Teenagers (song)

"Teenagers" is a song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance from their third studio album, The Black Parade (2006). An "anthemic" song which has been described as punk rock, glam rock, southern rock, and emo, "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.
The track was released as the album's fourth and final single on July 9, 2007. "Teenagers" has charted in multiple countries, including in the United States where it reached #67 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007, and #16 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in 2019 following the announcement of the band's reunion. The track was certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, signifying certified sales of 4 millions units. The single also peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of three by the band to reach the Top 10, and was certified two-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
The accompanying music video for "Teenagers", directed by frequent collaborator Marc Webb, depicted the band performing in a high school gymnasium before being attacked by a horde of fans. The song has received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its catchiness and considered it a standout both on The Black Parade and in the band's discography as a whole. My Chemical Romance has included "Teenagers" on the set lists of their various live performances, including that of their reunion tour, and the track has been covered by various recording artists. "Teenagers" has also been widely used on the app TikTok, particularly in July 2022 as both a protest song against the overturning of Roe v. Wade and as part of a social media trend.
My Chemical Romance began writing their third studio album, The Black Parade, in early 2006 at S.I.R. Studios in New York. There, frontman Gerard Way expressed an interest to create an album which explored life and death, but contained his real fears "buried under layers of pomp and circumstance". "Teenagers" was conceived as part of these early sessions; Gerard Way explained in an interview with Take 40 Australia that the song was primarily written while he was riding the New York City Subway, as he found himself scared of high schoolers in a train car and began to wonder if he was out of touch with the youth.
Following the completion of The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance biographer Tom Bryant noted how certain executives at Warner Records wished for "Teenagers" to be released as the album's first single; this was ultimately rejected in favor of "Welcome to the Black Parade". The song was first announced as the eleventh song on the album on September 13, 2006, and was released alongside the album on October 23, 2006. "Teenagers" was subsequently released to American alternative radio stations on May 15, 2007, and was officially released as the album's fourth single on July 9, 2007. The song was later included on the 2008 live album and DVD The Black Parade Is Dead!, which featured the final show performed on The Black Parade Tour. The song was also included on May Death Never Stop You, the band's 2014 greatest hits album, and on The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts (2016), the 10th-anniversary reissue of The Black Parade.
"Teenagers" is an anthemic song which has been described as punk rock, glam rock, southern rock, and emo. Instrumentally, the song begins with a simple guitar riff consisting of hammer-on notes and palm muting; a vibraslap can also be heard prior to each chorus. During the song's bridge, a "funky" guitar solo, described by Sam Roche of Guitar World as being "sing-along", is played. Both David Fricke of Rolling Stone and Christopher R. Weingarten of The New York Times stylistically compared "Teenagers" to songs by T. Rex, while both NME and Bryant compared it to those by Status Quo. Weingarten additionally noted how "Teenagers" seemed influenced by the Slade song "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", while NME also compared the track to those by Roxy Music.
Lyrically, "Teenagers" was inspired by Gerard Way's fear of teenagers. It is distinctive from the rest of The Black Parade in that it does not directly follow the album's overarching narrative about the death of The Patient; Way instead described the song as a "commentary on kids being viewed as meat; by the government and by society". Josiah Gogarty of GQ called "Teenagers" a "self-aware riff on how some adults viewed [the band's] audience", while April Prince of Alternative Press wrote that it "calls out the apprehension that adults have toward teenagers". The song's lyrics also address teenage gun crime, with Sia Michel of The New York Times observing how they "blame adults for engendering teenage violence" and Andy Greenwald of Spin interpreting the song as Way "morphing into an authoritarian military recruiter who smugly drafts kids into 'the murder machine'". In an interview with NME, Way acknowledged that gun crime was "a really big problem in America", and noted how the track "almost didn't fit on the record[,] but it's a topic that's so important to our culture". Way also brought up the Smiths song "The Headmaster Ritual" within the interview, which Weingarten called a "direct lyrical influence" on "Teenagers" due to their similar lyrical depictions of violence in schools.
"Teenagers" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its catchiness and wit. In a five-star review for the BBC, Fraser McAlpine wrote that the song channeled feelings of teen angst into a "defiant swagger-party". Fricke also praised the track in his review of the album, writing how it had a "great punch-the-air chorus" and would have been the best song to close the album with. Wren Graves of Consequence praised "Teenagers" for its "mocking humor" in a retrospective review of the album, while Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly lauded its "theatrical" nature and Way's "jauntily devilish vocal persona". However, Sean Howe of The Village Voice criticized the line "If you're troubled and hurt / What you got under your shirt / Will make them pay for the things that they did" for being "too Trenchcoat Mafia for comfort".
The track has performed generally well in rankings of songs on The Black Parade, with both Robert Christgau and Theon Weber of Stylus identifying "Teenagers" as a standout on the album. Lauren Boisvert of American Songwriter called the song the third-best song on The Black Parade in her ranking of the album, noting how it resonated with her both as an adult and as a teenager. Ariana Bacle of Entertainment Weekly ranked "Teenagers" fourth, praising its "confident, captivating swagger". Tom Shepherd of Kerrang! placed the song at seventh in his ranking of the album, recognizing it as a "black sheep" on the album yet praising its "galvanising subject" and chorus. However, Mackenzie Templeton ranked "Teenagers" as the album's third-worst song, writing that it "didn't age as gracefully" as other tracks on the album.
"Teenagers" has also been deemed one of the best tracks in My Chemical Romance's discography as a whole, with Rou Reynolds of the band Enter Shikari calling it his favorite due to its catchiness and lyrical content. The staff of Billboard included the track in their list of the 15 best My Chemical Romance songs, highlighting how many fans of My Chemical Romance — being teenagers during the band's peak of popularity — began to "finally understand the fear" of teenagers, causing the song to "slap even harder". Similarly, Marianne Eloise of Louder included the track in her list of the 20 greatest songs by the band, writing how it is "more relatable than ever". Margaret Farrell of Stereogum ranked "Teenagers" as the band's fourth-best song, calling it a "disturbingly fun anthem for exploited youth", while the staff of Spin included "Teenagers" in their list of the band's 10 best songs, noting how it served as a good break within the otherwise-dramatic album. Roche of Guitar World specifically lauded the track as being one of the band's 6 greatest guitar moments, highlighting the simplicity of its guitar riff and solo, and praised the track's "infectiously interactive" nature. A Rolling Stone list of the best songs of 2007 placed "Teenagers" at #25, calling it the band's "catchiest and most fun song".
In the United States, "Teenagers" debuted at #2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart on June 23, 2007, before debuting at #87 on the Hot 100 the following week and peaking at #67 on August 4, 2007. The single also peaked at #23 on the Pop Airplay chart. In 2019, following the announcement of the band's reunion, "Teenagers" debuted and peaked at #16 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified "Teenagers" four-times platinum in the United States on October 21, 2021. In Canada, "Teenagers" reached #53 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart on September 15, 2007, and peaked at #21 on the Canada Rock chart.
In Europe, "Teenagers" reached #13 on the Euro Digital Tracks chart. In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at #9 on both the UK Singles and the UK Singles Downloads charts, becoming one of three songs by the group to reach the Top 10 on the former. The song was also listed at #87 on the UK Singles year-end chart of 2007, and was certified two-times platinum in by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Teenagers" has also charted on the Scottish Singles Chart (6), the Irish Singles Chart (7), the Czech Republic's Rádio – Top 100 chart (21), Austria's Ö3 Austria Top 40 chart (50), and Germany's singles chart (74). The song has been certified gold in Italy by the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI), in Denmark by IFPI Danmark, and in Spain by Productores de Música de España. Additionally, "Teenagers" peaked at #6 on New Zealand's singles chart, #15 on Venezuela's pop rock chart, and at #16 on Australia's singles chart. The song was certified three-times platinum in New Zealand by Recorded Music NZ.
An accompanying music video for "Teenagers", directed by frequent collaborator Marc Webb, was released on May 30, 2007. The video depicts the band performing the song inside a high school gymnasium to a group of teenage fans, while cheerleaders with gas masks and batons dance. The group of fans pump the air in unison, before a riot ensues and the band members are "attacked without any regard for their safety". The video ends with a message supporting National Save, a youth violence prevention organization. The music video pays homage to the Pink Floyd film The Wall, with both containing a similar scene of teenagers breaking through a padlocked door. The video was nominated for Best Video at the 2008 NME Awards, losing to that of "Teddy Picker" by Arctic Monkeys. Aliya Chaudhry of Kerrang! ranked the music video for "Teenagers" the sixth best by the band, praising its over-the-top yet captivating nature.
"Teenagers" has been a staple in My Chemical Romance live performances, having been performed during events such as the 2007 Projekt Revolution tour, the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards, the 10th Annual Honda Civic Tour, the 2011 Reading and Leeds Festivals, the 2022 Riot Fest and When We Were Young festivals, and the band's reunion tour. The band has also played the song in performances of The Black Parade as a whole, including during the Black Parade Tour and the 2024 When We Were Young festival. Additionally, "Teenagers" has been covered by various artists, including by Palaye Royale in live performances, Macy Gray, Save Face, and Against the Current for the compilation album Rock Sound Presents: The Black Parade.
Prior to July 2022, "Teenagers" had been used by TikTok users to soundtrack videos of politically active members of Generation Z. The track was also adopted by parents on the platform, who used it in videos of rebellious actions taken by their teenage children. In July 2022, "Teenagers" saw a significant revival on the app due to a trend where users would post pictures of their parents as teenagers, and as a protest song by Generation Z after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. "Teenagers" is the band's most-played song on Spotify, becoming their first to surpass one billion streams on the platform in September 2024.
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Black Parade and Apple Music.
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Credits