"Helena" is a song by My Chemical Romance, appearing on their 2004 album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. It was released as a single in March 2005 and quickly became the band's Breakthrough Hit, becoming a staple on alternative rock radio and becoming their first of two top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (the other being "Welcome to the Black Parade"). The song was described
by NME as being "a pivotal moment in cross-fertilising goth with emo".
The song's music video, set at the funeral of a beautiful woman, also received a lot of airtime on music video networks and helped push MCR into the mainstream. Though the song is about frontman Gerard and bassist Mikey Way's late grandmother, Word of God claimed that the video tells a different story, as the corpse depicted is that of a younger woman who died tragically.
Watch the video here.
Long ago, just like the tropes you die to get in again:
- Attractive Zombie: The corpse shows virtually no decay aside from her skin losing color.
- Concept Video: Gerard and the band hosting a funeral.
- The Dead Can Dance: The corpse gets up and dances when no one is looking.
- Door-Closes Ending: The video ends with Gerard closing the hearse's door and walking away.
- The "Fun" in "Funeral": With big dance number and live music. So fun, even the corpse gets in on it!
- Grief Song: The song is about the death of Gerard and Mikey Way's grandmother.
- It Always Rains at Funerals: It's raining when the band members take the casket outside and put it in a hearse. It was purely a coincidence that it was raining the day the video was shot, but director Marc Webb used it to advantage to maintain the mood of the video.
- Large Ham: Gerard does a very dramatic delivery of the funeral sermon.
- Lyrical Cold Open: The song has no intro.
- Non-Appearing Title: "Helena" does not appear anywhere in the lyrics.
- One-Woman Song: "Helena" refers to the Way brothers' grandmother.
