LOS ANGELES, CA (Top40 Charts/ Reprise Records) After receiving thousands of Tweets on its official Twitter feed from fans around the world asking the band to express its support for earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan,
My Chemical Romance has responded by recording the song "#SINGItForJapan," which has been released exclusively via iTunes today, April 13th. The band and Warner Bros. Records will donate their proceeds from the song's sales to the American Red Cross in support of its relief efforts in Japan.
The song is a re-interpretation of the band's single, "SING," from current album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Produced and arranged by MCR's guitarist Ray Toro, "#SINGItForJapan" features the talents of many different musicians who donated their time, including LA Philharmonic conductor Suzie Katayama, who has worked with Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Elton John, and created the track's orchestral arrangement. "#SINGItForJapan" (named after the Twitter hash tag fans used to express their messages of support), was recorded at Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles, engineered and mixed by Allen Sides, and mastered by Bernie Grundman.
"Ever since our first show there, My Chemical Romance have always shared a special connection with Japan," says Toro. "We received news of the events unfolding there while on tour and it affected us in a profound way. We were inspired by our fans to set to work on re-imagining 'SING' and to contact the dozens of musicians who donated their time and talent to help bring '#SINGItForJapan' to life. Using classic Japanese themes in the orchestration, we hope we have honored and paid tribute to the people of Japan."
After the earthquake and tsunami hit, Toro posted a message on MCR's website asking fans to submit messages of hope to Japan via video, pictures, drawings, or written messages. "Go wherever your creativity and heart takes you," he wrote. After receiving thousands of messages from fans around the world, the band has collected these moving contributions to create the "#SINGItForJapan" video, which is now posted on MCR's new dedicated website https://singitforjapan.com. The website also offers a special T-shirt and lithograph featuring a photo entitled "From Shibuya With Love" that guitarist Frank Iero took in Tokyo during the band's Japanese tour earlier this year. All proceeds from the sale of the T-shirt and lithograph, which is signed by each member of MCR, will also be donated to the American Red Cross in support of its relief efforts in Japan.
