Sloppy Jane has unveiled a soul-stirring rendition of My Chemical Romance’s 2006 fan-favorite, “Cancer,” enriched with additional strings and haunting backing vocals that weave an exaggerated anguish through the track. The release of this cover is not the first time that Sloppy Jane has delivered this heartwrenching ballad with her fans as she performed the track at the 2022 Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City, UT.
The striking cover arrives via Phoebe Bridgers’ label imprint, Saddest Factory Records, as Sloppy Jane’s first release since her 2021 full-length Madison. While faithfully capturing the heart-rendering and profound essence of the original, which MCR vocalist Gerard Way penned through the lens of The Black Parade’s Patient narrative, Sloppy Jane infuses her version with elongated vocal expressions that vividly depict the melancholy of the track. The additional haunting backing vocals echo as the backdrop of her cover, intensifying the emotional depth of the song.
Read more: Is My Chemical Romance Teasing Their Fifth Album?
Following the release of their 2006 hit album The Black Parade, Way elaborated on the depth of the track, explaining that he wanted to write “the darkest song ever.” He shared further, “It’s not a poetic track. It’s very direct, very brutal, but that’s the way disease is. Obviously, cancer is being used as a metaphor. But I also wanted the song to be directly about the disease because it’s something that the patient has gone through, and it’s a very powerful thing. For me, it was almost like an attempt to write the darkest song ever, and I think we achieved that.”
Of her rendition, Sloppy Jane shares, “My Chemical Romance is my biggest influence as far as being an insane band with an incredible amount of world-building. I’ve loved them since I was a kid. I started playing this song live while opening for other bands on the “Madison” cycle as kind of an access point. I chose ‘Cancer’ because it’s piano and strings driven, and its message is ‘I love you, and now I will die,’ which is basically what I’m saying on every single song on Madison. And I don’t like jokey covers—I love the song and thought it would fit in with mine.”
Sloppy Jane Show Dates:
- Oct. 31—Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
- Nov. 9—Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
- Nov. 12—Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
- Nov. 16—Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco Theater
- Nov. 18—San Diego, CA @ Music Box
- Feb. 8, 2024—Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
- Feb. 11, 2024—St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
- Feb. 16, 2024—Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
- Feb. 17, 2024—New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
- Feb. 18, 2024—Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom