The Hidden Story of The Black Parade 

I am so happy that people are starting to watch this video, thank you so much! There is one amendment I’d like to make since this video has come out: I do not think the patient’s lover left him, instead, he made her leave. The shift from “know that I will never marry” in Cancer to “When after all the blood that you still owe, another dollar is just another blow. So take your gloves and get out while you can” in I Don’t Love you feels like he doesn’t want her to face the pain he’s going through. He’s intentionally hurting her to make her leave. This can be viewed as a selfless act and be part of the reason Death has a change of heart and why the patient came to the point he did in Disenchanted. TLDR; she didn’t leave him, he made her leave. Again, thank you for watching!

Finally, someone who believes in Mama supremacy

Bro, I'm ngl, you made Mama at least 700% more heartbreaking

I'd pay a hundred bucks to see Gerard way react to this

I may be reaching, but for “Mama” (my fave song btw) I love how after all of the loud music and sirens and chaos and everything, the song ends with a single pluck. No grand finale, no lingering note. Just a single pluck, symbolizing the finality of death. There is no great exit, there is no blaze of glory, you’re just gone. Nothing afterwards to help the listener cope or grieve with the song being over. It’s chillingly accurate.

I’m sorry but, the “I have less than a thousand subscribers” and seeing how this dude has over a million now makes me so happy. Look at him, look how far he’s come. I’m so proud of you, good job.

he's laid out the blueprints for a black parade musical now make it happen

2 years ago: “. . . I have less than a thousand subscribers . . .” Now: Over 3M. It’s so awesome to see how far he’s come, I hope he continues to grow and succeed

When I was 14 my father introduced me to MCR through the song Welcome to the Black Parade specifically. He loved music and loved that song specifically from their catalog. He developed cancer when I was 15 and took his own life a year later so this album and his enjoyment of that specific song really meant a lot to me as a teenager and still today.

Realising that the Parader was screaming at the kid to wake up during "Sleep" actually gave me chills

This is the literally the greatest interpretation of the album I have ever came across. Holy shit dude, why does this have such little views?!?!?! I am legitimately moved

Just gave the album a listen with this context in mind. Teenagers is a song about how death is scared of teenagers, because they aren’t scared of him. He starts out by talking about the struggles young adults have, and sounds giddy while doing so because they’re things that bring them closer to death. I’d even go as far as saying the line “what you’ve got under your shirt will make them pay for the things that they did” is death goading the cancer patient into “making them pay for the things that they did” and the album is about karma, and deaths manipulation of the cancer patient until he takes them too.

This album impacted me so heavily as a child and to have the story laid out for me now gave me chills. I cried at multiple points in this video because A) i am a baby and B) your explanations made so much sense and were so chilling (i.e. the Parader screaming during Sleep). You’ve grown from a thousand subs to over 2.5 million, so I know the chance of you seeing this now is low. But I’m proud of you, we’re all proud of you, and thank you.

You know Wendigoon's a real one because you can see him tear up when he's talking about Disenchanted.

Another minor detail that wasn't mentioned yet really reinforces this theory is that, in all the music videos for the Patient's songs, Gerard has black hair and is wearing regular clothes, while in the Parader's songs he has white hair and the ever-famous black Parade outfit, and in Welcome to the Black Parade, the patient is played by someone else with black hair, with white hair Gerard as the Parader. In addition to the look, these are specifically the videos where Gerard really adapts the whole batshit crazy, sassy, pompous Freddie Mercury-esque personality (which is more or less Gerards own energy anyway) which I 100% believe is him playing the character of the Parader, and in the Patient videos, he's noticeably toned it down (save for Teenagers, which is appropriate given the song). It all fits in perfectly with this take on the album and I love it. I also like to imagine that the rest of MCR, in the Parader's videos, are his brothers in arms who died in the same air raid and are now with him playing in the Black Parade.

one thing i think adds to this explanation beautifully is a detail in the wttbp music video: for context, there are, among others, two more characters that are part of the parade (the two girls with black streaks over their eyes), and they are canonically called Fear and Regret. in the video, after the Patient is made a part of the parade and receives a medal, they both kiss him goodbye and simply go away. if we look at the entire album as a story about making peace with his mistakes in life and with the fact that he's dying, the ending track featuring him letting go of all the fear of death and regret about his life he held is both thematically coherent and a beautiful addition.

Mama is just incredible. A lot of these songs feel nostalgic but Mama manages to transcend the time it was created for me

MCR may have not sonically an "Emo" band, but you cannot deny the impact they had on Emo culture

The part when his Father took him to see a marching band, I think was a literal event in the back story of the parader. When he died he fulfilled his Fathers wish by joining the Black Parade to help lead lost souls into the afterlife. Edit: Also, early 19th century going to the city to view a marching band would have been a huge event in a child’s life that they would always remember.

I think my only different opinion is that Teenages IS from the parader's perspective, as is talking about how the actions of the patient as a teenager are super shocking and "scare the shit out of me". He taunts him, despite the patient not being able to hear him yet, saying "maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me". Adults might ignore them for dressing in black and being crazy, but death doesn't give a shit. I love your interpretation of thr album and totally agree with everything else! Definitely adding it all to my personal headcanon of the album

When I was 7 my mom died, December 20, 2007. After a couple days when brother and I were going back to school he turned on Mtv like our mom had always done, and that morning the first song that played was Welcome to the Black Parade. I was so scared of the video at the time, and was sure it was a horror movie trailer. 6 years later I started listening to MCR and rediscovered the song. Part of me believes the song played at that time as a way for my mom to tell us everything would be okay. It's now been 15 years and I miss her so fucking much.

Teenagers was a song Gerard wrote when he was sitting across from a group of teens on the subway and he thought they were going to beat him up 😂

You somehow made Teenagers fit in perfect with the rest of the album, that song always felt like it didn't fit with the rest of the album theme-wise. This interpretation makes so much sense to me, Id love to see more concept album videos at some point.

i’ve listened to the black parade so many times, and let me tell you, that ending hit me like a truck. he’s singing his song. do you hear me. DO YOU HEAR ME. HE’S SINGING HIS SONG.

To reinforce the idea that he was from WW1, it appears that on the parade float are red poppies which are famously mentioned in the poem Flanders Field

“Mama” reminds me of a client I once cut hair for. This man literally had me in tears after he walked out.. I’ve been doing hair for 15 years now so I have had many weird, crazy, somber, and hilarious encounters with all types of personalities. Some are forgettable. But this man, I will remember him for the rest of my life. He was a Vietnam war vet. He told me about how hard it was for him to come back home and just cope with the guilt of living through the nightmares he endured first hand (without going into detail of those nightmares, of course) He told me about how he ruined his own life by running his wife and kids off, becoming homeless, struggling with addiction, and basically just trying to find his way home. My ex husband is a army vet and I’ve dated a couple of army vets as well.. I’ve seen the struggle with PTSD and the struggle they’ve had to just be a normal civilian.. so hearing some of his stories weren’t anything I haven’t heard before. It’s heartbreaking regardless.. but this man was different. He asked me if I am a mother. And I said “Yes sir, I have 3 little ones”. He turned to face me, looked me in my eyes and said, “You’re more of a hero than I could ever be”. Of course I spoke up and said “I could have never endured what you have and I am very grateful for your service.. but why do you say that”? He said, “Do you know what grown men scream when they’re facing death? They scream for God and their mothers.. nothing else”. My heart dropped when he said that and I teared up. I had to turn around to keep from bawling my eyes out. The way he said it was just so blunt and so nonchalant, it was almost chilling. This might not seem like a lot to some people.. but for me, it almost changed my look on life.

That, has to be, bar none, the single greatest interpretation of this album ever. full stop. Its clear that this album touched you in that certain way only art can. For what it's worth, I'm certain that you'll be welcomed with open arms into The Black Parade.

I had to watch this twice and I cried like a baby both times. Gerard is one of the best storytellers of this generation. This album is just beautiful in every way

the way wendigoon has always talked about his topics never fails to get me. it's not for the subjects alone, but the way he talks about them with tmhis unique compassion never fails to make me tear up.

Ignore me, I'm just going to write the story order of the songs so I can cry later while listening: 1. The End 2. Dead! 3. Teenagers 4. The Sharpest Lives 5. Cancer 6. House of Wolves 7. I Don't Love You 8. This Is How I Disappear 9. Disenchanted 10. Mama 11. Sleep 12. Famous Last Words 13. Welcome To The Balck Parade

Something great about this Theory is, during the last black parade concert video, you see Gerard as the patient singing “The end”, in a hospital dress, then when the parade music hits, you see Gerard tearing up his hospital dress, and reveals the parader. - just something cool I noticed while re-visiting MCR

I always thought that the "I don't love you' song was more of the main guy pushing his lover away because he didn't want to be a burdon. I mean the result is the same but I love that there are different takes on it, especially because it all comes down to how you interpret the tone of the music. Anyways I love this album so much

This man single handedly got me into MCR and the whole rock scene in general, I love wendigoon for this.

This is really cool, man. I'd like to see this as an actual musical.

I remember the black parade so vividly. Around 4-5 years ago my grandpa was on his death bed and it was about 12 at night and as I was just sitting in the lobby in the quiet dead of night, I popped in my headphones and listened to the song, it was weirdly comforting.

I have my own alternative reading of Welcome to the Black Parade in this context. In my version, this song is mostly about the Parader, the Patient's story is concluded from the previous song. The Parader was always special, his father knew it and that's why he foretold his becoming this "savior of the broken, beaten and the damned" on that parade day. His life was cut short by the war, but since he understood his role, he refused to move on and instead decided to stay here and become this guide of dying souls, so he can fulfill his destiny and his father's wish. However, it turned out that this is easier said than done. All the evil, pointlessness and negativity of life and death got to him, he became jaded, sad and ended up being a cruel spirit, broken by the weight he put on himself. He failed, or at least he thought so. But during this interaction with the soul of the kid dying of cancer, something changed. Despite his harshness and mocking, the Patient still let him in and listened to him. The Parader was able to help him in the end and through this struggle, he ascended to what he was destined to become - a good spirit capable of guiding other lost souls towards the light.

Trust me, as someone who’s been around those nearing the end of their battle with cancer, “the hardest part of this is leaving you”, is far from cliché. It’s a very simple, yet visceral way of encompassing the true horrors of battling cancer.

The “WAKE UP” on Sleep got me all kinds of fucked up

As someone with a lot of love for MCR, I am so ashamed of myself for not watching this video sooner, holy shit. You unfolding this album's story was a great experience, and has made my love for The Black Parade go up a billion times more.

This makes me wish that Wendigoon made more videos about music. I would love for him to make a similar video about Ghost Quartet, American Idiot or another concept album with an obscure story.

I was in awe when I realized the paraders "wake up" scream at the end of Sleep. I've listened to this song so often and just didn't realize. Now I can't unhear it. And I personally think it's answered by a "leave me alone" from the patient. NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE.

the setup for the thirteenth track being The Black Parade was GLORIOUS. i’d been compiling a journal page about this concept and had made a list of the tracks in order as you went and i say for a bit like “ wait what’s the last one??” and i got chills when the key played it was so good

Never really thought that deeply about it, I knew it was the story of someone dying of cancer but I just thought the different undertones in each of the songs was just this person going through a Rollercoaster of emotions and the stages of grief... what you said just unlocked a whole other level of complexity to an album I've listened to off and on for the last 15 years basically my brain is struggling to put it into perspective that I've missed so much story telling by listening to it front to back instead of in that particular order... I'm beyond mind blown

After watching this video a couple times, I am positive that Gerard Way needs to see this. That man is a creative genius in his own right and even if this is not his “intended” storyline I’m incredibly confident he would enjoy it. It’s such a gut wrenching yet beautiful tale. Unbelievably well thought out, great job my dude. GET THIS TO MCR IMMEDIATELY

This is the same with "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge" it tells the story of a "Bonnie and Clyde" type of couple from the beginning all the way to the cemetery. They are by far the most genius band of that decade.

Damn man I can’t believe I am just watching this. This theory is so solid and makes so much more sense than any other theory I’ve seen. So succinct and the act structure really does match up. Really makes a lot of the songs hit a lot harder. i know each song on its own was amazing and the album as a whole as well, but this makes the album so much more interesting to listen to.

You are the only reactor/reviewer I've watched that understood that Blood actually had meaning that fit into the story. As someone with a chronic disease myself, the number of vials that have been sent off for testing is nearing an obscene level. When the patient says "gallons of the stuff --- it will never be enough" that hits the nail on the head, and sometimes the only way you can get through that needle prick is to smirk and be snarky about it. Great video for an even greater album. Thank you for your thoughts!

Ok, but hear me out. I like to think that the whole point of the Parader and the Parade is to usher a soul into “The Good Place”. To piggy back off of everyone else’s theories, the Parader is given this job as sort of a punishment for the bad life he lived beforehand. If he can salvage a soul to “The Good Place”, then he can rest peacefully too. Since he’s never been able to do that and it’s going on 75 years, he’s become quite cynical about the living. Hence his sarcastic tone until The Patient starts on his own redemption story. The Parader starts becoming impatient, thinking this kid may be his ticket out of this job. But in this journey he finds that life is worth living after all, and he attempts to get The Patient to fight for his life instead; an opportunity never given to the Parader. At this point, The Patient is tired of living and found more meaning and purpose in death than he ever did living. At the end of Famous Last Words, the Patient makes an agreement with the Parader: as a show of gratitude for helping him find redemption in death, he agrees to take over The Parader’s job; as he now finds fulfillment in helping lost souls find redemption in their last moments. After all, the Parader finds redemption through the Patient’s story too. The Parader passes on peacefully, The Patient takes over the parade. That’s why Gerard’s hair is black at the final leg of the Black Parade tour with: The Black Parade is Dead! The Patient is the new Parader.

I can't believe that STILL after all these years, the first note of welcome to the black parade is INSTANT goosebumps for me

This is Wendigoons most underrated video man. One thing I would like to note that is a really cool touch I think to the setup of act one and adds to the whole theory of him being an angry lost soul is at the end of "Dead!" you can just barely hear Gerard yell at the end "if life is just a joke, then why am I dead" instead of the normal refrain. Which adds context to his coming bitterness towards the young cancer patient.

There are two other bonus tracks called Heaven Help Us and My Way Home is Through You. I found a way to add them into the story even if no one is interested. The full track list, including all 4 bonus tracks is. I also swap Sharpest Lives and Teenagers. It just feels a little better. Same themes as stated. Same dynamic as before (Patient, Parader, Patient, etc). Act 1: The End Dead! The Sharpest Lives Teenagers Blood Kill All Your Friends Act 2: Cancer House of Wolves I Don't Love You This is How I Disappear Disenchanted Act 3: Mama Heaven Help Us My Way Home is Through You Sleep Famous Last Words Welcome to the Black Parade Heaven Help Us is the patient worried about whether or not he's going to heaven or hell and believing that he's doomed. Since the Parader has come around at this point, My Way Home is Through You is about him wanting the patient to survive since now that the Parader relates to him, he sees the patient surviving as a way of living vicariously through him.

Now I REALLY like this interpretation, but I wanted to see how I could fit the B-sides and Blood into the story (they were written as part after all, even if they were removed) and here's what I came up with 1: The End 2: Dead 3: Teenagers 4: Kill All Your Friends - this is the parader making fun of the patients view of his youth and counteracting it with stories of his own youth (you've done this? well I've done worse) 5: The Sharpest Lives 6: Cancer 7: House of Wolves 8: Heaven Help Us - this is the patient realizing that he doesn't want people to remember him as anything but what he was, a terrible person 9: I Don't Love You 10: This is How I Disappear 11: Disenchanted 12: Mama 13: Sleep 14: My Way Home Is Through You - this is the parader after coming to terms with the fact that the patient doesn't want to fight anymore, now realizing that what he (the parader) needs, is for the patient to accept his life and go freely into death 15: Famous Last Words 16: Blood - this is the parader and patient both on the same page taking one last moment to lament all the screwed up stuff that happened in their lives 17: Welcome to the Black Parade

Holy fuck when you revealed what Mama was about, my jaw dropped. I never knew how to fit Mama and Sleep into the story of a teenager's death, but now it makes so much sense. holy shit

MCR was a side project for Gerard Way. He always wanted to make comics and he did. He was successful enough that they made a live action series based on his comic, The Umbrella Academy. So it's not even a stretch to think that TBP has a story behind it, it makes a TON of sense.

"under a thousand subs" is crazy cause now his ammount of subs is 60 Times bigger then the ammount of people that live in my town

When my long distance girlfriend died from COVID-19 a short time ago, I remembered how she was a fan of "Welcome to the Black Parade". Now I fully understand why. And I understand why she told me love is weak, but it's the best we can do in this life.

Teenagers might be able to also be taken as the Parader expressing a lack of sympathy for humans, living and newly dead, which it perceives to be a horde of psychotic naive children. The other interpretation STILL applies, though, almost as justification for its disdain for the Patient.

As an Elder Emo [nearly 30 myself] this was the first album I ever bought for myself as a preteen. I didn't grow up in the best situation and this album helped me through difficult times. I always viewed it as someone going through the stages of grief due to mental illness landing on acceptance and perseverance.. but it was really cool to hear your analysis. I had never thought of it this way and admittedly I'm sure my own situation applied to my understanding, yet your conclusion is way more poetic. I had been putting off this video for a while, scared to have someone ruin my perception of something I cherish so much from those days. I don't know why I was scared because you always shed light to all little things worth mentioning in most all of your videos i've seen thus far while doing so with unbias, fairness, and enthusiasm. While I usually enjoy your videos of things I'm most unfamiliar with... this one delighted me as well. I remember seeing one of your records in a video was MCR and being like "no way!!" excitedly. Thank You for doing this video.

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🎶 The album "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance is a concept album that tells a grandiose story using rock music and opera elements. 03:32 🎭 The album follows a three-act structure, with the first act establishing the characters and conflict, the second act exploring the patient's emotional journey, and the third act providing resolution. 10:11 😢 The album delves into the emotional turmoil of a dying cancer patient, who faces the consequences of his past actions and abandonment by his lover. 16:15 🤘 Death, portrayed as "the parader," initially appears indifferent and mocking but begins to show signs of empathy and concern as the patient's condition deteriorates. 20:53 🎵 The album's music and lyrics are skillfully crafted to enhance the storytelling, with instruments, choruses, and themes reflecting the characters' emotions and experiences. 23:39 🤔 "Mama" provides the parader's backstory, revealing he was a soldier in World War I who died alone, adding depth to his character and explaining his attitude towards death. 26:30 ⚖️ The album's closing track, "Famous Last Words," features a dualistic argument between the patient and the parader, offering a sense of resolution and suggesting two possible outcomes for the patient's afterlife. 27:09 🎵 The patient's journey in "The Black Parade" album is a reflection of personal growth and redemption, with the patient evolving from hate to acceptance. 28:25 🥁 The parader's appearance as a parade leader is inspired by the patient's childhood vision of his father, symbolizing goodness and justice. 29:48 🎤 In the final moments, the parade sings the patient's song, signifying respect and equality between the patient and the parader. 30:28 🎖️ The parader grants respect to the patient as he departs into the afterlife, offering closure to the story of "The Black Parade" album. 31:03 🎶 Each song on the album can stand alone, making "The Black Parade" appealing both as a story and a collection of individual songs. 32:13 📖 Discovering the deeper story behind the album adds a layer of meaning and power to the music, emphasizing the importance of personal interpretation. 33:39 🙏 The video creator expresses gratitude to Gerard Way and others involved in creating "The Black Parade," acknowledging its impact on his storytelling journey.

Wendigoon is literally the greatest comfort of my “way too long” nights. The fact that he is an MCR fan just solidifies my appreciation. Can’t wait to see you hit 1,000,000 subs

The whole general theme of this album hits especially hard when you think about how Gerard used to be an alcoholic and struggled with some addictions

Dunno if someone else has said it yet or not, but I could see The Black Parade being where it is right at the start with the rest of the story being a recap of how he got there, perhaps talking to another who's about to go too, to mirror the parader looking after him, or simply as a flashback. Teenagers could easily be after the breakup, where the protagonist reflects on how he used to be, slightly before the parader explains his life before his passing. This could actually be the parader opening up on how he sees himself in the protagonist even though they're so different, and how the breakup is actually what makes the parader open up. Although he obviously doesn't go to heaven if he joins the parade to lead people in the summer. Anyway, late enough comment but I only just found this. Edit; Thinking about it, Teenagers would make sense being sung by the parader, as he's talking about how kids these days drink and smoke and do all this violent stuff and in your dying days, they leave you to die by yourself. Partly making fun of the protagonist, but more in line with yelling at the lady who broke up with him. "Maybe THEY'LL leave you alone, but not ME." The parader is there to watch over the protagonist in his last days, even if he's not wanted.

Another really cool thing I think is the opening piano to Welcome to the Black Parade shares a motif with Cancer

Just listened to the Black Parade again with this potential context. If you look at it this way then there's an awesome part where the "Kid" is being peaceful and contrite "just a man, I'm not a hero", when the Parader hits him with an "I. DON'T. CARE!" in a new context of supporting him. No more humility, we're celebrating.

I could sort of see how “Teenagers” could fit into the paraders perspective. It’s being told from him that teenagers scare him because of their obsession with death. Yes he mocks those dying, but why mocking those who aren’t afraid and are risking death? It scares him.

"Famous Last Words" was already in my top 3 favorite songs of all time. This added interpretation you provided may have boosted it to #1

This is how I disappear is my all time favorite song, watched My Chemical Romance live and can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to have seen them perform.

i discovered this album in 2014, literally weeks before i was rushed to the hospital with ovarian cancer for emergency surgery. the damage done to my psyche from an album about accepting a cancerous death- as a suicidal kid who will soon get cancer- was UNIMAGINABLE. i was 14. my bf at the time was as scared as the antagonist in #7. i still love this album more than anything for what it got me through.

✨Order ✨ - The End - Dead! - Teenager - The Sharpest Lives - Cancer - House of Wolves - I Don't Love You - This Is How I Disappear - Disenchanted - Mama - Sleep - Famous Last Words - Welcome To The Black Parade

The parader screaming bloody murder at the patient to wake up made me BAWL. I can´t express how much I love this intrerpretation of the album. MCR was such a big part of my life growing up and this just took me back in the most wonderful way.

As a long time fan of this album, this video ishonestly one of my favourites and there were so many parts that straight up gave me chills, but the part at 18ish minutes in when you say 'so it doesn't seem like there is a lot left to do, but throw him a parade', followed by the g note absolutely made my jaw drop. I cannot explain it. This is the best video on the internet. Change my mind.

This was one of my favorite albums as a kid but after my mom died of cancer the entire thing hit completely differently. Im glad someone was able explain the album better.

Timestamps and also the order 0:00 Introduction 3:23 The End 6:24 Dead 7:47 Teenagers 9:02 The Sharpest Lives 10:12 Cancer 11:27 House of Wolves 13:24 I Don't Love you 14:59 This is How I Disappear 17:25 Disenchanted 19:11 Mama 23:50 Sleep 25:25 Famous Last Words 28:10 Welcome to the Black Parade 33:47 The Bonus Tracks (Blood and Kill All Your Friends)

Ever since last summer, welcome to the black parade has made me cry every time I listen. Mainly because of the MCR UK tour where they put a list of every fan that bought a ticket that died during COVID. It was a beautiful memorial and I can't think of a better way to celebrate my friends that I can no longer see

Got this album when I was 12 for Christmas and 17 years later it's still my favorite album🖤 love all your work, so happy that you're getting the recognition you deserve! 🥁🎸🎷🎙️🎻🎼

Holy crap dude, I've never really given MCR a chance but the way you described the overarching story gave me goosebumps. Came across your channel in my recommended feed and have been binging since, may the algorithm be in your favor.

im a simple man, if somebody calls the black parade the best album of all time i will subscribe

WENDIIIIII. I'm so happy you made this video. I discovered your channel back in 2021, with the Biblical Angels explained, religion was getting my attention as my boyfriend was actually diagnosed with cancer (he was 21 years old), on 2022 he passed away, and until this day it has been the greatest pain I've faced in my life. On January of this year, my sister shared with me the song from MCR "Cancer", well... Just with the starting of the song I was already in tears, I heard the whole album, it's a one of my all time favorites, but I was struggling so much with making a sense out of it, and well, I guess that thanks to the algorithm this old video was suggested to me. I mean, I know you didn't exactly write the album, but as I watched the video and understood the story I cried, several times. I thank so so much for sharing your interpretation with us, and now, it's pretty much the interpretation of mine as well. I really thank God for your content ♡ I love this album even more know. Thank you thank youuuuu 💙💙💙💙

Here i am on a crisp thanksgiving morning watching a Sunday School Teacher explain the story of a 2000s emo rock album. I love the Internet

i’ve been an mcr fan for like 7 years, and this just made me appreciate the black parade in a way that i never had before, this video is so perfect

Holy fuck when you explained why The Parader WAS the parader i fucking cried. He saw the one thing that brought him happiness, the memory of being at a parade with his father before his father died. I also think the reason why the patient was so off putting of people and pushing them away because of him losing his father, he couldn’t get close to people. He faced trauma from that and it destroyed him but he changed and that made him realize he made his father proud.

I love that Isaiah’s resolve and drive hasn’t changed regardless of his subscriber count. “I’ve only got a thousand followers.” Yet the dedication and quality of the content is so baked in to this that it’s almost impossible to believe this was a young addition to his channel. Absolutely my favorite creator on the platform.

This is my favorite album of all time because I grew up with it in all aspects, and the whole story just keeps unveiling further and we keep finding other meanings for everything and the individual songs. I found this video refreshing, and its already 2 years old. I would absolutely love to see this vision of the album's story animated. thank you for this.

I have been a fan of MCR for more than 10 years, and recently I think I just reached another level of understanding of this album. When I was in my turbulent teenage days, I felt like the songs just sang out my anger and frustration and keep holding on under adversity no matter what. 10 years passed and I became a medical student, and took care of a teenage leukemia patient in his final days. His roar, his tears, his desperation and eagerness to live made a really deep impression to me. Weeks after his passing, i went to a Japanese restaurant and the album black parade was playing randomly, the feeling got real hard in my mind…

Rolling Stone’s new Top 500 Albums of all time FINALLY includes Black Parade at #361.

Just listened to the playlist in your order and have to add one more wrinkle. Sharpest Lives is not just the Parader reacting to the prior song. It's part of his story. The language of the song is actually very period phrasing when you listen to it, and he is telling his lover to leave so she won't be killed. "So you can leave here like the sane, abandon me". It's a very literal scene if you listen carefully, a flashback. And in that, it's a parallel to the Patient doing the same to his lover in "I Don't Love You". Reading "Disappear" in this light, The Parader is singing to the girl he sent away. "And if you could talk to me, Tell me if it's so, That all the good girls go to heaven. Well, heaven knows." then later, "Can you hear me cry out to you? Words I thought I'd choke on figure out. I'm really not so with you anymore. I'm just a ghost, So I can't hurt you anymore, So I can't hurt you anymore." He's lamenting that he doesn't even know if he saved her by sending her away, he condemned himself to being alone, now being alone forever. His rant about how far he can fall and telling her to let go - Perhaps in a sense she is what has him stuck between. Her love for him and his for her is his redeeming point. The more I listen in order, the more I agree. The callback in "Disenchanted" to "Teenagers is another supporting piece about his 'angry days' - "I spent my high school career / Spit on and shoved to agree / So I could watch all my heroes / Sell a car on TV / Bring out the old guillotine / We'll show 'em what we all mean". I hope you don't mind my building on your theory, I believe you're very right.

Applying your analysis to the lyrics tells SUCH a story. I'd love to hear an expansion on the lyrics from your POV.

After listening to the album again I wanted to watch this again, I didn't realize it had already been 2 years! So happy to see your growth and watch you so often it feels like I saw this for the first time yesterday

I could be way off, but I think the parader is the patient's father. He died at war when his son was very young and doesn't realize that the patient is his son until famous last words. "I know there's nothing I could say to change that part" is him essentially apologizing to his son for having to grow up without his father. In the bridge of Welcome to the Black Parade, "I'm just man, I'm not a hero. I'm just a boy who had to sing this song" is a back and forth between the father saying that he didn't ask to be a hero, he was just doing his duty as a man and a soldier and the son who is saying that all he wanted was to just be a boy and live his life, but he spent his life trying to live up to the hero everyone made his father out to be. This could explain the reason why he acted out as a youth in Teenagers and had such a lackluster attitude about life throughout the story.

Mama is thematically based on the late 30s/early 40s around wwii, the air raid sirens are from that time period. This is solidified by the fact that the song is inspired by the musical Cabernet. Which takes place in the Weimar Republic just before the start of wwii. The lead actress in the movie adaptation is Liza Minnelli, who is featured in the tract. Love the vid!

I watched this last night and after listening to the album again, I just want to say THANK YOU! And i agree with your theory. It all just clicked into place. As someone who considers TBP one of the most masterfully done albums of all time, I can honestly say you brought a level of depth to the story that (because of the out of order nature) i never would have considered previously. Obviously i got the gist of the story, but there were parts you brought light to that just... *chefs kiss* i didn't think this album could be improved on but your deep dive has absolutely brought it to the next level. I have listened to this album so many times that i can envision every aspect of every song vividly in my imagination. Famous Last Words in particular got me through some pretty dark times. The choral ending has always given me chills but now even more so. I cannot thank you enough for this video. It also brings more context to Gerard's struggles during this time, having to embody both the Patient and Parader during the tour period. He's mentioned the dark places the album brought him along with other things he was dealing with at the time, and i cannot imagine the kind of effect it had on him to essentially be method acting this spiritual battle night after night. There is so much i could say but it wouldnt come close to encompassing my feelings about this album. So THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for reigniting my passion.

recently i've been binging your videos. I've been really really lonely and even though I know we don't really know each other, your presence has brought me a lot of comfort and company that I greatly appreciate. I rarely find videos that I'm actually interested in and I'm sincerely relieved I found your channel, as the way you commentate has always come across as genuine and intrigued. I'm trying really hard not to trauma dump while relaying my gratitude, so I'll just chalk it to I've been under an egregious amount of pain lately. My boyfriend is a huge fan of yours and introduced me to your content, I thought it was really sweet the way he's picked up some of your speech patterns. That being said, he's been super busy trying to support us and I miss him a lot, I love him so much and I can really see why he loves your channel. Again, I know we don't really know each other, but thank you for keeping me company.

as much as i love the album as a listening experience, someone really needs to make an animated short movie for the album because i feel like adding visuals to the already graphic lyrics will give a bigger gut punch

I like to think that the Lost Soldier showing up as Parader also adds to the WW1 theming because older armies used to have marching bands.

I put the album in order on my Playlist. It's dedicated to my mom who passed march 30th 2023. She couldn't come to the realization that she was dying of cancer either but finally accepted it in the end. Thank you for an incredible story and take on this!

Goon, I have absolutely loved this album for years. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times. But when you got to the final song. It made me cry for the first time. This is extremely beautiful. Thank you for giving this to us. It means a lot to me.

Something to add to the final song in the timeline: In Welcome to the Black Parade, I think the Patient helped the Parader realize that both life and death have meaning, that it's not just a meaningless fucking joke leading up to a punchline (where you die pointlessly, violently and alone.) That people remember you, and your story lives on. Now that they've both realized this, the Parader gets to move on into the after life with him, since they figured it out together. I can imagine it now. The Parader picking the Patient up and carrying him to the afterlife, lots of happy tears and hugging and goodbyes when they finally get to the gates. The Patient asks the Parader to hold his hand and walk with him. The Parader tells him that he can't, he's stuck in purgatory, but he'll go up to the edge with him. As they approach it, side by side, hand in hand, the Parader braces himself to hit the invisible wall blocking him from ever heading towards the light. It's happened every time he tried before, why would it be any different now? But to his surprise, his foot passes through, then the rest oc him. Finally, after a century of mocking the dying carelessly shoving them off to the afterlife no matter how they feel about it, he's done. He's learned his lesson, he can finally rest. Honestly, I might make OCs based on your interpretation, I really love it! If I had the spoons, I'd make a whole series of animatics following the story, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to stick with it. If that ever happens I'll be sure to credit you for putting the pieces together and inspiring me! I know this video is hella old but it's definitely getting the creative juices flowing!

Just listened to the album in this order while having a massive depressive episode because my grandmother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Absolutely amazing. Bravo Wendi. Bravo.

I love how humble you were in this video. You have over 3 million subs now!! So proud of you Wendigoon ♥️

Dude. I had to hear your video 3 times. One to hear the music, then to hear your interpretation, then to compare it to my own from when I first heard it. I love this album so much. When the black parade came out, it played a lot during military related holidays. And it hit different every time I heard it.