"I Don't Love You" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance that serves as the third single from their third studio album, The Black Parade. Its music video premiered on the band's official YouTube and MySpace pages on March 7, 2007, and the single was released on April 3, 2007.
| "I Don't Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by My Chemical Romance | ||||
| from the album The Black Parade | ||||
| Released | April 3, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | May 2006 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:58 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | My Chemical Romance | |||
| My Chemical Romance singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "I Don't Love You" on YouTube "I Don't Love You (Outtake Version)" on YouTube | ||||
Background
edit"I Don't Love You" was released as a single on April 3, 2007, to the United Kingdom, following the band's other singles from the album, "Welcome to the Black Parade" and "Famous Last Words", both of which were successful hits for the band. The band opted to release "Teenagers" as the third single in the U.S. instead of "I Don't Love You". Despite this, the single was certified Gold on by the RIAA on October 21, 2021, and was certified Silver by the BPI on September 4, 2020. The band released the single in Canada, on MuchMusic on March 19.
History
editWhile the band was touring, they began to record using the bus's recording unit. "I Don't Love You" was one of the only songs to be used on the second-to-last album from the tour bus jam sessions. Ray Toro and Gerard Way can be seen playing an early version of the song from the tour bus sessions on the 2006 DVD Life on the Murder Scene.[6]
Music video
editThe music video was directed by Marc Webb who also directed three previous My Chemical Romance music videos, from their Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge album. Webb was chosen instead of Samuel Bayer who directed "Welcome to the Black Parade" and "Famous Last Words" from their third studio album The Black Parade. The music video is about two lovers, played by Colton Haynes and Cassandra Church, in a strange abstract world, and the video seems to tell the story of how their love quickly withers away until one leaves the other alone. Towards the end of the video, one of the band's amplifiers explodes along with two of the guitars. On March 7, 2007, the band exclusively premiered the video on their YouTube and Myspace pages. The video is in a black and white format, most likely to simulate more contrast between the two lovers. At this time, here were reports of Gerard wearing a wedding band (as can be seen in the video), which Gerard was asked about in an interview with 97X, where he mentioned that he had 'found someone very special'. The video appeared on Kerrang! TV in the UK on March 9, 2007, and on Channel 4 in the UK on March 8, 2007. The clip also shows the band members falling but not landing, in the order of Mikey Way, Ray Toro, Bob Bryar, Frank Iero, and Gerard Way. The video was made available on March 19, 2007 for purchase on the UK iTunes Store. The video was released in New Zealand on March 13, 2007.
Equipment
edit- Ray Toro's Ebony Gibson Les Paul Studio.
- Frank Iero's Ebony Gibson Les Paul Studio.
- Mikey Way's Black Fender American Deluxe Jaguar Bass
- Bob Bryar's C&C Custom drumkit.
- Marshall guitar amplifiers
- Ampeg bass amplifiers
Reception
editThe song received a positive 4/5 star review from music site Pitchfork Media, who claimed: "..it's the band's first proper power ballad and, well, they should definitely think about writing dozens more."[7] The single was released in Australia on May 16.[8]
Track listing
edit- All songs written by My Chemical Romance.
Version 1 (promotional CD)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Love You" | 3:58 |
Version 2 (CD and 7" vinyl)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Love You" | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Cancer" (live in Berlin) | 2:37 |
Version 3 (7" vinyl)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Love You" | 3:58 |
| 2. | "House of Wolves" (live in Berlin) | 2:57 |
Version 4 (CD)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Love You" | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Cancer" (Live in Berlin) | 2:39 |
| 3. | "House of Wolves" (live in Berlin) | 2:57 |
Version 5 (digital download)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Love You" (live from Sessions@AOL)) | 3:57 |
Version 6 (digital download)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Love You" (live from Sessions@AOL) | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Cancer" (live in Berlin) | 2:37 |
| 3. | "House of Wolves" (live in Berlin) | 2:57 |
Charts
edit"I Don't Love You" debuted at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone on March 25, 2007. It climbed to number 35, still on downloads alone the next week, on April 1, 2007. It rose to number 13 in its physical release.
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[9] | 64 |
| European Hot 100 Singles[10] | 35 |
| Germany (GfK)[11] | 89 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 27 |
| Scotland (OCC)[13] | 3 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 13 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[15] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Roche, Sam (November 19, 2019). "My Chemical Romance's 6 greatest guitar moments". Guitar World. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ Mortensa, Mala (February 19, 2021). "10 Of The Saddest Songs You Definitely Had On Your Ipod In The 2000'S". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ "The 12 Best Emo Power Ballads". Loudwire. May 18, 2023.
- ^ "10 Years Later, My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade Still Speaks to Emo Internet Kids". Spin. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
They reinterpreted the weepy, glammy power ballad for the emo circuit, like on "I Don't Love You" and "Disenchanted ."
- ^ "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (album review 18) - Sputnikmusic". October 23, 2006. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
"I Don"t Love You" is yet another unoriginal song, but more in the vein of a 90's alternative cut
- ^ My Chemical Romance (March 21, 2006). Life on the Murder Scene (Disc One) (Video). Reprise Records. Event occurs at 1:57:13.
- ^ "I Don't Love You | Pitchfork". Archived from the original on 2007-03-06. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
- ^ "MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE / I DON'T LOVE YOU - Sanity.com.au - More Movies - More Music". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
- ^ "ARIA Report (Australian Record Industry Association)" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association via Pandora Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100" (in Dutch). Billboard.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- ^ "My Chemical Romance – I Don't Love You" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – My Chemical Romance". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ "British single certifications – My Chemical Romance – I Don't Love You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ "American single certifications – My Chemical Romance – I Don't Love You". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 21, 2021.