29 replies to this topic

[pasalaska]

This week’s Song of the Week is Green Day's dig at materialism and consumerism; Fashion Victim, track 4 of Green Day’s 6th studio album, Warning.

The meaning behind Fashion Victim’s lyrics is fairly self-explanatory – they criticise and satirise people who follow the fashion and trends of mainstream society to try and fit in (“the casualties”); people who base themselves on brand names and are obsessed with keeping up with the in-crowd, even if they can’t necessarily afford it, rather than being their own person and living their own life (“you auctioned off your life…”).

This week’s video is a live recording of Fashion Victim from Japan in 2001. The video isn’t actually from that recording, it’s just footage of Green Day playing a different song.


Lyrics:

He's a victim of his own time
In his vintage suit and tie
he's a casualty dressed to the teeth
In the latest genocide
the new seasons come and go
at the dog and pony show
gonna sit and beg and fetch the names
and follow the dress codes
What's in a name...hey!

She's a scented magazine
looking sharp and living clean
living well and dressed to kill
but she looks like hell to me

So when you're dancing through your wardrobe
do the anorex - a go - go
cloaked with style for pedophiles
as the credit card explodes

you auctioned off your life
for the most expensive price
going once...
going twice...
it's gone

you auctioned off your life
for the most expensive price
going once...
going twice...
it's gone

what's in a name...hey!
what's in a name...hey!
what's in a name?

*********************************************************************************************************

You can nominate songs for discussion as Song of the Week in the SotW Nominations and Archive thread, which contains links to each previous Song of the Week in its first post.

-

sorry about the week delay folks! Something went funny with my Tardis and I skipped forward in time.

[spark in the night]

I guess this song meant something to Billie during his fat Elvis days, but he's such a fashionista now. He's so stylish with his scarves and jackets and urge to change hairstyles constantly

The song is catchy, not a top favorite of mine, but it's fun to listen

[Andres]

I'll just leave this here

[BJA TC MD]

This song took a while to grow on me but it's pretty cool. Why the song is saying is pretty true, I know heaps of people like that

[pasalaska]

I'll just leave this here

http://i.imgur.com/Qnczp.jpg...

Add the Vogue article/shoot and Adeline Street...

SELLOUTS! SELLLLOUUUTTTTTZZZZZZZZZZzz.

[justcause]

There's such a thing as being scathing towards something because deep down, you're really attracted to it, but you feel like it's unworthy. So like, this song is all full of loathing for the stuff of the fashion scene - the dark side of it, the people who only value labels, the shallow cynical shit, while all the time ignoring what's central to it - fucking amazing clothes, lol!! Fashion is, at its roots, artistic expression and comment on the times - it's there to be availed of or ignored. You can try it on and step out in it if it feels good to you, but you don't have to let it own you.

[Sarcasm]

I like the part where the band goes ooooaaoh.

[WestboundSign!]

This was one of the first songs off Warning that grew on me. Not the first - but one of them. I love it's catchy melody and the lyrics, even though I have to agree with you that it's a little different with Green Day and fashion now. But the lyrics still fit to Green Day, in my opinion. Because following the fashion and everything that's "in" is in relation to a whole person and not only to what he / she wears. Green Day have always done what they wanted to do, without paying too much attention to what the others say or think about them. That's just what I think, though

[WestboundSign!]

For me it's about a lot more than clothes.

This!

[Mar]

I guess this song meant something to Billie during his fat Elvis days

Fat Elvis and short pants






WHOAAAAAA-OH-OHHHH, WHOAAAAAA-OH-OHHHH. Love it.

[Squidhard]

I remeber the first time I listened to this song. The line "so when you're dancing through your wardrobe, do the anorex - a go - go, cloaked with style for pedophiles, as the credit card explodes" got stuck in my head. Fashion Victim doesn't only talk about fashion, I totally agree with Kali. and WestboundSign!

[ScatteredPictures]

I absolutely love it ^^ Haven't listened to it in a while though...

[Sleeper Agent.]

i liked this song when i first got warning, i like the sound of it and the lyrics, its saying like keeping up with the trends will fuck you over, in my opinion

[fiercecircus]

I'm so glad someone else refers to that era as the "fat elvis" era. I feel a little guilty sometimes saying it.

It's a good song. I make fun of Warning sometimes for being the "bad" album, but really, it was a good album and a good period in my life and it's a good soundtrack for that.

[Sixtrix]

I'm so glad someone else refers to that era as the "fat elvis" era. I feel a little guilty sometimes saying it.

It's a good song. I make fun of Warning sometimes for being the "bad" album, but really, it was a good album and a good period in my life and it's a good soundtrack for that.

[kissing ass]You know, it is often seen as a bad album by a lot of fans, but Warning was able to bring in a lot of new fans at the time, like Andres. So it definitely did something good for sure[/kissing ass]

[Advertising]

[Sarcasm]

I'm so glad someone else refers to that era as the "fat elvis" era. I feel a little guilty sometimes saying it.

I'm pretty sure Billie made the name of the era himself, I have the interview in that big ass GD special by K!
Weight is a part of fashions in 2012. Damn hipsters.

[San Miguel]

probably my second favourite song off of Warning, and hoping it does well in the battle of the songs next week

i think it represents Billie's feelings towards trends at the time, as does other songs on the album - Minority, Warning, etc...

[bjrules]

My least favourite song from Warning, but I still love it. I think the message is one that many people can relate to these days.

[Brigister]

I haven't been listening to this song for a loooong time! Perfect occasion to pick it up again I love it, especially its lyrics are pretty awesome.

[LittleBoyNamedTrain]

A brilliant song from my favourite album good choice!

[burnout409]

People keep mentioning all the more recent photo shoots for clothing brands they've done and saying their sellouts etc, i can't say your wrong in a way i agree, BUT i do think there is a difference between wearing cloths because you like them and wearing cloths because someone else likes them/everyone else is wearing it. And Maybe Green Day genuinely like the cloths? We'll never know but its a possibility.

[Elena]

I love this song !! It's one of my faves from that album and also one of my faves of all time ...the lyrics are amazing and mean a lot to me (especially when i look at all these fashion victims in my school - who also dissed me cos i wasn't like them ) and the melody totally fits !! I can't even describe how much that song means to me !!
...and cos they wear some more expensive stuff and make photoshoots doesn't mean that they still think like that, does it?

[classof12]

I agree with you guys up there, it's not only about clothes, it's about do (and buy) whatever just because someone says that's trendy...and even not avoid eating just to be another skinny girl (I always think this song is about a girl) that's dress as a bitch trying to look around 20...for me is about how stupid people are just to be fashionable.

[laly]

Amazing song, is one of my favorites from Warning. I love the guitar, the drums, the lyrics... the only part that I don't like is the ooh ooh oh chorus. When I think about it is like the lyrics are sarcastic and comical, it made me create a very funny video of it in my mind
And I always thought the main thing was: people pay crazy amounts of money for clothes that are "trendy" when they actually look ridiculous with them.

[J'net]

I remeber the first time I listened to this song. The line "so when you're dancing through your wardrobe, do the anorex - a go - go, cloaked with style for pedophiles, as the credit card explodes" got stuck in my head. Fashion Victim doesn't only talk about fashion, I totally agree with Kali. and WestboundSign!

I think this is one of the key lines in the song for me. I don't think the point of the song is really against following fashion trends. It's more against following those trends all the time whether you really like them or not and following them for the wrong reasons and despite what harm it might do you ... people who will harm their own health just to have the right skinny body to wear the clothes or spend whatever it takes to possess whatever fashion is currently trendy even as their "credit card explodes." In other words ... sad people who can never be happy or secure because they're always looking for something that will make them "good enough" ... always trying to fit in.

This song always makes me wish I could hug those people and tell them they're okay and get them to listen to Minority .

[GreenDayisAmazing]

One of my favorite songs from Warning. I think the whole Warning album is great!

[1039SmoothGreenDayFan]

one of my personal favourite green day songs

[GeekStinkMe]

Oh, I really love that song !

[desertrose]

Fashion Victim is a great song! Warning had so many good songs.

[katherine c]

i like.... really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really love this song and i blast it in my room to piss my mom off cause she hates it