Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge

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• pop-punk
• post-hardcore
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Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (often shortened to Three Cheers or Revenge)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> is the second studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance, released on June 8, 2004, by Reprise Records.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Contactmusic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With this album, the band produced a more polished sound than that of their 2002 debut I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love.<ref name="Zemler">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was the band's first release to feature rhythm guitarist Frank Iero on all tracks, as well as the final release to feature drummer Matt Pelissier, who would later be replaced by Bob Bryar.<ref name="RollingStoneBiographyMCR">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The album received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success for both the band and the Reprise label.<ref name="Billboard Martens">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The record produced three singles—"I'm Not Okay (I Promise)", "Helena", and "The Ghost of You".<ref name="Zemler" />Template:Failed verification It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) less than a year after its release,<ref name="Contactmusic"/> and has sold over three million copies in the United States.<ref name="Billboard Martens"/> Em Casalena of American Songwriter stated that the album is "essential listening" for 2000s emo.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Announced in April 2025, a "deluxe edition" of the album—featuring all of the original tracks remixed and four new, previously unreleased live records—was announced, and is set to release on June 6, 2025.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Music and lyrical themes

Musically, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge has been described as emo,<ref name="Suzy Exposito rollingstone">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Joe Bosso guitarworld">Template:Cite magazine</ref> alternative rock,<ref name="Joe Bosso guitarworld"/> pop punk,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> post-hardcore,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> punk rock,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and pop rock.<ref name="Arielle Gordon pitchfork">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> While I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love was considered "a particularly strident entry in that shifty genre of bands tortuously slamming together elements of emo, hardcore, and even metal",<ref name="allmusic.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge "both showcased their songwriting skills and gave them much-deserved attention".<ref name="Zemler"/> Moving away from the "screamo parts"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and "the more complicated structures"<ref name="stylusmagazine.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> of their first record in favor of a sound that "skirts the line between pop punk and edgy, theatrical, emo"<ref name="Zemler"/> while being "strongly influenced by hardcore punk",<ref name="stylusmagazine.com"/> Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge has been variously compared to The Misfits,<ref name="rollingstone.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> AFI,<ref name="allmusic.com"/> and Thursday.<ref name="allmusic.com"/>

Lead singer Gerard Way has referred to the first single "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" as a "self-help pop song"<ref name="mtv.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while also being called "a surging piece of emo-pop with a hook as ridiculously catchy as it was ridiculous"<ref name="AllMusic-BP">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a "moving anthem for the young and depressed"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> by AllMusic and Rolling Stone respectively. This single went on to be nominated for the Kerrang! award for best single<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and reached number 86 on the US Billboard Hot 100.<ref name="Hot 100"/>

The album opener and second single "Helena" has been referred to as an "album-highlight and smash-hit". Gerard has claimed that the song "shaped what the album is about" and "revealed their dark side" in comparison to the first single.<ref name="mtv.com"/> Its lyrics mourn the loss of Gerard and Mikey's grandmother,<ref name="mtv.com"/> Elena Lee Rush, and was their first entry into the top 40.<ref name="Hot 100"/>

Album concept

According to Way, the album can be understood as a "pseudo-conceptual horror story",<ref name="Zemler" /> that details:

...the story of a man and a woman who are separated by death in a gunfight and he goes to hell only to realize by the devil telling him that she's still alive. The devil says he can be with her again if he brings the devil the souls of a thousand evil men and the man agrees to do it, and so the devil hands him a gun. That was the idea behind the concept, the record ended up being much more about loss and real life than anything, so I would say it's a good split.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Artwork

The cover art, designed by Way himself and titled "Demolition Lovers II", was inspired by René Magritte's painting The Lovers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Way drew a sketch to be used as a reference by a photographer, but the sketch became the basis of the cover art instead.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Reception and legacy

Template:Quotebox Template:Music ratingsJohnny Loftus of AllMusic wrote that "with the aid of production major-leaguer Howard Benson, they've edited the slight rookie excesses of I Brought You My Bullets You Brought Me Your Love, resulting in a rewarding, pretty damn relentless product."<ref name="allmusic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Andy Greenwald of Blender noted Way's integration of elements of his life into the songs on the album and remarked that his "gulping, gasping whine turns stompers like 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)' into after-school poetry".<ref name="blender">Template:Cite journal</ref> Ian Mathers of Stylus Magazine felt that the album contained "twelve near-flawless songs and an interlude in thirty-nine minutes" and that "even when it lets up, [it] doesn't let up",<ref name="sm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while Kirk Miller of Rolling Stone described it as "a hell of a good time."<ref name="rs">Template:Cite magazine</ref> IGN critic JR was more reserved in his praise, calling Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge "a good album" that nonetheless "isn't nearly as varied or daring as it could have been".<ref name="ign">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave it a "dud" rating.<ref name="rc">Template:Cite news</ref> Em Casalena of American Songwriter wrote that the album is "a golden record in emo rock history."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> NME listed the album as one of "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood the Test of Time".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album was ranked at number 260 on SpinTemplate:'s "The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014)" list.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rock Sound wrote that the album is "an era-defining release", striking "a nerve both musically and emotionally with millions around the world."<ref name="Bird34">Bird, ed. 2015, p. 34</ref> Andrew Sacher of BrookylnVegan noted that the album's tracks "are so embedded in the DNA of pop culture that even non-MCR-fans tend to know every word."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2016, Rolling Stone declared Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge the tenth greatest emo album out of 40, saying that "Three Cheers wasn't just a concept record, it was a concept sequel, expanding the small-screen story of 2002's I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love into a big-budget production, complete with ruminations on life and death ("Helena") biting kiss-offs ("I'm Not Okay") and a series of dramatic music videos that made them MTV darlings."<ref name="ReferenceA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge has sold over three million copies to date in the United States and has been certified 3× platinum by the RIAA as of December 2017.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By February 2006, the album had sold over 1,356,000 copies in the US and 3 million copies to date.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It has also been certified triple platinum in Canada, platinum in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and Gold in Australia, Ireland, Chile,<ref name="Chile">Template:Cite journal</ref> Mexico and Argentina.<ref name="MC"/><ref name="RMNZ"/>

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Rock Sound	UK	Top 50 Albums of the Year	2004	5<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Spin	US	The 40 Best Albums of 2004		34<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Kerrang!	UK	Albums of the Year		3<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Metal Hammer	UK	Albums of 2004		7<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personnel

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 My Chemical Romance

• Gerard Way – lead and backing vocals
• Ray Toro – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Frank Iero – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Mikey Way – bass guitar
• Matt Pelissier – drums, percussion

Template:Col-2 Additional musicians

• Bert McCracken – additional vocals on "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison"
• Keith Morris – additional vocals on "Hang 'Em High"
• Rinat Arinos – additional vocals on "The Ghost of You"
• Howard Benson – 1958 Hammond B3

Production Template:Div col

• Howard Benson – producer, mixing
• Rich Costey – mixing
• Craig Aaronson – A&R
• Brian Schechter – management
• Stacy Fass – legal
• Matt Galle – booking
• Mike Plotnikoff – recording
• Eric J. Miller – additional engineering
• Paul Decarli – Pro Tools and programming
• Jon Nicholson – drum tech
• Keith Nelson – guitar tech
• Tom Baker – mastering
• Matt Griffen – production coordinator
• Dana Childs – production coordinator
• Arturo Rojas – runner
• Fernando Diaz – runner
• Mike Gardner – runner
• Chris Ozuna – runner
• Bryan Mansell – runner
• Mark Holley – design assistance

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Chart (2004–2006)	Peak position
Argentine Albums (CAPIF)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10
Japanese Albums (Oricon)	73
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Chart (2020-2021)	Peak position

Year-end charts

Chart (2005)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	116
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	58

Chart (2021)	Position
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	51

Singles

Year	Song	Peak chart positions
		US <ref name="Hot 100">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	US Mod <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	US Main <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	UK <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	NZ <ref name="nzcharts">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	AUS <ref name="australian-charts">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2004	"I'm Not Okay (I Promise)"	86	4	—	19	38	65
2005	"Helena"	33	11	—	20	27	78
	"The Ghost of You"	84	9	38	27	—	—

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalogue
Australia	April 11, 2005	Reprise	CD	9362486152
Japan	July 22, 2004			WPCR11890
	January 26, 2005		CD+DVD	WPZR30075
	June 24, 2009		CD	WPCR13504
United Kingdom	September 3, 2004			9362486152
United States	June 8, 2004			486152
	December 16, 2008		Vinyl LP	148615

References

Sources

• Template:Cite journal

External links

• Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)