The story of My Chemical Romance (MCR) is one of determination, radical kindness, and enough eyeliner to fill a hot topic. The outsider punk rockers have made a career out of giving a voice to the most vulnerable parts of us, and the world has been head over heels for the group since their massive major label debut Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge.
The second album from the Jersey-based emo-punk band would further enshrine the Garden State as one of the hubs of post-hardcore, emo, and punk, and after selling over 3 million copies worldwide, the triple-platinum Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge is the perfect first step to stardom for one of the aughts greatest contributions.
The heavily narrative Three Cheers would set the pace for the theatrical goth-punk rockers, but even the most imaginative lyrics must come from somewhere. It is in the tumultuous personal world of the band where the true story of the album is set.
The Original Concept For Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge Explained
Three Cheers Set Out To Tell a Big Story, a Sequel to One of Their First Album’s Most Compelling Duos
MCR have always brought such a razorsharp vision to their work, even in the earliest days of the band. World building is second nature to MCR, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge had all the intentions of being a concept album, a sequel to one of the more evocative stories from the band's first album, the action-packed love story in "Demolition Lovers."
According to the liner notes of Three Cheers, MCR intended to continue the story of the lovers who had just fallen in a hail of gunfire. Now separated in the hereafter, the man must collect the souls of a thousand evil men to escape hell and be reunited in heaven with his love.
"Give 'Em Hell Kid" is a song about longing from the perspective of the female lover in heaven, missing the male who is fighting for his soul below. In "Ghost of You" the male hero finds an all is lost moment where he feels he will never complete his quest or see his love again.
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There is even a conclusion to the story on the album's "last track," where the protagonist learns he will never see his love again. Even after completing his task, the devil informs him his last target will be himself.
The album contains a final, secret track in which Gerard is able to reflect on the story and bring final resolution to the story. For those of us who don't know, CDs used to sometimes come with secret opening tracks or closing tracks which would require the listener to navigate before or after the listed tracks on the CD sleeve to listen.
While all the bones of a rather successful story line were present in Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, the album was never pushed as a true concept album. The loss of a loved one would completely change the trajectory of MCR's first success.
How Gerard & Mikey Way's Personal Loss Reshaped Three Cheers
MCR's Obsession With Death Quickly Changed From Flair To Personal Pain During the Production of Three Cheers
It would be the band's first real experience with death, which would reshape Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. With the passing of Gerard and Mikey Way's grandmother, Elena, the creative stakes for the record increased tenfold, developing a much more personal, universal album which reached much further than the fictional characters on the band's drawing board ever could.
Elena, who bought the band their first van, according to Kerrang!, was a mentor to Gerard Way and her passing affected him deeply. In fact, the song "Helena" is named after her. The song itself is actually written from Gerard to himself according to MTV, offering encouragement during one his most trying times, specifically dealing with the guilt Way felt for being absent in the last year of his grandmother's life.
It would be from this place of loss where the band would find their footing as confident artists, transforming the band of New Jersey punks into a globe-trotting act. "'We thrive on conflict, opposition… everything. I’ve always felt like that. At first it was us versus New York City. Then it felt like the band vs. America. Now it’s us vs. the world,'" Gerard Way told Kerrang!
It would be the intensely personal aspect of Three Cheers which would endear the band to the world. It is their perseverance for the outsiders that makes their music so accessible.
Their ability to not alienate listeners makes them legendary, and while the story of loss should not be taken lightly, the band's decision to move away from Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge as a concept album seems correct. Releasing a record about standing your ground and taking what is yours against the unimaginable, is a far more captivating decision.
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