Scott's Song by Song #14-- My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade

 Originally posted to Facebook on December 8, 2024

Link to post:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B8bXcFntE/

Welcome to issue #14 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong).For more information about this series, click here: https://www.facebook.com/share/Gc2VkwHQWGLdeaDd/?mibextid=oFDknk

Today I’ll be taking a deep dive into a modern classic, “The Black Parade,” by My Chemical Romance (MCR). I featured MCR in my other series, Scott’s Spotlight (#scottsspotlight).at this link: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/F3PVpDjVK991e3wv/

This album is a concept album which, according to Wikipedia, is based on the following:

It is a rock opera and concept album centered on a dying man with cancer known as "The Patient". The album tells the story of his apparent death, experiences in the afterlife, and subsequent reflections on his life.

This album is considered by many to be MCR’s masterpiece. It was released in 2006, and is the only MCR studio album with drummer Bob Bryer. While I am familiar with most of the songs, I have only played it straight though once before.

Let’s jump in!

Track 1 - The End

So it begins with the sound of an EKG in a hospital room then Gerard Way begins singing, accompanied by acoustic guitar in 6-8. I like the chord progression. Piano joins in halfway through the verse. The drums lead the rest of the band in, and the sound is very full with a nice organ sound included, while the guitars play a melodic riff. The second verse uses clean electric guitars followed by a huge sounding chorus. Great song! The song segues into…

Track 2 - Dead!

This begins with a quick, steady quarter note guitar chord rhythm. The drums lead the rest of the band in, and the rhythm and lead guitar from the underrated Ray Toro, remind me of Cheap Trick’s live version of “I Want You to Want Me.” The verse keeps up the quick pace, and there are some cool accents on the off beats a couple of phrases in. The chorus, despite the morbid subject matter, is very catchy! Another verse and chorus follow. MCR always uses interesting chord progressions that set them apart from most bands in their genre; particularly using augmented chords as a transitional device. There is a bridge just before the 2 minute mark. Bryer does a nice job on the drums. Toro plays a wonderful solo with a “Woody Woodpecker” lick at 2:17, followed by a well-executed series of triplet arpeggios. The music stops abruptly after the solo for a couple of beats before kicking back in with a count-in from Way. The closing section has a half time feel. The song ends with the rhythm from the intro and the word “Dead!” A lot of great things happen in a 3:15 song! Fantastic track!

Track 3 - This Is How I Disappear

Four hi-hat beats bring this one in. Followed by the bass and one guitar part holding sustained power chords, while the other playing an with note rhythm and the drums hitting big fills. A melodic lead part comes in over the top, before the band locks into a cut time rhythm. The verse begins with Gerard accompanied by his brother Mikey’s bass and the drums, Guitars join in with a rhythm that propels the song forward. A chorus and another verse follows. Some of the guitar riffs almost sound like 80’s hair metal a-la Dokken or Ratt. The bridge starts around 2:20 and has a half-time feel. The big metal riffs come back in following that with musically screamed vocals from Way. Another chorus follows and brings this high-energy track to a close.

Track 4 - The Sharpest Lives

An eighth note muted guitar and bass rhythm starts the song off, and vocals soon join. A harmony line joins in on the second half of the verse. The song begins to gradually build to the chorus which features more sustained chords. Coming out of the chorus, there are some interesting vocal sounds, like a high-pitched female moaning. Another verse and chorus follows. A guitar solo section follows with many sound effects in the mix. A chorus follows. Another guitar feature brings us to the conclusion which is like a toy winding down.

Track 5 - Welcome To the Black Parade

This is the band’s pinnacle, in my opinion and many others. Millennials and Gen Z-ers have referred to it as their generation’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”; in fact there is a video on YouTube of Brian May performing the song with the band onstage. The song begins with a single line on the piano that starts on a high “G”. It has become known as “The G Note.” Once one hears it, the song must be allowed to play! If you only ever listen to one MCR song, let it be this one. So following the opening “G Note” sequence, Gerard Way joins on vocals. After 2 lines, marching-style snare drum beats and other instruments begin to join in. After the first verse, Toro and additional guitarist Frank Iero build a Pachelbel Canon type of layered guitar orchestration that is simply fantastic! Bryers drums add a lot as well. Way’s vocals join in restating parts of the first verse in dramatic style. At 1:45, a drum fill signals a double time section and then we are rockin’ with another verse and the first chorus of “We’ll carry on, carry on…” Another verse follows, then the glorious chorus returns. There is a bridge around 3:30, that leads us to the absolutely incredible next section. The production and layering on this are just amazing. It’s Pachelbel Canon-like again, and brilliantly orchestrated with multiple guitar and vocal parts. It must be heard to be appreciated. Toro lets loose a brilliant harmonized scale run at 3:53. The chorus comes back again at 4:05, then back to the orchestrated part, even bigger this time. The marching drumbeat concludes the song. I don’t care what style of music you like, but if someone can’t at least appreciate the brilliance of this song and arrangement, I will have a hard time respecting their musical opinions. This is an all-time classic on par with classics of earlier decades. Absolute brilliance!

Track 6 - I Don’t Love You

A bittersweet power ballad MCR style. Chime-y guitars start us off, joined by the rest of the band with big power chords. The first verse begins quietly then builds with vocal harmonies. The pre-chorus uses those augmented chords to take us to the big chorus. The second verse quiets back down then builds again. Another pre-chorus and chorus returns with “aahhh” vocal harmonies filling out the sound. The guitar solo is a melodic affair that fits the song perfectly. A quiet vocal part with electric piano accompaniment follows that leads to an explosion of vocal angst. The chorus is extended slightly and the song concludes on a sustained final syllable of “yesterday.” Fantastic song.

Track 7 - House of Wolves

A great tom-tom rhythm starts the song with guitars making some wild animal sounds. A descending riff, that I can best describe as “Stray Cat Strut, but with heavy guitars,” takes over before the vocals enter. The verse continues the wild animal feel. The chorus rocks hard. The drums are great on this one. Another verse and chorus follows. The bridge rocks even heavier! This is a great hard rockin’ tune!

Track 8 - Cancer

A melancholy piano part starts this one off. It appears that album co-producer Rob Cavallo plays the acoustic piano on the album, while session man Jamie Muhoberac plays the other keyboard parts on the album. Way joins in on vocals and it’s a duet between piano & vocals for the first minute of the song. The bass and drums and some orchestration joins in after that. The vocals at 1:45 with the harmony countermelody is brilliant. A short, but hauntingly beautiful ballad.

Track 9 - Mama

Liza Minelli is a featured guest on this track and The Way Brother’s parents and Frank Ireo’s mother are also featured at the end of the song. The song was conceived after lead guitarist Ray Toro was bet that he couldn’t write a polka in the band’s style. Well he certainly won that bet! Minelli was involved after Gerard Way quipped that he’d love to have Minelli as the “voice to talk-back to him in the song.” Producer Cavallo got in touch with Minelli’s publicist and she was convinced to take part. Gerard Way considers it to be an homage to his grandmother. The song begins with a fade in with sound effects, the guitars play the polka rhythm and the vocals start. The rhythm section joins in on the next part of the verse. The guitars open up for the chorus. There are various vocal styles on the second verse that add color to the song. They go into a halftime feel at around 3 minutes. Liza’s part happens at around 3:30. The coda section is very dramatic, until everything drops out except for accordion and a few other sounds to close out the song. Great track!

Track 10 - Sleep

There are some spoken word parts at the beginning that have been manipulated in various ways. Following that, at around the 8-second mark, a melancholy minor key piano part begins.The band comes in with a heavy eighth-note rhythm at around 30 seconds. The vocals come in at around 45 seconds and the rhythm smooths out. I like the guitar arrangement on this song. The piano & spoken parts come back in just before the 3 minute mark. The choruses have a big open sound. The band takes over from the vocals during the final section of the song. Good song!

Track 11 - Teenagers

This is the shortest track on the album, but a big hit. The rhythm of the song reminds me of T-Rex’ “Get It On, Bang a Gong,” but a bit heavier. The first verse has just guitar accompaniment, then a bass drum enters on the 2 and 4.. After a big sing-along chorus of, “They said those teenagers scare the living shit outta me!”, the next verse also has the bass drum pattern. Toro plays a Chuck Berry influenced solo, then there is a verse that's a-capella save for a drumbeat. Another pair of big choruses follow and the song ends. Great classic hard rock style song!

Track 12 - Disenchanted

This one begins with a fingerstyle acoustic guitar melody. Way joins in for the first verse.The band kicks in fully at around 45 seconds. This has a mid-tempo ballad pace. There is one of the augmented chords I previously mentioned leading to the pre-chorus at 1:05. I love how the band accents the vocals with descending chords at 1:15. Another verse/pre-chorus/chorus cycles around There is a bridge at around the 3 minute point. The structure of the song is fairly straightforward, but the delivery is wonderful! Nice accents from the band around 4:15. The acoustic guitar returns for the ending section. Great song!

Track 13 - Famous Last Words

The guitars and vocals begin together on the album’s official finale. Following the first verse, the rhythm section hits accents while the lead guitar plays a pattern. The next verse comes next with full band accompaniment. I love the big chorus: “ I am not afraid to keep on living…” The next verse also has the accent pattern. I like the melodic movement in the lead guitar while the verse proceeds. There is a subtle synth part that helps to flesh out the chorus nicely. An excellent, dramatic guitar solo follows and keeps going through the bridge. After the bridge, everything drops out except for a single guitar playing a muted eighth note pattern and softer lead vocals. Subtle keys begin to build the sound slowly, then a second vocal part sings a countermelody. There is a big crescendo just before the 4 minute mark. Layered vocals continue. Way holds out a long note while there are harmony vocals of the chorus. This one almost matches the greatness of “Welcome to the Black Parade,” arrangement-wise. The instruments fade out while the vocals conclude the song with acapella harmonies. Fantastic track!

Track 14 - Blood [Hidden Track]

If “Famous Last Words” was the finale, this is the encore. A “hidden” track with a music video, "Blood" is a morbidly silly sing-along; like a drinking song. The song doesn’t actually begin until 1:30 into the track. Way’s vocals have the “old fashioned microphone,” effect on them, and he’s accompanied by a simple piano part. On the second verse someone is singing falsetto ooh harmonies. And the song soon ends, but after listening, I guarantee you’ll be singing “give me blood, blood, gallon’s of the stuff…” in your head for some time to come. Fun track!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

What a great album MCR made here! While it may not be “prog” in terms of odd-meters, and twiddly bits of instrumentation, it certainly is prog in spirit! I enjoy every track. If you like Green Day’s “American Idiot,” give this a listen (assuming you haven’t already). MCR may be called “Pop Punk,” or “Emo,” but to me, they are just a great hard rock band, with lots of classic rock influences. So, maybe it’s not “Close to the Edge,” or “Dark Side of the Moon,” but it is a fantastically well executed and arranged album. I give it 4.75 out of 5 stars.