“Welcome to the Black Parade”
An ambitious 2006 song from My Chemical Romance draws you in for good
Considered “an emo anthem” and My Chemical Romance’s greatest song — if not one of the greatest rock songs of all time — “Welcome to the Black Parade” took years of drafting and revisiting before it was completed. Started by the band when it first formed under the title “We Are All Dying,” the song resisted completion until producer Rob Cavallo contributed the initial piano sequence, which allowed the band a runway into the body of the song while providing its haunting structure.
The song is from the band’s 2006 album The Black Parade where the concept is “The Patient,” who dies of cancer at an early age. In this song, The Patient is dying in his hospital bed, and his journey to death is “The Black Parade.” The song itself is about the idea of overcoming the darkness present within the world, as well as the “triumph of the human spirit,” according to the band.
Popular from its release, the song reached #1 in the UK, rode US charts for weeks, and charted in countries around the world. It has several platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America, British Phonographic Industry, Music Canada, and Recorded Music NZ. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has listed it as a song that “shaped rock and roll.” In 2025, Rolling Stone ranked it as the 96th best song of the 21st century up to that point.
The video was directed by Samuel Bayer, who did Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video.
The song has achieved a legendary status among younger rockers, and I can see why. It’s got a lot of greatness in it.
Enjoy!