Teenagers (song)

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“Teenagers”
“Teenagers” cover
Single by My Chemical Romance
from the album The Black Parade
Released Flag of the United Kingdom Flag of the United States July 9, 2007
Flag of Australia Flag of New Zealand August 31, 2007
Flag of Germany September 14, 2007
Format CD
7" vinyl
Digital download
Recorded 2006
Genre Alternative rock
Disputed subgenres
Length 2:41
Label Reprise Records
Writer(s) My Chemical Romance
Producer Rob Cavallo
My Chemical Romance
Certification Gold[1]
My Chemical Romance singles chronology
"I Don't Love You"
(2007)		 "Teenagers"
(2007)
Additional cover
Promotional cover
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 twelfth 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."[2]

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

“ That song almost didn't fit on the record but it's a topic that's so important to our culture. It's about a really big problem in America where kids are killing kids. The only thing I learnt in high school is that people are very violent and territorial.[3] ”

This song was #25 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[4] This song was also #80 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007.[5]

Contents

[edit] Track listing

Version 1 (promotional CD)

  1. Teenagers (radio edit) – 2:38[6]

Version 2 (CD and 7" vinyl)

  1. "Teenagers" – 2:41
  2. "Dead!" (live from E-Werk in Berlin on October 14, 2006) – 3:16[7]

Version 3 (7" vinyl)

  1. "Teenagers" – 2:41
  2. "Mama" (live from the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on March 22, 2007) – 5:00[8]

Version 4 (CD)

  1. "Teenagers" – 2:41
  2. "Dead!" (live at E-Werk in Berlin on October 14, 2006) – 3:16
  3. "Mama" (live from the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on March 22, 2007) – 5:00[9]

Version 5 (digital download)

  1. "Teenagers" – 2:41
  2. "Teenagers" music video – 2:51
  3. Video of "I Don't Love You" from AOL Sessions – 3:57

[edit] 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). Some fans claim that the beginning of the video is reminiscent Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues.

The video is also strongly reminiscent of the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by grunge rock band Nirvana from their CD Nevermind. The use of a high school setting, the use of cheerleaders, as well as ending with the assembled students storming stage scene, have become synonymous with the 1991 Samuel Bayer hit video. The music video was posted by the band via their YouTube channel on May 30 and has since then been one of the most watched video on YouTube obtaining over 50 million views. Sometime around November 1, 2007, the video passed the Famous Last Words video as the third most played video on the site. This version of the video only cuts out the word "shit". The MTV version differs from the YouTube version slightly, notably the teenagers breaking in was cut out in the MTV version, as in certain incidences was the guitar solo by member of the band Ray Toro. The video has debuted on Total Request Live. The video also 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.

[edit] 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 has so far peaked at #67. It has so far 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.

Chart Peak
position
Argentina 2
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 16
Billboard Hot 100 67
Billboard Pop 100 39
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 13
Billboard Hot Digital Songs 39
Billboard Canadian Hot 100 58
Billboard Hot Canadian Digital Songs 41
Greenland Singles Chart 9
Irish Singles Chart 7
iTunes Top Singles 40
Latvian Airplay Top[10] 12
Polish National Top 50[11] 24
New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart 5
TRL Countdown 1
Colombian Singles Chart 11
UK Singles Chart 9
Uruguay Singles Chart 19
Entertainmenthit[12] Top 40 9
American Top 40 23
Czech IFPI Chart[13] 32
Israeli Singles Chart 4
MOD Daily Ten Countdown 1

[edit] 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".

[edit] Reception

My Chemical Romance surprised many critics by the musical style of Teenagers. It was more punk rock or pop rock instead of their usual Alternative Rock. This earned them mostly positive reviews from critics[citation needed]. Among the positive was Jesse Wright of NME Magazine. He said, "Some bands record a song with a whole new sound for them then release it as a single. They usually fail. My Chemical Romance tried a pop punk sound for this song, and it paid off. The message it gives is simple, the chorus is catchy and Ray Toro's solo makes this one of their best songs." Danny Ryan of absolutepunk.net said, "The site me and the boys run are for punk rockers. Not for the usual stuff My Chemical Romance record in a studio and slap on an album. But the song Teenagers has captured my attention at what they might record in the future. The song itself gets a 5/5 from me, mainly because of the sound, very catchy." The song managed to grab 5 stars in both NME and AbsolutePunk.net as well as 4/5 from IMDb.

[edit] Trivia

If you download the "clean" version of "Teenagers" from iTunes, the word "shit" is still in the song, making it no different from the "explicit" version. This is due to the "clean" version of "The Black Parade" only removing the word "fuck". It is titled "clean" because it is from the "clean" version of the album.

Teenagers is used in BZW right now as the entrance theme for Anthony Lida. It has become a BZW Staple for the moments in which anthony has the crowd jump and sing with the chorus, and repeating this act during the match with a one two, and then wait for the "shit" in the chorus to hit the third punch.

There are two parodies of this song called 'Old People' one being by solo act Odd Austin Aeschliman, and the other by a band fronted by Jace McLain, Nuclear Bubble Wrap.

[edit] References

  1. ^ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database. Recording Industry Association of America (2008-04-19). Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
  2. ^ Fresh from the Garden State, in Black Leather and Eyeliner, The New York Times, 22 October, 2006.
  3. ^ "MCR discuss high school gun crime", New Musical Express, 25 October 2006.
  4. ^ No byline (December 11, 2007). "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-12-21
  5. ^ MTV Asia. "Top 100 Hits List". Retrieved 2007-12-27
  6. ^ My Chemical Romance Teenagers UK Promo 5" CD SINGLE (409122)
  7. ^ The Record Shack
  8. ^ The Record Shack
  9. ^ My Chemical Romance Teenagers Australia 5" CD SINGLE (412774)
  10. ^ Latvian Airplay Top
  11. ^ Polish National Top 50
  12. ^ http://www.entertainmenthit.com Entertainmenthit.com
  13. ^ Čns Ifpi

[edit] External links

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My Chemical Romance
Gerard Way • Ray Toro • Frank Iero • Mikey Way • Bob Bryar
Touring members: Matt Cortez • James Dewees
Former members: Matt Pelissier
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