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May Death Never Stop You
Greatest hits album by My Chemical Romance
Released	March 25, 2014
Length	73:20
Label	Reprise
My Chemical Romance chronology
Conventional Weapons (2013) May Death Never Stop You (2014) The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts (2016)
Singles from May Death Never Stop You
"Fake Your Death" Released: February 17, 2014

May Death Never Stop You is a greatest hits compilation album by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It is a collection of 19 songs from across My Chemical Romance's discography from 2001 to 2013. Most of those songs are from previous albums, ranging from their commercially successful singles to fan-favorite songs. In addition to those songs, the album contains a previously unreleased song, "Fake Your Death", and three demos.

The album was announced after My Chemical Romance announced their breakup in 2013, and was released on March 25, 2014. It was supported by "Fake Your Death", which was released as a single on February 17, and was the final song that the band had made before their breakup. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, who viewed the release as a good overview of the bands history, though some had mixed opinions on its track selection. It charted in several countries, and was later certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry and gold by Recorded Music NZ.

Background and release

On March 22, 2013, My Chemical Romance announced that they would be breaking up through a blog post on their official website. Two days later, band member Gerard Way confirmed the break up through a post on his Twitter account. Later that year on December 13, the band announced that they would be releasing a greatest hits album, titled May Death Never Stop You, in celebration of the bands history. In addition to containing songs from each of the bands studio albums, the band announced that the album would contain previously unreleased material. The albums cover art was designed by Way, who previously revealed it on November 30. It features a ruined, half-destroyed statue in the center in a marching uniform from The Black Parade (2006), as well as memorabilia representing the bands other albums scattered throughout. In January 2014, it was announced that the album would contain the final finished song the band had created, "Fake Your Death".

Pre-orders for the album started on January 21, 2014. On February 17, "Fake Your Death" was released as a single on iTunes and BBC Radio 1. A trailer for the album was released that same day, containing clips of the bands music videos accompanied by the song. May Death Never Stop You was released on March 25, 2014 through Reprise Records. The album was available in three editions: a standard version released on CD, a Deluxe edition containing a DVD with extra content, and a "Physical Deluxe" edition that included the CD as well as a two-piece vinyl set.

Music

May Death Never Stop You is a greatest hits compilation album containing 19 songs from across My Chemical Romance's discography from 2001 to 2013. Most of these are from their previous studio albums, with two songs from I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (2002), four each from Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004) and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010), and five from The Black Parade (2006). While the majority of songs featured on the album were successful singles, some were never released as standalone singles, instead being fan-favorites. These include "You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison", "Cancer", and "Mama". Similarly, two of the bands singles, "Thank You for the Venom" and "I Don't Love You" were excluded, despite the latters commercial success in the United Kingdom. Alongside their songs from previous albums, May Death Never Stop You features three songs from their "Attic Demo" sessions, as well as the aforementioned "Fake Your Death", which serves as the albums opening track.

"Fake Your Death" is a piano ballad, that later incorporates drums and guitars. Alongside the bands regular members, the song features James Dewees on keyboard. Evan Sawdey of PopMatters described the song as "bombastic", and felt that it was comparable to a song from The Black Parade. It was previously recorded for their scrapped fifth studio album, and ended up being the last song the band had completed before breaking up. According to Frank Iero, the song was the only recording from the project that was suitable for release and other tracks from it were unsalvageable and unlikely to ever be released officially. Gerard Way stated that he viewed the song as a "eulogy for the band", as well as its "final fully realized collaboration", though he did not initially create the song with the idea that it would be the bands last. Jake Richardson of Loudwire highlighted the songs lyric "I choose defeat, I walk away and leave this place the same today" as reflecting the songs unintentional meaning as a eulogy.

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Alternative Addiction
AllMusic
Drowned in Sound	7/10
PopMatters

May Death Never Stop You received generally positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator Metacritic, it holds a score of 79 based on 4 critic reviews.

Evan Sawdey of PopMatters described May Death Never Stop You as a "fitting monument" to My Chemical Romance's legacy and discography. Similar thoughts were written by Carla Washbourne of Drowned in Sound. He felt that, in most cases, creating a compilation of the bands work would have been difficult, and highlighted bands decision to use fan-favorite songs over what he considered to be "less interesting" radio singles as helping combat this. Similar thoughts were echoed by AllMusic's Stephen Erlewine and Carla Washbourne of Drowned in Sound. Erlewine further described the compilation as highlighting how most of the bands best songs were able to stand on their own, even when taken out of their associated albums.

Sawdey criticized the demos included in the album, describing them as "weak and disposable". He also criticized the lack of some fan-favorite songs, such as B-sides or songs from Conventional Weapons, feeling that those should have been included over the demos. Alternative Addiction felt that the songs included on the album weren't the best choices, criticizing the lack of material from Conventional Weapons and the exclusions of "Thank You for the Venom" and "Dead!". And while he believed that these omissions were flaws, he felt that they didn't significantly impact the release. Washbourne liked the inclusion of the demos, and felt that while the album slightly prioritized the bands more popular material, the track list effectively functioned as an "evolutionary tree" of My Chemical Romance's discography, with the addition of "Fake Your Death" converting it into a "smartly chronological last hurrah".

The albums single, "Fake Your Death", was met with a mixed response. Alternative Addiction described the song as comparable in quality to those from Conventional Weapons, which he viewed as simply "decent". Sawdey described the song as a "solid anthem for the group to go out on", though felt that the song was likely written with the main intent of being mainstream. In a 2022 ranking of the bands discography, Cassie Whitt and Jake Richardson of Loudwire placed the song at #43, stating that the song was a "final reminder" of the bands discography being "grandiose, visionary and, above all, full of heart".

Commercial performance

In the United States, May Death Never Stop You debuted and peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200, spending 6 weeks on that chart. In the United Kingdom, it reached #15 on the UK Albums chart, and was later certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. In New Zealand, it peaked at #22 on the New Zealand Albums chart and has been certified gold by Recorded Music NZ. Elsewhere, it charted on the album charts for Hungary (#2), Australia (#11), Ireland (#13), Scotland (#17), and Czechia (#25).

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from iTunes.

Band members

• Bob Bryar – drums, percussion (on tracks 8–12)
• James Dewees – keyboards (on track 1)
• Frank Iero – guitars, backing vocals (on tracks 1–2, 4–16)
• Matt Pelissier – drums, percussion (on tracks 2–7, 17–19)
• Ray Toro – guitars, backing vocals; bass guitar (on track 9)
• Gerard Way – lead vocals
• Mikey Way – bass guitar

Additional musicians

• Jarrod Alexander – drums, percussion (on track 1)
• John Miceli – drums, percussion (on tracks 13–16)
• Rob Cavallo – acoustic piano (on tracks 8–12)
• Howard Benson – organ (on tracks 4–7)
• Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards (on tracks 8–16); organ, synthesizers, Wurlitzer (on tracks 8–12)
• Bert McCracken – additional vocals (on track 5)
• Liza Minnelli – additional vocals (on track 10)

Charts

Certifications

Notes

1. Also known as May Death Never Stop You: The Greatest Hits (2001-2013).
2. ^ My Chemical Romance later reunited in 2019, and has since released new music.

References

1. ^ Sawdey, Evan (April 16, 2014). "My Chemical Romance: May Death Never Stop You: The Greatest Hits (2001-2013)". PopMatters. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
2. Halperin, Shirley (March 22, 2013). "My Chemical Romance Breaks Up". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
3. Blistein, Jon (May 12, 2022). "My Chemical Romance Mark Musical Return With Six-Minute Epic 'The Foundations of Decay'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
4. "MCR Split: Gerard Way Confirms Break Up". Kerrang!. March 25, 2013. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
5. ^ "Kerrang! My Chemical Romance announce details on greatest hits, May Death Never Stop You". Kerrang!. December 13, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
6. ^ Bryant 2014, p. 306. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBryant2014 (help)
7. ^ NME (January 21, 2014). "My Chemical Romance to release greatest hits album 'May Death Never Stop You' next month". NME. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
8. ^ Whitt, Cassie (February 17, 2014). "My Chemical Romance stream their final song, "Fake Your Death"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
9. Rutherford, Kevin (February 18, 2014). "My Chemical Romance Debuts Final Song 'Fake Your Death' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
10. ^ "Review of My Chemical Romance "May Death Never Stop You"". Alternative Addiction. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
11. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "May Death Never Stop You – My Chemical Romance". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
12. ^ Bryant 2014, p. 299. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBryant2014 (help)
13. "Fake Your Death by My Chemical Romance", Apple Music, February 14, 2014, retrieved December 26, 2024
14. ^ Whitt, Cassie (March 24, 2019). "Every My Chemical Romance Song Ranked From Worst to Best". Loudwire. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
15. ^ Carla Washbourne. "Review: My Chemical Romance". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
16. ^ "Reviews for May Death Never Stop You by My Chemical Romance". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
17. ^ "My Chemical Romance Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
18. ^ "My Chemical Romance | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
19. ^ "British album certifications – My Chemical Romance – May Death Never Stop You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
20. ^ "Charts.nz – My Chemical Romance – May Death Never Stop You - The Greatest Hits 2001-2013". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
21. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – My Chemical Romance – May Death Never Stop You: Greatest Hits". Radioscope. Retrieved December 23, 2024. Type May Death Never Stop You: Greatest Hits in the "Search:" field.
22. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2014. 13. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
23. ^ "Australiancharts.com – My Chemical Romance – May Death Never Stop You - The Greatest Hits 2001-2013". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
24. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 13, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
26. ^ "TOP50 Prodejní" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
27. May Death Never Stop You by My Chemical Romance on Apple Music, 2014-03-21, retrieved 2024-12-26
28. "Ultratop.be – My Chemical Romance – May Death Never Stop You - The Greatest Hits 2001-2013" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
29. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
30. "Italiancharts.com – My Chemical Romance – May Death Never Stop You - The Greatest Hits 2001-2013". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
31. "Chart Track". Oricon. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
32. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
33. "Spanishcharts.com – My Chemical Romance – May Death Never Stop You - The Greatest Hits 2001-2013". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2014.

External links

• May Death Never Stop You at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)

• 2014 greatest hits albums
• My Chemical Romance compilation albums
• Reprise Records compilation albums