I’ll admit that I was a little late to the MCR party. Okay, maybe I was a lot late; I didn’t discover them until after the release of Danger Days, which would be their final album. I was in the eighth grade and still hadn’t listened to “real” music, as most of my listening consisted of Disney stars. My Chemical Romance was one of the first bands that I listened to outside of the “children’s” genre, and it was a whole new world.
My Chemical Romance was everything I never knew I wanted in a band. They played fast, loud, and angry in some songs and slowly, softly, and thoughtfully in others. The manner of dress was so theatrical, as were their performances. And I loved it—I wanted to emulate all of it.
Some artists and bands have songs that are great and others that are, well, not-so-great. My Chemical Romance isn’t like that, at least not to me. I love every song they have ever released. Their music captures such a range of emotions that I can listen to them no matter how I’m feeling. I can sing along at the top of my lungs to “House of Wolves” and “I’m Not Okay,” and many a tear has been shed while listening to “I Don’t Love You” and “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville.” There are MCR songs for good days, bad days, rainy days, sunny days, summer, winter, and any other qualifier you can imagine.
I think MCR holds a special place in my heart not only because of their musical talents but also because of the many emotional connections I hold with their songs. Their music was a big part of my middle school years, and it helped me work through some pretty difficult things. Their songs were empowering; they were about being who you are and not taking any crap from anybody. Most of all, I felt like I had found a group who really understood what I was feeling and expressed it more eloquently than I ever could. I was in love with MCR, and I didn’t care who knew it.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. March 22, 2013: the day emo kids around the world mourned the death of an iconic band. I was 15. I would never get to see my idols play a live show. There were many who felt more strongly about the break up than I did, but it still hurt. However, I found solace in the later release of their greatest hits album May Death Never Stop You, and “Fake Your Death” was an incredible gift to all of us who had been deprived of new material.
I think a lot of people who were (or still are) MCR fans are somewhat ashamed of it, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why. If you love something, and it makes you feel alive and part of something bigger than yourself, then what is there to be ashamed of showing to the world? For example, my favorite t-shirt is plain black and reads “THANK YOU FOR THE VENOM” in white lettering; it’s a reproduction of the band’s first-ever merchandise. I wear it proudly, and I always explain its meaning when people ask me about it. As frontman Gerard Way wrote in his letter about the band’s break-up, MCR will never die. It will go on living in the hearts of its fans, “because it is not a band—it is an idea.”
I briefly held hope for a reunion this July when the band released some very cryptic videos, but it was not to be. Instead, the band re-released The Black Parade, arguably their most famous album, along with 11 new demos and songs. I highly recommend checking this album out, whether or not you’re already a member of the “MCRmy.” You might just fall in love.