Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)

"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)"
Single by My Chemical Romance
from the album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
Released	September 28, 2010
Format	CD Digital download
Recorded	2010
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:23
Label	Reprise
Writer(s)	My Chemical Romance
Producer	Rob Cavallo
My Chemical Romance singles chronology
"Desolation Row" (2009) "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (2010) "The Only Hope for Me Is You" (2010)

"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" is a song by My Chemical Romance. It is the second track and first single from their fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.

Background

According to lead vocalist Gerard Way, the band had struggled with the departure of drummer Bob Bryar and was dissatisfied with the progress of the sessions for their fourth studio album until the recording of "Na Na Na".^[1] A breakthrough was achieved once the chord progressions for the song were in place, with Way explaining,

"That's the moment where we said, 'This song changes everything. We're starting over right now. We're starting it over with [producer Rob] Cavallo, and we're doing it now'. Everything up to that point had felt like we had been in this kind of stasis, and as artists, stasis really equals death. So, it was so bad, the vibe wasn't good, and then 'Na Na' happened. And then, all of a sudden, there was this real, big intensity underneath us, and it was the momentum we needed to dig deep and record another album".^[1]

The song was not originally intended as a single, but due to the positive response to the album's teaser video, "Art is the Weapon", it was released and a full music video was shot.^[2]

Promotion

"Na Na Na" was premiered on air September 22, 2010 via WRFF in Philadelphia, Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1, and KROQ-FM in Los Angeles.^[3] The artwork was released on the band's website the next day.^[4] The song was released on September 28, 2010 in North America for purchase at online music stores and was released on November 8, 2010 in the United Kingdom.^[5][6] On the day the single was released in North America, a lyric video, which primarily literally depicts the words in the song, was released on YouTube.^[7] It has been announced that "Na Na Na" will be sung in Simlish in the new Sims 3: Late Night, to be released October 26, 2010.^[8] The song was also made downloadable for the video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock part of the Rocktober track pack that appears exclusively on Xbox 360. Na Na Na has recently been used in a transition sequence on the British topical comedy show Russell Howard's Good News on BBC Three. Na Na Na has been named the official theme song to the WWE PPV event, TLC 2010. An instrumental version of Na Na Na also appears in the E3 2011 trailer for the City Escape level from Sonic Adventure 2 being recycled as part of the Dreamcast era for Sonic Generations. The song was also used in an episode of Teen Wolf (2011 TV series).

Music video

Development and release

The music video premiered on MTV on October 14, 2010. The video was co-directed by Roboshobo and Gerard Way and features comic book author Grant Morrison.^[9] The music video was first previewed in the short trailer titled "Art is the Weapon" which was released on September 17, 2010.^[10] Album opener "Look Alive, Sunshine" was included in the music video.^[11] MTV posted photo previews on October 8, and a 30 second preview video on October 11.^[12] On a "Making of" video, Gerard Way expressed interest in shooting a third part to the Killjoy story.

Synopsis

The video features a strangely garbed outlaw gang called the Killjoys (Gerard Way as Party Poison, Mikey Way as Kobra Kid, Ray Toro as Jet Star and Frank Iero as Fun Ghoul), who are being pursued in the badlands around Battery City by the sinister executive Korse (Morrison) of Better Living Industries (BL/ind) and his vampire-masked henchmen (the Draculoids); in between battles with Better Living, the gang are indulging in pornographic magazines, fast driving, and hacking vending machines. The Killjoys have a young girl as one of their members (portrayed by Grace Jeanette), who BL/ind is out to capture. At the end of the video, after a Mexican standoff, the Killjoys lie defeated on the ground, and the girl has been captured by Korse and the Draculoids. Korse tells the Killjoys to "keep running." The music video for later single "Sing" is a companion piece and continues the story of the Killjoys and BL/ind.

In an interview with the band for KROQ-FM, Gerard Way revealed that members of the band Mindless Self Indulgence appear in the video, with guitarist Steve Righ? as DJ "Dr. Death Defying", and vocalist Jimmy Urine as the "main, tall Draculoid".^[13] Urine was originally intended to play the roller skater "Show Pony", but was changed to a Draculoid as he cannot skate.^[2] After the video's premiere, MTV released a "Pop-Culture Cheat Sheet" listing many of the movie and TV references in the video, including films such as Blade Runner, Easy Rider Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Ultraviolet.^[14] There is also a reference to their previous album 'The Black Parade' at the 1:28 marker in the video where a half buried skeleton wearing a black marching jacket at the bottom of the screen can be seen. Similarly, in one of the "Transmissions" by Dr. Death on the band's website features a Killjoy (presumably Party Poison) searching through an abandoned room, passing by Mikey Way's Black Parade uniform from the music videos Welcome to the Black Parade and Famous Last Words, and picking up one of the skull-designed masks featured in Black Parade merchandise, before finding the MOUSEKAT mask seen in the video for Na Na Na. On a related note, the MOUSEKAT character is featured in one of BL/ind's transmissions as a Mickey Mouse-style cartoon propaganda character promoting the drugs used to keep humans under BL/ind's infuence, in the fictional reality that accompanies Danger Days.

The band won Best Video at the 2011 NME Awards for this track.

Uses in popular culture

An instrumental version of "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" was featured in the Sonic Generations E3 US trailer showcasing the City Escape level. The Florida Panthers are using it as a goal song, beginning with the 2011-12 season.

Critical reception

Thus far, "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" has been met with generally positive critical enthusiasm. Spin's William Goldman described "Na Na Na" as an "in-your-face punk anthem with blistering guitar leads, an epic breakdown, and Gerard Way's sneering delivery", and added, "it's classic MCR and it's all hinged on an unforgettable, hockey-arena-filling chorus of na, na, na, na, na, nas".^[15] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard called the song a "three-minute punk-rock blast" that "is a startling change of pace from My Chemical Romance's 2006 concept album The Black Parade".^[16] NME's Dan Martin said the song is "rooted in the here and now, with the most simple pop song refrain rebooted as nothing less than a generational call to arms".^[17] Sara D. Anderson of AOL Radio noted, "By the looks of their new single and its paired video teaser, MCR are opting for an effervescent, light-hearted sound compared to their heavier-themed efforts."^[18] MTV's Chris Ryan said the song "gets right to the point, exploding out of the gate with an absolutely ferocious riff that could have been ripped right off of an old Stooges album. Singer Gerard Way sounds in fine form, going toe to toe with the guitars".^[19]

Chart performance

"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" debuted at number forty-one on the Billboard Rock Songs chart and number thirty-six on the Alternative Songs chart for the charting week dated October 9, 2010.^[20] The song moved up to number nineteen on the Alternative Songs chart the next week, earning the title of Greatest Gainer.^[21]

Chart (2010-11)	Peak position
Austrian Singles Chart	71
Canadian Singles Chart	70
Dutch Singles Chart[22]	86
European Hot 100[23]	69
German Singles Chart[24]	94
Japanese Singles Chart	9
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[25]	33
Swedish Singles Top 60[26]	44
UK Singles Chart[27]	31
UK Rock Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[28]	77
U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs[21]	10
U.S. Billboard Rock Songs[20]	21

Chart successions

Preceded by "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi

UK Rock Chart number-one single 13 November 2010 - 18 December 2010

Succeeded by "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" by The Darkness

Track listing

• All songs written by My Chemical Romance.

Version 1 (promotional CD)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (radio edit)	3:28
2.	"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (radio edit, with DJ intro)	3:58
3.	"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (single version)	3:28
4.	"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (with DJ intro)	3:56

Version 2 (promotional CD)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (radio edit)	3:25
2.	"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (single version)	3:23

Version 3 (digital download)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (single version)	3:23

Version 4 (7″ vinyl and CD)^[29]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (single version)	3:25
2.	"Zero Percent"	2:47

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Montgomery, James (2010-09-24). "My Chemical Romance Say 'Na Na Na' Saved The Band". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1648644/20100924/my_chemical_romance.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "My Chemical Romance KROQ Interview Pt. 2 of 2". KROQ-FM. 2010-09-22. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpomC3FRwXo. Retrieved 2010-10-15. 
3. ^ "New My Chemical Romance Music Tonight". Rock Sound. 2010-09-22. http://www.rocksound.tv/news/article/new-my-chemical-romance-music-tonight. Retrieved 2010-09-23. 
4. ^ ""Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" available for sale this Tuesday at iTunes!". Jeff Watson. 2010-09-23. http://www.mychemicalromance.com/blog/jeff/na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-available-sale-tuesday-itunes-us. Retrieved 2011-05-05. 
5. ^ Cochrance, Greg (2010-09-23). "My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way: 'Atmosphere was bad'". Newsbeat. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/11396872. Retrieved 2010-09-27. 
6. ^ "New Releases: U.K. - Forthcoming Singles". Radio1.gr. http://www.radio1.gr/music/forthcoming_uk_singles.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-27. 
7. ^ "My Chemical Romance Release 'Na Na Na' Lyric Video". Gigwise.com. 2010-09-28. http://www.gigwise.com/news/58644/My-Chemical-Romance-Release-Na-Na-Na-Lyric-Video. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
8. ^ "Sims 3 exclusive: Travie McCoy, My Chemical Romance and more sing in Simlish". Entertainment Weekly. 2010-09-17. http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/09/02/sims-3-travie-mccoy-exclusive. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
9. ^ Montgomery, James (2010-10-08). "My Chemical Romance's 'Na Na Na' Video: Check Out On-Set Photos!". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1649611/20101008/my_chemical_romance.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
10. ^ "My Chemical Romance - Art Is The Weapon". Youtube/My Chemical Romance. 2010-09-17. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63lyA42Y6ug. Retrieved 2010-10-12. 
11. ^ Martin, Dan (2010-09-27). "My Chemical Romance, 'Danger Days...' - First Listen". NME. http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=140&p=9147&title=my_chemical_romance_danger_days_first_li&more=1&c=1. Retrieved 2010-10-03. 
12. ^ "Watch A Behind-The-Scenes Sneak Peek Of My Chemical Romance's 'Na Na Na' Video". MTV. 2010-10-11. http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2010/10/11/behind-the-scenes-video-my-chemical-romances-na-na-na-video/. Retrieved 2010-10-12. 
13. ^ . 2010-09-17. http://twitter.com/DrDeathDefying/status/24790250742. Retrieved 2010-10-15. 
14. ^ Montgomery, James (2010-10-14). "My Chemical Romance's 'Na Na Na' Video: A Pop-Culture Cheat Sheet". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1650003/20101014/my_chemical_romance.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-10-15. 
15. ^ Goldman, William (2010-09-22). "Listen: My Chemical Romance Debut First Song!". Spin. http://www.spin.com/articles/listen-my-chemical-romance-debut-first-song. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
16. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (2010-09-23). "My Chemical Romance to Release 'Danger Days' Album in November". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). http://www.billboard.com/news/my-chemical-romance-to-release-danger-days-1004116426.story. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
17. ^ Martin, Dan (2010-09-28). "10 Tracks You Have To Hear This Week - My Chemical Romance, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Bjork". NME. http://www.nme.com/reviews/my-chemical-romance/11599. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
18. ^ Anderson, Sara D. (2010-09-22). "My Chemical Romance, 'Na Na Na' - New Song". AOL Radio. http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/09/22/my-chemical-romance-na-na-na/. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
19. ^ Ryan, Chris (2010-09-23). "New Song: My Chemical Romance, 'Na Na Na...'". MTV. http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2010/09/23/my-chemical-romance-na-na-na/. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
20. ^ ^{a b} "Chart Highlights: Country, Dance/Club Play Songs & More". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2010-09-27. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-country-dance-club-play-1004117079.story. Retrieved 2010-09-27. 
21. ^ ^{a b} "Chart Highlights: Dance/Club Play, Alternative Songs & More". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2010-10-04. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-dance-club-play-alternative-1004118866.story. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 
22. ^ dutchcharts.nl
23. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/european-albums?tag=relcharts
24. ^ http://www.mtv.de/charts/germany
25. ^ charts.org.nz
26. ^ swedishcharts.com
27. ^ BBC - Radio 1 - The Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart
28. ^ http://www.billboard.com/news/zac-brown-band-bows-at-no-1-on-billboard-1004117424.story?tag=hpflash1#/charts/hot-100?begin=71&order=position
29. ^ "My Chemical Romance: Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na N". JPC. http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/lang/en/currency/EUR/hnum/4560778/art_hex/4d792d4368656d6963616c2d526f6d616e63652d4e612d4e612d4e612d4e612d4e612d4e612d4e612d4e.