"Boy Division" is a song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance from their compilation album, Conventional Weapons (2013). A pop-punk song, it was released as part of the first single from the compilation, "Number One", on October 30, 2012. The song was originally created in 2009 when the band first worked on Conventional Weapons and intended for it to be their fourth studio album, before scrapping the project in favor of Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010).
Upon the release of Conventional Weapons, "Boy Division" was met with a positive response, being viewed as a standout track from the album. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 76 on the UK singles chart and number 2 on the UK Rock & Metal chart, and number 30 on the BillboardHot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in the United States. The song was later played during the band's reunion tour in 2022.
Background and production
My Chemical Romance began work on Conventional Weapons, intending for it to be their fourth studio album, in 2009.[1][2] Unlike their previous works that were typically concept albums, the band wanted to create a "straight-ahead rock ’n’ roll record" with no story or characters, and had songs that worked better within party settings.[3] Writing for the album began in February, while production began in June. Brendan O'Brien served as the producer and recording took place at A&M Studios.[4]
One of the songs written for the album was "Boy Division".[1] The title of the track was believed to have been mentioned in discussions by the band as early as during the production of their previous album The Black Parade (2006). However, it is unclear whether or not the song itself was actually made at the time, or if it was just the title.[5] As production of the album continued, the band grew concerned regarding its quality,[6] and ultimately scrapped the album[7] in favor of Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010), which would be their fourth studio album.[8][1]
Release and composition
In late 2012, My Chemical Romance announced that they would be releasing ten songs from Conventional Weapons, two each month across five singles, from October 2012 to February 2013.[9][10] The first single, officially titled "Number One", was released on October 30, 2012, featuring "Boy Division" as the main A-side track and "Tomorrow's Money" as the B-side.[11] Upon release, "Boy Division" reached number 76 on the UK singles chart[12] and number two on the UK Rock & Metal[13] chart in the United Kingdom, and number 30 on the BillboardHot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in the United States.[14] The song was first played live by the band on May 17, 2022, as part of their reunion tour.[15]
"Boy Division" is a pop-punk song[16][17] that gets heavier throughout its runtime.[9]Alternative Press described it as "emo-punk".[18] Raul Stanciu of Sputnikmusic said that it was "high octane",[19] and David Renshaw of NME compared it to one of the band's singles, "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" (2004).[1] Lyrically, the song consists of a series of violent[2] one-liners and hooks that are independent of one another;[20] Katie Clare of Louder Than War believed that the song's lyrics were about the success and popularity the band faced after the release of The Black Parade.[16] Sam Law of Kerrang! described the lyrics as "playful".[21]
Critical reception
Writing for Kerrang!, Jake Richardson described "Boy Division" as the song that stood out the most from Conventional Weapons, writing that it was for the song's "sheer ferocity".[2] Similarly, Clare said that the song "checks all the pop punk boxes", and helped make listeners attached to Conventional Weapons and look forward to the other songs in the collection that had yet to be released.[16] Cassie Whitt and Richardson of Loudwire said that the song was a "final masterpiece" that could have been worked on for several years, saying that it was "perfectly executed" and lyrically clever".[5] Renshaw described it as a "fast and furious punk anthem".[1] Chloe Spinks of Gigwise believed that the song was an example of what made the band "alluring", highlighting front man and singer Gerard Way's performance.[20]
In their retrospective rankings of the band's discography, Sam Law of Kerrang! ranked "Boy Division" as the eighth-best song that the band had made, while Whitt and Richardson of Loudwire ranked it at seventeenth.[21][5] On both lists, it was the highest-ranking song from "Conventional Weapons".[21][5] Spinks of Gigwise ranked it at fifty-first.[20] In a readers poll by Alternative Press for the most underrated My Chemical Romance songs, "Boy Division" was voted as the band's fourth most underrated.[18]
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