Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
Encyclopedia
"Na Na Na" is a song by 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...

. It is the second track and first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from their fourth studio 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...

.

Background

According to lead vocalist 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...

, 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". 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".
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.

Promotion

"Na Na Na" was premiered on air September 22, 2010 via WRFF
WRFF
WRFF is a modern rock FM radio station located in and licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is known on-air as "Radio 104.5."-WRCP-FM:...

 in Philadelphia, Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...

 on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

, and KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...

 in Los Angeles. The artwork was released on the band's website the next day. 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
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. 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
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

. It has been announced that "Na Na Na" will be sung in Simlish
Simlish
Simlish is a fictional language featured in EA Games' Sim series of games. It debuted in SimCopter, and has been especially prominent in The Sims, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. The Sims development team created the unique Simlish language by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian, French, Latin,...

 in the new Sims 3: Late Night
The Sims 3: Late Night
The Sims 3: Late Night is the third expansion pack for the strategic life simulation computer game The Sims 3 and is similar to previous expansions The Sims 2: Nightlife for The Sims 2 and The Sims: Hot Date for The Sims...

, to be released October 26, 2010. The song was also made downloadable for the video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...

 part of the Rocktober track pack that appears exclusively on Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

. Na Na Na has recently been used in a transition sequence on the British topical comedy show Russell Howard's Good News
Russell Howard's Good News
Russell Howard's Good News is a British comedy and topical news show broadcast on BBC Three and, since the show's fourth series, BBC HD. Hosted by comedian Russell Howard, he offers his commentary on the news of the week using mostly standup, but including sketches and guest appearances from people...

 on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...

. Na Na Na has been named the official theme song to the WWE PPV event, TLC 2010
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2010)
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 19, 2010 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. It was the second annual TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs event...

. An instrumental version of Na Na Na also appears in the E3 2011 trailer for the City Escape level from Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast video game console. It was released in North America on June 19, 2001 and in Japan on June 23, 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It is the sequel...

 being recycled as part of the Dreamcast era for Sonic Generations
Sonic Generations
is a 2011 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, produced by Sonic Team for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 3DS...

. The song was also used in an episode of Teen Wolf (2011 TV series)
Teen Wolf (2011 TV series)
Teen Wolf is an American television series that currently airs on MTV, and in reruns on TeenNick. The series premiered on June 5, 2011, following the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. Teen Wolf is a supernatural drama series that follows Scott McCall , a high school student and social outcast who is bitten by...

. As well as this, it featured in a fight scene in US program "Human Target (2010 TV series)".

Development and release

The music video premiered on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 on October 14, 2010. The video was co-directed by Roboshobo and 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...

 and features comic book author Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...

. The music video was first previewed in the short trailer titled "Art is the Weapon" which was released on September 17, 2010. Album opener "Look Alive, Sunshine" was included in the music video. MTV posted photo previews on October 8, and a 30 second preview video on October 11. 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
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...

 as Party Poison, Mikey Way as Kobra Kid, Ray Toro as Jet Star and Frank Iero
Frank Iero
Frank Anthony Iero Jr is the rhythm guitarist, co-lead guitarist and backup vocalist of the alternative rock band My Chemical Romance as well as the vocalist of the post-hardcore band Leathermouth.-Early life:...

 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
Mexican standoff
A Mexican standoff is a slang term defined as a stalemate or impasse; a confrontation that neither side can foreseeably win. The term is most often used in lieu of "stalemate" when the confrontational situation is exceptionally dangerous for all parties involved.In popular culture, the Mexican...

, 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
Sing (My Chemical Romance song)
"Sing" is My Chemical Romance's fourth track and second single from their fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. The official single artwork was posted on the band's website on October 2010...

" is a companion piece and continues the story of the Killjoys and BL/ind.

In an interview with the band for KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...

, Gerard Way revealed that members of the band Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence is an American musical group formed in New York in 1997. Their music has a mixed style including rap, punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno and industrial...

 appear in the video, with guitarist Steve Righ? as DJ "Dr. Death Defying", and vocalist Jimmy Urine as the "main, tall Draculoid". Urine was originally intended to play the roller skater "Show Pony", but was changed to a Draculoid as he cannot skate. 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
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...

, Easy Rider
Easy Rider
Easy Rider is a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom...

 Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...

. There is also a reference to their previous album 'The Black Parade
The Black Parade
The Black Parade is the third studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance. Released on October 23, 2006 through Reprise Records, it was produced by Rob Cavallo, who has also produced albums for Green Day. The album is the first on which Bob Bryar plays drums. It is a rock opera centering...

' 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
Welcome to the Black Parade
"Welcome to the Black Parade" is the first single and fifth track from My Chemical Romance's third studio album, The Black Parade. It was released on September 11, 2006 on iTunes and October 9, 2006 on CD. It is the band's eighth single...

 and Famous Last Words
Famous Last Words (My Chemical Romance song)
"Famous Last Words" is a song by the American alternative rock band My Chemical Romance. It was released as the band's second single on January 22, 2007 from their third studio album, The Black Parade. It is also the band's ninth overall single...

, 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
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...

-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
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....

 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
Sonic Generations
is a 2011 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, produced by Sonic Team for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 3DS...

 E3 US trailer showcasing the City Escape level.
The Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...

 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
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

'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".
Jason Lipshutz of Billboard
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...

 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
The Black Parade
The Black Parade is the third studio album by American rock band My Chemical Romance. Released on October 23, 2006 through Reprise Records, it was produced by Rob Cavallo, who has also produced albums for Green Day. The album is the first on which Bob Bryar plays drums. It is a rock opera centering...

".
NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

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".
Sara D. Anderson of AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...

 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."
MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

'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
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...

 album. Singer Gerard Way sounds in fine form, going toe to toe with the guitars".

Chart performance

"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" debuted at number forty-one on the Billboard
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...

 Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...

 chart and number thirty-six on the Alternative Songs chart for the charting week dated October 9, 2010. The song moved up to number nineteen on the Alternative Songs chart the next week, earning the title of Greatest Gainer.
Chart (2010-11) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...

71
Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....

70
Dutch Singles Chart 86
European Hot 100 69
German Singles Chart
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

94
Japanese Singles Chart
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....

9
New Zealand RIANZ
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

 Singles Chart
33
Swedish Singles Top 60
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....

44
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 ...

31
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
U.S. Billboard
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...

 Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

77
U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs 10
U.S. Billboard Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...

21

Chart successions

Track listing

  • All songs written by 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...

    .

Version 1 (promotional CD)
Version 2 (promotional CD)
Version 3 (digital download)
Version 4 (7″ vinyl and CD)
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