 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
- By My Chemical Romance
- Genre: Rock
Common Sense Media says
Way too dark for tweens and younger teens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that nearly all of the material on this record romanticizes killing, suicide, and going down in flames with guns ablaze. The cover is representative of the content, showing blood-splashed lovers. My Chemical Romance can make violence and funeral homes seem sexy, especially to teenagers. Stories often revolve around Bonnie and Clyde-type themes. The lyrics are definitely too much for tweens and young teens. There's also cursing in four or five songs for dramatic effect.
What's the story?
My Chemical Romance is a very powerful band, which explains why they're so popular with kids interested in guitar music. Too few bands actually bother telling vivid stories in their lyrics, while setting them to exciting music. THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE is aimed squarely at teenagers who believe their lives are over with every breakup, or simply feel like outsiders. "To the End," deals with the protagonist taking cyanide, and mixes the imagery with a wedding becoming a tomb. "The Ghost of You," finds the protagonist pondering whether to join his dead girlfriend. "Cemetery Drive," mentions suicide and drinking in a cemetery.
Is it any good?
The band makes loud, focused, driving music that's much better than most of the power-punk out there. There's the intensity and fashion sense of goth music, combined with the musical force of punk-metal. The language isn't gratuitous, but it can be severe. Nearly all the tracks are violent or deal with death (or both). Bottom line: This dark CD is NOT for kids.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about putting the stories in context, that they're fictional and not representative of real life. In what ways are these modern tales similar to classic romantic tragedies where love gets cut short needlessly? Why would anyone find "romance" in violence?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
This Band Saves Life.
Here's the thing you have to understand about MCR: if you love them, and trust me...my love for them is near utter devotion, then you know that their message is not about death and blood soaked revenge and violence: it's about finding hope even in the darkest situations. Ask any devote fan of MCR and they will tell you: this band saved their life. It held their hand during their darkest hours and told them to just hold on a little bit longer. That's the real MCR message.
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AGE
Honestly?
You've got to be joking. 17+? This band is absolutely amazing. Compared to the typical sex filled Z100 songs, I'm really horrified at the rating. Come on.
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AGE
Love, Love, Love it!
Very anti-society? Oh come on! Society is screwed and My Chemical Romance are one of the few bands that get that. Because of how society is screwed, people find life incredibly hard and this album has helped me get through some tough times. This is one of the best albums I have heard, period. It doesn't romanticise death, it provides messages of support to fans who are facing challenges in their lives weather it be depression, or bullying. They are the best.
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AGE
You need to CALM DOWN.
Ok, so, I found this band when I was 10. Anyone who says this isn't appropriate for that age is seriously trying to shelter their kids from reality. It's a CD, there's words, there's a story to it. It's not a guidebook for their lives. You just have to make sure your kid isn't completely stupid before you hand them a CD like this one. I mean, come on. 17+? Really? I had this CD at age 10! Did I turn out to be a horrible person? No! Infact had I not found this band, I think I'd be a brain dead product of the media begging to go to a Justin Bieber concert... Their new CD, Danger Days is also amazing. I think it's their best, really, and there's no dark tones to it. It's fabulous.
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AGE
Seventeen and up?
Seventeen and up? What the heck? The dropped the f-bomb twice, and once it can't hardly be heard. I've been listening to them since I was like, eight, and other than having issues with depresssion, (from childhood deaths, not My Chem lyrics,) I'm perfectly fine. 'The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You,' does contain lyrics about killing oneself, but in the birdge he says, 'Pull the plug, but I'd like to learn your name. Holding on, I hope you do the same.' It's basically saying that they want that person to change their mind. And on the song 'Cemetery Drive,' in the second verse, it's incredibly hard to hear unless you have your headphones half in, but you hear him say, 'Don't do it,' a total of sixteen times, and they're saying that this album glamorizes suicide? It's about a guy trying to get his lover back. And the first song is about their grandma. I mean, come on! The second one is about teen pregnancy, third is a song about a short story called 'A Rose for Emily,' the fourth is about being in prison, the fifth is about being in high school, the sixth is about losing someone, the seventh, 'The Jetset Life is Gonna Kill You,' I already explained, the eighth is an interlude, the ninth is about feeling empathy, the tenth is a tribute to a Clint Eastwood movie, the eleventh is about revenge, yes, but also rising from your own ashes and standing up for yourself, the twelfth was also explained, and the thirteenth is about getting his love back and what he did to do so. Again, I mus say, seventeen and up?
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AGE
What. The. Hell.
What the hell? The reveiwer is an idiot. This music is fantastic.
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AGE
Perfect for tweens and up.
For younger kids, the songs are pretty catchy, and as teens, the words take on meanings. The opening song Helena is about the death of lead singer Gerards grandmother and how he misses her. The lyrics are very deep and have to deal with a lot of dark material, but many teens, young and old can feel like they have someone to relate to. The song Im Not Okay is pretty much telling kids that its okay to be a little different, maybe even a little messed up, but youll make it through. This album affected me so deeply (got a hold of it when I was 11 I think..), it got me through middle school and through all the torment I had to endure. It boosted myself esteem, and Im confident in my own skin. I believe this album is great for ANY kid as long as your kid knows that they cant just mindlessly take lyrics at face value and go kill people. But if your kid is THAT mindless and following of mere words, you already have a problem on your hands and this album is not at fault.
The only concern is the song You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison, which is about prison rape, but most kids may not get the references made about it since it is never spoken, it is just assumed but at one point the singer screams 'they make me do pushups in drag' rather quietly though.
Overall, great album, great concept, life changing band<3
Gerard Way is a great role model too.
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AGE
FRIGGEN AMAZING!!!!!
its an amazing album, definitly worth buying, as long as there are no young children around. It has references to depression, suicide, and is slightly disturbing when the lyrics are looked over and de-"metaphorized". The lead singer and frontman started the band BECAUSE he had witnessed 9-11, and this may explain the messed up lyrics. Uses f--k sparsely, and s--t once, but is great music compared to J----- B-----.
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AGE
my favorite album EVER
well, okay, i'll admit, when i bought this i was twelve and i had to kind of take a deep breath after i finished listening to this album all the way through. it's just really heavy and fast. and before this, i was listing to Taylor Swift and Paramore.
the themes and messages weren't an issue for me (i watch CSI and Criminal Minds).
this album isn't really supposed to be taken seriously. it's supposed to be like a horror film. you should be smart enough not to take it seriously when they say stuff about killing and blood. it also teaches about the REAL world and how everything's not all "Love Story"s (Taylor Swift) and "Fairy tales" (also Taylor Swift).
and that "can make violence and funeral homes seem sexy" part? "Helena" is about his dead grandma that he misses and how you shouldn't waste your life missing the people you lost, you should celebrate their life and move on because they wouldn't want you to be sad all the time.
the language isn't all that bad. well, at least not for me.
these people are WONDERFUL role models who talk about moving on and how it's okay to be a little messed up.
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| Artist: | My Chemical Romance |
| Release date: | June 8, 2004 |
| Label: | Reprise |
| Genre: | Rock |
| Parental advisory: | Yes |
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