Teenagers (song) explained

Teenagers
Cover:MCRTeenagers.jpg
Type:single
Artist:My Chemical Romance
Album:The Black Parade
Released:July 9, 2007
Recorded:2006
Length:2:41
Label:Reprise
Prev Title:I Don't Love You
Prev Year:2007
Next Title:Desolation Row
Next Year:2009

"Teenagers" is the fourth and final single and the eleventh track from My Chemical Romance's third studio album, The Black Parade (2006). It was the third United States single from the album, but the fourth released in the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Australia, and Canada. The song was released to radio on May 15, 2007.[1]

Background

Gerard Way wrote the song after finding himself in a New York City Subway car full of high schoolers who were "running around, being all violent [and] breaking shit", which Way felt was very different from when he was a teenager himself.[2] As he told The New York Times, "That was the first time I felt old...I was nervous and I was a target. I felt like I had become a parent figure or part of the problem."[3]

About the relationship between the song and concerns about gun violence, Way said:

Critical reception

A reviewer from NME wrote,

"Some bands go out of their way to do a song with a sound they're never bound to do, then release it as a single. They usually fail. My Chemical Romance tried a substantially different sound for this song, and it paid off. The message is simple, the chorus is catchy and Ray Toro's solo joins the chorus and bridge together so smoothly."
The song was rated 5 stars in both NME and AbsolutePunk.net.

The song was #25 on Rolling Stones list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[4] This song was also #80 on MTV Asias list of Top 100 Hits of 2007.[5] The single is certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA, 2× Platinum by the BPI, and Gold by the FIMI.

Chart performance

The song entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at #2, before debuting at #87 on the Hot 100 the following week as the "Hot Shot" debut of the week, and peaked at #67. It has reached #23 on the Pop 100, and #13 on Modern Rock Tracks. It also debuted at #42 in the UK, and became the band's fourth straight top 20 hit from The Black Parade and their third top ten hit from the album, peaking at #9. It debuted at number 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Music video

The music video opens with an almost shot-for-shot tribute to the first scene of Pink Floyd's film The Wall. Further links to The Wall are seen when cheerleaders don gas masks in a similar manner to the masks worn by the teenaged and young adult fans in the film.[6]

The video was posted by the band via their YouTube channel on May 30, 2007. Sometime around November 1, 2007, the video passed the "Famous Last Words" video as the third most played video on the site. This version of the video cut out the word "shit". The MTV version differs from the YouTube version; notably the teenagers breaking in was cut out, as well as the words "gun", "shit", and "murder".[7] The video was featured on Total Request Live.

This video aired in New Zealand, which was also the first country in which The Black Parade reached number one.[8]

Equipment

Track listing

Version 1 (promotional CD)

Version 2 (CD and 7" vinyl)

Version 3 (7" vinyl)

Version 4 (CD)

Version 5 (digital download)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2007–08)Peak
position
Czech Singles Chart[9] 21
European Hot 100 Singles[10] 27
Venezuela Pop Rock (Record Report)[11] 15

Year-end charts

Chart (2007)Position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 65
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 35
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 87

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
CanadaJuly 9, 2007
United Kingdom
United States
AustraliaAugust 31, 2007
New Zealand
GermanySeptember 14, 2007

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: May 8, 2007 . AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly . July 1, 2016 . AllAccess . August 22, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160822012507/http://www.allaccess.com/mail/archive/eweekly/alternative/2007-5-8.html . live .
  2. Web site: Take 40 Australia . April 17, 2008 . MCR's Gerard Way - scared of teenagers on the train! . October 13, 2022 . . October 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221013221353/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkTz2Y-5fa4 . live .
  3. News: Michel . Sam . October 22, 2006 . Fresh from the Garden State, in Black Leather and Eyeliner . . February 23, 2017 . January 15, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210115125607/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/arts/music/22mich.html . live .
  4. No byline (December 11, 2007). "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 21, 2007
  5. [MTV Networks Asia|MTV Asia]
  6. Web site: Tibi Puiu . June 18, 2007 . My Chemical Romance with a new single . ZMEmusic . January 22, 2014 . February 3, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140203051909/http://www.zmemusic.com/rock/alternative/my-chemical-romance-with-a-new-single/ . live .
  7. Web site: February 25, 2010 . Teenagers: MTV UK . May 30, 2022 . . November 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201128175414/http://www.mtv.co.uk/my-chemical-romance/videos/teenagers-1 . dead .
  8. Web site: October 30, 2006 . OFFICIAL TOP 40 ALBUMS . May 30, 2022 . . August 5, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170805064104/http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=1402 . live .
  9. Web site: ds . ČNS IFPI . www.ifpicr.cz . 2007-09-20 . 2011-07-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110722225402/http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparada/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=2&titul=145043&sec=4aee90fc43da66f54b6dec54625349b7 . live .
  10. Web site: Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100 . March 11, 2012 . Billboard.com . November 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211121094107/https://www.billboard.com/artist/my-chemical-romance/chart-history/european-hot-100/ . live .
  11. Web site: September 29, 2007 . Pop Rock . https://web.archive.org/web/20070702054004/http://www.recordreport.com.ve/publico/?i=poprock . July 2, 2007 . Record Report . es.
  12. Web site: ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2007 . April 28, 2020 . Australian Recording Industry Association . September 21, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190921083852/https://www.ariacharts.com.au/annual-charts/2007/singles-chart . live .
  13. Web site: Top Selling Singles of 2007 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150511184208/http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/?chart=2088 . May 11, 2015 . May 19, 2022 . Recorded Music NZ.
  14. Web site: The Official UK Singles Chart 2007 . April 28, 2020 . UK ChartsPlus . July 24, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724023542/http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2007.pdf . live .