Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
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2010 album by My Chemical Romance
This article is about the album by My Chemical Romance. For the comic book series by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon, see The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.
Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
"The Kids from Yesterday" Released: January 20, 2012
Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (often referred to as simply Danger Days) is the fourth studio album by the American rock band My Chemical Romance, released on November 22, 2010 by Reprise Records. Its songs are associated with the band's well known sound of alternative rock, pop-punk, and punk rock, along with an introduction of new musical elements, including power pop, pop rock, and electronic rock. The primary musical inspiration for the album came from contemporary rock, psychedelic rock, and protopunk bands of the sixties and seventies. It was the penultimate album released by the band before their six-year disbandment from 2013 to 2019.
Like the band's previous album The Black Parade, Danger Days is a rock opera. The album's storyline takes place in post-apocalypticCalifornia in 2019, where a group of rebellious outsiders known as Killjoys battle against an evil corporation. In 2013, frontman Gerard Way published a comic miniseries that continued the story described in the album.
To promote the album, the band embarked on a world tour, titled The World Contamination Tour. It lasted from October 2010 to February 2012, and included concerts in Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania; the band also co-headlined the 10th Annual Honda Civic Tour with Blink-182. Danger Days received generally positive reviews from critics and sold 112,000 copies in its first week, debuting at the top of the BillboardRock Albums and Alternative Albums charts, and at number 8 on the Billboard 200.[10] It also appeared in the music charts in several other countries. By February 2011, Danger Days had sold over a million copies worldwide.[11]
Background
Following the grueling but highly successful tour for The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance entered the studio with producer Brendan O'Brien to produce the band's next album. The band, exhausted with the touring for The Black Parade and its dark tone, wanted to make a conscious break with the sound of that album, and take a more fun, stripped-down approach with "no concepts, no characters, no costumes, and no extra instrumentation". However, the band became unhappy with the final results of their recordings with O'Brien; while they felt as though they had achieved their goals, they also felt that they were holding themselves back creatively. As a result, My Chemical Romance decided to shelve the album in early 2010, a move that the band's label, Reprise Records, was supportive of.[12][13] The sessions with Brendan O'Brien were eventually released in 2012 under the name Conventional Weapons.
After shelving the record, the band returned to the studio with The Black Parade producer Rob Cavallo, who helped reinvigorate and guide the band back on track. Four songs from the band's shelved album, "Bulletproof Heart", "The Only Hope for Me Is You", "Save Yourself" "Party Poison" were brought back and re-recorded for the album.[12] The track "Black Dragon Fighting Society" was re-recorded for the accompanying Mad Gear EP.
Composition and lyrical themes
Danger Days is the band's third rock opera, after their previous album The Black Parade. The story is based around the fictional lives of the "Killjoys", a group of rebellious rogues living in a post-apocalyptic California in the year 2019. Occasionally narrated by pirate radio DJ Dr. Death Defying (voiced by Steve Montano[14]), the album follows the group as they fight against the evil corporation Better Living Industries (BL/ind.) and its various "Draculoids" and exterminators, such as Korse (portrayed by Grant Morrison in music videos), from the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W Unit.[15]
In music videos and promotional material, the band members would portray their "Killjoy" alter-egos: "Party Poison" (Gerard Way), "Jet-Star" (Ray Toro), "Fun Ghoul" (Frank Iero), and "The Kobra Kid" (Mikey Way).[7] The music video for "Na Na Na" shows the Killjoys' daily lives until Korse defeats them and captures "The Girl," while the video for "Sing" shows the Killjoys' rescue mission to get her back.
When asked about the album's title in a November 2010 interview, frontman Gerard Way said that "Danger Days is what it takes to do something great. It refers to us, to the fans, for all we know and artists who helped shape the album". Rolling Stone calls Danger Days a total rejection of the rock infladísimo celebrity. "Na Na Na" presents criticism of consumerist culture of the United States. The band described the main theme of "SING" as "subversion, and to delve under the skin of certain individuals politically, socially, and also to reach national television to talk about how we feel about the world." Toro calls "S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W" a psychedelic song that "shows the artistic side of the band," and was heavily inspired by songs like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles. The final track, "Vampire Money," was a reaction to the band being asked to do a song for The Twilight Saga. Gerard Way said that the reason the song was on the album was because "there's a lot of people chasing that fucking money. 'Twilight?' A lot of people around us were like, 'Please, for the love of God, do this fucking movie.' But we'd moved on."[16]
The band posted a teaser trailer for the album on September 17, 2010, via their official YouTube account, titled "Art Is the Weapon".[17] On September 19, 2010, the band announced "The World Contamination Tour", taking place in parts of the UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany.[18] This was followed by US radio dates in December before moving onto Japan, a full Europe tour, a US tour, European festivals and the Honda Civic Tour with Blink-182 in 2011.
The album's first single "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" premiered on air September 22, 2010 via WRFF in Philadelphia, BBC Radio 1, and KROQ-FM in Los Angeles.[19] The track is featured in the film Movie 43, and is also featured in the video game The Sims 3: Late Night, sung in the fictional language of Simlish.[20] "The Only Hope for Me Is You" was released as a single on October 11, and was also given as a free download to anyone who pre-ordered the album on the iTunes Store. "SING" was covered on the Fox show Glee. "Planetary (Go!)" was featured in the video game Gran Turismo 5 and was also used in an advertisement for Super Bowl XLV. "The Kids From Yesterday" was premiered live on October 23, 2010. The songs "Na Na Na" and "Destroya" were also featured on the MTV show Teen Wolf.
Announced in an exclusive interview with Kerrang!, "Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back" was released as a free download on the band's official website on 5 November 2010.[21] The album premiered on November 16, 2010, on the band's official website, hosted by Dr. Death Defying.[22]
Upon its release, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys received generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70, based on 26 reviews, which indicates "Generally favorable reviews".[24]
Rock Sound received a preview of the album, commenting "the way they've used everything they learned on The Black Parade and tightened up in certain places feels natural and confident" and that it sees "the creativity of the band taking flight musically, graphically and literally."[34] Dan Martin of NME got the chance to preview the album and had equally positive reviews. He stated that "[t]his is the best rock record of the year by such a margin that you actually feel rather embarrassed for everybody else."[35]Alternative Press reviewed the album, and commented, "It's truly hard to believe this is the same act who exploded onto the scene six years ago with the emo anthem, "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)"", as well as stating, "MCR have fully followed their own larger-than-life creative vision", with a rating of four stars.[25]Matt Heafy, frontman and guitarist of the metal band Trivium, listed the album as the fourth best album of 2010.[36]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic awarded the album four and a half stars out of five and said the band were "Swapping gothic pomp for metallic power pop..." and that "there's no emo bloodletting but for most listeners it's crystallized fun, the purest rush My Chemical Romance has ever delivered."[4]
Rock Sound later reviewed the album, saying that "If MCR were your favourite band in the past it might feel like it's going to take some steady reappraisal before you ink their new logo on your rough book" and that "Danger Days simply sounds like they're having way more fun than ever." with a rating of eight stars out of ten.[37] It was number 28 on Rolling Stone's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.[38]
Editions
Gerard Way at a concert in August 2011
In addition to the standard CD edition, the band also offered the California 2019 Edition exclusively through its official online store. The edition features the standard CD version of the album as well as an exclusive EP, The Mad Gear and Missile Kid, a 48-page book titled Art Is the Weapon, a wooden "bad luck beads" bracelet, one of four polyresin prop ray-guns and a matching mask housed in a white box adorned with a photo sleeve. Because of manufacturing problems involving the craftsmanship of the 'ray-guns', the packages were shipped later in the year in February 2011.[39]
An iTunes deluxe version was also released featuring the song "We Don't Need Another Song About California" and the music video for "Na Na Na".
On September 20, 2019, a Picture Disc Vinyl was released by Warner Music.
In 2009, Way announced his intent to create a companion comic series titled The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.[40] He later announced at the 2012 New York Comic Con that he would co-write the series with Shaun Simon, the artwork would be done by Becky Cloonan, and that the first issue of the series would be released on June 6, 2013, with a preview of the book getting released on Free Comic Book Day.[41] Way commented that the series would serve as the "last part of the story" and as a "coming to age story about a young girl".[41][42]
The Mad Gear and Missile Kid is an exclusive three-track EP by a fictional alter-ego band of the same name, and comes with the California 2019 special edition of the album.[39][44] It is the first and only release by the band featuring Michael Pedicone.
Background
Guitarist Frank Iero told MTV "It's basically what the Killjoys are listening to in the car as they're having those gun battles".[45] In an interview with Alternative Press, Gerard Way stated a desire to create a Mad Gear and Missile Kid full-length album, but did not do so before the band's breakup in 2013.[citation needed] This EP was released to streaming services on August 26, 2022.[46]
Cover art
The EP's cover artwork showcases the Dead Pegasus logo featured in the Danger Days music videos, specifically featured on Gerard Way's jacket.[47]
The Mad Gear and Missile Kid has received positive reviews from music critics, with particular praise for both its fun nature and sound.[48] Ian Walker of AbsolutePunk gave the EP a positive review, stating it "clocks in at just under six minutes, but provides a quick injection of musical speed that gets the blood pumping and the body moving."[48] Walker further went on to say, "My Chemical Romance reminds us that music should, first and foremost, be fun. And I can't see them not having a good time as they put this tiny project together. It radiates through every second."[48]
My Chemical Romance is an American rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of the most influential rock groups of the 2000s and a major act in the pop-punk and emo genres, despite the band rejecting the latter label.
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge is the second studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, released on June 8, 2004, by Reprise Records. With this album, the band produced a more polished sound than that of their 2002 debut I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. It was the band's first release to feature rhythm guitarist Frank Iero on all tracks, as well as the final release to feature drummer Matt Pelissier, who would later be replaced by Bob Bryar.
Raymond Toro is an American musician who serves as lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the band My Chemical Romance.
Michael James Way is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He also serves as the multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist of rock duo Electric Century. Way co-wrote Collapser with Shaun Simon; it was released in July 2019 on DC Comics.
Robert Siers Cavallo is an American record producer, musician, and record industry executive. He is among the biggest-selling producers in history, and has produced or had creative involvement in albums that have sold over 130 million units worldwide.
Pencey Prep was an American punk rock band from Belleville, New Jersey.
The Black Parade is the third studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, released in Europe on October 23, 2006, and the United States on October 24, 2006, by Reprise Records. It was produced by the band with Rob Cavallo, known for having produced several albums for the Goo Goo Dolls and Green Day. It is a rock opera and concept album centered on a dying man with cancer known as "The Patient". The album tells the story of his apparent death, experiences in the afterlife, and subsequent reflections on his life. It is the band's only studio album to feature Bob Bryar on drums before his departure in 2010.
John Miceli is the drummer for Meat Loaf's backing band, the Neverland Express. He formerly played with Rainbow.
The official discography of My Chemical Romance, an American rock band, consists of four studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, six extended plays, 26 singles, four video albums, 18 music videos, and 13 original appearances on other albums. As of December 2021, the band had sold 8.7 million album-equivalent units in the United States, 5.6 million of which were from album sales.
Shaun Simon is an American comics writer. He is from Clifton, New Jersey. He wrote The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys with Gerard Way, lead vocalist of My Chemical Romance, for Dark Horse Comics as well as writing Neverboy, also for Dark Horse. He also wrote Collapser with Mikey Way for DC Comics and The Umbrella Academy spinoff prequel series based on Klaus Hargreeves titled You Look Like Death.
"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It is the second track and first single from their fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010).
"The Only Hope for Me Is You" is a single from My Chemical Romance's fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys as well as the sixth track on the album.
"Sing" is My Chemical Romance's fourth track and third single from their fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. The official single artwork was posted on the band's website in October 2010. "Sing" marks the first time a song of the band has reached adult contemporary stations; it began airplay through Chicago radio station WCFS-FM by March 2011.
The World Contamination Tour was a concert tour supporting My Chemical Romance's fourth album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. This was the first tour My Chemical Romance had done since the departure of their drummer Bob Bryar. For the tour, Michael Pedicone was the stand-in drummer.
"Planetary (Go!)" is a single from My Chemical Romance's fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys as well as the fifth track on the album. Beneath the band's name and song title on the cover art of the single, the Japanese word for go, 行け (go) can be seen. The song was nominated for the Kerrang! Award for Best Single. The song was also featured in the video game Gran Turismo 5.
The Kerrang!Awards 2011 were held in London, England, on 9 June 2011, at The Brewery in Romford and were hosted by Slipknot singer Corey Taylor and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian.
Conventional Weapons is a compilation album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, produced by Brendan O'Brien and released as a series of singles between October 2012 and February 2013. It marked the band's final full-album release of studio material before their break-up from 2013 to 2019.
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is an American comic book limited series written by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon, illustrated by Becky Cloonan and published by Dark Horse Comics. The series serves as a sequel to the My Chemical Romance album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, focusing on the followers of a group of vigilantes trying to continue their fight against a tyrannical megacorporation in a post-apocalyptic future.
Robert Cory Bryar is an American retired musician and sound engineer best known as the drummer of American rock band My Chemical Romance. The longest tenured and last official drummer, he performed in the band from 2004 until his departure in 2010.
"The Foundations of Decay" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It is the band's first release since their reunion in October 2019 and the first single since "Fake Your Death" from their greatest hits album May Death Never Stop You (2014). The song was written by lead vocalist Gerard Way and produced by Doug McKean alongside Way and lead guitarist Ray Toro.
↑ Diaz, Julyssa. "My Chemical Romance – Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys". Yam-Mag. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2015. Four years after their critically acclaimed The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance is back with an album that is a delight to listen to. It is the alternative rock you all should be listening to.
↑ Christopher R. Weingarten (November 30, 2010). "My Chemical Romance Go . . . Styx". Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2015. But unlike that album's garish guyliner anthems about death and disease, their new Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is a 15-track power-pop cycle that's a lot less Queen and a lot more Styx...
↑ "My Chemical Romance". PopMatters. 30 November 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2015. With that said, though, Danger Days is a far cry from the artistic plane that The Black Parade sits on: it's a decent pop-rock album, a disastrously confused concept album, and even with its marketing, much is left to be desired.
↑ "My Chemical Romance". Rolling Stone India. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2015. Leaving theatrical gloom behind, the Jersey boys make a blazing synth-rock album
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