♪ (industrial music) ♪
♪ (haunting tune) ♪ - ♪ Long ago ♪
♪ Just like the hearse... ♪ - [Bleep] yeah! Oh my god!
- Is it My Chemical Romance?
Oh shit. Okay.
- This was my shit when I was in fifth grade.
- ♪ ...from you ♪
♪ (fast paced pop punk) ♪ ♪ Burning... ♪
- This is so metal.
- I love this so much.
- ♪ Holding on tonight ♪
♪ What's the worst... ♪ - Oh, it's My Chemical Romance.
Duh.
- It's taking me back to seventh grade.
♪ (mid-tempo emo music) ♪ - ♪ ...if I stay ♪
♪ So long and good night ♪
- There were so many girls on Myspace who wanted to be that girl.
I bet you a million dollars they're like, "(sigh) Oh man,
can it be her lying in my coffin?"
♪ Can you hear me ♪
- For a dead person, she's dancing pretty well.
- This is so beautiful.
- It's so dark, man.
- I want to know where they have funerals like this.
- ♪ ...if I stay ♪
♪ So long... ♪ - It makes me happy.
Is that weird?
- Wow, it's so dramatic.
- ♪ Goodnight ♪
♪ (song concludes) ♪
(fervent applause) - That was so cool!
- Who are they?
Or is that for me to figure out?
- I should've worn my My Chem shirt.
- ♪ Now I know ♪
♪ That I can't... ♪ - Oh, this is iconic right here.
- ♪ But where's your heart ♪ - (mouthing lyrics)
- These look like different guys,
but they all just have different hair styles.
- ♪ There's nothing I can say ♪
♪ To change that part ♪
♪ To change ♪
♪ (explosive music) ♪
- Man, I'm having flashbacks of junior high right now.
♪ (thrashing music) ♪
- Boosh! (drumming table)
- ♪ So many ♪
- I like it a lot.
- ♪ ...that cast a shadow ♪
♪ A life that's so demanding ♪
♪ I can't speak ♪
- I've never seen these videos this whole time
and it's just like yeah, this is definitely the video.
- ♪ Honey if you stay ♪
♪ I'll be forgiven ♪
- I'm gonna bring back that mascara, for real.
- I was never a guyliners boy though.
- ♪ These bright lights have always blinded me ♪
- Just their level of confidence you have to have
to make those faces directly into a camera.
- ♪ I see you lying next to me ♪
♪ With words I thought... ♪ - He's so creepy. I love it.
- ♪ 'Cause I see you lying next to me ♪ - I like the drumming.
- ♪ With words I thought I'd never speak ♪
- Oh shit. That's deep.
- He's so passionate about his own music.
- ♪ Asleep or dead ♪
♪ Honey if you stay, I'll be forgiven ♪
- This band's on fire now! Oh my gosh.
- ♪ ...stop me coming home ♪
- These are memories, man.
That's nostalgic right there, My Chemical Romance.
Now it's about the nae nae.
- He speaks his heart and I love that.
- I love when people are just so authentically
and genuinely themselves.
I just felt him through his music and through his performance.
I could feel his soul.
♪ (striking piano melody) ♪
- ♪ When I was... ♪ - (Adam) ♪ A young boy ♪
♪ My father took me into the city ♪
- (Morgan) ♪ To see a marching band ♪
My dad likes this song.
- ♪ He said, "Son, when you grow up" ♪
- I learned how to play drums to this, actually.
- ♪ ...the savior of the broken ♪
- The music is pretty interesting, but there's this theme of death.
- ♪ ...to lead you in the summer ♪
♪ To join the black parade ♪
♪ (music swells) ♪ - Yes.
- Yes!
- ♪ When I was a young boy ♪
- I haven't heard this song in, like, ten years.
- ♪ ...took me into the city ♪
- This is so intense and it's so sick!
♪ (thrashing drums) ♪ - This is my favorite drum part.
♪ (pop punk music) ♪
- Yes!
- The guy's dying, but they're still rocking out.
- Man, this is such a throwback.
This is crazy.
- ♪ We'll carry on ♪
- (Adam) ♪ We'll carry on ♪
I can't sing like him though. Not even close.
- ♪ ...believe me ♪
♪ Your memory will carry on ♪
- They have very intense hair transformation.
Like, it started long and black and now it's so short and white.
- ♪ Do or die, you'll never make me ♪
♪ Because the world... ♪
- I think this is one of the most popular music videos of that time.
- ♪ You'll never break me ♪
♪ We want it all ♪
(guitar riff)
- They're so poetic, like, as lyricists.
- ♪ ...I'm not a hero ♪
♪ I don't care ♪
- (hushed) Yeah!
(laughing) Yeah.
- (Adam) ♪ We'll carry on ♪
- ♪ And though you're broken and defeated ♪
♪ Your weary widow marches on ♪
♪ Do or die, you'll never make me ♪
- Ooh, this song hits me in the feels, guys.
- ♪ We'll carry on ♪
- I think I just got a crush just now.
- That music video was beautiful.
The guy is insane, but in a genius way.
- I just feel happy right now.
- It makes me reminisce back to when I was in middle school.
Back when I had no responsibilities and all I did was listen to MCR.
♪ (industrial music) ♪
- (Finebros) So this was a selection of songs from My Chemical Romance,
who were super popular back in the 2000's.
Overall, what did you think of their music?
- I really liked it.
- Some of it was a little bit dark.
The visuals, I think, is the most interesting part.
- It's just a little heavier than I listen to,
but I know The Black Parade.
That's, like, the staple.
- I love their music.
I used to listen to that style religiously.
- It speaks to me on a spiritual level.
- I love the lyrics 'cause it's all so poetic
and it tells a story, especially with The Black Parade album.
It's like a complete rock opera.
Every song is talking about the concept of death.
- (Finebros) We're covering them now because their album,
The Black Parade, was released back in 2006,
making this the 10th anniversary of that album.
- No way!
- Yeah, that sound about right, yeah.
- Wow. That's only ten year old.
- I feel old. I'm an adult.
I pay taxes. That's wild.
- (Finebros) What does the song Welcome to the Black Parade
and The Black Parade album mean to you and what memories does it give you?
- It gives me total memories.
The Black Parade was the go-to album for everybody at that age.
- I remember My Chemical Romance being the epitome of emo rock.
- I remember I was just laying in my bed,
looking at the ceiling like, "Oh my god."
It speaks to me in ways that most music doesn't.
- I get really emotional listening to that song.
I think I was going through some sort of bullying at the time
and (sniffling) that song just really gave me the strength.
It honestly just inspired me to, you know, stay true to myself
and be who I am made to be.
- (Finebros) So the band stayed together for about 12 years,
but eventually broke up in 2013.
But not too long ago, the band's account tweeted out
a vague promo video that ended with the date 9/23/16.
- Yeah, everyone was like, "Tour? Or get back together?"
- It was all over my Twitter feed and stuff.
It's like the second coming of Jesus.
- (Finebros) A day later, they said the promo
was only for the upcoming 10th anniversary addition
of The Black Parade album, which devastated many of the fans
who thought they might be getting back together.
What do you think about that?
- That's just messing with peoples' hearts.
- That's a huge tease.
That's like bringing out a pepperoni and being like,
"You'll get the pizza eventually."
- That's not cool, My Chemical Romance.
Don't go in that direction.
- That'd be so [bleep] disappointing.
I'd be so pissed.
- I think it's clever marketing.
We're gonna pretend like we're getting back together
so people will tune in and check us out again,
but then we're just not.
- I was pissed.
They had to know that by tweeting this out,
especially with how vague it is, that people would take it
as a "we got something in the books for you!"
- (Finebros) So even though they've been broken up
for several years now, they still have this very committed fan base
that continues to follow the band to this day.
Why do you think they've maintained such a huge following?
- I think it must've just made a really good impression on people.
- Just 'cause they love their music.
I mean, music really never dies.
- If you really fall in love with the music,
or the band and group, they're pretty much immortal to you.
- People don't want to let go of their past.
Like, I still listen to stuff way back from the '90s.
- They were obviously a very emotional band,
so there's probably a lot of people that were going through stuff
in high school and junior high and they used My Chemical Romance
to sort of get away.
- Before My Chem, there wasn't really a band
that spoke to the emo community as much,
as widespread as they did.
But then My Chem came along, and they're like, "Be emo with us.
We're gonna write songs about what you're going through."
- (Finebros) So finally, what do you think is the legacy
of My Chemical Romance and The Black Parade?
- I mean, I think it's gonna continue on for a pretty long time.
I think that that's gonna trail along as a staple
in early 2000's music.
- They were one of the last people that produced quality music in that genre.
- You know when our parents are like, "Ah, ACDC, Led Zeppelin,
they're the best."
People are gonna be like, "Back in my day, we had The Black Parade."
They'll be one of the classics, for sure.
- It's not very often that you're gonna find a modern day band
that's going to have a song or songs or album
that is gonna last forever.
I wasn't around for The Beatles, but I still know--
you could play one note of The Beatles song
and I'm like, "Ah, that's Day Tripper."
I bet you that's what our kids are gonna do with The Black Parade.
- Thanks for watching this episode of College Kids React.
- Subscribe! We have brand new content every week.
- Let us know in the comments what music we should react to next.
- Bye, guys.
♪ (industrial music) ♪