Cancer (My Chemical Romance song)

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"Cancer"
Song by My Chemical Romance
from the album The Black Parade
ReleasedOctober 23, 2006
Recorded2006
Genre
Length2:22
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Cancer" is a ballad[1] by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It is the eighth track from the group's third studio album The Black Parade. The song was released on October 23, 2006.[2]

Composition[]

The original version of the song is written in the key of E major with a common time tempo of 70 beats per minute. The vocals span from E4 to A5 in the song.[3]

A four bar bridge passage prior to the final chorus includes a transposed quotation from the 1958 Buddy Holly hit Raining in My Heart. Its chord progression (featuring a characteristic rising chromatic figure) is highly reminiscent of that from the verse of Raining in My Heart whilst the vocal line closely matches the rhythmic pattern and pitch content of the Bryant and Bryant-penned song. The entire song was written in 8 minutes.[1]

Personnel[]

Additional musicians

Cover version[]

Twenty One Pilots version[]

"Cancer"
Cancer - Twenty One Pilots Single.png
Promotional single by Twenty One Pilots
ReleasedSeptember 14, 2016 (2016-09-14)
Recorded2016
GenreElectronic
Length3:56
LabelFueled by Ramen
Songwriter(s)
Twenty One Pilots promotional singles chronology
"Migraine"
(2013) 		"Cancer"
(2016) 		"Cut My Lip"
(2019)

American musical duo Twenty One Pilots recorded a cover of "Cancer" for British music magazine Rock Sound's 2016 compilation album, Rock Sound Presents: The Black Parade.[4][5] It was teased by lead singer Tyler Joseph in January 2016, having uploaded a short clip of himself singing the song.[6] The full version was released on September 14, 2016.[7][8]

Composition[]

The cover is played in the key of D Major with a common time tempo of 72 to 76 beats per minute. The vocals span from D4 to G5 in the song.[9] It contains a piano part and also incorporates programmed beats and other electronic sounds.[10] Rolling Stone described the song as "synth-laden" and featuring "additional lyric reprises and layered vocals, which gives the song an extra pensive vibe."[11]

Reception[]

Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone wrote that "the duo stays faithful to the already melancholic song while ratcheting up the somberness a tad."[11] Scott Shetler, writing for AXS, wrote that "Twenty One Pilots keep the melancholy while taking the song in a different direction."[10] The lead singer of My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way, was impressed by the cover, saying in an interview with PopBuzz "There's a bit of rejuggling of parts and I was like 'Wow, this almost sounds like a remix,' but it's a cover by way of this, kind of, rearrangement and I was really impressed with it".[12] Brii Jamieson of Rock Sound named it one of the band's best covers.[13]

Music video[]

On the day of its release, an animated lyric video was uploaded onto the band's YouTube channel. The video shows floating books and large bookshelves in a library. As of August 2021, its lyric video has received over 61 million views.[14]

Personnel[]

  • Tyler Joseph – vocals, piano, keyboard, synthesizer, bass, programming
  • Josh Dun – drums, percussion

Chart performance[]

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[15] 53
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[16] 75
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[17] 99
New Zealand Heatseekers
(Recorded Music NZ)[18] 		1
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[19] 96
UK Singles (OCC)[20] 93
US Billboard Hot 100[21] 91
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[22] 6

Year-end charts[]

Chart (2016) Position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[23] 53

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Before & After 'The Black Parade'". Retrieved December 15, 2020 – via The New York Times. The emotional climax of “The Black Parade” is a piano ballad about the titular disease. The producer Cavallo plays piano on the track and said it was written in eight minutes. “It’s not a poetic track. It’s very direct, very brutal, but that’s the way disease is,” Way said in a 2006 statement. “For me it was almost like an attempt to write the darkest song ever, and I think we achieved that.”
  2. ^ Ralph, Caitlyn (20 July 2016). "My Chemical Romance post new logo and cryptic date". Alternative Press. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  3. ^ "My Chemical Romance "Cancer" Sheet Music in E Major (transposable)". Musicnotes. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  4. ^ "Introducing... 'Rock Sound Presents: The Black Parade'". Rock Sound. August 8, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  5. ^ Wicks, Amanda (September 14, 2016). "Twenty One Pilots Cover My Chemical Romance's 'Cancer'". Radio.com. CBS Radio. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  6. ^ "Here's Twenty One Pilots' Tyler Joseph singing My Chemical Romance". Alternative Press. July 20, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  7. ^ "Cancer (Cover) Single". iTunes. September 14, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  8. ^ "Twenty One Pilots release cover of My Chemical Romance's "Cancer"". Alternative Press. August 13, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  9. ^ "Twenty One Pilots "Cancer" Sheet Music in D Major (transposable)". Musicnotes. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Listen: Twenty One Pilots cover My Chemical Romance's 'Cancer'". AXS. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "Hear Twenty One Pilots' Melancholic Cover of My Chemical Romance's 'Cancer'". Rolling Stone. September 14, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  12. ^ "Gerard Way reacts to Twenty One Pilots' cover of "Cancer"". Alternative Press. August 27, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  13. ^ Jamieson, Brii (September 5, 2018). "12 Of Twenty One Pilots' Best Covers". Radio.com. Rock Sound. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  14. ^ "YouTube Lyric Video". Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "CHART WATCH #387". auspOp. September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  16. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  17. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201639 into search. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  18. ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 3, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  19. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201641 into search. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  21. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  22. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  23. ^ "Hot Rock Songs - Year-End 2016". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
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