The Effect My Chemical Romance Has on you

I'm not sure if there is another post about this but I'm doing a media project and its based on positive effects that bands and lyrics have. And We know damn well MCR do exactly that so i was wondering if you guys wouldn't mind saying what you think is the most powerful My Chemical romance song and why and just in general how MCR has made you a better or diffrent person.

Thankyou so much!!! It'd mean alot if you's could help me out a bit, and it'd be good on MCR's part. So the closed minded kids don't continue thinking "MCR are sooo Emo. Go cut yourself." Because apparently thats what they are around here. Lol.

THANKS <3

Wow. Awesome project idea.
They've really helped me become who I am, they've gotten my into some amazing bands and really opened my eyes to what real music is.

they made me realize how important it is to be me, not to pretend and not to chase dreams for somebody else...they made me feel great about myself!they made me feel awesome, everyday, every hour, second, minute of my whole entire freakin life!

oh yea, I'll put a section of my story a little taste
I have my own project (see siggy), and you can read my entire story here --> http://www.myspace.com/projectktf
good luck with your project! ummm does it have a name yet? if your project has a myspace add me
here it goes...

"I had never felt so alone. My anxiety spinned out of control, and I would bite at my nails and fingers till they bled. I didn’t know it at the time but that was the beginning of my self-harm. After a while I learned to fend for myself. By that I mean make the connection so that I could score my own drugs, and steal weapons to hurt myself with. I had always been on and off with little spins of depression, but I sunk quick into real depression after school ended. I’m the kind of person that if I’m not getting anywhere, impressing anybody, making anyone happy but myself, than I’m useless. And it’s very easy to feel useless when you have a disability like mine, or when your entire family is missing you, and you can’t do anything about it. And that was probably my most dangerous points, when I felt completely useless .The point where the only thing keeping me alive is the blood loss that’s making me too weak to plunge the knife deeper.

So here’s the turning point of the story, thank god because I don’t like to remember the past, I like to remember this part .The happy part, the part that changed everything. I stepped on my sister copy of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. I had gotten a laptop for my birthday and was digging through my sister’s collection of CDs so that I could strip the music onto my computer. I looked under my foot and saw the familiar bloody couple. I picked it up and looked at it oh yea, this is that CD that has The Ghost of you in it! I thought. My sister was a fan of Ghost along with a few others and played it all the time in the car, so I decided why not? Let me put the entire CD in. Best decision I have ever made to date.

Needless to say I fell in love, though you couldn’t get me to admit it at the time. MCR was my first real rock band. Yea, I didn’t mind listening to bands like System of a Down, Mindless Self Indulgence, and Linkin Park every now and again, but I never was a fan .Especially punk .I had an image of punk when I got into MCR and Revenge shattered it. MCR was so weird to me, at a time in my life where I listened to songs with names like “yo yo yo I f*cked this b*tch last night”. I’m still the kid with Eminem blaring on my headphones, but MCR brought me into rock. And the kind of music that brought out something different in me, that no one could understand, not even I.

An example of that would be the I’m Not Okay (I Promise) video. I had started listening to Revenge quit a lot, and To the End was my favorite song. So I did something I never did before, I used my internet for music research. I went on YouTube and searched for a video for To the End, obviuosly I didn’t find one, but I did find the video for I’m Not Okay. There was something about the video that really spoke to me, I think even more so than the bullying in the video. All the emotions that were stated spoke directly to my experience. Feeling alone, wrong, rejected, lost, unclean (I was raised in a christen family and listened to this guy with eyeliner on singing about death, talk about unclean. And the family secret? Yea that plays into this to), ashamed, used, …even curious
And anxious
This is a song that is truly for the misfit. I got so addicted. I needed it, that release. I would watch the video daily. Slowly singing along, then head banging, before you know it jumping around the room. I learned to be proud to say I LOVE MCR.

Well as the story goes, life in my house went a little sorer. My sister started with her old habit of picking on me. She is known for her angry out bursts, but now they were directed at me for none sense reasons. Plates were throne, walls were punched, and my tears were shed for the millionth time. I didn’t get angry, I didn’t fight back, and I didn’t stand up for myself again. I drifted away and put it on for the millionth time, but this time was different. I lay, tears soaking into my bead spread, and then I heard the video start. The second guitar came in and the drums hit. And I got angry. I felt it lift me and thunder through me. I was angry, for the first time in my god for sakin life I was fucking pissed. It boiled inside of me and spilled finally, poring over and under me. It wasn’t a sad sorry cry out to the cutter, I didn’t run from the emotion thinking this is wrong, I faced it straight on. I let it all out. It all rained over Gerard’s voice singing “but you really need to listen to me cause I’m telling you the truth, I mean it, I’m OKAY!”, and the guitar solo brought the large crack on my mirror. By the end of the song I was already in my sister’s face.

I didn’t understand this at all. I didn’t know why I liked these freaks, or why I wanted to listen to them ALL the time. But I did, and thank god because that was the start of my mental salvation."

THANKS GUYS!! These are super great. Its good to have a few more points of views even though it usually comes down tot he same thing:: THanks so much!

I think My Chemical Romance have made me realize that its okay to be myself. I always knew I'd never be the coolest or prettiest, but I always tried. But since listening to this amazing group, I have come to realize one important thing: being yourself is okay. Now I'm always smiling, and when I'm feeling down, all I have to do is read a few quotes, or watch a few interviews, I feel alot better.

Just over a year ago, when ''I Dont Love You'' came out, I was the confusing, out of control, 'emo' kid. I was always getting teased or bagged out for what music I listened to, or how I acted. I was loosing it, totally. Everything was slipping away. My closest friend felt as though she couldn't help me, and reflecting now, she told me a few things that I had said during this time; naturally, I was disturbed. I never thought of myself as being depressed, but hearing what she had to say early this year made me realize I wasn't ok.

Where does My Chemical Romance come into this story? Well, I was at KFC with my friend one night after the movies, and it was really quiet. So, the room being so silent, you could hear the radio clearly. And that song playing was ''I Dont Love You''. Being able to relate, I listened closley, and soon downloaded a few My Chemical Romance songs afterwards. The only song I had heard before that was ''Welcome To The Black Parade'' and at that age and maturity level, I was scared by it. I thought it was ''emo crap''.

Now I'm a changed kid. I'm always smiling, pulling jokes, and singing at the top of my lungs. Everybody knows me as the ''loud, talkative, feral girl'' and I like it this way. My Chemical Romance are now part of my life, and I cant imagine where I'd be without them. They prevented me from self harm. I am so incredibly grateful; repaying them would be impossible.

The strongest song to me, in my opinion, would be Im Not Okay. I'm at that age now, where everybody is just starting to settle in their skins, and become who they are, I guess. And that video is set in highschool; which I attend now. To me, it's basically saying ''I'm different to you, I like it. But some of the things you do to me, piss me off. Get your nose out of my buisness, I want and need to be me'', and thats what I need to be hearing at the moment. I can relate to the song, and the video, really easily.

To the people who say My Chemical Romance are emo, suicide promoters who slit eachother's throats, I have a few strong words to say.
Listen to the lyrics closley. Study them. Is there anything flat out saying in the songs to hurt yourself? No.
And if you think the ''Singin' songs that make you slit your wrists, it isnt that much fun, staring down a loaded gun'' is suicidal. I suggest you study the rest of the song, and download the stripped version. Gerard is whipsering ''Dont do it'' in the background.

After you've been proven wrong in the lyrical area, read these message boards. So many people have been saved by MCR. I know I sure as heck have been. Because, after all, if they were a suicidal cult, I wouldnt be alive to type this up, would I?

Now, when you say all MCR fans are emo, you are incredibly wrong. Emo is a style of music, standing for emocore or emotive rock. If people wear black clothes, have edgy hair and eyeliner, then that is them. Not 'emo'. That is being yourself.
Why is it that you look down on ''emo'' MCR fans, and not slutty, user-and-abuser gold diggers, who listen to ''I Wanna F**k You!'' on repeat?

My Chemical Romance's message is loud and clear. But I think some of you must have ears clogged with ear wax, if you think they promote sucide, self harm and hurting in general. Just see it from someone else's view, and not your ignorant, immature self.

And if you still think I'm an emo, life hating, suicidal, fucked up teen after fully reading what I had to say? Then I love it that way.

My Chem taught me i don't need to change for anyone and to be proud of who i am, meaning proud to be different and not being one of the 'cool kids'. It made me feel better about myself because i realised i have the strength to be my own person and i don't need anyones approval or influence. Its safe to say this band have changed my life and i don't know where i would be without them.
I guess the lyrics in all of the songs mean something to me in one way or another, its hard to define what songs speak to me the most.

I'd say the biggest and most positive effect MCR has had on my life is that they inspire me to keep trying, especially when it comes to playing music in my own band.
And when I'm sad or frustrated, all I have to do is listen to one song, ANY song, of theirs and I'm back on my feet. Seeing them live made my heart soar, and I feel so encouraged by them, in their songs and whenever they're just talking about things...they have such a positive aura to me that I find it ridiculous and unfair that some people would classify them as "depressing" or "suicidal" music, because they couldn't be more wrong.
Gerard in particular has had a great effect on me because I was also once devoting my life to drawing, even though I really wanted to be in a band. Hearing him talk about his past as a shy, reclusive artist and seeing him now, in this wonderful, internationally known band singing his heart out makes me want to do the same. And I know that I can, if I keep trying. Think happy thoughts, right? <3

My Chemical Romance has taught be that life is worth living and we shouldent go around all depressed because theres something out there to live for. They also taught me that I shouldent take anyones crap and to not listen to all the rumors that is going around. My Chemical Romance is a great band that is against suicide and cutting yourself and all of that horrible stuff. If you think My Chemical Romance is a life-hating,wrist cutting, emo losers than you are completely wrong. My Chem is definately one of the best bands on the face of the earth. To be honest I have no clue where I would be right now with out them.

SoWhyDontYouBlowMe:

what you think is the most powerful My Chemical romance song and why and just in general how MCR has made you a better or diffrent person.

Most powerful? probably not just one particular song, but what those songs stand for as a whole which is:
1. Don't take shit from anyone
e.g. Give em hell kid, Kill all ur friends, Fashion statement, Im Not okay...

2. Life is about moving on & letting go
e.g. Helena, Black parade, I never Told u ...

3. Nothing is worth harming yourself over
e.g. Headfirst, Famous last words, + all those inspiring things they tell fans at shows

Probably the last is the most powerful for me at least. Beneath my strong feisty exterior I actually have pretty fragile self esteem. i'm the sort of person who can beat themselves up worse than the worst critic in the world -- becoz the worst critic is really Me.

i can get pretty neurotic & depressed at times becoz i feel nothing i do is ever good enough, & that sort of thinking can get u stuck in a dark cramped place where u might never escape without someone's help. That someone is MCR. When i fall in they keep pulling me out & i survive. and that fight has made me stronger. i still doubt myself heavily a lot of the time, i still have my neurotic moments, but i know that as long as i have MCR's positive statements in my head i will never lose sight of what life is really about.

i hope that answers ur question. =)

* * *
p.s. there are so many more things abt them that insprie different positive qualities in me -- but if i started listing it down i would never stop.

What I have to say pretty much mirrors what everyone else has said ...
My Chem has taught me how to be myself, that it's okay to like something that's a little out-there and a little not-quite-normal. They introduced my to real music for the first time in my life; and by "real", I mean music that spoke to me and shook me and changed me as a person, music that made me feel and think and hurt and laugh and cry and dance. Music that meant something to me.
Songs like Our Lady of Sorrows and I'm Not Okay screamed about how messed up this world is, and how hurt I was inside, and I screamed along and let all my emotions take over.
When I was done being angry, songs like Helena and Disenchanted took my breath away, and brought the tears that cleaned my soul.
And after I was done crying, songs like Famous Last Words and Welcome to the Black Parade gave me hope to keep on living, to carry on.

Thanks, guys. For everything <3

okay well...


Thease five guys have changed me,
i believe for the better,
ive had a rough time,
they have got me though it,
i need them to survive,
they have already saved my life,
they can do it again,
they have taught me that its ok to be yourself,
even though at school im seen as the music obsessed freak,
its ok,
i dont care,
im just myself,
not a wannabee barbie.

It's hard to know where to begin to answer your question, but I will do my best. Unfortunately, it will probably end up being a long post...........

I suffer from Depression, with a bit of PTSD as well, and have done since I found my baby son dead (SIDS) when I was 16. It has plagued me off and on ever since, making me feel as though I am cursed. I ended up in an abusive marriage, in which he emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically abused me for 16 years. During that time, there were many occasions when I would leave him, and then go back to him, and two years ago I did so again. He wanted me to move back, but I said no, not until he got his shit sorted. He asked if we could do marriage counselling, as well as individual counselling, which I agreed to. By this time, the Depression had me completely bound up, afraid to go out, and the only safe place to me was my bedroom. I felt as though my whole life had to revolve around my husband, and in the process, I neglected the emotional needs of my children.

Anyway, even though we were still 'together', but living apart, my husband decided to get together with a younger woman. On the day that he asked me about doing the marriage counselling thing, he already had it planned to see this woman that very night ~ little did I know. She had worked with him, and I had known that she fancied him for about 18 months, but for some incredibly DUMB reason, I trusted him. The next night, I decided to go and visit him, and it was then that I found them in bed together - what was our marital bed. But even after that, I still started seeing him again, for I could never say no to him.

Moving forward a little, he had then moved in with the younger woman, but was still coming to see me, spend time with me, and have sex with me. I was an awful mess, to say the least. I was the 'other woman' to my own husband, as she didn't know that he and I still saw one another. At that time, the song Welcome To The Black Parade was popular, and it was that song that prompted me to buy the CD. I can still remember the day when I first listened to it. My husband was visiting, outside doing some gardening, but I was feeling upset, knowing that he would be going back to 'her' house soon. I went inside, put my new CD on, and sat down in the lounge. I turned the volume up as high as it could go, as I knew I was going to cry, or needed to cry. That CD was the first one where I liked every song on it the first time I listened to it. It took me on a journey through my emotions ~ anger, grief, hurt, and the desire to stop living. It allowed me to get in touch with those emotions, to express them, and I ended up wailing, bawling, sobbing.

Not long after that, I got to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore. I still loved my husband (yeah, I know, bloody dumb), and every time he visited me, it hurt me even more that he would be walking out of my home, and going to her. And I couldn't find it in myself to say no to him. So, I knew I had to do something to stop it ~ to stop him. I thought about sleeping with another man, as I knew that he would stay away if I did, but I still desired him, and only him, and couldn't find it in myself to be with another man in that way. So, I became a prostitute. At least that way, whether or not I desired the man didn't matter.

After about a month of working in that industry, I finally found the courage to tell him, knowing that it would be the only thing that would stop him from playing me the way that he was, that it was the only thing that would make him stay away from me. And it worked, but maybe a bit too well, from our kids perspective, as five days later, he and his girlfriend left town. He didn't even tell his kids he was going, and even I didn't know until I heard it through a mutual friend. This was just before Christmas, and even though I was relieved that he had left time, it broke my heart to see the pain the kids were in. For about six months, he had no contact with his kids, and still only rarely bothers with them.

A lot more happened after that, but I don't feel up to going into detail, and to be honest, it sounds almost unreal, or unbelievable, even though it was all too real. I was severely depressed, still working as a prostitute, but there was one thing that helped. And that was My Chemical Romance. At nights, I would go to sleep listening to their music on my MP3 player. Whenever I felt the numbness, I would listen to them to help me get in touch with my emotions, and to let them out. I didn't want to keep on living back then, and had in fact almost succeeded in killing myself during the period when my husband had first moved in with the girlfriend. To me, death was but a door, a door that I could choose to walk through at anytime, and on the other side I would find my Dad, my Brother, and my little son waiting. At times, I would think of ways in which I could kill myself, ways that weren't too messy, but guaranteed success. I believed that everyone ~ my kids, my family etc. would be better off if I was dead, and sometimes, just the thought of facing another day would get too much.

But it was the music that saved me. As when I felt like that, I would put on MCR, and listen to them. One particular song, Sleep, would help me when I was feeling like I just wanted to die, as it tapped into my yearning to just sleep, sleep forever. But it didn't make me actually want to do it, it just helped me to let those feelings go, at least for a time.

Initially, I didn't understand why I felt so drawn to My Chemical Romance, and Gerard Way in particular, until I bought their CD/DVD set "Life On The Murder Scene". It was then that I found out that Gerard had also been traumatised (911), suffered Depression, and felt suicidal. So, even though I was a 44 yr old mum and granny (not someone who would fit the usual criteria of being an MCR fan), I was able to understand why, and was able to relate to Gerard.

I do not see any of their songs as being ones that encourage or endorse suicide or self harm, as they are merely expressions of their own feelings, emotions, and experiences at the time that they wrote them. And to me, that takes courage ~ to expose yourself like that, even through music, takes a tremendous amount of courage.

Now, for me, life has gotten better, and I am finally beginning to see a little light at the end of the tunnel, and have realised that this time, it isn't a train coming.

No, it wasn't My Chemical Romance alone that saved my life, as I was also seeing a Therapist, but they certainly did during those dark times at home, when I would be overwhelmed by the desire to not live anymore.

In closing, I would just like to say that MCR is about saving lives, as Gerard himself has said. And in my case, it wasn't just my own life that was saved, but also that of my children, for where would they be without their Mum, especially when their Dad isn't on the scene at all? I have to laugh though, as the kids have gotten a bit sick of their Mum listening to MCR all the time...............

Well, that's part of my story, and my only wish is that the band themselves could know just how vital they were in saving my life.

Well, first and formost they changed me. Made me realise that being myself is perfectly fine. I am now not afraid to be myself. I was for a very long time and now I just be who I want to be. My image has changed dramatically in the past few months.

Also the song I can say that changed me the most might have been Famous Last Words. The "I am not afraid to keep on living. I am not afraid ot walk this world alone." Really speaks to me and a lot of people I'm guessing. no matter how alone you may feel there is always a reason to keep on living. I could write a novel but thats really the main song.

^Tikva, your story is very moving. I'm happy that your life has started to get better, I hope things stay positive for you!

itsaDEATHWISH;:

Now, when you say all MCR fans are emo, you are incredibly wrong. Emo is a style of music, standing for emocore or emotive rock. If people wear black clothes, have edgy hair and eyeliner, then that is them. Not 'emo'. That is being yourself.
Why is it that you look down on ''emo'' MCR fans, and not slutty, user-and-abuser gold diggers, who listen to ''I Wanna F**k You!'' on repeat?

Just had to highlight this because it's what i've always wanted to bring up -- repeatedly, as so few ppl seem to get it.

like i was listening to them for 3 yrs and then i was going through a really really tough year
and i rememeber i just let all three of three albums play and it was as if i was listening to them for the first time all over again
thats when i really and truelly connected with them
and remember that when i finally got to famous last words i can honestly say i found courage and strength within myself that i never knew i had
honestly, and when i tell people that they think im ridiculous
i dont like to put out info of what i was exactly going through cause its very personal and all
but lets just say that i can say along with alot of others that "mcr saved my life"
they really changed myself, who i am as a person, and my outlook on life for the better
they make me feel like im not alone
and they helped showed me that i had the will to keep on living
theyve inspired me in my art, music, writing, and my own self will to change and take control of what i was going through in my life
i didnt know i was that strong, and they helped show me that i could pull myself out of everything and carry on
thank you guys so incredibly much<3

They really... helped me. i think you all know why, but i can try to explain. i can be deep depressed, and then... i think about those guys, and i can feel better. not just "WOHO YEY now i'm feeling better!", more like i'm getting power to 'keep on living'. so just the thought about those fucking lifesavers is affect on me.
the lyrics is going direct to my heart. i hear the words they saying in the songs - it's amazing.
i don't care how they look like or bullshit, it's the people that they are, and the thing that they want to say to us. it's fucking amazing. i hardly can't believe how nice they are, and i haven't met them. THAT is impressive.
so.. that's my words. they are... beautiful. those guys have beautiful souls.

<3