Why is Welcome to the Black Parade So Sad?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Albums,Alternative Rock,Emo Last Updated November 17, 2022

Black Parade so sad lg

Welcome to the Black Parade might be My Chemical Romance’s most popular song. However, it is also a song that is really sad at times. So, why is Welcome to the Black Parade so sad?

Here’s what I have discovered:

Welcome to the Black Parade is so sad as it involved invokes feelings of loss, mourning, and fleeting moments of happiness. It is about a fictional character called the Patient who dies of cancer and in his transition to the afterlife recalls his fondest memory of his father taking him to see a parade.

The Patient is featured throughout the entire album The Black Parade.

No band can sing a song about death and loss without it being, at least in part, sad. It would be dishonest to write a song about death that is only happy and uplifting. Death is incredibly painful for those involved, and it is something that needs to be mourned.

The sad honesty of the song has helped many fans.

People have credited the song with pulling them out of a dark place by providing a space where they can be honest about what they are feeling.

What is the story behind Welcome to The Black Parade?

Welcome to the Black Parade was written about a fictional character called the Patient, and this character dies in the song and moves on to the afterlife. In the transition, he thinks of his fondest memory which is his father taking him to see a parade.

It wasn’t written to just be a song; Gerard Way had a specific story in mind that he then crafted into a song.

The entire album, The Black Parade, was written to explore an idea laid out in the form of a story. Gerard Way says that the album is following a character who is simply referred to as “The Patient”. The character is called The Patient because he is in a hospital where he is dying of cancer.

In the album’s story, Welcome to the Black Parade is the song in which The Patient finally dies in his hospital room.

The opening piano sounds are most likely his transition from life to the afterlife. Gerard Way had the idea that death will greet each of us in the form of our strongest and most cherished memory.

The Patient’s most cherished memory was the time when his father took him to see a parade. 

When he dies, he meets death in the form of The Black Parade. He recalls this memory in the lyrics: “When I was a young boy my father took me into the city to see a marching band.”

The rest of the song explores The Patient’s experience of the afterlife and his place within it while reflecting on the time he had on earth.

Why is The Black Parade so good?

The Black Parade is arguably MCR’s most popular album, and it is such a good album because it is a concept album where the songs fit together to tell a story. It is a dark but heartfelt story that deals with hard realities that many fans relate to.

And let’s be honest; musical artists don’t focus much on albums these days since most people pick and choose their favorite songs from streaming platforms and rarely listen to an album from beginning to end.

One of the main reasons that The Black Parade is so good is that it had a talented band behind it that was passionate about the concept.

Gerard Way is clearly a skilled musician and songwriter, and all the albums he has worked on have been well received. However, The Black Parade is special because of how passionate the band was about exploring the concept of death.

It is the album’s honesty that also makes it so good. 

The Black Parade doesn’t shy away from hard realities. When a band tries to coddle its fanbase and only writes songs that make them feel happy, that band loses its credibility, and eventually, people will become bored.

The Black Parade was like a breath of fresh air to listeners who had become accustomed to by-the-book songs with happy-go-lucky lyrics.

Gerard Way has never shied away from asking honest questions and struggling with the answers. 

Part of the album’s honesty comes from Way having honest struggles about his faith and religion while growing up. In my recent article, I look at Gerard Way’s history in the church and see if My Chemical Romance should be considered a Christian band.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Does Gerard Way have depression?

Gerard Way has fought depression. It isn’t clear if he was depressed during his initial time with the band, but he has been open about his depression after the band’s breakup.

My Chemical Romance has always had somewhat depressing lyrics and a less-than-cheerful sound. This has led many to wonder if Way suffered from depression.

It is possible that Gerard Way was depressed back when MCR first formed.

The style of music and its lyrical foundation certainly suggest that he was fixated on darker ideas, specifically death and suffering. However, during his time with the band, he didn’t state that he had suffered from depression.

Gerard Way decided that MCR needed to come to an end in 2013.

Even though the decision was entirely his own, Way says that he became severely depressed after MCR was disbanded. So much of his life had been devoted to pursuing an ideal in the form of MCR.

So, when it finally ended, Way struggled with his identity and where he belonged in the world.

In my recent article, I explored why the band broke up originally and if they will ever make new music together again.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

He says it was the most depressed he had ever been in his life. However, he eventually found that writing music was therapeutic. So, he continued doing what he loved even though he was no longer doing it with My Chemical Romance.

He claims this pulled him out of the dark place he had fallen into.

Why is Welcome to the Black Parade triggering?

Welcome to the Black Parade can be triggering because it explores dark ideas that are often associated with trauma and loss that many fans relate to. A trigger is a stimulus that forces a person to re-experience feelings associated with a traumatic experience they once had.

The overall concept of the song is of a man who has died of cancer.

Even the concept of death can be triggering to people. Individuals who suffer from a panic or anxiety disorder can be triggered by ideas they find upsetting. Some people are terrified of their own mortality and don’t want to consider the fact that they will one day die.

To hear a song that is all about death can cause someone to panic.

However, the song also explores the death of others. The lyrics speak of a ‘widow’, meaning from that woman’s perspective, she has lost someone she loves. This can be triggering to people who are afraid of losing their loved ones or who have actually lost their loved ones.

The song deals with trauma head-on and is very honest about the pain associated with death. 

And though it may be triggering for some, the song actually has a hopeful message. It is suggesting that even though these horrible things happen to us and the ones we love, we can still carry on.

We can remember that the people we have lost love us, and we can use that love to help those who are still in our lives.

Why did Gerard Way write Cancer?

Gerard Way wrote the song Cancer as he wanted to write the “darkest song ever”. In the song, he continues to explore the story surrounding The Patient, who the whole album is about. The Patient eventually dies and ascends to the afterlife. 

Cancer is one of the most brutal and tragic songs on The Black Parade.

The Patient is dying of cancer in his hospital room, and this song forces listeners to confront the painful reality of cancer.

About the song, Gerard Way has said: 

“It’s not a poetic track. It’s very direct, very brutal, but that’s the way disease is. Obviously, cancer is being used as a metaphor. But I also wanted the song to be directly about the disease because it’s something that the patient has gone through and it’s a very powerful thing. For me, it was almost like an attempt to write the darkest song ever, and I think we achieved that.”

He is right about the song being incredibly dark. The lyrics are not abstract or overly complicated; they list very real experiences that cancer patients have.

One of the most tragic parts of the song is when The Patient says he will not kiss his family.

He feels so disgusted and so unlike himself from the chemotherapy that he pushes the people he loves away. He doesn’t want them to see him like this, which is something many cancer patients can relate to.

Gerard Way wanted to give a voice to those who have suffered from this horrible disease, and he wanted to be honest about it.

The Hidden Story of The Black Parade

Conclusion

Welcome to the Black Parade is a story about a man who has died. It shows his experience of the afterlife and his recollections of his time alive.

The Black Parade is so good because it had a talented band that truly cared about the music it was making. Gerard Way fell into depression after MCR broke up, but he has since found relief through writing music.

Welcome to the Black Parade can be triggering for people because it explores serious issues that some people have been traumatized by.

Gerard Way wrote cancer to give a voice to those who have been affected by this disease. He wanted to paint an honest portrait of it so that people could empathize with those who suffer.

Photo which requires attribution:

Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Southampton Guildhall by Drew de F Fawkes is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, edited, and had a text overlay added.

Top Related Posts