#this is one of the queerest mcr songs

[transsexualcoriolanus]

me (doesn’t know shit about cars) when the song about wanting to run away with someone you love and be your true selves, which uses the names jenny and johnny to address the same person at different points in the song, was originally called Trans Am:

[thekidsfromyestergay]

some of my absolute favorite queer mcr lyrics are from burn bright

this ended up being much longer than intended-- I'm sorry for the lack of eloquence, this is more of a brain dump

"they always told me that / you'll never get to heaven / with a love like yours"

this one feels self-explanatory (religious trauma,etc.)

"we lit the fire / and it's burning bright / not ashamed of what I am"

specifically what I am vs who I am indicates queerness to me

"and you made me who I am / be afraid of what I am"

the repetition of who I am and what I am feels hella queer

lest I forget-- "kissed all the boys in your city lights"

though this may be a reach as it could technically be talking about a female character in the song-- I choose to think of it homoerotcially tho

tbh the whole song feels queer, the rest of this may be reaching but

"we stole the fire and it's burning bright"

something about stealing the fire feels like queer people taking back the love and joy they were denied in relationships because of homophobia etc. and it burning bright is queer people now cherishing their partners and feeling love in a way that is different from cishet people because of the history and community, hence burning brighter

"we walked alone in your city lights"

clandestine walks through the city at odd hours is queet, next lyric

"can you fake it?"

could mean a lot of things, but is also easily interpreted as a queer thing

"I burned it all but I'm doing fine / cuz I'll never fade away"

something about burning desire and refusing to be forgotten is reminiscent of queer people fighting for their rights to be and love anyone

hypothetically, this song was supposed to be about mcr and the whole breakup thing but to me this song screams queer at every turn

anyway I should write a more coherent essay about this at some point, thank you for reading my burn bright dump

-Z

If I may also add:

"give me all you've got, I can take it" as a reflection of homophobia, somewhere between having experienced it so much it means nothing, and having the strength not to let it hurt you

"can you fake it?" Either as in faking being cishet for protection, or about being told by others that you're faking being queer

Specifying "kissed all the boys in your city lights" feels like a dig at people who think that queer people don't exist around them

"when you see your face you'll never be the same again" this one is a little reachy even for me but I have a pretty strong memory of looking at myself in the mirror after I first realised I was queer and just. Knowing something was different

Anyways burn bright is the queerest MCR song and I will stand by that forever

[wormonastringtheory]

A few more if you don't mind.

32, 50, 80, 99

32: The Kids Aren't Alright by Fall Out Boy (another absolute favorite) this song makes me think of my irl best friend and also my ex gf who is a close friend now

50: I Want To Be With You by Chloe Moriondo, honestly one of the only Chloe Songs I know but it's catchy, it's from a few gay crushes I had this year

80: Burn Bright by MCR, One of the queerest MCR songs. This one means so much to me, it's my all time favorite song. It makes me happy to be queer, it makes me feel empowered and understood. It reminds me of my weekend in Toronto this summer, of spending time with friends and new experiences and seeing my chemical romance live.

99: Somewhere Only We Know by Keane. An old favorite. I've loved this song (various versions and covers of it) since I was 15. Got into it because of a Dan and Phil BBC Radio 1 thing where they had to control each other's hands to draw themed drawings to Lilly Allen's version of it! A lot of memories associated with my high school, my ex from that time in my life and wanting to just say one more thing to them.