10 Rock Songs That Took Shots At Other Artists

No one in My Chemical Romance was looking to make the almighty follow up to the Black Parade overnight on their next album. Though there was still a conceptual element to their sound this time around, Danger Days looked like a much more vibrant affair, being inspired by the comic book of the same name that Gerard Way was toying with on the side. The world of MCR may have been insular, but they could definitely had an eye for what was going on around them as well.

Included as a bonus track at the end of the album, We Don't Need Another Song About California is clearly a "loving ode" to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who were already coming off the heels of struggling after losing their guitarist John Frusciante at the time. As much as this would have been a gold mine for people to milk some sort of feud, you can tell that this is all in good fun from the moment it starts, with Gerard playing up the theatrics even more than usual and even toying with the kind of bonkers energy that made the Peppers the draw that they were in the '90s.

In terms of diss songs though, that wasn't even the worst offender during these sessions, with Vampire Money being a cheeky way of talking about how bands were selling out at the time by tying themselves to the Twilight franchise that was sweeping the nation. Since MCR were already rising to legend status, it was time to get a little weird, and Song About California feels like them letting off some steam during those sessions.