This past weekend, My Chemical Romance celebrated the 10th anniversary of their hugely successful third album, The Black Parade. Despite the record’s double platinum success, not many people know about one of its biggest inspirations.
The Black Parade is a rock opera following a character called The Patient, who dies of cancer and must deal with the grief of death while coming to terms with his past. The first songs to materialize were “This Is How I Disappear,” “I Don’t Love You,” and “Disenchanted,” written by the band in 2005 while touring for their 2004 effort Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. They worked on the tracks with studio gear they had on their bus, and were able to find a location to formally record within a few months: Los Angeles' Paramour Mansion.
The Paramour Mansion is allegedly haunted, which the band thought would set the perfect mood to produce the chilling record, according to an interview with Alternative Press. They soon weren’t too sure about their initial judgement, and their excitement turned to fear. Upon arriving, bassist Mikey Way was filled with a strange feeling, a discomfort that eventually caused him to temporarily leave the group.
One night after Mikey had left, Gerard heard guitarist Ray Toro strumming a medley of Ozzy Osbourne songs, clearly upset over something. Gerard began playing a guitar himself, and the two wrote a song that later became known as “Famous Last Words.” The song was inspired by Mikey’s departure, including lyrics such as:
I know that I can’t make you stay, but where’s your heart?
And I know, there’s nothing I can say to change that part
However, Mikey wasn’t the only one going through tough times at the estate. His brother Gerard was plagued by night terrors and horrific dreams, an experience he details on the track “Sleep.” Drummer Bob Bryar recalled to Alternative Press that Ray told him he had seen a ghost in his room. The band even avoids talking about the record’s production because of what they went through at the manor.
Had the band recorded elsewhere, The Black Parade would not be the album it is today—even the title would have been different. An area called the “Heavy Room” became one of frontman Gerard Way’s most frequented spots; he often left strange notes there, including one that read “we are all just a black parade.” This of course is the inspiration behind the album’s name, and replaced the working title of The Rise And Fall Of My Chemical Romance.
You can read all the lyrics to The Black Parade on Genius now.
Photo via The Paramour Mansion.
