My [redacted] Romance

The newest video from My Chemical Romance, Teenagers, premieres today on MTV and MTV.com, and I've got a small backstory to go along with this particular video. First off, I had the chance to be an extra in the video (aka, a MySpace bulletin asked all MCR fans in the Los Angeles area to submit headshots and mine was sadly passed over [even though I sent them my best gothy-look while AT the My Chemical Romance concert...douchebag casting director nogoodniks]). Secondly, when I first heard this song, I played it like a bazillion times on my iPod. It's the #1 Most Played Song of all time (well, of all my time). If music could materialize into a useable sex organ I would whore myself out to MCR's music I love it that much. Or I'd convert from Judaism to Emo just to get serious with them. Their music is so good that even if it wanted to switch from "in a relationship" to "it's complicated" on Facebook, but still sleep together occasionally, turning Our Chemical Romance into Our Chemical Fuck Buddies I would have no problem with that, either (although I would cry to Livejournal everyday knowing we were meant to be together and I'm sure MCR would eventually change).

In other words, the band and the song "Teenagers" is awesome - and topical! As the chorus goes, teenagers do scare the living shit out of me! When I was in high school (seven years ago [god help me, life is going at the speed of light]), the most I worried about was making show choir and getting to the last level of Donkey Kong Country. But now it's all school shootings, peer pressure, text messaging rates - no thank you!

So I watch the video (that I am not in [tear drop]), and is it just me, or is there an odd amount of censorship with the lyrics? Sure, the word "shit" is in the chorus, and even though I bet nobody bats an eye anymore at the s-word, I'm used to that kind of censorship. Whatevs. Ruin the chorus, fine, but it's obvious Gerard is scream-singing the word SHIT.

YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ANYONE!

But, more surprisingly, there's more words missing. Phrases, even. Take a look for yourself (or just take note of the bolded words in the lyrics I've tactfully copy and pasted for your convenience):



"Teenagers"

They're gonna clean up your looks
With all the lies in the books
To make a citizen out of you
Because they sleep with a gun
And keep an eye on you, son
So they can watch all the things you do

Because the drugs never work
They're gonna give you a smirk
'Cause they got methods of keeping you clean
They're gonna rip up your heads,
Your aspirations to shreds
Another cog in the murder machine

They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me
They could care less as long as someone'll bleed
So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose
Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me

The boys and girls in the clique
The awful names that they stick
You're never gonna fit in much, kid
But if you're troubled and hurt
What you got under your shirt
Will make them pay for the things that they did

I'm sorry, the word "gun" is no longer allowed in a song? Or "murder"? Or the incomplete thoughts "under your shirt" or "pay for the"? The song is pretty much about SCARY TEENAGERS GETTING REVENGE WITH WEAPONS. Timely, no? Accurate, n'est pas? Is this censorship doing anything except creating a hiccup with the flow of the song? Is some more innocent youth saved because they didn't hear the word "gun" or "murder"? Where were these censors when My Humps was being played out of every speaker, radio and orifice? Where are the good taste censors duck taping Joel Madden's mouth shut? But this they have a problem with?

You're okay by me, My Chemical Romance. You can talk dirty to me.