"Helena" by My Chemical Romance (2005)

Summer vacation led to "Helena"

How blessed I was 10 years ago! If it wasn't for my parents, I wouldn't have heard "Helena" (plus some songs I'm gonna feature here in some other time). Those were the good old times for all forms of rock music, both foreign and OPM (original Filipino music).

It was one hot May afternoon in the capital, where my mother used to work. I was there for vacation. Browsing channels while waiting to shut eye for siesta, I stumbled upon the music video of the song on a local channel that play music videos at lunch times. The video was already at half-way, and I tracked from the scene where the dead lady in the casket arose and danced down the nave. The part where the band carried the casket to the hearse in the pouring rain while being surrounded by dancers with umbrellas is for me, the best ending I've ever seen in a music video.

Days later, I watched the complete video at my aunt's house. Weeks later, a friend lent me his VCDs of alternative music videos.

The vocalist belting the tune for those crossing over into the afterlife

Getting hooked on emo, alternative rock

"Helena" made me feel comfortable listening to emo and alternative rock songs, though I had come across many emo and alternative tracks before that. But My Chemical Romance made the genres cool in my ears. The song influenced my creativity and helped molded my personality, though in a deeply personal and private way.

"Helena" was the soundtrack of my life in 2005, probably the best song that year. It was the song that defined 2005, one of the best years of my life. It was the most requested track during the Halloween, with listeners dedicating the song to their deceased loved ones.

"Helena" dances down the nave, meaning she's crossing over into the afterlife.

Good music no more

My Chemical Romance later released "Welcome to the Black Parade" in 2006 and "Famous Last Words" in 2007. Music acts release materials as they should do, but for me, the band did it to keep alternative music alive in the time when music glorifying sex, drugs, thuggery and bullshitness are getting more plays and publicity.

Today's music is not about musicianship anymore. It's about playing false, playing cute, playing a fool at bar parties and orgies, playing sexy, seductive and macho. Young listeners don't listen to quality songs anymore.

If only the good Lord will bring me back to the good old times.

"Until The Day I Die" by Story of the Year (2003)

Last hurrah for emo

As far as I can remember, music and bands like the one above thrived in 2003 up to early 2007. After then, we heard a lot of guys and gals who pose as musicians, but in fact are thugs and whores singing about sex, drugs, having good time and all that jazz. If we only can throw justin bieber, ariana grande, nicki minaj or iggy azalea off the building or boat...

Anyways...

When music is bad, we take the trip down memory lane on YouTube to relive memories of great music and great artists whose voice we no longer hear on the radio... because FM stations are going with the flow, the bad flow. Music used to be all about artistry. Now, it's all about gyrating, thuggery, showing off the boobs and shaking that booties. Ughhh!

The feelings and nostalgia every time we hear old songs. It makes us feel super old. Memory lanes flashing before us. We wish we could go back a little while. Timeless. Awesome.

Today's artists got nothing on the ones who used to hold the mic and play the instruments.

Old music = memories of old loves

What do I remember of the song "Until The Day I Die"? Or what do you remember?

Old loves? The one you swore to love until death? It's years now and you have already forgotten their names. It sucks that sometimes when we relive the past, we wish we could go back in time. We would have played it all way differently. We wish we would have sat back and not tried so hard. We could have moved on to the next person or else pursued a hobby or two.

We could have loved a different person. We would have done different things or done things differently.

It sucks to remember old music and past hurts at the same time. But music soothes the soul. Bad memories don't.

We heard. We had tried.

To my former objects of infatuation, I regretted having been infatuated over you.