Teenagers (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Teenagers


Artist = My Chemical Romance
from Album = The Black Parade
Released = flagicon|UK flagicon|US flagicon|Canada July 9, 2007
flagicon|AUS flagicon|New Zealand August 31, 2007
flagicon|GER September 14, 2007
Format = CD, 7" vinyl, digital download
Recorded = 2006
Genre = Alternative rock
Disputed subgenres
Length = 2:41
Label = Reprise Records
Writer = My Chemical Romance
Producer = Rob Cavallo, My Chemical Romance
Certification = Gold
Last single = "I Don't Love You"
(2007)
This single = "Teenagers"
(2007)
Misc = extra album cover 2
Upper caption= Additional cover
Type = Single


Lower caption= Promotional cover

"Teenagers" is the fourth single and the eleventh track from My Chemical Romance's third studio album, "The Black Parade". It is the third U.S. single from the album, but it is the fourth single released in the UK, the Philippines, Australia and Canada. This song is the band's eleventh overall single. It was made available for download for the Xbox 360's "Guitar Hero II" game on August 15, 2007, along with "Famous Last Words", and "This Is How I Disappear", adding to their song shipped with the game, "Dead!".

Gerard Way is quoted as saying that he wrote the song after finding himself in a New York subway car full of high schoolers: "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." [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/arts/music/22mich.html?pagewanted=3 Fresh from the Garden State, in Black Leather and Eyeliner] , "The New York Times", 22 October, 2006.]

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

This song was #25 on "Rolling Stone"'s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. [No byline (December 11, 2007). [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17601363/the_100_best_songs_of_2007/7 "The 100 Best Songs of 2007"] "Rolling Stone". Retrieved 2007-12-21] This song was also #80 on "MTV Asia"'s list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. [MTV Asia. [http://www.mtvasia.com/Funstuff/Contests/MTVTop100Hits2007/top100.html "Top 100 Hits List"] . Retrieved 2007-12-27] The single is certified Gold by the RIAA. [cite web|url=http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Teenagers&artist=My%20Chemical%20Romance&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25|title=RIAA Gold & Platinum Database: Teenagers|date=2008-04-19|accessdate=2008-07-19|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America]

Track listing

*All songs written by My Chemical Romance.Version 1 (promotional CD)Tracklist
title1 = Teenagers
note1 = radio edit
length1 = 2:38 [ [http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=409122 My Chemical Romance Teenagers UK Promo 5" CD SINGLE (409122) ] ]

Version 2 (CD and 7" vinyl)Tracklist
title1 = Teenagers
length1 = 2:41
title2 = Dead!
note2 = live from E-Werk in Berlin on October 14, 2006
length2 = 3:16 [ [http://www.therecordshack.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1488 The Record Shack ] ]

Version 3 (7" vinyl)Tracklist
title1 = Teenagers
length1 = 2:41
title2 = Mama
note2 = live from the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on March 22, 2007
length2 = 5:00 [ [http://www.therecordshack.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1490 The Record Shack ] ]

Version 4 (CD)Tracklist
title1 = Teenagers
length1 = 2:41
title2 = Dead!
note2 = live at E-Werk in Berlin on October 14, 2006
length2 = 3:16
title3 = Mama
note3 = live from the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on March 22, 2007
length3 = 5:00 [ [http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=412774 My Chemical Romance Teenagers Australia 5" CD SINGLE (412774) ] ]

Version 5 (digital download)Tracklist
title1 = Teenagers
length1 = 2:41
title2 = Teenagers
note2 = music video
length2 = 2:51
title3 = I Don't Love You
note3 = Video from "AOL Sessions"
length3 = 3:57

Music video

The video version of the song seems to have some added audio. During and onwards the lyrics "They say all teenagers scare the living shit out of me", there are piano notes playing in the background in the style of western music. The album version of the song does not have this piano playing until the coda. Early in the video, it shows Teenagers breaking in.

The video has several references to the film version of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" (Gerard Way is even seen wearing a patch that looks to be the 'Hammer Cross' emblem from the film on his sleeve, an emblem featured prominently in the "In the Flesh?" and "In the Flesh" sequences of the film, which this video most strongly resembles, but this has been disproven, as it is only a large 'T' similar to the ones seen on the cheerleader's uniforms).

The video is also strongly reminiscent of the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by grunge band Nirvana from their CD "Nevermind". The use of a high school setting, the use of cheerleaders, and the ending with the assembled students storming a stage have become synonymous with the 1991 Samuel Bayer hit video. The music video was posted by the band via their [http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=mYcHeMiCaLroMaNCe YouTube channel] on May 30 and quickly surged in popularity. Sometime around November 1, 2007, the video passed the Famous Last Words video as the third most played video on the site. Since its debut it has become one of the most watched video on YouTube obtaining over 54 million views. This version of the video only cuts out the word "shit". The MTV version differs from the YouTube version slightly; the teenagers breaking in was cut out in the MTV version, as well as the guitar solo in certain incidences. The video has debuted on "Total Request Live". The video premiered in Canada on June 26, 2007.

This video made its world premiere in New Zealand. The reasons for New Zealand getting the premiere are as of yet unknown and multiple pirated versions of the video surfaced on the net a few days before the American debut.

Charts

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 at #87, and peaked at #67. It also reached #41 on the Pop 100, and #13 on Modern Rock Tracks. It has also debuted at #42 in the UK, and has gone onto become the band's fourth straight top 20 hit from "The Black Parade" and their third top ten hit from the album. In addition it is their fourth straight #1 from "The Black Parade" in the Philippines. It debuted at number 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Media

The video for "Teenagers" can be seen and heard on the television in one scene of the television series "Bionic Woman", in the episode "Do Not Disturb". This song is also featured in an episode of "Dog The Bounty Hunter" and the the 2008 film "Never Back Down". The main riff of the single was featured in the seventh episode of "Dirty Sexy Money" "The Wedding". The song is also included on the Playstation 2 music game Singstar Hottest Hits, released 25 September 2008.

Reception

My Chemical Romance surprised many critics by the musical style of Teenagers. It incorporates elements of pop rock, punk pop and 8 bar blues. This earned them mostly positive reviews from critics.Fact|date=January 2008 A reviewer from NME Magazine 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 managed to grab 5 stars in both NME and AbsolutePunk.net as well as 4/5 from IMDb.

References

External links

* [http://www.mychemicalromance.com/ “Teenagers” sound track at the official My Chemical Romance website]