Can GD Make Another AI?

[TheGrouch33]

Just now, straighttohell said:

Thats cool dude, never said there was anything wrong with that. I feel disconnected to a lot of Billie's "random catch phrase" lyrics as well. Cheers. I just meant when someone says "these lyrics are great. these lyrics are not" that to me, comes off kind of silly, considering lyrics/music/art is all completely subjective.

agreed! it does seem silly to decide whats right or wrong in music when it comes to tastes!  

[Thatsername]

I love your lyrics discussion! We should have an own thread for this, shouldn't we?

1 hour ago, crock6000 said:

And we all die in threes   (Now this one I don't know and is ominous as there are three of them.  Not a fan of this one and don't know what it means. Thoughts?)

I thought that this line could refer to the fact that Billie's addiction and everything that happened in the past couple of years could have killed the band. In some interviews recently Billie said stuff like that he didn't care if he would wake up the next morning or not back then, his condition must have been worse than we all expected. And if Billie dies, or - less dramatic - doesn't get his stuff together and falls apart, Mike and Tré would have "died" with him, Green Day would have died. They would have died "in threes", like celebrities do according to that stupid Celebrity Death Rule of Threes. That's just how I feel about it though, could mean something totally different...

I love RevRads lyrics, I love the fact that Billie uses a lot of metaphors which make the songs deeper than they seem at the first few listens. And I also think his songwriting is just the natural continuance of (at least some parts) of the trilogy. There were some interesting lyrics on those three records, too. Just listen to Lazy Bones and Still Breathing in a row and tell me there's no connection...

And also Nightlife (which is hated by most here, I know) - but I think there's some very interesting songwriting happening in this song. There seem to be many sexual references, but only on the surface imo. I wrote it already somewhere in the trilogy discussion, I think Nightlife is 100% metaphorical, it's about the temptations that come with being a rockstar, the temptation of fame, money, alcohol, drugs... I always thought of the trilogy as some kind of midlife crisis, Billie's description of it was quite similar as far as I remember (Uno about wanting to be young and crazy again, Dos about partying and giving in to all the temptations around you, and Tre as the reflection). I don't think Tre was the reflection though, I think RevRad is.

And while Billie dealt with his own problems and tried to reflect them in the last couple of years, the world around him went crazy, too, with America talking about putting walls back up, Europe falling apart and terror turning us against each other. I think that's where his inspiration is coming from. And many things that are happening right now we can't understand, we can't put into words, and neither can Billie. That's why he uses metaphors, he doesn't want to explain the whole thing because it can't be explained. He tries to capture the feeling of being lost and helpless and confused, and I think he does a great job with that on RevRad.

[straighttohell]

2 minutes ago, MMwhatsername said:

I love your lyrics discussion! We should have an own thread for this, shouldn't we?

I thought that this line could refer to the fact that Billie's addiction and everything that happened in the past couple of years could have killed the band. In some interviews recently Billie said stuff like that he didn't care if he would wake up the next morning or not back then, his condition must have been worse than we all expected. And if Billie dies, or - less dramatic - doesn't get his stuff together and falls apart, Mike and Tré would have "died" with him, Green Day would have died. They would have died "in threes", like celebrities do according to that stupid Celebrity Death Rule of Threes. That's just how I feel about it though, could mean something totally different...

I love RevRads lyrics, I love the fact that Billie uses a lot of metaphors which make the songs deeper than they seem at the first few listens. And I also think his songwriting is just the natural continuance of (at least some parts) of the trilogy. There were some interesting lyrics on those three records, too. Just listen to Lazy Bones and Still Breathing in a row and tell me there's no connection...

And also Nightlife (which is hated by most here, I know) - but I think there's some very interesting songwriting happening in this song. There seem to be many sexual references, but only on the surface imo. I wrote it already somewhere in the trilogy discussion, I think Nightlife is 100% metaphorical, it's about the temptations that come with being a rockstar, the temptation of fame, money, alcohol, drugs... I always thought of the trilogy as some kind of midlife crisis, Billie's description of it was quite similar as far as I remember (Uno about wanting to be young and crazy again, Dos about partying and giving in to all the temptations around you, and Tre as the reflection). I don't think Tre was the reflection though, I think RevRad is.

And while Billie dealt with his own problems and tried to reflect them in the last couple of years, the world around him went crazy, too, with America talking about putting walls back up, Europe falling apart and terror turning us against each other. I think that's where his inspiration is coming from. And many things that are happening right now we can't understand, we can't put into words, and neither can Billie. That's why he uses metaphors, he doesn't want to explain the whole thing because it can't be explained. He tries to capture the feeling of being lost and helpless and confused, and I think he does a great job with that on RevRad.

this is such a beautiful example of how one person can read a lyric like "we all die in threes" and take away a fucking rad interpretation of it, while another one of us would hear that lyric and think "this is just catchphrase gibberish.."

 

when i heard that line i too thought he was referring to the three of them as a trio, and how billie killing himself with drugs was killing mike and tre's career... kind of a sad and heavy line when you decide to read into it that way...

[BilIie Joe Armstrong]

Good interpretations. I agree with what has been said about the first verse of Somewhere Now. In my opinion, it's some of the best writing on this record, however the second verse loses the direction a bit. Or maybe I'm losing track of what he is trying to say in it. 

6 minutes ago, straighttohell said:

this is such a beautiful example of how one person can read a lyric like "we all die in threes" and take away a fucking rad interpretation of it, while another one of us would hear that lyric and think "this is just catchphrase gibberish.."

 

when i heard that line i too thought he was referring to the three of them as a trio, and how billie killing himself with drugs was killing mike and tre's career... kind of a sad and heavy line when you decide to read into it that way...

I do like this interpretation. It makes the song much heavier and sadder than it seems but it's pretty much the only way it makes sense. 

 

14 minutes ago, MMwhatsername said:

I love your lyrics discussion! We should have an own thread for this, shouldn't we?

I thought that this line could refer to the fact that Billie's addiction and everything that happened in the past couple of years could have killed the band. In some interviews recently Billie said stuff like that he didn't care if he would wake up the next morning or not back then, his condition must have been worse than we all expected. And if Billie dies, or - less dramatic - doesn't get his stuff together and falls apart, Mike and Tré would have "died" with him, Green Day would have died. They would have died "in threes", like celebrities do according to that stupid Celebrity Death Rule of Threes. That's just how I feel about it though, could mean something totally different...

I love RevRads lyrics, I love the fact that Billie uses a lot of metaphors which make the songs deeper than they seem at the first few listens. And I also think his songwriting is just the natural continuance of (at least some parts) of the trilogy. There were some interesting lyrics on those three records, too. Just listen to Lazy Bones and Still Breathing in a row and tell me there's no connection...

And also Nightlife (which is hated by most here, I know) - but I think there's some very interesting songwriting happening in this song. There seem to be many sexual references, but only on the surface imo. I wrote it already somewhere in the trilogy discussion, I think Nightlife is 100% metaphorical, it's about the temptations that come with being a rockstar, the temptation of fame, money, alcohol, drugs... I always thought of the trilogy as some kind of midlife crisis, Billie's description of it was quite similar as far as I remember (Uno about wanting to be young and crazy again, Dos about partying and giving in to all the temptations around you, and Tre as the reflection). I don't think Tre was the reflection though, I think RevRad is.

And while Billie dealt with his own problems and tried to reflect them in the last couple of years, the world around him went crazy, too, with America talking about putting walls back up, Europe falling apart and terror turning us against each other. I think that's where his inspiration is coming from. And many things that are happening right now we can't understand, we can't put into words, and neither can Billie. That's why he uses metaphors, he doesn't want to explain the whole thing because it can't be explained. He tries to capture the feeling of being lost and helpless and confused, and I think he does a great job with that on RevRad.

I might be the only one who doesn't see it, would you please explain what's the connection between Lazy Bones and Still Breathing? 

I love your interpretation of Nightlife, btw. 

[Thatsername]

24 minutes ago, Jane Lannister said:

I might be the only one who doesn't see it, would you please explain what's the connection between Lazy Bones and Still Breathing?

I think Lazy Bones somehow marks a turning point in Billies life (it shouldn't have been on Dos, but on Tré all the way). He's slowly starting to realize that things get horribly out of control, but he's not ready (too lazy) to make a change right now. Maybe other people like his family or his bandmates tell him that everything's falling apart, that he is risking his career and, much worse, his life, but he's unable to change it (I don't want your sympathy, I don't want your honesty, I just wanna get some peace of mind). He knows that people are right, but he denies it and feels trapped (I can't take it anymore, With all the liars, Like a prisoner of war).

So he's rolling over and playing dead because that's the only solution he can come up with. He doesn't want to deal with the truth and he's trying to brush it aside, but yet he realizes that it can't go on like this. The rest is history, everything did fall apart, then he entered rehab and changed his life, thank God successfully. And in Still Breathing, he's looking back at those dark times and that he finally made it. But without the turning point, he would have never gotten there. There would be no Still Breathing without Lazy Bones, to put it that way. They might not be connected lyrically in a direct way, but emotionally they are connected like hell. At least that's what I feel!

[MikeDirntConfused]

I agree with the posts saying the lyrics have gotten more abstract and empty. I also think GD needs a new producer. Rob Cavallo's the man, but I think he treated GD as a failing business Post-Dookie up till AI. So, he put in massive amounts of effort to get the band to create quality work and probably pushed them to their limits. After AI, he probably took the "don't fix it if it isn't broken" approach to not jinx the success GD had become. He also became too close to the band, so I'm guessing he may be hesitant to voice criticism. I know GD self-produced RevRad, but I'm sure they consulted him, and he just said "it's great". I also think Butch Vig thought GD knew what they were doing since they created AI, and didn't say much. The band needs a hardass producer that will force them until they feel like quitting to make quality music again.

[Hero_Of_The_Hour]

55 minutes ago, crock6000 said:

What?' Two of their greatest written songs. Christie Road is about the desire and need to be alone and relax. A pretty common and basic and definitely relatable song. Not to mention the song is awesome.

Breaking down JOS is more of a thesis but that song is chalked with great lyrics so which one is the mess? You didn't say and you mentioned two of their great songs and said one "is a mess" and they are  night and day and they are as songs but lyrically they are both very distinct and appropriate IMHO.

Not to take away from what you are saying because I agree with the point behind it but I've read that Christie Road was written for his girlfriend Erica and was about the tracks where they used to sneak off to meet up at. She explained it in a Green Day book and I'm pretty sure Billie's brother backed up her version. But anyway I'll let you get on because Seagull was being ridiculous and you were dealing with that 

[Hero_Of_The_Hour]

12 hours ago, Stan Dellone said:

In terms of commercial success, no, I don't think they'll ever reach or surpass American Idiot. Like everyone has been saying, it was a zeitgeist moment that they didn't and couldn't have predicted. To expect them to sell millions and win Grammys and be plastered on every TV screen for 2 years is just unrealistic. That being said, who cares? If they make an album as good (for the same, similar or different reasons) as American Idiot, then I'll take one copy please, and thank you.

The problem is I don't know if they'll be able to do that. The music on Revolution Radio is great, don't get me wrong. The compositions are stellar, and aside from weird mixing issues and balance problems, it's a really pleasing record for the ol' sound nostrils. But the lyrics are where it loses me. There's a weird over-reliance on slogans and catch phrases, and there are hardly any examples of complete sentences or thoughts on any song. It's all soundbites and quotable blurbs, but nothing of substance. In ¡Cuatro!, Billie talks about how when they went to record Nimrod, he didn't have the lyrics figured out when they went in to the studio, and that he would never do that again. Personally, I'd never have thought Nimrod was plagued by writers block or lack of preparation, but with this album (and to a greater extent the Trilogy), it really seems like the lyrics were either prematurely recorded or just afterthoughts. Something like Money Money 2020 or Stop Drop and Roll is fine, because it's just a bit of dumb (and awesome) fun on the side, but when that sort of fly by the seat of your pants lyrical style begins to seep into Green Day's catalogue, that's where the real (not real, but whatever) betrayal of their legacy comes in for me. It's never fun when you're singing along and then suddenly think, "Wait... what am I even singing? I found a knife by the railroad track? Santa Clause? The air is barely breathing? Legalize the truth? I'm like a drone way up in the sky? I shop online..."

If they can find something to be passionate about, be it their own angst, parenthood, existential crisis, a shattered political landscape, or being pissed at their stupid fans who can't just be happy with what they get, then maybe they can hit that high again. But vagueness isn't Green Day's friend. When I say that they're a band that speaks to me, it's not just a corny turn of phrase. I used to listen and understand what they were saying, but now... I'm not sure they're really saying anything at all. 

 

I wish I could like this a thousand times!! Finally someone I can agree with 

 

6 hours ago, crock6000 said:

http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/10/in-defense-of-green-day/

Read this article.

It talks about the albums in different lights than you might be seeing them from.

"You know what, though? Fuck that narrative. Lost in all the talk about Green Day selling out and sucking ass (and believe me, you hear a lot of this if you bring up the band in punk circles) is the fact that they’re one of the only mainstream punk bands that has continued taking genuine risks throughout their career. Sure, some of those risks paid off in heavy exposure and ungodly amounts of money, but it seems a bit silly to blame a band for its successes and then celebrate its failures. The schadenfreude doesn’t feel earned, especially when bands like NOFX and Alkaline Trio get a pass for shoveling the same shit year after year with diminishing returns.

With the release of “Bang Bang” tomorrow, Green Day once again have a chance to rewrite their narrative. The mere fact that we can depend on it being different from anything that’s come before shouldn’t be taken for granted. For a genre that takes pride in fucking shit up, punk can be alarmingly conservative when it comes to inching away from those treasured three chords. Green Day aren’t afraid to blow it all up and start again, and they don’t pay attention when those young, dumb trust-fund punks cry foul. It might not be the stuff of revolution, but it’s better than anything else on the radio."

 

 

Then read this article written by the same writer who now, having listened to Revolution Radio says 

"This version of Green Day would rather spin in circles than sail off into the abyss, and that’s not a version we’re prepared to defend."

 

https://www.google.ie/amp/consequenceofsound.net/2016/10/album-review-green-day-revolution-radio/amp/?client=ms-android-sonymobile

 

 

[MikeDirntConfused]

I felt that GD was passionate on the music, but not on the lyrics of RevRad, with a few exceptions (Bang Bang, Somewhere Now, etc.). The lyrics just seem filler and half-assed at times. I think the band has emptied their creative fuel, and needs to take some time off. Maybe, the band felt that they had to quickly reverse the effects of the trilogy and the iHeart meltdown to win the fans back, and so they created RevRad. Of course, people like RevRad, too. I understand that people have different tastes. 21st Century to present has just been a decline. Musically, I think it's natural for a musician to improve and GD may have done that. Lyrically, they need inspiration or a belief they feel whole-heartedly about. Maybe at this stage, the band is content. They don't have anything to prove, or have no great vision. That's not to say it's permanent. I just think the band needs to take a longer break, and come back when they have something that's genuine GD.

[Steven Seagull]

I think the worst thing is such a huge praise for RevRad when we all know it's a really average album. With that Green Day gets the idea that fans like average stuff like this so they'll keep making new stuff that sounds exactly like that instead of challenging themselves to make something great. I think average shouldn't be your goal in life.

[Dakke]

3 hours ago, Steven Seagull said:

I think the worst thing is such a huge praise for RevRad when we all know it's a really average album. With that Green Day gets the idea that fans like average stuff like this so they'll keep making new stuff that sounds exactly like that instead of challenging themselves to make something great. I think average shouldn't be your goal in life.

Maybe a lot of people genuinely like the lyrics, vocals and instrumentals of RevRad, just like some people liked the Trilogy. If they wanted to make something average, they could have done a remake of Dookie or AI and called it a day. Many old school have been begging for a 'worthy' follow-up to Dookie, even though they got Insomniac. Revolution Radio is an evolution of their sound, not a revolution, yet it differs vastly from any other individual album on their discography. 

[Overjoyyed]

I still think a lot of the lyrics of REVRAD are subpar to AI & 21CBD but musically they are always tight- better lyrics in RevRad than the trilogy though. 

4 hours ago, Steven Seagull said:

I think the worst thing is such a huge praise for RevRad when we all know it's a really average album. With that Green Day gets the idea that fans like average stuff like this so they'll keep making new stuff that sounds exactly like that instead of challenging themselves to make something great. I think average shouldn't be your goal in life.

If Green Day ever thought that way AI would have never happened! 

4 hours ago, MikeDirntConfused said:

I felt that GD was passionate on the music, but not on the lyrics of RevRad, with a few exceptions (Bang Bang, Somewhere Now, etc.). The lyrics just seem filler and half-assed at times. I think the band has emptied their creative fuel, and needs to take some time off. Maybe, the band felt that they had to quickly reverse the effects of the trilogy and the iHeart meltdown to win the fans back, and so they created RevRad. Of course, people like RevRad, too. I understand that people have different tastes. 21st Century to present has just been a decline. Musically, I think it's natural for a musician to improve and GD may have done that. Lyrically, they need inspiration or a belief they feel whole-heartedly about. Maybe at this stage, the band is content. They don't have anything to prove, or have no great vision. That's not to say it's permanent. I just think the band needs to take a longer break, and come back when they have something that's genuine GD.

They did take a break though..

[MikeDirntConfused]

16 minutes ago, Overjoyyed said:

I still think a lot of the lyrics of REVRAD are subpar to AI & 21CBD but musically they are always tight- better lyrics in RevRad than the trilogy though. 

If Green Day ever thought that way AI would have never happened! 

They did take a break though..

Maybe their break wasn't long enough, or maybe they felt that they could capitalize on the HoF induction before people lose interest again (trilogy letdown and iHeart breakdown).

[Dakke]

25 minutes ago, MikeDirntConfused said:

Maybe their break wasn't long enough, or maybe they felt that they could capitalize on the HoF induction before people lose interest again (trilogy letdown and iHeart breakdown).

A year and a half passed between the HoF introduction and RR's release. Their break was long enough and we got a good new album. And we'll have to deal with RevRad for at least another three years.

[stories and songs]

@crock6000 Love your analysis of Somewhere Now, and I totally agree with you. Although I do think "I never wanted to compromise or bargain with my soul" is more about how he never wanted to change his lifestyle before, but now he needs to. 

Do you agree that Forever Now is a bit about rising out of the darkness of that time? That's how I read it. The change from "How did life on the wild side ever get so dull" to "full" at the end sort of indicates that after looking at everything...his past, his life with the band, his wife, the fortune he has in simply still being alive...that he needs a better way to die than just being lost to addiction. How he's scared of what's on the horizon, but this is his new forever. 

Forever Now brilliantly ties the revolution and recovery themes together. I absolutely love it.

[henrybr]

On 15/10/2016 at 6:31 AM, MMwhatsername said:

And also Nightlife (which is hated by most here, I know) - but I think there's some very interesting songwriting happening in this song. There seem to be many sexual references, but only on the surface imo. I wrote it already somewhere in the trilogy discussion, I think Nightlife is 100% metaphorical, it's about the temptations that come with being a rockstar, the temptation of fame, money, alcohol, drugs... I always thought of the trilogy as some kind of midlife crisis, Billie's description of it was quite similar as far as I remember (Uno about wanting to be young and crazy again, Dos about partying and giving in to all the temptations around you, and Tre as the reflection). I don't think Tre was the reflection though, I think RevRad is.

I guess I happen to be one of the few people here that actually really likes Nightlife. I don't care all the contempt for it's "bad rap" or anything like that. I think it's a fun song and its cool that green day had the guts to recording such a experimental song. 

Also, I agree with you about the trilogy, i see it the same way that you do, and this is one of the things that make me really like those albuns. I think the trilogy is massively underrated. I guess all the iHeart and rehab thing really made people be much more hard on those albuns than they would if that had never happened. Almost as the albuns were the proof or, worst than that, the cause of Billie Joe's problems, when i think it's quite the opposite: they seem to me like a true and honest atempt to deal with his feelings. At the same time I feel Green Day very free and fearless in the trilogy, happy for being able to write songs that didn't need to be part of a serious concept opera rock. I guess they also made them as a gift to the fans, especially old school fans, with many songs that have a more classical green day style, even though always different to what they did before. It's such a shame that so many people turn their backs to those albuns.

[stories and songs]

17 hours ago, MMwhatsername said:

And also Nightlife (which is hated by most here, I know) - but I think there's some very interesting songwriting happening in this song. There seem to be many sexual references, but only on the surface imo. I wrote it already somewhere in the trilogy discussion, I think Nightlife is 100% metaphorical, it's about the temptations that come with being a rockstar, the temptation of fame, money, alcohol, drugs... I always thought of the trilogy as some kind of midlife crisis, Billie's description of it was quite similar as far as I remember (Uno about wanting to be young and crazy again, Dos about partying and giving in to all the temptations around you, and Tre as the reflection). I don't think Tre was the reflection though, I think RevRad is.

And while Billie dealt with his own problems and tried to reflect them in the last couple of years, the world around him went crazy, too, with America talking about putting walls back up, Europe falling apart and terror turning us against each other. I think that's where his inspiration is coming from. And many things that are happening right now we can't understand, we can't put into words, and neither can Billie. That's why he uses metaphors, he doesn't want to explain the whole thing because it can't be explained. He tries to capture the feeling of being lost and helpless and confused, and I think he does a great job with that on RevRad.

I totally agree with you. Nightlife is definitely a representation of the dark side of fame and that lifestyle—the temptation. With Lady Cobra rapping she's not really speaking a woman—she represents the drugs and booze and general self-destruction. That's why Dos is a somewhat uncomfortable album for me. I think it captures a lot of what Billie was likely going through at the time very well—almost too well, because some of it hurts to listen to. It's ugly. But it's brilliant that he was able to capture that state of mind while being immersed in it. 

I know Tre is supposed to be a reflection of the aftermath, but really, how can one examine the damage and consequences of spiraling out of control when they're still in the middle of it? I think Tre is a great album, but could never possibly achieve specifically what it was meant to, because the person writing it wasn't in the mindset to really do that type of analyzation. Yet. 

RevRad is absolutely the true reflection of that time, and it feels that way on every level. There's something very warm and honest about it. It shines a light into the wreckage and tries to figure out how to move forward.

[tresexy101]

Can Green Day make another American Idiot?  No.  The band already made that album.  If you ask if Jesus can turn water into wine and the answer is yes?  Than I would love to chill with that hippy.  BFFs

 

[henrybr]

37 minutes ago, stories and songs said:

I totally agree with you. Nightlife is definitely a representation of the dark side of fame and that lifestyle—the temptation. With Lady Cobra rapping she's not really speaking a woman—she represents the drugs and booze and general self-destruction. That's why Dos is a somewhat uncomfortable album for me. I think it captures a lot of what Billie was likely going through at the time very well—almost too well, because some of it hurts to listen to. It's ugly. But it's brilliant that he was able to capture that state of mind while being immersed in it. 

I know Tre is supposed to be a reflection of the aftermath, but really, how can one examine the damage and consequences of spiraling out of control when they're still in the middle of it? I think Tre is a great album, but could never possibly achieve specifically what it was meant to, because the person writing it wasn't in the mindset to really do that type of analyzation. Yet. 

RevRad is absolutely the true reflection of that time, and it feels that way on every level. There's something very warm and honest about it. It shines a light into the wreckage and tries to figure out how to move forward.

It's curious, cause i feel it the other way around. I don't find Revolution Radio to be warm at all, actually, i think it is way more dark and heavy than the trilogy, even if Billie is probably better now than he was when the trilogy came out. What I feel in the trilogy is a try to grasp the joy and fun and hapiness that still around. Recapture the freedom and the fun of the youth or maybe at least remember it and see what changed and how things are, and how to deal with it. Yes, here and there you are able to see the pain that is also present in that process, but I still think those albums are joyful.

I can't say the same about revrad, that seems to me more like a reflection about the dark times, and therefore more heavy and somber.

[stories and songs]

I guess I mean RevRad is warm in that it's him speaking to us from a new, clearer perspective. I don't necessarily find the trilogy "cold" or anything, but this is the first time in a long time there's no hiding behind characters or an altered state of mind. It feels real and honest, and nostalgic and grateful. It was born from a good place. There is so much love in songs like Outlaws or Still Breathing, and it feels like we're really being let into their lives in a way that's open and healthy. We were given a look into their lives with the trilogy as well, but to me, that wasn't a fun place to be. Even though RevRad is dark at times, there's a sense of positivity to it, because it's examining deep issues from the outside, not as someone in the middle of it anymore.

I suppose my analysis relies more on the context around it, even though I get your perspective too. Seeing and truly feeling so much goodness surrounding RevRad makes it feel truly joyful to me. This is an immeasurably wonderful time to be a fan. As soon as promo started for the trilogy, I didn't feel that happiness, and that was long before things went south publicly.

[tresexy101]

1 minute ago, stories and songs said:

I guess I mean RevRad is warm in that it's him speaking to us from a new, clearer perspective. I don't necessarily find the trilogy "cold" or anything, but this is the first time in a long time there's no hiding behind characters or an altered state of mind. It feels real and honest, and nostalgic and grateful. It was born from a good place. There is so much love in songs like Outlaws or Still Breathing, and it feels like we're really being let into their lives in a way that's open and healthy. We were given a look into their lives with the trilogy as well, but to me, that wasn't a fun place to be. Even though RevRad is dark at times, there's a sense of positivity to it, because it's examining deep issues from the outside, not as someone in the middle of it anymore.

I suppose my analysis relies more on the context around it, even though I get your perspective too. Seeing and truly feeling so much goodness surrounding RevRad makes it feel truly joyful to me. This is an immeasurably wonderful time to be a fan. As soon as promo started for the trilogy, I didn't feel that happiness, and that was long before things went south publicly.

That was perfect.

[Leni.]

On 14. 10. 2016 at 9:28 PM, Kyle Serlington said:

oops! my bad! looks like I'm the one who was mistaken now!

Well, don't worry I haven't seen it in ages so I'm not really sure

[UNICORN VOMIT]

I came here to post but after reading @crock6000 post I forgot what I was gonna say😑

[stories and songs]

42 minutes ago, crock6000 said:

I had a small encounter with him at the iHeart show and discussed Somewhere Now and he told me it was also one of his favorites ever and when I told him how I related to it, he didn't confirm it but he got watery eyes and gave me a REAL hug.

Wow, that's amazing and now I have watery eyes. To be able to work through such complex emotions, put them down eloquently in words (no easy task), and then have people connect to it must feel really special. He's been doing this a long time and has touched a lot of people with his words, but this album in particular feels so honest. For fans to still be able to deeply feel such personal lyrics must be rather emotional.

Funny what you say about a song like this being different from Boulevard. It made me realize that I've never humanized Boulevard before. Maybe it's because I was introduced to it as just another song before discovering the band behind it? But then I compare that song to anything off RevRad, and it's mind blowing how much more real and emotional RevRad is. AI is brilliant and features incredible lyrics. But RevRad is Billie without a mask. If I take a moment to think about what he went through VERY publicly and consider that he had the guts to come back and write about it in the most genuine way he knew how, I'm in awe of him. That's brave as hell. He did that knowing reporters would ask about it and fans would get emotional over it and he'd have to bare his soul singing about it in front of a huge crowd. Most importantly, he had the courage to share that with two of his best friends after writing it. Showing loved ones very personal creations can be the hardest thing in the world. But he did it anyway. It's a privilege to be able to hear his thoughts on that time in his life, and how grateful he is now. I remember feeling frustrated in 2013 when everything carried on as though nothing monumental happened. Obviously it was way too soon and they were still working a lot of shit out. In retrospect I understand. But I was adamant that I didn't care if it was ugly or scary, I wanted to talk about it. I wanted him to talk about it, even though I had no right to ask something so personal of him. But he did talk about it here, now, and it feels like an honor.

 I'm not trying to romanticize this–but as a writer myself, taking all this into consideration just gives me the utmost respect for the vulnerability he accomplished with RevRad.

[straighttohell]

2 hours ago, crock6000 said:

I agree with you on a lot but I think he writes more like he used to on this album (from a lyrical vantage point anyway) like he did in the 90s.  He does in fact write about himself ALL OVER RevRad and hidden in a couple of the songs are some of the most amazing lyrics he EVER wrote as far as I'm concerned.

There are a couple songs that aren't at all about himself, Bang Bang, Revolution Radio both are the most non-about me songs on the album although even on Bang Bang he put himself as the first person as the shooter to great effect.

Now let's talk about the obvious ones where he is talking about himself and nobody else even if it's not SO deep but to others, like myself, you can get more out of it.  I have been not secret at all that I am an  ex-abuser of drugs like Billie and quit drugs because of the same reasons he did.  My life was coming apart by the seams and I love my family so I made a non-selfish decision because believe me kiddos, the drugs, they start to become much more bad then good as you get older.  But I am certainly not here to preach. I have not earned that right. Lol.

Somewhere Now - FUCKING brilliant song and possibly one of the best written songs he's ever penned IMO, lyrically and it's also amazing musically.

"I'm running late to somewhere now
I don't want to be
Where the future and promises
Ain't what it used to be
I never wanted to compromise
Or bargain with my soul
How did a life on the wild side
Ever get so dull?"

I broke this song down in another post but these lyrics are elegant and truthful to the core and talk about the triggers about life on the road and in places where it's hard to stay sober.  "How did life on the wild side ever get so dull" is officially my favorite Billie lyric while it might just pass someone else on by.  "I never meant to compromise or bargain with my soul" is different than "I walk a lonely road, the only one I have ever known" and to me this song is loads deeper and way more personal to him.  Boulevard of Broken Dreams was written for everyone, Somewhere now, and Still Breathing he wrote for himself and if someone else can benefit from it, then wonderful and they can.  But he is still writing about himself and in great pros.

FOREVER NOW

My name is Billie and I'm freaking out
I thought therefore I was well I can't really figure it out (THIS LYRIC Is fucking amazing and I never even noticed it until this moment.  It is a throw to "I think therefore I am" by Rene Descartes, a French philosopher who wrote "I think therefore I am" as a philosophical line about existentialism.  How do I know I exist?  Because I am thinking that.  But Billie takes that and writes "I thought therefore I was, well I can't really figure it out" meaning, ok, I figured out I am here, now what mother fucker?  THIS IS a brilliant fucking line and for someone to say this isn't great lyrics, don't know how to read, or don't know enough about life yet. I mean you have to know about philosophy to even understand this one line.  At the end of the day, being YOUNG IS FANTASTIC and I wish I was but the one good thing us old fuckers (like Billie) get is wisdom and it is a nice thing to have.  I would love to be 20 again but I would love to be 20 with a 40 year old brain.

I sit alone with my thoughts and prayers
Scream out my memories as if I was never there  (here is another brilliant lyric.  He is equating his memories with his religion and his prayers.  I think Billie has never been a true atheist and it's probably because his Dad was a little religious and he never has been a total atheist but he's definitely agnostic and this line is right in line with that. I am ALONE WITH MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS is sort of saying "praying isn't doing shit because nobody is listening" ... "Scream out my memories as if I was never there". It is my contention that this song is about the forever from this point of his life.  His NEW FOREVER, FOREVER NOW (even the song title is brilliant) so he's sitting there alone with his thoughts and prayers and the screaming out as if I was never there is him feeling like he has to yell in order to feel like he's back still.  I was at the Pamona show which was his first show after rehab.  He was SOOO fucking nervous that it was honestly hard for me to enjoy the show because I was worried about him.  Worried about the band.  I thought at that show that we would lose Green Day and that they would never be the same again.  I only learned a couple days ago how that is definitely not true.  Billie is now on top of his game as never before.  He is just starting to realize that he can still be as good as he always was, even better, without the drugs. It never occurred to him.  That's why were seeing things like more audibles and off list songs.  The only reason everything is so polished (historically) is because it makes Billie feel more confident.  I don't know if you guys know this but as much as he owns the stage and the crowd, Billie is neurotic as fuck about the crowd and what they think.  It's what makes him so great but also once made him so nervous. Now he's even better. I can't imagine.  

I just don't get anyone that doesn't see the great lyrics in this album.  The more I read them, the more I fall in love.  This is a top 3 album for Green Day for me I think.  

Standing at the edge of the world
It's giving me the chills
Looking down the edge of the world
Lost in a tango, it's freaking me out
Burning lights and blackouts

From the edge of the world
From the edge of the world

I'm like a punk rocker on labor day
How the hell did I work so hard to be born this way?
I've never learned to read or write so well (freaking out)
But I can play the guitar until it hurts like hell

Standing at the edge of the world
It's giving me the chills
Looking down the edge of the world
Lost in a tango, it's freaking me out
Burning lights and blackouts

This is DOOKIE Billie writing at 46 or whatever he is now.  These are amazing lyrics about himself.  He is just now a better writer and he doesn't even know how to handle it.  That's the irony of this discussion and this song and why I brought it up so early.  "Ive never learned to read or write so well (freaking out) But I can play the guitar until it hurts like hell.  Standing at the end of the world, giving me the chills"

This song is clearly about his new found abilities in his later life, and his ability to deal with it.  This is a deep song and if you don't realize it's deep, it seems the opposite of that.  To me, lyrically, this is Dookie or Insomniac.  And again, I I I I I I 

TOO DUMB TO DIE

Oh, oh I love you
Oh, oh I do
I got a sentimental illness for you
Please don't go away, oh yeah

I was a high school atom bomb
Going off on the weekends
Smoking dope and mowing lawns
And I hated all the new trends

Me and my friends sang
Woh-uh-oh-oh-oh
It's true, the middle of the road
At least it's better than here

Looking for a cause
Well all I got was Santa Claus
I'm hanging on a dream that's too dumb to die
I feel like a cello
Lost somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high, too scared to dream
But too dumb to die

This song is a bit weak lyrically to be honest but this falls into the vein lyrically in my mind of the Kerplunk "Welcome to Paradise" style of lyrics.  It's about him, but he's talking about his buds, hard times, old friends, parents, etc.  To me this is a modern Green Day "Welcome to Paradise" in it's story.  Not in the music.  We are talking lyrics here though.  I happen to love the melody of this song.

 

YOUNGBLOOD

We're only young and naive still
We require certain skills
The mood it changes like the wind
Hard to control when it begins

The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-betweens
Fall back in love eventually
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Can't help myself but count the flaws
Claw my way out through these walls
One temporary escape
Feel it start to permeate

We lie beneath the stars at night
Our hands gripping each other tight
You keep my secrets hope to die
Promises, swear them to the sky

The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-betweens
Fall back in love eventually
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Here is another one that sounds like the writing style of Kerplunk.  I am still trying to find the meaning in this song but I think it's a sort of love song but looking at the crap that goes along with being in love and married.  Sort of like Redundant on Nimrod, lyrically.  And I don't know why people are dogging on this song,  I think it's fucking beautifully fun song.

BOUNCING OFF THE WALL

Concrete dream (hey)
I'm gonna make a scene, radio
Caught burning gasoline, sleeping in reverse
And everybody's bouncing off the walls

Bombs away (hey)
It's just another day
Of idle threat
The secret of the day
And I wouldn't sweat it
Everybody's bouncing off the walls (I'm bouncing off the walls)

Alright

Concrete kiss (hey)
Come on and do the twist, radio
My little exorcist, we're all getting pissed
And everybody's bouncing off the walls (I'm bouncing off the walls)

BURNOUT (Dookie)

I declare I don't care no more
I'm burning up and out and
Growing bored
In my smoked out boring room
My hair is shagging in my eyes
Dragging my feet to hit the
Street tonight
To drive along these shit
Town lights

I'm not growing up,
I'm just burning out
And I stepped in line
To walk amongst the
Dead

Now these lines sound just as good to me lyrically, read as poetry as the other stuff but these lyrics while maybe seeming a little edgier, he was 19, not 46 with a wife and kids.  So yeah, you're right, of course its different but as an older man like Billie, I think you bring more to the lyrics.  The lyrics aren't what bring things to you, you definitely bring your shit to the lyrics.  You guys realize that right?  We can only be given a door, but it's up to the thoughts in your head to make sense of it to your liking or not.  This is true with any poet and Billie I believe is a poet.  No he's not Robert Frost but I think he writes the deepest lyrics in rock history and when everyone thought he was just edgy and funny in the Sweet Children, Kerplunk, Dookie, Nimrod days, I always thought he was more of a poet back then and was not at as surprised as everyone else when AI was released.  

OUTLAWS

Life after youth
Faded in twilight
The dawn of a criminal in bloom
First love
First forgiveness
We were delinquants
Freaks of a faded memory

Outlaws, When we were forever young
When we were outlaws
We're outlaws of redemption, baby
Hooligans
We destroyed suburbia
When we were outlaws
We're Outlaws of forever, baby

Scars, broken hearts
Breaking in cars
Running in the light of the moon
Lost souls
Bottle rockets
All that we wanted
It's for our lives beyond stars

Another song where it's lyrically light but he's again talking about the "good old days" going back to the Kerplunk style of lyrics where he is talking about his "crew". Another song, I don't know why everyone doesn't love and some hate.

 

TROUBLED TIMES

What good is love and peace on earth?
When it's exclusive?
Where's the truth in the written word?
If no one reads it
A new day dawning
Comes without warning
So don't blink twice

We live in troubled times
We live in troubled times

What part of history we learned
When it's repeated
Some things will never overcome
If we don't seek it
The world stops turning
Paradise burning
So don't think twice
 

Ok, this is new Billie. This is AI Billie but I LOVE LOVE this song and I don't again know why anyone doesn't.  It's so beautiful sounding and it absolutely is catchy and if you just listen to it, you might think it's just blaze lyrics but if you read them as poetry, which is why I am posting them instead of an audio or video is because you look at them differently.  If you want to know how often Green Day fans might not even know what he is saying, go read the "misheard lyrics" thread.  It's fucking hysterical.  I didn't used to care at all about lyrics.  If it rocked, he could sing in Russian.  The song I quoted before with Blur and "Song 2" shows that but I like lyrics and especially Billie's.  I absolutely love his lyrics and as I grew older with him, I felt a kinship.  I had a small encounter with him at the iHeart show and discussed Somewhere Now and he told me it was also one of his favorites ever and when I told him how I related to it, he didn't confirm it but he got watery eyes and gave me a REAL hug.  Somewhere Now, my favorite on the album I think.

I could keep going but this is getting too long winded and I am setting up my Halloween decorations around my house so I must go.

I don't know if this post was another tangent with not much or something great with a lot in it.  It's also possible that it's mediocre with a couple tid bits.  The possibilities are endless but one thing is for sure, I wrote the shit. 

Later mother fuckers.  I love you all.

One show down, one tomorrow, and then I'm off to Berkley. I am gonna be sad after Berkley.  Maybe I'll not work for a few months and go to Europe.  If they start playing live live live shows, as in different setlists, I'm following.  I'll be a fucking roadie!

Ok, I have to go Somewhere Now the I don't want to be.  How did life on the wild side ever get so dull???

Again, I so agree with everything you write.  You might be my new bestie 'round here.

And while I do agree with you that we are getting a window into his life with RevRad, it also shows some of the dirty parts of getting clean and again (I am sorry if I sound like I am making everything about me) but I know some lyrics that if you didn't know the rehab process you just wouldn't get.

Like Brain Stew.  You JUST DON'T truly understand Brain Stew unless you have been the unfortunate bastard who did amphetamines all night to find yourself done and staring at a clock with a head full of drugs. IT SUCKS and I am with him every time he sings that song, or I listen to it.  It literally brings me into the feeling.  Even the riff does by pavlovian way I am sure.

I forgot about Ordinary World which is now my favorite song to play. Is it simple? Yes.  Is it awesome as fuck? Hell yeah.  He had the audience almost in tears singing this the other night. Now I can't stop playing it.  His voice is just perfect for it too.  So again, another not stellar lyrical song but it's a stellar song none-the-less.

I mean "I got my head checked by a Jumbo Jet, It wasn't easy, but nothing is" are the lyrics to one of the most rocking songs ever written.  

I am pumped and won't sleep tonight I can tell.  

This was an epic post dude. Gonna take me a while to get through all of it but i'm gonna try my best.

I think I agree with most of what you are saying though. I didn't mean to say that Billie never writes about himself anymore, he definitely does. I think all of American Idiot, 21CB and the Trilogy is mostly ALL about himself. I just think he likes to make his lyrics as broad as possible these days (basically ever since 21CB) so as many people can relate to them as possible, where as in the 90s, he didn't care as much to make them broad/relatable. He just wrote about whatever he wrote about, and if they were relatable, then great. But his goal wasn't like "make this relatable". I get the sense that his goal lately when it comes to lyrics is to be relatable (not a bad thing), and that is where some of the "sloganeering" comes from. Or why sometimes his lyrics seem somewhat bland to certain people. Is because he is writing for a broader audience than he used to. He uses more symbolism and imagery, so that people can take from it what they will. I'm not knocking it, I love Rev Rad, AND I love the trilogy, and both are full of lyrics that a lot of people on here hate. Basically I dig the 90s Billie AND the 00s/current day Billie, just for all different reasons.