It's hard to believe that 10 years ago, I first heard your music. I remember hearing the first single from your newest album, "Welcome to the Black Parade", starting off with that signature G on piano that essentially came to belong to you. Millions of people in my generation knew that. It was never just the music; while the instrumentation played a key role in the cohesiveness of each song, it was the raw power of human emotion beautifully intertwined in each chord, drum fill and lyric. It was the fact that at 10-years-old, I already knew the pain and joy behind everything you sang. That song soon became the anthem for anyone and everyone who struggled with depression, anxiety, or felt ridicule and like an outcast for the simple fact they were different. The world has a tendency to tear people apart, and the five of you knew that better than anyone. So today I write to you to remind you how much you have meant, and always will mean to me.
Dear My Chemical Romance,
In all of what I am about to say, I know I speak on behalf of millions of kids who were lucky enough to grow up with your influence. First of all, I would like to thank you for gracing my adolescent self with your words of experience and wisdom. Without that, I can hardly say I would be the person I am today. I grew up in a broken home, which truly drew me to your music; there was something about experiencing death in the family and divorce, amongst other things, that united so many people under the community you and your music created (MCRmy for life).
There were many things that made me different I felt forced to keep hidden beneath my black wardrobe and makeup. Hardships that so many people experience became a source of shame and ridicule from classmates and occasionally my own family members. When the name-calling, mockery and everything going on behind closed doors became too overwhelming, you were there. You told us to "carry on" and reminded us not to be "afraid to keep on living" when everything seemed as if it was falling apart. These words of encouragement have stayed with me and so many others since the day I first heard them. Someone understood. Someone cared. Someone was there to tell us we were important and loved.
From then on, I became a stronger person, to the point where I was able to take initiative in my own life and spread your message to others who hadn't found it yet. I was a young woman obsessed; with your music, with helping others - with life, which I never would have expected given all I'd been through. All because of you. I was lucky enough to experience that love first-hand, as was anyone able to go and see you play. Never had I felt so much emotion in one room packed with strangers who were also friends; I could tell that everyone cared so deeply about each other as we all screamed every word together.
When you broke up, I felt betrayed - as if my whole past had been rendered to a smoldering pile of ash, extinguishing the spark you'd ignited in me years ago. While that may sound dramatic, I promise I felt no greater heartbreak before that moment when I found out MCR was done. Because of that, we grew apart; while it was selfish, I questioned how you could pull yourselves away from people who needed you - your fans who depended on you to make their lives more bearable. We begged for you to get back together, we all felt the same bitterness when you released the vague MCRX trailer in late July, then a day later you told us it wasn't happening. I was frustrated, to say the least, but then I realized something. Though I wasn't there since day one, I was fortunate enough to tag along for most of the ride. My Chemical Romance, a small band from a small town in my home state of New Jersey, went on to take the world by storm - literally. I was able to watch the five of you grow as musicians, as artists, and in your careers after the band. There is a reason us fans still follow all of you today and that is because of how genuinely inspiring and good people you all are. Today, we celebrate 10 years of "The Black Parade" - the album that defined a generation, the album that started it all for so many teenagers needing to feel that love.The 12 years you were together wasn't just a band playing shows around the world; it was a movement that I can look back and be thankful that I was a part of. MCR isn't just a band; it's an idea - and that will never die.
I mean this forever.
XOXO,
A fan
