your life.”
Danger Days is the culmination of the message they wanted to send all along: that life is worth living and “if you can save yourself you could save us all.”
Plus they just are tight as hell on that record. The years of tour really show in their performances. Looking forward to the next video!
Danger Days is so "Save kids lives"-core. It feels like it's literally about running away from your shitty hometown to be gay and do crime.
Woah, did not need that flashbang of MDE THAT early into the video
THIS IS THE MEMORIES YOU MADE, NOW LIVE WITH THEM lmao
Love the level of depth, research and narrative writing you put into this!
I'm kinda averse to other channels covering My Chem with baiting fandom engagement, covering only surface-level info and the lack of a critical eye but knew you'd do it justice, especially for Bullets. Can't wait for the Revenge one
For what you said about the "save kids lives" thing, I think it was unfair. It could definitely be seen as a bit grand or dramatic, but saying it was just a "half-hearted grift" honestly hurt to hear.
MCR is a big reason I'm here today. Listening to their music gets me through really rough times with how powerful and emotional it is. The things they have said (and continue to say) in concerts about mental health, lgbtq+ rights, etc. has helped me a ton when coping with the stuff I have going on in my life. I understand that if you haven't had a similar experience with their music that it could be hard to see how it helps, but for me, it definitely has. Especially with how many people constantly thank them for saving their lives, I don't see how that was a fair thing to say.
Overall I loved the video, it was super well researched and produced! I just personally feel that one section was unnecessarily cynical.
Huge fan of the band. Sadly couldnt go to their concert back in 2022 because I had band comp. However I really want to make concept albums some day.
This is the first video I’ve ever seen of yours, Fantastic! Loved it. Looking forward to more
Welcome aboard
Honestly, I’m in love the way you layout your videos and honestly they way you tell stories
All those comments and just thinking about MCR make me feel as happy like I‘m in love, haha
I just fucking love them and their music and message really helped me through a lot ❤
I‘m thankful for them and the fandom they‘ve created, giving people like us a place to be ourselves and connect with others through (not only) their music 🙏
I had the dvd of this doc lol. I used to watch it over and over daily on my family’s portable dvd player.
Man my youtube just bounces back and forth between Emo and Goth Rock. It's kind of interesting. That and black metal, sometimes.
Sounds like a good feed to me
I remember randomly finding “I brought you my bullets….” at tower record and my life changed forever.
this video was amazing, insane quality man, absolutely subscribing, love the topics and the videos, the production quality and everything, I don't even have words. Incredible job you've done here, please keep going, I'm absolutely looking forward to everything else you'll put out!!
Cubicles is a fucking beautiful song glad you like it as much as me and my buddies do
Mads covering MCR? This'll be interesting
Been a massive MCR fan for almost 2 years now, this is a great and informative video. I can’t wait to see the videos on the next albums!
More to come!
Love the deep dive! Will be here for the rest of the MCR journey!!
He said most people don’t appreciate sunsets over Monroe , I defiantly did all this time , forever
One of my personal favourites bands and the black clothes I wear are the reason I listen to MCR and a reason why I click to black and white clothes with the exceptions to red or green.
i think the reason why my chem is how they are today would be how they took on very heavy subject matter that a lot of rock artists didn't. the way my chem did it was "Hey you're going through a lot of crap!! lets talk about it and what emotions you are feeling!" but on the other hand whenever you hear a song that has meaning of "i am going through something, so i will write a song that talks about it." it might make the song about the singers problems and not problems that everyone could go through. but with my chem each song has a different vibe that makes you think about how you're life is, with giving you this sort of comfort that is more of you wanting to talk to someone.
loved MCR growing up, know all the lore, but I love your vids so I never skip one
bless you
thank you so much for making this video!!! i cant wait for your videos about mcr's albums!!
Early Sunsets Over Monroeville is one of my favorites and I wish it was appreciated more
i love your editing style, very good video!!
Glad you liked it!
Although The Black Parade is their greatest masterpiece and probably one of the greatest rock albums from the 2000s, Bullets is my favorite MCR album. I spent all my teenage years listening to the band, living in a small town, dreaming about getting out and now that I am in the city, I feel like this album sounds exactly like my hometown, with its nostalgia and rawness. When I miss home, this album feels like a big hug, all my memories from my younger days come flooding. Early Sunsets in particular is the one that hits me most.
Bullets is my favorite mcr album and I just can't get enough of it, I'm so glad I got to learn more about it and the band, I've been a big fan in my early teen years but didn't know the majority of things in the video. Thank you so much for the work you put in this, can't wait for the next videos!
I didn’t even realize Pencey Prep was with Frank I’ve just been listening to them blind
Funny you show Billy Corgan when mentioning bands led by one person. The smashing pumpkins have been my favorite band for close to 30 years and my chemical romance become another one of my favorites because they are the first band I could tell were heavily influenced by the smashing pumpkins.
I grew up in North Jersey. I remember 3 of my friends saw them by chance in either 2001 or 2002 at Bloomfield Ave Cafe on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair New Jersey. This was around "you gave me your bullets.." (whatever their first album is called- which is the album of theirs I really liked). And then a year later they were literally everywhere. I also had some older friends who saw Jimmy Eat World at the legendary Skaters World in Wayne, NJ (a total and beloved icon from the 80s, 90s, and died in the 2000s... RIP)
I love this and I’m so excited for more! I do have to say though, my chem definitely did save kids lives and probably still does.
I got into MCR in 2023 and they are now my favorite band :) This is a great video, and although I watched lotms many times, I still learned a few things from this video so thank you
omg graymads mcr video FINALLY.. !!! theyve been my favorite band for SO long and im p sure theyre my special interest too this is RAD teehee
bless
i saw them recently and i am so glad they had a reunion tour. I WAITED YEARS THINKING THEYD NEVER PLAY AGAIN.. NOT ONLY YHAT WE GOT A NEW SONGGG
6:37 “because my heart is in oooohhhiioooo!” 🎶
early sunsets, cubicles, and demo lovers are my all time fav released songs im so glad to see someone actually talk about them
Dude!! This was such a great video. Keep doing what you’re doing!!
thank you so much!
Funny how Bullets used to be so underrated and now the first two albums are favorites for a lot of fans
will you ever dive into the Way's and their being raised catholic and the trauma that manifests itself through the music, and just in general? i think that's a very interesting/important thing to take into account when speaking about the band. Anyways, i am looking forward to the rest of your MCR videos. This was great!
Man, even though I didn’t listen to their music, I will put some respect on there name though. they really were one of the last major rock bands that everyone actually cared about.
i will be seated for the upcoming mcr album videos :3 AND i’ll be binging all of the others, i love love love these styles of videos
Welcome aboard.
0:22 no one gonna mention their early performance of fashion statement? gee already had fame written of paper 2 years before he got it XD
Adding on to the discussion, though it might not be explicitly stated through their lyrics, I agree with other fans that the "saving kids lives" thing wasn't just something they said. They demonstrated life was worth living through the quality of their art, with their unique sound and concepts and aesthetics. I've been listening to them for over 10 years now, and it could be that it's because I came across their music during my pivotal early teenage years, but falling in love with this band really did make the world feel like a less lonely place and they still inspire me to this day. I didn't need them to say that part so explicitly in their lyrics (of course they were always very vocal about being anti-suicide and general mental health awareness through other avenues), their art was proof enough that things might not be as bleak as they would seem. I connected with everything they made and their often macabre ideas and presentation reflected so well with how I perceived things around me; I really felt like I was the audience. Like @sabinam.8653 said, this idea of saving lives very likely comes from the band members feeling like they were saved by the art they interacted with and emulated their heroes by staying alive and making the best art they could.
Always heard about them as a kid. Never got to REALLY listen to them until recently. With pandemic existing I thought MRC would finally be inspired to write another album and rejoin. Sadly they never did. I hope we get more music from them someday
I was there for their first two albums 😏 yes I am old haha. I know fans love black parade but I listened to it once and never listened to it again. I’m sure now I could appreciate it from a music standpoint but I loved their first two omggggg they were heavenly to my 13 year old mind.
fun fact: when gerard was recording the vocals for Sunsets Over Monroeville, he was told to just forget about everything and sing. His singing was so raw and emotional that the rest of the band left to go smoke cigarettes. In the making of Bullets video, Ray is seen tearing up.
Very well done! I'm from North Jersey, my ex actually used to make buttons for pency prep. I wanted to comment on what you said about snarky metal heads hating them...most of the bands they like are studio bands and never put in any work. My chem comes from the NJHC scene. They put themselves out there playing every chance they got and Gerard drew shirt designs and demo covers for local bands to get his name out there and find the band. I'm not a huge fan, and actually only really like this album and the second one (second one not as much). But they're the real deal and I'd put this up there with any other NJ punk classics like saves the day "can't slow down" and Lifetime "jerseys best dancers)! It's that good!
The Jersey scene is just so cool and it’s so jam packed with characters that you’d never expect to have come from this small part of the world
I am ready to relive the My Chem lore.
good day when an mcr video essay is first on my youtube recommendations. (i am one of the aforementioned mcr stans :7)
I was hoping that this video came out a while ago so that the others would already be out but just looked and saw that it came out only nine days ago, guess I’ll have to wait for the others 😭 Great vid man!!
Bullets is the one album I can listen to start to finish and be amazed every time
loved the video thanks for talking about one of my favorite bands ever. Would love to see a Thursday vid one day :)
thank you! And yea I am planning on it
Drowning lessons so underrated
The fact that I alerady knew every second of information given in this video and still watched captivadedly is kinda astounding to me.
I'm THAT far gone into mcr 💀
Recently got into their music after being told that they suck, love the music. I learned so much from this video, well made stuff! Thank you
Cubicles will forever be my fav off Bullets, if not one of my fav MCR songs ever (though nothing will ever top Summertime lol)
Could you do a video on Taking Back Sunday’s first real album “Tell All Your Friends”? They’re my favorite band ever. For 17 years. I’ve seen them in concert in Boston and I’m seeing them again in August this year. They are everything to me. Every album was an era of my life throughout the last 17 years.