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St. Billie (ummmm) Jimmy!


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Posted

I always look forward to hearing this song live simply because it's so much fun to rock out to.

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Posted

I love this song. It's one of my favorites. :)

Posted

i absolutely love the energy of this song.

and the biab performance, no words to explain that.

Posted

One of my fave songs off American Idiot at the min

gahh i LOVE St. Billie woops soz i ment St, Jimmy lol! ;)

Posted

I love billie as st. jimmy :woot:

Posted

Jimmy's a lost boy, as much as any of the rest of them. Jimmy's a friend in need - maybe not the best friend, but when it's lonely and there's no-one else, no other hope, Jimmy's there, and he doesn't judge. Jimmy's a good time, anytime - he's a place to go. In all of the places of AI, there's no blame for Jimmy - only in Novacaine is the sense of misgiving, 'Jimmy says it's better than here', and maybe Jimmy doesn't have JOS' best interests at heart. Well, he never said he did - all he does is offer a choice when nothing else is beckoning. 'Jimmy died today' is a howl of anguish - this isn't some shitty drug-dealer offing himself, this is something deeper.

Your point is underscored in another part of Homecoming as well:

In a crowd of pain

St. Jimmy comes without any shame

Edit:
He says "we're fucked up" but we're not the same [/edit]

And Mom & Dad are the ones you can blame.

As with much of Billie Joe's writing, he's not attempting to make any value judgments here. St. Jimmy just.is. He's the self-destructive impulse that's buried in all of us, and no matter who each of us are, no matter what the differences are between us, we all have one thing in common: he's what emerges when we're in pain, when we're suffering, when we feel that there's no one to reach for or there's nothing else left, when "there's no sign of hope." Cripes, all of JoS's stash was burned up by the time we reach this point in the album, so he couldn't even hide himself inside his addiction anymore.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: AI as a whole asks you to search deeply within yourself and ask: where is *my* St. Jimmy? What does he do to undercut me? How does he operate? How do I get rid of him? And what do I fill the void with after he's gone?

That being said...the song has BAD ASS written all over it. My jaw hit the floor when I first heard it -- and the tempo that Mike and Tre are able to maintain through it from start to finish. Chording changes, rhythm changes, percussion changes seemingly every 30 seconds. Rich, vibrant, FAST, and crammed full of fist-pumping energy. And that snarl in Billie's voice when he sings "so shut your mouth before I shoot you down, old boyyyyyyyyyyyy!!"..... :wub:

Posted

Your point is underscored in another part of Homecoming as well:

In a crowd of pain

St. Jimmy comes without any shame

He says "we're fucked up but we're not the same"

And Mom & Dad are the ones you can blame.

He says "'we're fucked up"

but we're not the same

Posted

Your point is underscored in another part of Homecoming as well:

In a crowd of pain

St. Jimmy comes without any shame

He says "we're fucked up but we're not the same"

And Mom & Dad are the ones you can blame.

As with much of Billie Joe's writing, he's not attempting to make any value judgments here. St. Jimmy just.is. He's the self-destructive impulse that's buried in all of us, and no matter who each of us are, no matter what the differences are between us, we all have one thing in common: he's what emerges when we're in pain, when we're suffering, when we feel that there's no one to reach for or there's nothing else left, when "there's no sign of hope." Cripes, all of JoS's stash was burned up by the time we reach this point in the album, so he couldn't even hide himself inside his addiction anymore.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: AI as a whole asks you to search deeply within yourself and ask: where is *my* St. Jimmy? What does he do to undercut me? How does he operate? How do I get rid of him? And what do I fill the void with after he's gone?

That being said...the song has BAD ASS written all over it. My jaw hit the floor when I first heard it -- and the tempo that Mike and Tre are able to maintain through it from start to finish. Chording changes, rhythm changes, percussion changes seemingly every 30 seconds. Rich, vibrant, FAST, and crammed full of fist-pumping energy. And that snarl in Billie's voice when he sings "so shut your mouth before I shoot you down, old boyyyyyyyyyyyy!!"..... :wub:

I'm sorry to quote your whole post but I couldn't choose just one part of it that seemed most relevant. I love your interpretation of Homecoming. It's so dead on. It also points out one of the reasons American Idiot appeals to such a wide range of people. Billie Joe expresses what we ALL feel, so well. Michael Mayer was correct when he said that Billie Joe is a poet. He truly is. The greatest thing is though, that even if you aren't looking for some poetic insight into your psyche, the music tells the story without you having to think about it. The story is there, not just in the lyrics, but in the music itself. My life has never been the same since the first time I heard American Idiot. Over six years after the release of the album, it still sounds so fresh and is still so relevant. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but I really believe it is a true masterpiece. I am so glad that the musical has given even more people the chance to experience this great work.

Posted

He says "'we're fucked up"

but we're not the same

Thanks for the correction -- I'll fix that. Changes the meaning slightly but not the overall interp.

Posted

I love this song live and the energy in it and well done Billie for an awesome Broadway debut :thumbsup:

Posted

He's the self-destructive impulse that's buried in all of us, and no matter who each of us are, no matter what the differences are between us, we all have one thing in common: he's what emerges when we're in pain, when we're suffering, when we feel that there's no one to reach for or there's nothing else left, when "there's no sign of hope." Cripes, all of JoS's stash was burned up by the time we reach this point in the album, so he couldn't even hide himself inside his addiction anymore.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: AI as a whole asks you to search deeply within yourself and ask: where is *my* St. Jimmy? What does he do to undercut me? How does he operate? How do I get rid of him? And what do I fill the void with after he's gone?

THIS.

Posted

i loooooove this song

  • 2 months later...
Posted

This song is awesome! the energy, i just love it! It always makes me feel much better. Nobody can describe the feeling when you see Billie runing around and singing this song :lol:

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