Cancer (song) explained
"Cancer" is a rock song[1] by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It is the eighth track from the group's third studio album The Black Parade. The song was released on October 23, 2006.[2]
Composition
The original version of the song is written in the key of E major with a common time tempo of 70 beats per minute. The vocals span from E3 to A4 in the song.[3]
A four bar bridge passage prior to the final chorus includes a transposed quotation from the 1958 Buddy Holly hit "Raining in My Heart". Its chord progression (featuring a characteristic rising chromatic figure) is highly reminiscent of that from the verse of "Raining in My Heart" whilst the vocal line closely matches the rhythmic pattern and pitch content of the Bryant and Bryant-penned song. The entire song was written in 8 minutes.[1]
Personnel
Additional musicians
Twenty One Pilots version
American musical duo Twenty One Pilots recorded a cover of "Cancer" for British music magazine Rock Sounds 2016 compilation album, Rock Sound Presents: The Black Parade.[4] [5] It was teased by lead singer Tyler Joseph in January 2016, having uploaded a short clip of himself singing the song.[6] The full version was released on September 14, 2016.[7] [8]
Composition
The cover is played in the key of D Major with a common time tempo of 72 to 76 beats per minute. The vocals span from D3 to G4 in the song.[9] It contains a piano part and also incorporates programmed beats and other electronic sounds.[10] Rolling Stone described the song as "synth-laden" and featuring "additional lyric reprises and layered vocals, which gives the song an extra pensive vibe."
Reception
Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone wrote that "the duo stays faithful to the already melancholic song while ratcheting up the somberness a tad."[11] Scott Shetler, writing for AXS, wrote that "Twenty One Pilots keep the melancholy while taking the song in a different direction." The lead singer of My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way, was impressed by the cover, saying in an interview with PopBuzz "There's a bit of rejuggling of parts and I was like 'Wow, this almost sounds like a remix,' but it's a cover by way of this, kind of, rearrangement and I was really impressed with it".[12] Brii Jamieson of Rock Sound named it one of the band's best covers.[13]
Music video
On the day of its release, an animated lyric video created by Tantrum Content was uploaded onto the band's YouTube channel. The video shows floating books and large bookshelves in a library. As of April 2024, its lyric video has received over 65 million views.[14]
Personnel
Chart performance
Certifications
Notes and References
- News: Weingarten . Christopher R. . Aufrichtig . Aliza . December 18, 2019 . Before & After 'The Black Parade' . . December 15, 2020 . The emotional climax of "The Black Parade" is a piano ballad about the titular disease. The producer Cavallo plays piano on the track and said it was written in eight minutes. "It's not a poetic track. It's very direct, very brutal, but that's the way disease is," Way said in a 2006 statement. "For me it was almost like an attempt to write the darkest song ever, and I think we achieved that." . June 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200611075421/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/18/arts/music/my-chemical-romance-black-parade.html . live .
- News: Ralph . Caitlyn . July 20, 2016 . My Chemical Romance post new logo and cryptic date . . July 29, 2016 . July 21, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160721120243/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/my_chemical_romance_post_new_logo_and_cryptic_date . live .
- Web site: July 7, 2008 . My Chemical Romance "Cancer" Sheet Music in E Major (transposable) . October 1, 2016 . Musicnotes . October 13, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161013085356/http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0066532 . live .
- Web site: August 8, 2016 . Introducing... 'Rock Sound Presents: The Black Parade' . October 1, 2016 . . October 8, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161008175310/http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/introducing...-rock-sound-presents-the-black-parade . dead .
- Web site: Wicks . Amanda . September 14, 2016 . Twenty One Pilots Cover My Chemical Romance's 'Cancer' . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161008165353/http://radio.com/2016/09/14/twenty-one-pilots-cover-my-chemical-romance-cancer/ . October 8, 2016 . October 1, 2016 . . CBS Radio.
- Web site: July 20, 2016 . Here's Twenty One Pilots' Tyler Joseph singing My Chemical Romance . December 15, 2018 . Alternative Press . en-US . December 16, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031625/https://www.altpress.com/news/heres_twenty_one_pilots_tyler_joseph_singing_my_chemical_romance/ . live .
- Web site: September 14, 2016 . Cancer (Cover) Single . September 16, 2016 . iTunes . December 16, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031738/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cancer-single/id1152679154 . live .
- Web site: August 13, 2016 . Twenty One Pilots release cover of My Chemical Romance's "Cancer" . December 15, 2018 . Alternative Press . en-US . December 16, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031013/https://www.altpress.com/news/twenty_one_pilots_release_cover_of_my_chemical_romances_cancer/ . live .
- Web site: 16 September 2016 . Twenty One Pilots "Cancer" Sheet Music in D Major (transposable) . October 1, 2016 . Musicnotes . September 21, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160921111114/http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0168605 . live .
- Web site: Listen: Twenty One Pilots cover My Chemical Romance's 'Cancer' . December 15, 2018 . AXS . December 16, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031813/https://www.axs.com/listen-twenty-one-pilots-cover-my-chemical-romance-s-cancer-106563 . live .
- September 14, 2016 . Hear Twenty One Pilots' Melancholic Cover of My Chemical Romance's 'Cancer' . . October 1, 2016 . February 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180213080606/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/hear-twenty-one-pilots-cover-my-chemical-romances-cancer-w439972 . live .
- Web site: August 27, 2017 . Gerard Way reacts to Twenty One Pilots' cover of "Cancer" . December 15, 2018 . Alternative Press . December 16, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181216073723/https://www.altpress.com/news/twenty_one_pilots_my_chemical_romance_cancer_cover_gerard_way_reaction/ . live .
- Web site: Jamieson . Brii . September 5, 2018 . 12 Of Twenty One Pilots' Best Covers . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190628200932/https://www.rocksound.tv/features/read/12-of-twenty-one-pilots-best-covers . June 28, 2019 . June 28, 2019 . . Rock Sound.
- Web site: YouTube Lyric Video . April 27, 2021 . . September 23, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180923055552/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw6i1SAHetc . live .
- Web site: September 24, 2016 . CHART WATCH #387 . September 30, 2016 . auspOp . April 2, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190402054543/https://www.auspop.com.au/2016/09/aria-chart-watch-387/ . live .
- Web site: October 3, 2016 . NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart . September 30, 2016 . . September 23, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160923192540/http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles?chart=4274 . live .
- Hot Rock Songs - Year-End 2016 . Billboard . Billboard . 8 December 2016 . April 11, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170411210408/http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/hot-rock-songs . live .