Who doesn’t love learning more about an album they’ve loved for ages? Emo Nite’s new podcast, CD Burners, is all about revisiting some of the most memorable rock albums of our time, leading up to the When We Were Young Festival where the artists will perform their chosen album in its entirety! The latest episode puts a spotlight on My Chemical Romance’s 2006 concept album, The Black Parade, which explores life and death through the perspective of a character named The Patient, who faces cancer while looking back on his most loved and hated memories.
CD Burners hosts T.J. Petracca and Morgan Freed got to speak to producer Rob Cavallo and former Warner Records marketing project manager Steve Morales about the creation and promotion of the album. We’re a little jealous we didn’t get an invite to join in, but we’re thankful to be able to listen to the conversation! Check out the episode right here, then let’s dive into our favorite moments together.
It Had A Huge First Week
When The Black Parade first came out in October 2006, it debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200… only behind Hannah Montana. The charts really had the ‘Best Of Both Worlds’ that week, huh? Even though it didn’t quite reach the top, it still sold over 200,000 more copies in that first week than their second album, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, sold in its first week.
Where They Recorded The Album
We knew that My Chem recorded much of the album at the haunted Paramour Mansion in Los Angeles, which inspired songs like ‘Sleep.’ But T.J. and Morgan pointed out that they also worked on some songs in their bus while taking part in the (2004 or 2005) Warped Tour! We hadn’t put that together ourselves yet, and it’s so interesting – and kind of weird – to think about how they were already working on the album while giving us some of our favorite memories of the Three Cheers era.
Diving more into the Paramour Mansion, T.J. and Morgan talked about the history of the house itself, explaining that it was a nunnery at one point, as well as how a woman was killed there and her ashes are rumored to be spread around the property. Katy Perry was even trying to buy it at one point! Pairing the creepy activity with MCR’s own struggles, the Paramour really painted the scene for an eerie album.
Why The Storyline Stood Out So Much
As T.J. and Morgan pointed out, a lot of 2000s emo centered around the writer’s specific feelings, often around heartbreak or relationship troubles. But The Black Parade took that so much further, taking on the fictional perspective from The Patient while talking about various life regrets and “moral reflection” as he faces the possibility of death. “One day you’re gonna die, and are you doing things in your life that you’re proud of?” they muse in the episode. They add later that their unique themes are “what set these guys apart.”
The Original Title Of ‘The End’
Before ‘The End’ became one of the most iconic album openers of all time, it was originally named ‘Father,’ which we think would have been an interesting tie-in to ‘Welcome To The Black Parade!’ In ‘WTTBP,’ The Patient thinks back to one of his fondest memories from his life, when his father took him to see a parade. More on the parade idea during Rob Cavallo’s interview later…
“When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city
To see a marching band…”
They Took Inspiration From Looney Tunes
Imagine going back and telling your eyeliner-wearing, earphone-toting younger emo self that the bad*ss ‘House Of Wolves’ was inspired by a Looney Tunes short. We would’ve lost it! The song draws from a Looney Tunes short called “Three Little Bops,” which spins on the story of the Three Little Pigs and shows the wolf failing to play trumpet well in various clubs. He gets mad and blows up one of the clubs only to go to Hell after it blows him up, then he learns he can actually be a successful musician in the afterlife.
The Black Parade Rollout
After wrapping up their overview of the album, T.J. and Morgan welcomed Steve Morales, who worked in grassroots marketing (AKA street teams) at Warner Bros. Records during the Black Parade era! He got his start at the label through an internship and got a promotion when a project manager left the company. MCR was one of the first bands he got to work with there, and he met them a little before they released Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge in 2004.
For The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance and the Warner team wanted to do an unconventional rollout and announcement to complement the fact that it’s a concept album. They were pushing the Black Parade idea without giving full context, with promotions like a Black Parade van driving around Los Angeles. After they announced that it was for My Chemical Romance, that’s when they added their new logo to the van. The confusion made it more fun and brought fans into the world of the album!
Meanwhile, the MCRmy street team would join in different “missions” to help promote the band, and they could get perks like concert tickets and meet-and-greets. 100,000 fans worldwide had signed up for the street team, which shows how much excitement there was around The Black Parade! Traditionally, street teams would mostly promote at concerts, but the beginnings of social media and MySpace made it so more fans could get involved.
Working With MCR On Marketing
Steve said My Chemical Romance was always giving back to their street team with things like early access to new songs and some meet-and-greet opportunities. We’re more than a little jealous, we can’t lie! Their manager, Brian, often designed the flyers that the MCRmy street team would hand out, so their team was quite involved as well and the aesthetic stayed “streamlined.” Steve also added that MCR really stayed true to themselves and their vision throughout the years they worked together, which we love, and that one of his favorite parts of working with them is how much their music brought people together!
Creating ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’
For the next segment of the podcast, T.J. and Morgan invited Rob Cavallo, who produced The Black Parade! He revealed that the iconic piano intro from ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ came about when he and My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way both arrived at the studio early, and Gerard said he wanted something like that one song played at graduations, but descending. The first thing Rob played was the intro we now know and love, and Gerard started singing along with the “When I was a young boy…” verse.
The song opens and closes on a quieter note because if you’re watching a parade, the music will sound quiet when it’s far away, then louder when it’s near you, only to fade away as it passes. The louder part in the middle of the song used to be a separate track recorded at the Paramour Mansion called ‘Carry On,’ which the band combined with the more parade-inspired ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ on a weekend when Rob was away with family! Between MCR and the marching band instruments, there were around 257 tracks on the ProTools file, which may or may not be the most tracks on any file.
‘Teenagers’ Almost Didn’t Make The Album
One of the most surprising parts of Rob’s interview was when he revealed that some unnamed executives didn’t think ‘Teenagers’ should be on The Black Parade, because of its heavier themes and old-school, 1-4-5 rock sound. Gerard described it as “a funny song” he wrote, partly inspired by rising school violence and shootings, while Rob and Mikey fought for it to make the tracklist. Shortly before the interview, Rob actually got to hear the song during an Emo Nite set!
The Paramour Mansion
Of course, with Rob having spent time at the Paramour with the band, we had to learn about his experiences! He said he’d randomly hear a door slamming downstairs, and on his birthday, he invited some of his friends over to the mansion to give them a tour. As they made their way through the house, Rob brought them up the “creaky” stairs to the hallway where the bedrooms were, which is said to be the most haunted section. He couldn’t turn the lights on and out of nowhere, a door slammed in the hallway!
We’ll Carry On Loving CD Burners & The Black Parade!
What were your favorite parts of this episode of CD Burners? Was there anything we missed that surprised you about My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
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