I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
by My Chemical Romance
- 178
- BPM
- D major
- Key
- 10B
- Camelot
- 21
- Danceability
- 1
- Acousticness
A&R man Craig Aaronson and producer Howard Benson found the seed of "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" in an old demo by My Chemical Romance, a vocal line and chord progression six minutes into a song. They told the band to build on it. The band was reluctant at first. Then Gerard Way and Ray Toro performed the section, and Frank Iero said it was the most beautiful song they had ever heard.
Iero, Matt Pelissier, Toro, Way and Mikey Way wrote it, and Benson produced. Way said it came from his feelings after a girl he liked took "really sleazy photographs with her boyfriend". He called it a "cry for help trapped in a pop song". The guitar solo and vocal harmonies take after Queen. Benson called the song a prototype for the Queen sound on The Black Parade.
It first appeared on June 8, 2004, as the fifth track on Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, then went to US alternative radio as the lead single on September 27. It reached number four on the Alternative Airplay chart and number 19 in the UK, and it was nominated for Best Single at the 2005 Kerrang! Awards. It is certified three-times platinum in the United States. Marc Webb directed the second of its two videos, which plays like a trailer, with the band as nerds bullied by jocks, and was inspired by Rushmore.
I'm Not Okay (I Promise) runs at 178 BPM, the tempo of drum and bass and jungle. In classical terms it sits in presto territory. A bar of 4/4 lasts 1.35 seconds, and a quarter-note delay is 337 ms. It is in D major, Camelot 10B, which shares its notes with B minor and mixes cleanly with G major and A major.
We use multiple sources as part of our online research for the song story including Wikipedia.