walking upstream…
My Chemical Romance
photo: chris.sherlock2 · cc by-sa 4.0 ↗My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance formed in Newark, New Jersey in 2001, with singer Gerard Way channeling post-9/11 dread and personal turmoil into a theatrical strain of emo and pop-punk fronted by his soaring, dramatic vocals. Blending punk energy with the majesty of arena rock and a taste for gothic spectacle, they became one of the defining bands of the mid-2000s emo boom. Their 2006 concept album 'The Black Parade,' a rock opera about death built around the anthem 'Welcome to the Black Parade,' cemented their reputation for grand, cathartic songwriting before the band's 2013 breakup and 2019 reunion.
the sound in question
2006
Welcome to the Black ParadeMy Chemical Romance
walk the tributaries ↓
Queen1970s–80s · Rock / Glam rock / Arena rock
Gerard Way has cited Queen as a touchstone, saying the band loved acts like Queen 'where it's huge and majestic,' and that appetite for grand, multi-part rock theater shaped the operatic scale of The Black Parade.
listen: upstream & here
1975
Bohemian RhapsodyQueen
2006
Welcome to the Black ParadeMy Chemical Romance
listen forPlay the stacked harmonies and shifting movements of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' next to 'Welcome to the Black Parade' — both stitch a fragile piano opening to a soaring, choir-backed climax, building a full rock opera out of one song.
David Bowie1970s · Art rock / Glam rock
My Chemical Romance have cited David Bowie as an influence, and the glam-rock theatricality and costumed alter-egos of Bowie's 1970s work feed the band's fondness for adopting characters and larger-than-life personas.
listen: upstream & here
1972
Ziggy StardustDavid Bowie
2010
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)My Chemical Romance
listen forLine up the strutting glam-rock swagger of Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' against the painted-face, costumed bravado of 'Na Na Na' — both march on a cocksure guitar riff and turn theatrical, character-driven rock into a fist-in-the-air anthem.
Black Flag1980s · Hardcore punk / Punk rock
Alongside their love of majestic rock, Gerard Way has named Black Flag among the band's influences, and that hardcore-punk snarl gives My Chemical Romance's most aggressive songs their raw, confrontational bite.
listen: upstream & here
1981
Rise AboveBlack Flag
2006
TeenagersMy Chemical Romance
listen forPut the blunt, hostile drive of Black Flag's 'Rise Above' next to 'Teenagers' — both ride a stomping, anti-authority chant fueled by adolescent alienation and a curled-lip vocal sneer.