Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge is the second studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, released on June 8, 2004. This was the band's first album to be released through Reprise Records. The previous album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, was released through Eyeball Records. The album, as of October 2010, has sold 1,699,000 copies in the US.Four successful singles were released from this album: "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)", "Thank You for the Venom", "Helena" and "The Ghost of You". According to frontman Gerard Way, the album uses a metaphorical, fictional horror story, inspired by the band's love for horror movies and comic books, to tell their own feelings about the world and the band. Way says the story tells of a character who was killed by gunfire, and makes a deal with the Devil to see his lover again, but must first bring the "souls of a thousand evil men" to Hell.
Reception
Johnny Loftus of Allmusic wrote that "with the aid of production major-leaguer Howard Benson, they've edited the slight rookie excesses of I Brought You My Bullets You Brought Me Your Love, resulting in a rewarding, pretty damn relentless product." The album was awarded 4 out of 5 stars by Loftus. Andy Greenwald of Blender thought that "Way’s gulping, gasping whine turns stompers like "I’m Not Okay (I Promise)" into after-school poetry". Greenwald praised the fact that Way integrated elements of his life into the songs on the album. He awarded the album 3 out of 5 stars. JR of IGN wrote that it was "a good album" but "isn't nearly as varied or daring as it could have been". He ranked the episode 7.1 out of 10. Kirk Miller of Rolling Stone said that "Revenge is a hell of a good time." Ian Mathers of Stylus Magazine wrote, that this album contained "twelve near-flawless songs and an interlude in thirty-nine minutes" and that "even when it lets up, [it] doesn’t let up". Robert Christgau declared Three Cheers a dud.
After the release of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, My Chemical Romance received an extremely positive response from mainstream communities, as shown by the popularity of their music videos on MTV, etc. However, they received some negative responses from theunderground music communities. Factors that may have contributed to this shift in fan base are hypothesized to include: the band replacingMatt Pelissier with Bob Bryar on percussion; the band signing to a new label, Reprise Records; a change in image and style; and the fact that they had gained a measure of mainstream popularity.
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge has sold over 1 million copies to date in the U.S. and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.It has also been certified Double Platinum in Canada, Platinum in the UK and Gold in Ireland, Chile and Argentina. In addition, a vinyl version of the album was released December 16, 2008. Unlike their previous album, this does contain the Parental Advisory label.
All songs written and composed by My Chemical Romance.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Helena" | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Give 'Em Hell, Kid" | 2:18 |
| 3. | "To the End" | 3:01 |
| 4. | "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison" | 2:53 |
| 5. | "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" | 3:08 |
| 6. | "The Ghost of You" | 3:23 |
| 7. | "The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Interlude" | 0:57 |
| 9. | "Thank You for the Venom" | 3:41 |
| 10. | "Hang 'Em High" | 2:47 |
| 11. | "It's Not a Fashion Statement, It's a Fucking Deathwish" | 3:30 |
| 12. | "Cemetery Drive" | 3:08 |
| 13. | "I Never Told You What I Do for a Living" Helena, I'm Not Okay (I Promise) and The Ghost of You are the only songs in this album that the band made a music video with the director of these three, Marc Webb. |
"Helena" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance, and is the third single from their second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. The lyrics describe lead singer Gerard Way's feelings for his late grandmother, Elena Lee Rush (whom her friends referred to as "Helen", and because of this, Way always thought to combine her first name with this alias, forming the name, "Helena").
The single has become a moderately-selling hit, both in the US and internationally. Way stated in an interview with Channel V that the main influence behind "Helena" was from the song "Aces High" by Iron Maiden and tracks by The Ventures. This song is also My Chemical Romance's sixth overall single. Way described it as representing the band's image and sound, and as such it is often used to end the band's shows. The single was certified as a Gold Record in United States. The song was also used in the closing credits of the 2005 horror film House of Wax. "Helena" is also available as downloadable content for the video games Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and Tap Tap Revenge.
The music video was shot on-location in the Immanuel Presbyterian church on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, directed byMarc Webb, and choreographed by Michael Rooney. The video has a simple plot, with Gerard Way as a very emotional mourner at a funeralwhere the band is performing. There are also mourners who dance and mourn the death of Helena. Near the end, the dead body of Helena (played by actress and dancer Tracy Phillips) rises and dances down the nave representing crossing over into the afterlife. After she falls back into the casket, the pallbearers (also played by My Chemical Romance and a fan named Cameron) carry the casket to the hearse (in the pouring rain), surrounded by a phalanx of dancing men and women with umbrellas.
Though the song in general is about the band members Gerard Way and Mikey Way's late grandmother, it was stated in an interview that the video told a different story. The music video shows the funeral of a girl, who, according to Gerard Way, died tragically. The sixth pallbearer and the majority of the mourners are fans who'd received emails from the band asking if they'd like to be in the video.
During the "Making Of..." video, found as a bonus on the Life on the Murder Scene CD/DVD, it was noted that Frank Iero, while joking about being "4'9"", didn't actually carry any weight of the casket, and that it rested on the other band members and their 6th pallbearer to carry the weight. Also noted was that the rain used in the sequence between the church and the hearse wasn't planned for, but the director used it to his advantage, as it set the mood of a funeral.
The video was nominated for five Moonmen at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Rock Video, Best Choreography, Best New Artist, and the MTV2 and Viewer's Choice Awards (both of which are chosen by viewers).They lost to bands such as Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and The Killers. Though the band did not win any awards, they did do a surprise performance of the song towards the end of the show. They also won an MTV Video Music Awards Latin America "tongue" for the Best New Artist - International. They also won a Best Video award in the 2005 Kerrang! Awards. In November 2005, the video was nominated for two MTVU Woodie Awards (voted on by college students) and won the Woodie of the Year. In the Philippines, Helena has reached a cult-like status because of the popularity of Alternative music.
The video was also voted #1 by viewers of MTV Latinamerica in the 2005 "100 Most Wanted Videos".
"I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" is the first single and fifth track from My Chemical Romance's second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. It is their third overall single. It reached #86 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and, in March 2005, #19 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also helped expand the band's fan base, and has been certified gold status by the RIAA. The song was re-released in the UK November 2005. The song is also included in the EA Trax listing for racing game Burnout 3: Takedown. The cover art was redone in live action on the inside of the band's DVD Life on the Murder Scene. The song is featured in the music game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.
Matt Pond PA recorded a cover of the song for Engine Room Recordings' compilation album Guilt by Association Vol. 2, which was released in November 2008.
The "old school" version music video of the song features the band's life in New Jersey and them going on tour as well as a montage of video segments. It was produced by Rafaela Monfradini and Greg Kaplan, who was also the director. It also features pictures of brothers, bassistMikey Way and lead singer Gerard Way, when they were little kids and teenagers.
The "prep school" version music video depicts life inside a fictional American high school in the form of a fake movie trailer. The band appears as a group of outcast, dorky students who are repeatedly harassed by another group who are portrayed as jocks. The band members then attempt to take on the jocks and ultimately have a showdown in a hallway, with the band members armed with croquet mallets and the jocks with lacrosse and hockey gear. The music video was directed by Marc Webb, and parts of it were filmed at Alexander Hamilton High Schooland Loyola High School in Los Angeles. An interesting point to make here is that ex drummer Bob Bryar appears in the second video, as he had been officially recruited by the band at this point, but not added. This is evident by the fact that Gerard repeatedly blocks Bryar's face, supposedly to keep viewers from thinking he was a member of the band at that time. Another reason to note is since he had recently joined, he is not seen with the other band members in the high school scenes or credited in the movie card at the end.
This version of the video was also named #1 on Fuse's 25 Greatest Videos Countdown, beating out other videos such as "Basket Case" byGreen Day and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana.
The music video was shot over two days in Malibu, California, and cost over US $300,000 to make. Marc Webb directed the video. In an interview with FUSE, MCR said "We shot a movie and just edited it to be a video. It's like if you put 'Sleeping Child' and 'The Actor' together to make one long music video, it still would top that." It closely parallels the Omaha invasion scene from the movie Saving Private Ryan. Most of the video takes place at a USO dance where the band is performing, but, often switches over to a D-Day scene, in which the band members play as United States soldiers in fierce combat. (At the dance, one soldier's uniform bears the 101st Airborne Division "Screamin' Eagles" patch, however the 101st Airborne Division wasn't involved in beach landings, but were parachuted behind enemy lines on D-Day, suggesting that several units were present at the ball. 1st Infantry Division and Ninth Air Force patches can also be seen)
The video takes an emotional turn when bassist Mikey Way is shot and killed by German fire despite the medic's (played by Ray Toro) attempts to save him, adding emphasis to the aspects of loss in the song. This is foreshadowed in a bar scene where vocalist Gerard Way, his brother appears to be reassuring him at a bar that he'll be alright, and there's no reason to be afraid. He is seen wearing a 1st Infantry Division patch in the video. Mikey "dies" with his eyes open. Gerard is held down by his squadmates/bandmembers in shock as he sees his brother die. Mikey wears a military medal on his uniform for The Black Parade, possibly a throwback to this video. The 1st Infantry Division, the "Big Red One" were among the first wave onOmaha Beach, June 6, 1944. Gerard Way has to be restrained and is seen screaming (although there is no sound other than the song) as he tries to run to his brother. On Life on the Murder Scene, Ray is told to talk to Mikey to look like he's trying to save him. Obligingly, he shouts "Mikey! You're dead! [How do you feel!?]"
On September 7, 2005, on its fourth day, it reached number one on MTV's music-video countdown Total Request Live. This video marked the changes in My Chemical Romance's musical style, fanbase, and overall image. There is a cut version for daytime audiences, which leaves shots of soldiers vomiting and Mikey Way's wounds from machine gun firing absent.
Mikey Way, in a recent interview with FUSE, stated that when the trap door on the landing craft opened and the band rushed forward, due to the weight of all the members, extras and gears combined, the craft capsized and filled with water to the point where the band nearly drowned.
On the Life on the Murder Scene DVD, it is stated that during their tour with Green Day, Green Day showed MCR their video "Wake Me Up When September Ends", which also had a war theme. Gerard feared the video would be the same as theirs for "Wake Me Up When September Ends" but "The Ghost of You" was more about the loss of someone you love. Green Day in a way "gave us their blessing", as stated by Gerard.
Music video errors
- While the soldiers are in the Higgins boats, a soldier is seen with the 2nd Ranger Battalion patch on his shoulder. When the soldiers get onto the beach, they wear the insignia of the 1st Infantry Division. During the Normandy invasion, these two units were not together at Omaha Beach.
- At the ball Mikey Way is seen playing an early model Fender P Bass. The electric bass sold from 1951.
- The leads being used should have been the curly "telephone cord" types, as opposed to the more modern leads they were using.
- At the end of the video, when the camera zooms into a distraught and shocked Gerard's eye, in the distance it is possible to see a soldier turn around and sit in a relaxed manner, despite the video not being over. Though, this could also be a depiction of soldier who is in shock.
I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (shortened as Bullets) is the debut album by American