Is it me or is 21st quite a religious album?

[Geek@Home]

There seem to be alot of religious based songs and terminology. Also Billie told of how he has had alot of religious experiences but doesnt subscribe to faiths, yet sees alot of hypocrisy within them. So he seems to me a spiritual person.

Just thought this was an interesting insight into Billie. :D

[Guest jude88]

no

[Geek@Home]

no

No its not interesting?

I dont get what you was trying to say.

[valeria carci]

kinda

[Katarina.]

No. Maybe a bit in EJN, but that's it.

[Waffles]

No.

[bass boy]

not really

[saurus]

oh.

[musse]

Maybe a bit... The thing "say a prayer" was mentioned quite many times. And there are some other things, too, but I forgot them But you're right. Maybe BJ thinks religions are an interesting thing to write about... AI was quite a religious album, too. At least the characters' names were mostly from the bible. Don't know.

[Boston]

I think that Christian's character previously had a religious upbringing and, while not completely rejecting what he knows, is question whether he can/should have faith in God while living in the 21st Century with all of its hatred, violence, and hypocrisy.

But this could all be discussed in the thread I made about analyzing the album.

[limo1028]

peacemaker has religious references in it doesn't it??

[Ally]

Didn't he say at some point that it was religious but it was mainly getting at how religion changes people, or summat to that effect, and he though it was wrong or summat, i dunno i could be wrong..i just vaguely remember hearing it. I know he sed something on that abbey road thing about east jesus nowhere being against religion i think

[Peace and Rainbows]

East Jesus nowhere is the only song that deals with religion, and that's about the hyporcisy of it

[Hermione]

Yeah I think it is, it's definitely dealing witha a lot of religious themes. The character's questioning himself and his beliefs about the world, and that seems to include religion along with everything else. Like he's said in a few interviews, he has a "fetish for Christianity" - it's obviously a theme he's been thinking about.

But I don't think all the religious language and imagery is necessarily referring to religion, a lot of it is just a case of using religious imagery as a metaphor for something else. It seems Billie has always been fond of using religious imagery in songs, it pops up a lot. I think he just likes the turn of phrase more than anything.

[nimrod-41]

There is alot of religious references on the album.. I don't know what everyone was so quick to shoot down this topic.. The album is about the 21st Century and the problems we're currently facing. Religion has the capability of causing more problems than it's worth at the moment - of course it would be memtioned.

I think even the character Christian is, in some ways, a take on religion. He wants to burn down and destroy everything that he sees is wrong with the world. Like some religious people want to destroy anything or anyone that disagrees with them.

[Ila Reto]

you can tell that they have spiritual (but not necessarily religious) references, may i add in a very good way, throughout the album of Stop Drop and Roll.

there's a tight correlation between SD&R and 21stCB imo. i dont want to go into details, i'll let someone else explain it. but yea.

[Hermione]

^I think I know what you mean but you should expain it . I hear a lot of Foxboro in this album too, there's plenty of little 60s influences in the music, and like you said the religious/spiritual references. And I think Christian has more than a bit of The Rev in him, just listen to Horseshoes and Handgrenades or that raunchy bit in the middle of East Jesus Nowhere! I'm really glad because I love the Foxies and it's nice to see some of it rubbed off on the album.

There is alot of religious references on the album.. I don't know what everyone was so quick to shoot down this topic.. The album is about the 21st Century and the problems we're currently facing. Religion has the capability of causing more problems than it's worth at the moment - of course it would be memtioned.

I think even the character Christian is, in some ways, a take on religion. He wants to burn down and destroy everything that he sees is wrong with the world. Like some religious people want to destroy anything or anyone that disagrees with them.

Replying to as many topics as possible with tiresome negative one-word answers seems to be some people's passtime of choice around here.

I agree, it's a key part of the album and all the interviews the band have done recently comfirm that! I'm sure both Christian and Gloria are very deliberate name choices, they both have religious connotations. Your take on Christian reminds me of an interview where Billie said something about Christian's Inferno having a double meaning (one of the many double meanings on there), where you could take the title literally - so I think that's definitely what he was going for.

[toaster_poodle]

Well East Jesus Nowhere is a blatant attack on religion (Christians Inferno seems to be as well) and I feel like religious connotations carry throughout the album, particularly because the characters' names a Christian and Gloria. I'm not sure what the characters represent, if anything, in a religious context, but the names are obvious religious references. I think the album questions religion and is wary/paranoid about it, the same way it questions all the other fucked up, confusing stuff swirling around in the world these days. I actually think religion could kind of be the centerpiece of the album; like American Idiot was an attack on the Bush administration, 21st Century Breakdown is an attack on religion, albeit with several other undercurrents going on as well.

Actually, maybe "attack" isn't exactly the right word because it never violently rejects religion or anything like that, but it does attack the hypocrisy of people involved in it. I guess it's more of an interrogation of religion, I like what whatsername has said about Christian struggling with accepting religion into his life when he lives in a world surrounded by so much bullshit, and religion itself has become saturated with bullshit.

[brekka]

well, if any of you read in the Alternative Press mag when green day was on the cover..

they mentioned that they found themselves in a church, and the preacher said not to have opinions..

billie joe kinda thought that was complete bullshit.

which, you know, it is.

and they said that this album has a religious connection, of sorts.

that's what i got out of it, anyway.

so yeah, i'm sure they are some what a religious group, and this album does some what show it.

who knows.

[Bryn]

"East Jesus Nowhere" is obvious, but to me anti-religion and angry. Love that one.

Also in "Static Age" these lines hold up the same Anti-Religion theme

""What's the latest way

that a man can die

Screaming Hallelujah?

Singing out

"The Dawn's Early Light"

The Silence of the rotten

Forgotten

Screaming at you..."

I think it also lumps religion adn government together in that part, which I find to be very true, as for the last upteen years here i the US the two have gone hand in hand.

Anyway those are the two things I see...there are others, but those are the main two so far.

[badwolf]

Sorta :/

[fmoriss]

It is a lot about religion.

With AI, When Billie sang "The Jesus of Subburabia is a lie" he was litteraly saying that Jesus is a lie.

[Bryn]

It is a lot about religion.

With AI, When Billie sang "The Jesus of Subburabia is a lie" he was litteraly saying that Jesus is a lie.

That is the way I always took that line as well, and that whole part means a lot to me...it got me through some rough stuff.

[rage-love-life]

East Jesus Nowhere. Only religious song in my mind. End of story.

[Peel Slowly And See]

some anti-religious material and some biblical references but if you're going to call biblical references religious then bastards of young is a religious song