"Welcome to the Black Parade" is a song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance from their third studio album The Black Parade (2006). It was released as the album's lead single on September 12, 2006. An emo and pop-punk song, it opens up with a piano introduction that evolves into a fusion of several other rock-esque genres throughout its run time. The lyrics are based around the album's central character, the Patient, as he recalls a childhood memory before his death. According to band frontman Gerard Way, the broader theme of the song is about the "triumph of the human spirit".