21st Century BreakDown - The diferences between the DEMO and the Official version

[elanorelle72]

Butch Vig can kiss my ass. I love everything about the demo so much more than the studio version, especially the "last one born/first one to die" part and the opening piano.

They took out the best line of the entire song! "I'm taking a loan on my sanity in the 21st century lie" <pure genius if you ask me.

THAT LINE IS freaking genius! i mean its speaks the whole everything what is going wrong today!

Zoe ..where is this demo again?? I kind of got lost in the middle there somewhere...

[basKT_case90]

"first one to run" actually. and its still in the album version.

and i dont know where you are getting your lyrics from because they are incorrect.

[RobyRoom]

Aww... I've never listened to this demo... and atm there is a part of me that says "get the demo get the demo get the demo" :devil: and another part that says "it's not correct, you enjoyed the album, listening to the demos may leave you disappointed"

It will take years to make a decision and at that point Green Day will be out with another album and likely with another demo version...

[The Disappearing Boy]

i like both. although both intros are too long.

however, i shall now listen to the demo.

[valentinesandcigs]

i think the demo is great it has the epicness of american idiot and the rawness of kerplunk but thats just my opinion

[novacaine_kid]

Even though I prefer the demo's intro, the Intro on the finished version is great at live shows. Really builds up the excitement.

[Alan86]

My name is 'No one' your long lost son

born on the 4th of July

Raised in the barnyards of heroes and cons

left me for dead or alive

There is a war that's inside my head

that questions the results and lies

I'm breaking my back till I'm better off dead

When enough ain't enough to survive

I am a nation a worker of pride

my debt to the status quo

The scars on my hands and a means to an end

it's all that I have to show

I'm taking a loan on my sanity

for the redemption of my soul

well I am exempt from this tragedy

and the 21st century fall

I prefer these lyrics for some reason, I dont know why really

[parinaz]

Demo owns the official version.

I loved the piano intro.

Another difference is after the first round of "oooooohs", in the demo, it's piano doing the riff, but in the official, it's lead guitar doing the riff.

are ytou sure? I thought it was guitar riff in both of them

[RobyRoom]

My name is 'No one' your long lost son

born on the 4th of July

Raised in the barnyards of heroes and cons

left me for dead or alive

There is a war that's inside my head

that questions the results and lies

I'm breaking my back till I'm better off dead

When enough ain't enough to survive

I am a nation a worker of pride

my debt to the status quo

The scars on my hands and a means to an end

it's all that I have to show

I'm taking a loan on my sanity

for the redemption of my soul

well I am exempt from this tragedy

and the 21st century fall

I don't like these lines instead :/ , they are kinda nebulous. It's perceptible that it's just a draft, the metrics doesn't fit the music, the lines are hard to sing along...

[Sanity Loan]

Demo owns the official version.

I loved the piano intro.

Another difference is after the first round of "oooooohs", in the demo, it's piano doing the riff, but in the official, it's lead guitar doing the riff.

The "oooooohs" are made by singing.... in both versions. What the heck are you talking about?

[Princess Consuela]

I got used to the official version but I like demo much better. I still can't get over removing piano intro

[Bastard of 1967]

I got used to the official version but I like demo much better. I still can't get over removing piano intro

The demo's piano intro is great in and of itself (and amazing to listen to considering that Billie taught himself how to play piano), but the D/A chord repetition that we have in the finished product helps make the album a more "complete" whole -- it bookends the opening of the album with the close in See The Light.

I also found it great to have a glimpse of the progression of the lyrics. I find the album cut to be more polished overall, but the demo is still good to listen to on occasion. I've left it on my iPod as a fifth unreleased 21CB "bonus track".

[HamsterNinja]

Where is this demo?? @_@ How do I hear it?

I feel dumb T.T

[Clayish]

The official version is MILES better.

[Sanity Loan]

Where is this demo?? @_@ How do I hear it?

I feel dumb T.T

We can't post links on here for it but if you search google "21st century breakdown demo" you will get a lot of results for it. It came out I think in February.

[Andrick]

the intros are different. i like both but i like the demo better.

[Katarina.]

I tried to 'forget' about the demo, luckily I managed to do so. I haven't listened to it since the day it was 'released'.

Now that I read this thread, it makes me wanna listen to it again!

Reminds me of the demo's intro Loved that, and I still think they should've kept it.

But I love both versions!

I'm actually going to listen to it right now.. I kinda forgot about the way it sounded xD

[Katherine]

I listened to the demo, but I deleted it afterwards. I can't even remember it though. I think it was softer or something?

[Ila Reto]

oh shit, this is SO my thread.

THE DEMO WILL ALWAYS BE BETTER THAN THE ALBUM VERSION.

hands-down.

i was so mad at green day when i saw they changed the lyrics, it turned me off to the whole album completely for quite a while.

the lyrics were so much better:

"im taking a loan on my sanity for the redemption of my soul

well i am upset from this tragedy and the 21st Century Fall"

and his voice didn't sound so...digitally enhanced.

this man has an incredible pure voice which i think for the most part shouldn't be tampered with.

[Trina]

I only read the first few replys so sorry if this has already been pointed out, but I'm fairly sure the band actually leaked the demo. They said it themselves that they had been playing demos on their pirate radio station. I don't remember what interview and stuff but it was definatly said. The station was probably the number in that studio video that no-one ever properly investigated..

I adored the demo and at first prefered it to the album version. I haven't listened to the demo in a good while though and have been meaning to.

Love both.

[greendayfan_0491]

The demo is done on piano for the intro. They also changed the lyrics around a little and Billie Joe changed the way he sings parts of the song too.

[Robin105]

I like the demo a lot. I like both versions the same actually. It's interesting to hear the original song and then compare it to the album version. It's something rare to have on your computer.

[Ila Reto]

I only read the first few replys so sorry if this has already been pointed out, but I'm fairly sure the band actually leaked the demo. They said it themselves that they had been playing demos on their pirate radio station. I don't remember what interview and stuff but it was definatly said. The station was probably the number in that studio video that no-one ever properly investigated..

I adored the demo and at first prefered it to the album version. I haven't listened to the demo in a good while though and have been meaning to.

Love both.

if they did that on purpose, then im mad at them

how dare they let me fall in love with a song, only to change it?

that's why i still only listen to the demo. on rare occation i force myself to listen to the album version.

hah i remember i missed all the links by a couple hours, i found it on someone's youtube channel.

and i was such a little warner suckup, preaching that all links and traces should be deleted

[Lauren]

The opening piano in the demo makes me want to actually LISTEN to it.

I always skip the intro in the album version. It's too long and boring and it's the same as See The Light!

[Katarina.]

hah i remember i missed all the links by a couple hours, i found it on someone's youtube channel.

and i was such a little warner suckup, preaching that all links and traces should be deleted

Haha xD I remember loving the song so much, which I still do, but I wanted to be surprised when I'd hear the record for the first time.

So I listened to the demo until my iTunes said it was played 100 times, and after that I hadn't listened to it. Until today