Draft:House of Wolves (song)


"House of Wolves"
Song by My Chemical Romance
from the album The Black Parade
ReleasedOctober 23, 2006
Genre
Length3:04
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Audio
"House of Wolves" on YouTube

"House of Wolves" is a song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance from their third album The Black Parade.

Background

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The song's inspiration was drawn from a Looney Tunes short titled Three Little Bops.[4] The song was originally conceived by Frank Iero who wrote a riff he thought his dad might've liked.[5][6] It was an outtake from the band's previous album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.[7]

Composition and lyrics

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"House of Wolves" centers around The Patient as he experiences the afterlife, seemingly ending up in hell.[8]

Recording

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American bassist Matt Cortez played bass during some of the rehearsals in place of Mikey Way for the track, but the rehearsals with Cortez went nowhere as according to Bob Bryant: "the mood was not there".[1]

Release and reception

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The Black Parade was released by Reprise Records on October 23, 2006. The song has been viewed as one of the album and band's best songs. Awsten Knight of the band Waterparks stated that as soon as he he heard it, he "metaphorically and physically" pooped his pants.[9] Mackenzie Templeton of Alternative Press ranked the song number ten on the album, stating that the song "shows how the Patient is attempting to accept the fact that he's doomed to hell and is now attempting several religious ideas to try to escape an eternity spent there, with a ragtime-inspired beat that offers the listener a distinct experience."[10] Tom Sheppard of Kerrang ranked the song number six on the album, stating the song proved that the band "could still go large when it came to playing fast and loose."[11] Ariana Bacle of Entertainment Weekly ranked it number eight in her ranking of the album.[7] Marianne Eloise of Louder ranked the song number 18 in the band's discography, stating the song "plays an important role in the mythology of The Black Parade as the protagonist The Patient arrives in hell after a naughty life."[12] Sam Law of Kerrang ranked the song number 14 in his ranking of the 20 best My Chemical Romance songs, stating the song was proof the band could "cut loose while still sounding like the biggest band in the world."[13] Rolling Stone's David Fricke called it " just too numb to give a shit about morality"[14] When ranking the 10 essential My Chemical Romance songs that encapsulate every era, Mala Mortensa stated that it "offers an extrication through ferocity that calls back to MCR’s foundational punk inclinations" and stating that it "creates contrast against edges that would otherwise go unrecognized."[15]

Personnel

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Personnel are adapted from iTunes.[16]

Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Bryant 2014, p. 161.
  2. ^ Belt, Andy. "The Top 15 Songs of My Chemical Romance". PopMatters. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  3. ^ Bryant 2014, p. 151.
  4. ^ Cooper, Ali. "16 things about 'Black Parade' even My Chemical Romance probably forgot". Alternative Press Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  5. ^ Richardson, Jake; Whitt, Cassie (2019-03-24). "Every My Chemical Romance Song Ranked From Worst to Best". Loudwire. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  6. ^ Weingarten, Christopher R.; Aufrichtig, Aliza (2020-06-11). "Before & After 'The Black Parade' - The New York Times". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  7. ^ a b "Every song on My Chemical Romance's 'The Black Parade,' ranked". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  8. ^ Eloise, Marianne (2020-08-30). "Every My Chemical Romance song ranked from worst to best". The Forty-Five. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  9. ^ "My Chemical Romance's Best Songs, Picked By Your Favourite Bands". Kerrang!. 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  10. ^ Templeton, Mackenzie. "'The Black Parade' ranked from good to peak My Chemical Romance". Alternative Press Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  11. ^ "My Chemical Romance: Every song on The Black Parade, ranked from..." Kerrang!. 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  12. ^ Marianne Eloise (2024-05-27). "The 20 greatest My Chemical Romance songs ever". louder. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  13. ^ "The 20 greatest My Chemical Romance songs – ranked". Kerrang!. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  14. ^ Fricke, David (October 16, 2006). "The Black Parade". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  15. ^ Mortensa, Mala. "10 essential My Chemical Romance songs that encapsulate every era". Alternative Press Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  16. ^ House of Wolves by My Chemical Romance on Apple Music, 2006-10-23, retrieved 2024-07-30
  17. ^ "American single certifications – My Chemical Romance – House of Wolves". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 11, 2025.

Sources

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