May Death Never Stop You | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | March 25, 2014 | |||
Length | 73:20 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
My Chemical Romance chronology | ||||
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Singles from May Death Never Stop You | ||||
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May Death Never Stop You [a] is a greatest hits compilation album by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It was released on March 25, 2014, and is a collection of 19 songs from across My Chemical Romance's discography from 2001 to 2013. Most of those songs are from previous albums, ranging from their commercially successful singles to fan-favorite songs. In addition to those songs, the album contains a previously unreleased song, "Fake Your Death", and three demos.
The album was announced after My Chemical Romance announced their breakup in 2013. The album was supported by "Fake Your Death", which was released as a single on February 17, and was the final song that the band had made before their breakup. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, who viewed the release as a good overview of the bands history, though some had mixed opinions on its track selection. It charted in several countries, and was later certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry and gold by Recorded Music NZ.
On March 22, 2013, My Chemical Romance announced that they would be breaking up through a blog post on their official website. [2] [b] Two days later, band member Gerard Way confirmed the break up through a post on his Twitter account. [4] Later that year on December 13, the band announced that they would be releasing a greatest hits album, titled May Death Never Stop You, in celebration of the bands history. In addition to containing songs from each of the bands studio albums, the band announced that the album would contain previously unreleased material. [5] The albums cover art was designed by Way, [6] who previously revealed it on November 30. [5] It features a ruined, half-destroyed statue in the center in a marching uniform from The Black Parade (2006), as well as memorabilia representing the bands other albums scattered throughout. [6] In January 2014, it was announced that the album would contain the final finished song the band had created, "Fake Your Death". [7] [b]
Pre-orders for the album started on January 21, 2014. [5] On February 17, "Fake Your Death" was released as a single on iTunes and BBC Radio 1. [8] A trailer for the album was released that same day, containing clips of the bands music videos accompanied by the song. [9] May Death Never Stop You was released on March 25, 2014 [5] through Reprise Records. [10] The album was available in three editions: a standard version released on CD, a Deluxe edition containing a DVD with extra content, and a "Physical Deluxe" edition that included the CD as well as a two-piece vinyl set. [7]
May Death Never Stop You is a greatest hits compilation album containing 19 songs from across My Chemical Romance's discography from 2001 to 2013. [11] Most of these are from their previous studio albums, with two songs from I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (2002), four each from Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004) and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010), and five from The Black Parade (2006). [11] [1] While the majority of songs featured on the album were successful singles, some were never released as standalone singles, instead being fan-favorites. These include "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison", "Cancer", and "Mama". Similarly, two of the bands singles, "Thank You for the Venom" and "I Don't Love You" were excluded, despite the latter's commercial success in the United Kingdom. [1] Alongside their songs from previous albums, May Death Never Stop You features the aforementioned "Fake Your Death" [7] and three songs from their "Attic Demo" sessions: "Cubicles", "Skylines and Turnstiles", and "Knives/Sorrow", the third of which is a demo of "Our Lady of Sorrows". [12] The album's deluxe edition comes with a DVD [7] that features twelve of the band's music videos. Among these is the previously unreleased video for "Blood" and the scrapped introduction to the clip for "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)". [12]
"Fake Your Death" is a piano ballad, [7] that later incorporates drums and guitars. [13] Alongside the bands regular members, the song features James Dewees on keyboard. [14] It is the album's opening track. [1] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters described the song as "bombastic", and felt that it was comparable to a song from The Black Parade. [1] It was previously recorded for their scrapped fifth studio album, and ended up being the last song the band had completed before breaking up. [8] According to Frank Iero, the song was the only recording from the project that was suitable for release, saying that the other tracks from it were unsalvageable and unlikely to ever be released officially. [13] Gerard Way stated that he viewed the song as a "eulogy for the band", as well as its "final fully realized collaboration", though he did not initially create the song with the idea that it would be the bands last. [8] Jake Richardson of Loudwire highlighted the song's lyric "I choose defeat, I walk away and leave this place the same today" as reflecting the song's unintentional meaning as a eulogy. [15]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 79/100 [16] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Alternative Addiction | [10] |
AllMusic | [11] |
Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [17] |
PopMatters | [1] |
May Death Never Stop You received generally positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator Metacritic, it holds a score of 79 based on 4 critic reviews. [16]
Evan Sawdey of PopMatters described May Death Never Stop You as a "fitting monument" to My Chemical Romance's legacy and discography. [1] Similar thoughts were written by Carla Washbourne of Drowned in Sound. He felt that, in most cases, creating a compilation of the bands work would have been difficult, and highlighted bands decision to use fan-favorite songs over what he considered to be "less interesting" radio singles as helping combat this. [1] Similar thoughts were echoed by AllMusic's Stephen Erlewine and Carla Washbourne of Drowned in Sound. [11] [17] Erlewine further described the compilation as highlighting how most of the bands best songs were able to stand on their own, even when taken out of their associated albums. [11]
Sawdey criticized the demos included in the album, describing them as "weak and disposable". He also criticized the lack of some fan-favorite songs, such as B-sides or songs from Conventional Weapons , feeling that those should have been included over the demos. [1] Alternative Addiction felt that the songs included on the album weren't the best choices, criticizing the lack of material from Conventional Weapons and the exclusions of "Thank You for the Venom" and "Dead!". And while he believed that these omissions were flaws, he felt that they didn't significantly impact the release. [10] Washbourne liked the inclusion of the demos, and felt that while the album slightly prioritized the bands more popular material, the track list effectively functioned as an "evolutionary tree" of My Chemical Romance's discography, with the addition of "Fake Your Death" converting it into a "smartly chronological last hurrah". [17]
The album's single, "Fake Your Death", was met with a mixed response. Alternative Addiction described the track as comparable in quality to those from Conventional Weapons, which he simply viewed as "decent". [10] Sawdey described the song as a "solid anthem for the group to go out on", though felt that the song was likely written with the main intent of being mainstream. [1] In a 2022 ranking of the bands discography, Cassie Whitt and Jake Richardson of Loudwire placed the song at #43, stating that the song was a "final reminder" of the bands discography being "grandiose, visionary and, above all, full of heart". [15]
In the United States, May Death Never Stop You debuted and peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200, spending 6 weeks on that chart. [18] In the United Kingdom, it reached #15 on the UK Albums chart, [19] and was later certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. [20] In New Zealand, it peaked at #22 on the New Zealand Albums chart [21] and has been certified gold by Recorded Music NZ. [22] Elsewhere, it charted on the album charts for Hungary (#2), [23] Australia (#11), [24] Ireland (#13), [25] Scotland (#17), [26] and Czechia (#25). [27] Meanwhile, "Fake Your Death" debuted at #63 on the UK Singles chart, spending only one week on that chart. [28]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fake Your Death" | James Dewees, Frank Iero, Ray Toro, Gerard Way, Mikey Way | Previously unreleased | 3:21 |
2. | "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" | Iero, Matt Pelissier, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love | 3:53 |
3. | "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" | Iero, Pelissier, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love | 5:26 |
4. | "Helena" | Iero, Pelissier, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge | 3:26 |
5. | "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison" | Iero, Pelissier, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge | 2:55 |
6. | "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" | Iero, Pelissier, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge | 3:08 |
7. | "The Ghost of You" | Iero, Pelissier, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge | 3:57 |
8. | "Welcome to the Black Parade" | Bob Bryar, Iero, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | The Black Parade | 5:14 |
9. | "Cancer" | Bryar, Iero, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | The Black Parade | 2:25 |
10. | "Mama" | Bryar, Iero, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | The Black Parade | 4:39 |
11. | "Teenagers" | Bryar, Iero, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | The Black Parade | 2:42 |
12. | "Famous Last Words" | Bryar, Iero, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | The Black Parade | 5:00 |
13. | "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" | Bryar, Iero, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys | 3:26 |
14. | "Sing" | Iero, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys | 4:31 |
15. | "Planetary (Go!)" | Iero, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys | 4:07 |
16. | "The Kids from Yesterday" | Iero, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys | 5:26 |
17. | "Skylines and Turnstiles" (demo version) | Pelissier, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Previously unreleased | 3:30 |
18. | "Knives/Sorrow" (demo version) | Pelissier, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Previously unreleased | 2:14 |
19. | "Cubicles" (demo version) | Pelissier, Toro, G. Way, M. Way | Previously unreleased | 4:00 |
Total length: | 73:20 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" (version 1) | 1:48 |
2. | "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" (version 2) | 7:43 |
3. | "Helena" | 23:06 |
4. | "The Ghost of You" | 4:26 |
5. | "Welcome to the Black Parade" | 24:20 |
6. | "Famous Last Words" | 11:30 |
7. | "I Don't Love You" | 14:54 |
8. | "Teenagers" | 6:07 |
9. | "Blood" (previously unreleased) | 1:30 |
10. | "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" / "Art Is the Weapon" | 9:34 |
11. | "Sing" | 4:37 |
12. | "Planetary (Go!)" | 16:55 |
Credits adapted from iTunes. [29]
Band members
Additional musicians
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [24] | 11 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [30] | 147 |
Czech Albums (Czech Albums Chart) [27] | 25 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [31] | 66 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [23] | 2 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [25] | 13 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [32] | 67 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [33] | 37 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [21] | 22 |
Polish Albums (ZPAV) [34] | 37 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [26] | 17 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [35] | 61 |
UK Albums (OCC) [19] | 15 |
US Billboard 200 [18] | 9 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
New Zealand (RMNZ) [22] | Gold | 7,500‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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.
I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love is the debut studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, released on July 23, 2002, by Eyeball Records. Produced by Thursday vocalist Geoff Rickly, it was recorded at Nada Recording Studio in New Windsor, New York, in May 2002. In the band's 2006 documentary Life on the Murder Scene, the band describes the painful conditions lead singer Gerard Way was in during the recording of the album due to a toothache, causing the album’s recording to take longer than planned.
James Matthew Dewees is an American musician best known for his work with The Get Up Kids, Reggie and the Full Effect and My Chemical Romance. He has also been involved in other musical projects including New Found Glory, Coalesce, Leathermouth, and Death Spells.
"Helena" is a song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance from their second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004). It was released as the album's third single on March 8, 2005. An emo song, it was created in memory of band members Gerard Way and Mikey Way's late grandmother, who died while the band was touring and unable to visit her during the last year of her life. Although it was one of the last tracks on the album to be written, the direction that Gerard Way took it in influenced the rest of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge's tracks. A music video, directed by Marc Webb and filmed at a church in Los Angeles, was also released.
"I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" is the lead single and fifth track from My Chemical Romance's second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" was released to radio on September 28, 2004. The song is also featured on the soundtrack of Burnout 3: Takedown.
"Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us" is the second single released by American rock band My Chemical Romance from their debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. It is the second track on the album. The song peaked at number 182 in the UK.
"Vampires Will Never Hurt You" is the debut single of American rock band My Chemical Romance, as well as the lead single for their debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love.
The Black Parade is the third studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, first released on October 23, 2006, through 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.
"Welcome to the Black Parade" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance, from their third studio album The Black Parade (2006). It was released on September 12, 2006, as the album's lead single, with the studio version available on the band's Myspace on September 2, 2006. The music video for the single was recognized as MTV's "Greatest Music Video of the Century" in 2017. The song topped the UK Singles Chart, reached number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was named one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
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.
"Teenagers" is a song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance from their third studio album, The Black Parade (2006). An "anthemic" punk rock song, "Teenagers" was inspired by frontman Gerard Way's fear of teenagers, with lyrics addressing apprehension towards teenagers and teenage gun crime. The song was written by band members Bob Bryar, Frank Iero, Ray Toro, Gerard Way, and Mikey Way, and was produced by the group alongside Rob Cavallo.
"Cancer" is a song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance, released as the eighth track from their third studio album, The Black Parade (2006). A piano ballad, "Cancer" was conceived by Gerard Way and written in eight minutes by him and Rob Cavallo. The song was written by band members Bob Bryar, Frank Iero, Ray Toro, Gerard Way, and Mikey Way, and was produced by the group alongside Cavallo.
Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys 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.
"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).
"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" marked the first time a song from the band had reached adult contemporary stations; it began airplay through Chicago radio station WCFS-FM by March 2011.
Robert Cory Bryar was an American musician and sound engineer best known as the drummer of American rock band My Chemical Romance. He was the longest-tenured and last official drummer in the band, performing in the rock group from 2004 until his departure in 2010.
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"Skylines and Turnstiles" is a song by the American band My Chemical Romance, released as the seventh track from their debut studio album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (2002). A hardcore punk song whose lyrics focus on the September 11 attacks, "Skylines and Turnstiles" was conceived when Gerard Way witnessed the attacks and consequently decided to form a band. The song was written by band members Frank Iero, Matt Pelissier, Ray Toro, Gerard Way, and Mikey Way, and was produced by Geoff Rickly. The track has been identified as one of the best songs in My Chemical Romance's discography, with music critics highlighting its role in establishing the band and its sound. A demo of "Skylines and Turnstiles" was later released on May Death Never Stop You (2014), the band's greatest hits album, and the song was included in the setlist of their reunion tour.
"Fake Your Death" is a 2014 song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance. Written during the band's unsuccessful 2012 sessions at writing a fifth studio album, the song was later released as a single for their greatest hits album, May Death Never Stop You (2014). "Fake Your Death" was written by band members James Dewees, Frank Iero, Ray Toro, Gerard Way, and Mikey Way, and was produced by the group alongside Rob Cavallo and Doug McKean.