"Desolation Row" cover

My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...

 performed a cover of "Desolation Row", for the 2009 soundtrack of Watchmen

Watchmen (film)

Watchmen is a 2009 superhero film directed by Zack Snyder and starring Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson. It is an adaptation of the comic book of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons...

. The song peaked at #20 on Billboard's

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 Modern Rock Tracks in March, 2009. The first chapter of Watchmen

Watchmen

Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...

("At Midnight All the Agents") takes its name from a line in the song. This line is also quoted at the end of the chapter.

The music video for My Chemical Romance's version was directed by Zack Snyder

Zack Snyder

Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. After making his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead, he gained wide recognition with the 2007 box office hit 300, adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics...

 (who also directed the Watchmen film and, as a result, features similar effects to that of the film). It features the band playing in an old-school punk arena. After the show becomes sold out and dozens of fans can't get in, a riot ensues as the band plays on. Eventually the police arrive but are too powerless to stop the rioting both inside the show and out. Eventually a SWAT team arrives, arrests the band, and disperses the rioters.

During MCR's parts in the video multiple Watchmen imagery (such as Rorschach

Rorschach (comics)

Rorschach is a fictional comic book character and antihero that was featured in the acclaimed 1986 DC Comics miniseries Watchmen...

's mask and The Comedian's smiley face button) are seen.

My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way

Gerard Way

Gerard Arthur Way is an American musician and comic book writer who has served as lead vocalist and co-founder of the band My Chemical Romance since its formation in 2001...

 has stated in interviews that he is a long time fan of the Watchmen graphic novel. Watchmen comic book merchandise can be seen in his home on the DVD Life on the Murder Scene

Life on the Murder Scene

- DVD 1 :*Video Diary**Introduction**Band Members**Jersey**The Early Years**Influences**The Dawn of MCR**Early Collaborations**Skylines and Turnstiles**"My Chemical Romance"**Frank**The First My Chem Show**Brian**Bullets**Taking on the World...

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The song was also the last to feature former drummer Bob Bryar, who left the band a little over a year after the song was released and in the early stages of recording their fourth album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band My Chemical Romance. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo and was released by Warner Music and Reprise Records on 19 November 2010...

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Charts

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...  Singles Chart	65
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	52
UK Rock Chart UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales....	1
US Billboard Alternative Songs	20

Chart successions