My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

Published Wednesday, November 16, 2005 by Abby | E-mail this post

“What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?/ I told you time and time again/ You sing the words but don't know what it means.”

I’m late to the party, but I made it here in the end. They didn’t want me: chasing me away with their goth antics and scary eyes, so convincing in their ‘We’re alternative angry music, we are!’ act that I foolishly accepted their claims of wrath and misery. Oh how wrong I was! Not until I was bouncing around the room in crazy dance-mode that the pop genius of this song finally dawned on me.

That’s right, pop genius. With bounce and drama and hip-jaunt poise. Yeah, yeah – I know they want to be all tragic and serious and stuff, but alienation angst just doesn’t fly when the end result inspires such joyful leaping!

The melodic drive of the chord progression; the air guitar solo; that slow hand-clap section, it’s all so wonderously hyperbolic. They may well be wallowing in desolation, but by god they’re going to do it to excess! I don’t know if they meant for it to have this effect on me – like I doubt Cameron Crowe wanted to have his audience rolling in the aisles with inappropriate ‘E-Town’ laughter – but surely the unexpected pleasures are that much more precious?

Sing it with me: “All the/ Small things!”

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Bonus: ’Ghost of You’.
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5 Responses to “My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)”

Anonymous on 3:17 PM

See, I think that sense of humour and willingness to turn it on themselves has always been MCR's saving grace. I still maintain the way he deadpans that "trust me" in the middle eight is the key to understanding them, that and (as you've found out) noting that they actually write great pop songs in a teenaged goth/emo context.
Anonymous on 11:53 PM

Ah! So I wasn't wrong in singing along to that chorus whenever the video came on.

It's gotta be the make-up that screws with your mind. And also, is it just me or does Gerald really kind of look like Jack White?
Anonymous on 12:04 AM

Definitely the sense of humour is the saving grace - partly I think that ties into their willingness to actually write and release the poppier stuff. I mean, a lot of bands with this aesthetic would have backed away the moment they felt things get a little jaunty...!
Anonymous on 5:35 PM

It Is awesome no doubt about it. The best song they have. Better than Helena. Almost better than Ghost of You but it's awesome.!!! YEAH!!!!!!
Anonymous on 9:42 PM

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