It was 2009. The hype for Zack Snyder’s Watchmen was hitting a fever pitch. If you were a fan of Gerard Way or the burgeoning emo scene, you remember exactly where you were when the "Desolation Row" video dropped. My Chemical Romance covering Bob Dylan for a superhero movie felt like a glitch in the simulation. Dylan is the high priest of folk-rock. My Chem were the kings of eyeliner and theatrical angst. On paper, it’s a disaster. In reality? It’s a three-minute blast of pure, unadulterated chaos that arguably captures the spirit of the Watchmen graphic novel better than the movie itself.
Most people don't realize how much of a departure this was for the band. They were transitioning between the sprawling, operatic The Black Parade and the neon-soaked wasteland of Danger Days. This cover was the bridge. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s fast. Honestly, it’s probably the most "punk" the band ever sounded on a studio recording.
The My Chemical Romance Desolation Row Watchmen Connection
When Zack Snyder signed on to adapt Alan Moore’s "unfilmable" graphic novel, he knew the soundtrack had to be iconic. The original book is littered with musical references, particularly to Bob Dylan. In fact, the title of the first chapter, "At Midnight, All the Agents…", is a direct lift from "Desolation Row." Snyder needed something that bridged the 1960s counterculture of the source material with the aggressive energy of 2009.
Gerard Way was the perfect choice. He wasn’t just a rock star; he was a comic book creator himself, having already launched The Umbrella Academy. He understood the grit of Watchmen. But instead of doing a faithful, acoustic homage to Dylan’s 11-minute masterpiece, the band decided to strip it down to its bones and set it on fire.
They cut the length by more than half. They turned the rolling folk melody into a buzzsaw of power chords. It was a polarizing move. Dylan purists hated it. MCR fans worshipped it. But looking back, the aggression was the point. Watchmen is a story about the collapse of heroes and the rot of society. A polite folk song doesn't quite hit the same way a screaming Gerard Way does when you're watching a city burn.
Why This Cover Pissed Off the Purists
Bob Dylan’s original version of "Desolation Row" is a surrealist marathon. It’s poetic. It’s slow. It’s meant to be absorbed over a long period. When My Chemical Romance got their hands on it, they treated it like a Ramones track.
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Ray Toro and Frank Iero traded Dylan's fingerpicking for thick, distorted riffs. Bob Bryar’s drumming isn't just keeping time; it’s an assault. This isn't a song you ponder over a glass of red wine in a smoky cafe. It’s a song you jump to in a mosh pit while someone spills a PBR on your shoes. Some critics at the time called it sacrilege. They argued that the nuances of Dylan’s lyrics—the references to Ophelia, Einstein, and the Phantom of the Opera—were lost in the noise.
Maybe they were. But that’s the nature of a cover. If you wanted the original, you’d listen to Highway 61 Revisited. MCR wasn’t trying to be Dylan. They were trying to be the soundtrack to a riot.
Breaking Down the Music Video
The video, directed by Samuel Bayer (the same guy who did Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit"), is a masterpiece of its era. It’s framed as a grainy, 16mm riot film. The band is performing in a small, cramped space, surrounded by protesters and police.
- It’s sweaty.
- It’s claustrophobic.
- It looks like it was filmed in a basement in 1977.
The imagery mirrors the "Keating Act" protests within the Watchmen universe—the moment when the public turned against the masked vigilantes. Watching Gerard get tackled by "police" at the end of the video isn't just a cool visual; it’s a direct nod to the themes of state control and the loss of individual liberty that permeate the graphic novel. It made the My Chemical Romance Desolation Row Watchmen collaboration feel like a piece of world-building rather than just a promotional tie-in.
The Production Reality of the Track
Recording this wasn't easy. The band was at a crossroads. Rumors were already swirling about their internal dynamics. Yet, when you listen to the stems of this track, there’s a tight, aggressive cohesion.
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Gerard’s vocals are particularly fascinating here. He’s not using the polished, vibrato-heavy style he used on The Black Parade. He’s snarling. He sounds like he’s trying to shout over a jet engine. This raw vocal take was a hint at what was coming next for the band—a move away from the "emo" label and toward something more garage-rock and visceral.
Interestingly, the song peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. For a cover of a 40-year-old folk song, that’s actually insane. It proved that there was a massive appetite for this kind of cross-generational reimagining.
Was it Actually "Good"?
"Good" is subjective, obviously. But if we’re talking about impact, the answer is a resounding yes.
Most movie tie-in songs are forgettable fluff. They are corporate products designed to sell tickets. But "Desolation Row" felt like a statement. It reminded people that punk and folk come from the same place: a desire to call out the bullshit of the world. Dylan was doing it in 1965 with an acoustic guitar; MCR was doing it in 2009 with a wall of Marshalls.
If you go back and read the lyrics while listening to the MCR version, the surrealism takes on a new, darker edge. "They’re selling postcards of the hanging / They’re painting the passports brown." In a folk setting, those lines feel like a warning. In a punk setting, they feel like an emergency.
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Impact on the Watchmen Legacy
The Watchmen movie received a mixed reception. Fans loved the visuals but argued about the pacing and the ending changes. However, the soundtrack remains one of its strongest legacy items. Alongside tracks by Leonard Cohen and Jimi Hendrix, My Chemical Romance didn't feel out of place. They felt like the modern torchbearers of that same restless energy.
Even now, over fifteen years later, the song is a staple in "best covers" lists. It’s a time capsule of a moment when emo was the biggest thing in the world and big-budget superhero movies were still taking weird, experimental risks with their aesthetics.
How to Revisit the Track Today
If you haven't heard it in a decade, do yourself a favor and put it on. Don't think about the Dylan version. Don't think about the comic book. Just listen to the sheer speed of it.
- Listen for the bass line: Mikey Way’s work here is criminally underrated. He carries the melody through the chaos.
- Watch the "behind the scenes" footage: There are old clips of the band on set for the video. You can see the genuine excitement they had for the project.
- Read the lyrics separately: It’s easy to miss the brilliance of the words when the drums are that loud. Dylan’s poetry is still there, buried under the distortion.
The legacy of the My Chemical Romance Desolation Row Watchmen track is one of rebellion. It’s the sound of a band at the height of their powers refusing to do the expected thing. They could have covered a pop song. They could have written a radio-friendly ballad. Instead, they took a sacred cow of American music and turned it into a weapon.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans and Collectors
If you’re looking to dive deeper into this specific era of music and film history, here are your next steps:
- Track down the 7-inch vinyl: The "Desolation Row" single was released on a picture disc and a standard 7-inch. It’s a collector's item now, but it's the best way to hear the analog grit of the recording.
- Compare the "Watchmen" versions: Listen to the song as it appears in the end credits versus the standalone single. The mix is slightly different to accommodate the theater experience.
- Explore the "Danger Days" connection: Listen to this song back-to-back with "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)." You’ll hear how the raw energy of the Dylan cover directly informed the sound of MCR’s final studio album.
- Read the "Desolation Row" chapter of the graphic novel: Open the book and play the song. It changes the way you perceive the pacing of the panels.
The collaboration wasn't just a marketing gimmick. It was a rare moment where a band's aesthetic perfectly aligned with a piece of literature's soul. It was loud, it was ugly, and it was exactly what the story needed.