Chemical Romance or Chemical Makeup?

"Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird.
Surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away. . ." - Cheap Trick (1978)

"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 gonna give you a smirk
'cause they got methods
in keepin' you clean
they gonna rip up your heads
your aspirations to shreds
another cog in the murder machine

they said all teenagers scare the living s$%t 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

they said all teenagers scare the living s%&t 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!

woahohhh yeah!" - My Chemical Romance (2007)


Yes, Parents, they've summed it all up for us nicely. Teen angst for the new millenium - your parents are trying to convert you into a bunch of grown-ups, just say no!!! Wow, what a novel concept.

I was delivering laundry yesterday when I heard this ditty on the MTV. Well, it wasn't THE MTV. THE MTV used to play music videos all day long (that was the "M" part in MTV.) When it first came out, I was thirteen, and I watched it twenty-four hours a day. . .waiting for Loverboy videos "The kid is HOT tonight, but where will he be tomorrow?" And Rick Springfield. . ."Don't talk to strangers, you know they'll only use you up!"

Jeeze, they were grooming us for parenthood from the get-go!

So, anyway, the tune was catchy, there were cheerleaders and some guy who looked like a manicured "Edward Scissorhands," and I stopped to listen. I especially liked the clever chorus, complete with a poo-poo word, and the historically profitable message of kids bucking the "establishment."

On behalf of parents everywhere, I offer teenagers a message: we're not scared of you at all. In fact, you reek of familiarity.

You've got MCR, we had Tears for Fears ("Shout! Shout! Let it all OUT!")

Um, guys, we also had the Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller.

Your grandparents had the sixties and the seventies (Who do you think coined the phrase, "Sex, drugs and rock and roll!"????)

Heck, look at Romeo and Juliet! Talk about misunderstood teenagers. They were, like, before the Civil War, even!

Let's face it, some version of "The Man" is always trying to put down the next generation. It's a part of the process of finding your own way. . . which, ironically, sometimes winds up with you turning into your parents. But don't forget that, on occasion, "The Man" can come in handy. Like, when you need a hug or advice or the money for a haircut.

Oh yeah, we had the Beastie Boys, too -

"Don't step out of this house if that's the clothes you're gonna wear!
I'll kick you out of my home if you don't cut that hair!
Your mom busted in and said, 'What's that noise?'
Aw, mom you're just jealous it's the Beastie Boys!

You gotta fight, for your right, to PAAAAAAAARTY!"

And we did. And that's how we wound up as parents. . .and that's probably how Grandma and Grandpa did it, too! (Ewwwwww!)

Have fun!