Annotations for Look Alive Sunshine

Lyric: [Spoken: Dr. Death Defying]
Annotation:
Dr. Death Defying is voiced by Steve Righ, guitarist for the band Mindless Self Indulgence, who also depicts him in the music videos for Na Na Na and Sing.

Lyric: Look alive, sunshine!
 109 in the sky,
Annotation:
Like in a regular news flash, there is the weather report. This could also refer to the station’s FM frequency, which is outside of the normal range for channels ( that being between 88 and 108 megahertz for FM radio), indicating that they are a “bootleg channel”.

Lyric: It’s time to do it now and do it loud!
Annotation:
“Do it loud- Make a scene. Go down swinging. If you’re gonna die, your name better be in the history books.” This is better than my original annotation (There’s no more time to sit around and wait. The killjoys need to make their move with no reservations.). Credit to fukawa.

Lyric: Killjoys, make some noise!
Annotation:
The Killjoys are a gang of rebels who want to overthrow Better Living Industries, an omnipotent corporation that is slowly taking over people’s lives. This also later became a name for MCR’s fanbase. Dr. Death-Defying runs a pirate radio station and often sends the Killjoys messages through his broadcasts. He encourages them to make a difference, fight for what they want, and get noticed. Through the  Danger Days storyline,  My Chemical Romance aims to inspire their fans to do the same.

Lyric: The future is bulletproof!
 The aftermath is secondary!
Annotation:
“The future is bulletproof” suggests that there will be peace and happiness someday, which would inspire the Killjoys to fight harder in their battles against  Better Living Industries. “The aftermath is secondary” reassures them that there is no reason to worry about what happens after they fight the problems caused by BLI — it’s more important to fight the injustice of the world and face the consequences later. It’s also one of BLI’s slogans, making this a statement about how the Killjoys will turn BLI’s wrongdoings into something they can cherish.

Lyric: This one’s for all you rock ’n rollers
 All you crash queens and motor babies, listen up!
Annotation:
Dr. Death Defying is providing a soundtrack for the rebellious few. His main ambition is to supply the public minority with something they can sing along to without interruption or disappointment. In an interview, Gerard Way has said that the Killjoys listen to the radio between fights, and that they would listen to upbeat, punk-y music.

Lyric: Louder than God’s revolver and twice as shiny!
Annotation:
This suggests that the power of the Killjoys and rebels is greater than even a higher power. It’s also interesting to note that in the Killjoy universe, droids consider a large robot called  DESTROYA as a god. MCR frontman  Gerard Way explained the meaning of “shiny” on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gerardway/status/24856725153

Lyric: I’ll be your surgeon, your proctor, your helicopter
Annotation:
As well as the radio’s DJ, Dr. Death Defying will be everything the Killjoys will need to fight against  BLI: a “surgeon” to make them feel better and pick them up again, a “proctor” to watch over them, and a “helicopter” to provide escape and protection. Dr. D. proved his role as a “helicopter” at the end of  “SING” — while the Killjoys fought off Draculoids, he took the little girl they were protecting into his van to help her get away from danger.

Lyric: A system failure for the masses, anti-matter for the master plan
Annotation:
MCR has a theme for each album. This album’s theme is superheros, which is why plots and phrases from typical superhero movies frequently occur in each song.

Lyric: Pumping out the slaughtermatic sounds to keep you alive
Annotation:
“Slaughtermatic” is referring to the cyberpunk book made by Steve Aylett  who was a source of inspiration for the album.  Also, it connects to how many MCR fans have said that their music “saved their lives” or “kept them alive” and etc.

Lyric: You’re here with me, Dr. Death Defying
Annotation:
Dr. Death Defying is a pirate radio DJ allied with the Killjoys in their fight against Better Living Industries. He also appears in  “Goodnite, Dr. Death” and in  “Jet-Star and the Kobra Kid/Traffic Report”, telling how Kobra Kid and Jet Star got “ghosted”, or killed.

Lyric: But the pigs won’t quit
Annotation:
In  Danger Days, the band is portrayed as heroes who fight against the BLI (Better Living Industries), a corporation that uses commerce and mind control to control society. In this case pigs would refer to the Draculoids, BLI’s minions. In a broader context, it could refer to the police, and government in general. This would fit with the album’s anti-establishment message. ( Wikipedia gives more info.)

Lyric: [Intro: ”Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)”]
Annotation:
This “outro” to the intro is also used as the intro to the technical opening track on the album,  “Na Na Na.” An instrumental is played behind this part only, giving a smooth lead-in to the intro of “Na Na Na.”

