Teenagers (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Teenagers" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Image:Blackparadecover.jpg | ||
| Song by My Chemical Romance | ||
| Released | October 23, 2006 (UK) October 24, 2006 (US) | |
| Format | CD | |
| Recorded | 2006 | |
| Genre | Alternative rock Disputed subgenres | |
| Length | 2:41 | |
| Label | Reprise Records | |
| Writer(s) | My Chemical Romance | |
| Producer(s) | Rob Cavallo | |
| Chronology | ||
| "Sleep" | "Teenagers" | "Disenchanted" |
"Teenagers" is track 11 from New Jersey quintet My Chemical Romance's third studio album, The Black Parade. In an recent interview with AP Magizine, Gerard told AP that the story was about how, when he was living in New York, he had to take the subway to and from the pratices every day, and how he was scared of all the teenagers riding the subway home (hence: Teenagers scare the living shit out of me"), because he wasn't sure of their reaction. Eventually, he told AP, he realized that these were the kids that were listening to his music and it made him less fearful of them.
In an interview with NME (28 October 2006 issue), Way has also cited the song as being of immense relevance to the current level of gun crime, particularly amongst teenagers, in the United States (three weeks before the interview took place, three high school shootings took place in America). He has compared it to the Smiths' "The Headmaster Ritual", citing the Smiths track as being of equally vital importance to the current social situation in American as it was to Britain in the 1980s.
It is also possible that in some ways the song could be interpreted as a reference to the negativity that the mainstream press associated with emo culture, which My Chemical Romance remain largely considered a part of owing to their image during the Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge period, particularly in the chorus ("So darken your clothes/Or strike a violent pose"), and the issue of alienation as dealt with in the second verse ("You're never gonna fit in much kid"). Unlike the rest of the songs on "The Black Parade", "Teenagers" seems to have no relevance to the Patient's story.
