Song of the Week 21st Century Breakdown

[Marki.]

I swallowed my pride

And I choked on my faith

I've given my heart and my soul

:wub: that is all.

Before the summer tour started for me I read some thread here on GDC where people were discussing what song makes them emotional at a show and a lot of them said 21st CB... I was like, 'what'? It's the beginning of the show, you're all cheeerful and happy when you're listening to that song... But then when I heard the opening chords in Munich, I found myself bawling my eyes out like a child... :') Idk why it hit me so hard, but from that point I totally understand what y'all were talking about... that song is not the same for me since the summer shows, now it brings back all the incredible memories

I have so many favourite videos... not to mention that the official video is such an amazing piece of work and it definitely should have more attention...

[J'net]

... Before the summer tour started for me I read some thread here on GDC where people were discussing what song makes them emotional at a show and a lot of them said 21st CB... I was like, 'what'? It's the beginning of the show, you're all cheeerful and happy when you're listening to that song... But then when I heard the opening chords in Munich, I found myself bawling my eyes out like a child... :') Idk why it hit me so hard, but from that point I totally understand what y'all were talking about...

I have a strong emotional reaction each time I hear this song live, too. It's funny, because I've seen it so many times now, it seems I'd get over it. But every show is preceded by such intense anticipation and excitement. Then there's the waiting in line all day with the tension building and wondering if we'll all get our favorite spots on the rail. Then there's the seemingly endless wait after getting inside. And there's often the emotion of sharing the show with some of my best friends. By the time Green Day runs on stage, all that intensity is SO ready to be released!

And the way the guys perform this song live is such a GREAT release. It starts off with such wonderful intensity and it takes us through a roller coaster of feelings until finally finishing with a sigh of satisfaction. Yes, it's almost like sex! No wonder we all have such strong reactions to it .

[dirnt286]

I love this song.

I was at the first show in Seattle, Washington last year when they started their tour. It was pretty cool knowing they were in my city starting off the next year and a half of their life. You could tell they were really excited. I was really excited when they started the set with this song. Great show!

[fadi_7]

i just want to know what does it mean!!!!!

[HitmonSal]

It has an amazing video, I love it, probs the best music video i've ever seen!

Like someone has mentioned before, its probably the best intro to the concert ever accompanied with SoTC

I dont think they will top that, cos its a perfect fitting [Prove me wrong though]

Also mentioned was the beautiful piano intro in the demo.. I agree, its amazing they should have kept it in!

It always tears me up a little bit inside when i listen to the song after SOTC, it brings back so many memories from the first time I saw them last year [it was a special moment for me..]

so I do feel a sense of emotion now when I listen to it back or on the bootleg..

My fav bit is the guitar solo near the end, I absolutely adore it! It's the best part of the song imo.

my fav lyric would be

"Dream, America dream,

I can't even sleep

From the lights early dawn

Scream, America scream

Believe what you see from heroes and cons?"

<3

[GreenPlek]

love that song!

'I was made of poison and blood

Condemnation is what I understood

Videogames of the towers fall

Homeland security could kill us all'

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

After everything that's been said in this thread, I don't think I could add anything. This song is such a great show opener, for reasons other people have already explained wonderfully. The build up to the start of the show, then there's Song of the Century, while the crowd starts to go from talking to each other to singing along. The chords, the drums building up, and BOOM EXPLOSION, here we go, release all the build up and anxious waiting, welcome to Green Day, this is going to be awesome. Fast-forward to Billie getting the crowd all hyped up before Class of 13 (with countless "Let's go craaayzaaaaayyy"'s and the like, which undoubtedly half the forum can quote by now), the crowd goes wild, and if you're up front, you get completely squished by the entire crowd taking a huge lunge towards the stage. Amazing.

I can't even listen the song album version without feeling at least a little emotional.

I think it's a shame they scratched some things from the demo. The piano intro is beautiful Although I do think the chords work better for the song and build up-purposes. But, I love the piano intro.

I also think that pretty much all the lyrics they scratched (spare for a couple of one word changes, but naming exactly the ones I like and don't like probably isn't very interesting to anyone) were great as well, especially

"I'm taking a loan on my sanity

for the redemption of my soul"

I also think "From Mexico to the Berlin Wall" vs. "Video games to the Tower's fall" should be mentioned.

That said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the song as it is.

I couldn't even pick a favourite part or favourite line.

Lyrics I also like:

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

[demo]

I was made of poison and blood

Condemnation is what I understood

(Oh scream, America scream)

Believe what you see

from heroes and cons

I sat in the waiting room wasting my time

Waiting for judgement day

We are the class of '13

Born in the era of humility

We are the desperate in the decline

... kind of got carried away, haha. Sorry

I never consciously realized that this is quite the great strong, both lyrically and musically strong. But it is, it definitely is.

[jos_whatsername]

yeah, i love this one, too !

I've been to 2 shows this year and because of that, maaaany memories come to my mind when i think of this song.

i've loved it since i first heard the album, but hearing it live only made this love stronger.

my favorite part of the lyrics has to be

"I swallowed my pride

And I choked on my faith

I've given my heart and my soul"

it just reminds me of that everyone should swallow their pride sometimes ..

and the video is AMAZING

the whole concept of it is just brilliant.

i also love the bridge towards the end with the lines "dream, american dream.." and then later "scream,

america scream.." that's genius !

[Bastard of 1967]

my favorite part of the lyrics has to be

"I swallowed my pride

And I choked on my faith

I've given my heart and my soul"

it just reminds me of that everyone should swallow their pride sometimes ..

Fabulous lyric there..... but I draw a broader conclusion from them.

All of the 21CB title track is a giant 40-year history lesson rolled up into an epic 5-1/2 minute anthem that features Green Day exploring and emulating to perfection at least three different musical styles, two of which are faithful to their original punk rock core and the third of which steers them right into a classic-rock motif that they carry off equally well. The vocals are the first of many on the album that push Billie Joe into the upper reaches of a register that I doubt he himself even knew existed before he recorded this. The title track also features one of the most rhythmically complex and just plain amazing percussion peformances that Tre Cool has ever pounded out. The lyrics themselves are simply a phenomenal piece of tell-it-like-it-is punk brilliance. They are in part autobiographical and personal (the references to Nixon/welfare child/teamsters/born to run/refinery) and in part reflect the experiences of Billie's generation (poison and blood, condemnation) -- and more importantly, the experience of his own kids. In the bridge between the first and second parts of the song, the 'Class of 13 reference is no accident. Billie drops you right into the perspective of his oldest son Joey who graduates high school in 2013 -- and challenges you to question the kind of world we're leaving for that generation.

At its heart, the song teaches that if you're working-class, there's nothing left for you. Nothing. It's all been stolen by the Bastards of 1969 -- the generation of faux "heroes" and cons that made up the peace-loving, war-protesting ("Born on the 4th of July"), pot-smoking, flower-power glimmer of utopia at the original Woodstock festival (hence the 1969 reference). Back then, they collectively promised that when their generation took power, things would be different. Now here we are 40 years later and look what a fucking mess they've made of everything. They've become successful, powerful, rich, and have left the middle-class in the dust and the working-class for dead. Our once-proud nation has lost its humility, its sense of place and its sense of purpose. We don't lead the world anymore, instead we are deeply indebted to it. Our citizens are just the power brokers' means to an end -- the pawns you have to bullshit just enough every once in awhile in order to swing the debate and the money your way. So the Bastards of 1969 arrive at the end of the century, their self-imposed deadline for when things were supposed to have been made right. But they failed miserably in this "save the world" mission....because, as the rest of the album teaches, it/we were just a bunch of self-important stoners -- junkies preaching to the choir -- who never did have the balls to solve the problems that lurk between our own two ears. Now it's up to the next generation -- "the Class of '13" -- to take over. "I've been to the edge and I've thrown the bouquet". And the younger generation receiving that beautiful bouquet doesn't have much to work with and build on. Instead, the best they can do is exist quietly, waste time, sit around, and wait for judgment day -- which I interpret to mean either wait to die, or wait for someone to come along and just torch the fucking joint.

Thus, the entire second part of the song from "My name is no one..." all the way up through "waiting for judgment day" is, to me, all about contorting yourself beyond all recognition to try to fit into this cluster-fuck of a world we have little choice but to merely exist in. "The scars on my hands...is all that I have to show"; "I've swallowed my pride and choked on my faith, I've given my heard and my soul"; "I've broken my fingers and lied through my teeth" -- all these verses feed into that angsty, anguished, tormented view of self and country that's become a hallmark of 21st century existence.

So scream, America, scream. Keep believing the bullshit that the bankers and the politicians keep feeding you, and don't challenge them. There's your American dream for you.

Fucking brilliant opening of an equally fucking brilliant album.

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

my favorite part of the lyrics has to be

"I swallowed my pride

And I choked on my faith

I've given my heart and my soul"

it just reminds me of that everyone should swallow their pride sometimes ..

and the video is AMAZING

the whole concept of it is just brilliant.

Aw, how could I forget those lyrics. I just love "I've given my heart and my soul". It might not be the most original of lyrics, but I love it nonetheless. Expresses a lot of things, (one of) the most prominent for me being Green Day. Even if that, that feeling with it or whatever (what's the word?), might not be the exact intention of the lyric (not that the actual intention isn't good, on the contrary), but I still love it.

And "I swallowed my pride"... I think that one pretty much explains itself (and if it doesn't, go listen to No Pride. Which, I didn't even realize until now, lyrics are very similar to these to lines. You better swallow your pride or you're gonna choke on it. Probably not intentional, but it's funny). Although in this case it's more a case of having to swallow your pride.

"and I choked on my faith"... great, just great. I don't even know how to explain or describe it, so I'll let the lyrics just do it for me. Choking on your faith... I love that. I mean, what it expresses obviously isn't good, but I love the way it's phrased and just nails it.

And then you put it all together and you get that.

I need to work on how I say things. I'm already a bad rambler in Dutch, and in English it's not exactly improving

And the video... yeah, it's indeed great.

Fabulous lyric there..... but I draw a broader conclusion from them.

post = :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Gwen Stacy]

Amazing song, I've already posted my opinion.

But quick question...

Does anyone know when during the recording period 21st Century Breakdown was recorded?

January 2008-April 2009 is a big window

If anyone knows, it would be appreciated

[GeekBrainStew]

this song is one of the funest to play on guitar from gren day!!! I LOVE IT!!

[Clayish]

This is probably tied for the best song on 21st Century Breakdown.

Hearing this live actually changed me. Normally, I am a pretty shy guy, but when the opening chords of this blasted throughout the stadium July 24, 2009, I changed.

I screamed every lyric, and the Irish Jig part was just insane.

I freaking love this song to death.

[EvanAsFuck]

Jeez this song is amazing... Especially at shows! Those opening D-A chords coming through the loud speakers is just the best thing ever, and after the "breakdown" half way through everything just goes insane!

And I absolutely love the lyrics and melodies and everything...

"We are the cries of the class of 13... Born in the era of humility... We are the desperate in the decline... Raised by the bastards of [1, 2, 3, 4!!!] BANG!"... epicness

[Anja]

I can't even begin to describe the feeling that overcomes me at every show when they open. Even now, when I listen to the song, I still get goosebumps.

Raised by the bastards of--ONE TWO THREE FOUR!

I'm so happy this is song of the week. I could never imagine them starting a tour from now on without the SOTC/21stCB combo. The power and energy behind it is just so enthralling.

This! 21st CB is a perfect opening song, the energy it delivers is amazing! I think I will never able to listen to this song as just a "song" but always think back to the shows I went to.

I've been in love with this song since I heard the beautiful demo version for the first time. (still gutted that they changed the "berlin wall" line )

I can't really say what my favorite line is. I love "My generation is zero, I never made it as a working class hero" a lot but also the entire part after "raised by the bastards of 1969" when the music speeds up. And of course, the video! It's one of the best GD videos so far, in my opinion!

[Bastard of 1967]

Hey gang -- one of our fellow GDCmates just uploaded an entire instrumentals-only mix of 21CB taken directly from the GDRB mogg's:

http://www.greendaycommunity.org/Forum/index.php?showtopic=81402&view=findpost&p=4209610

You've got to take a listen to it, if nothing else to hear the Celtic punk arrangement without Billie's vocals. Listen close, you'll hear a sample of one of the chord progressions from Homecoming in there (I think it's from the transition between Rock & Roll Girlfriend and We're Coming Home Again). Bloody hell, they dropped a hidden callback to at least some of the themes from American Idiot here. Makes the song even more f*cking epic than it already is.

The one other thing you can't help but notice in the instrumental track is the use of, I think it's Mike's bass in the bridge between where Billie's vocals drop out at the end of "20th century deadline...." and where they would pick up again at "We are the class of...". This chord is substituting for a bagpipe undertone, and Mike holds it all the way through to where "the Bastards of 1969" lyric hits.

[valeria carci]

this song has so much energy i can't listen to it without remembering the concert... my heart starts beating so fast... sad thing that i was trying to survive the pit when they played it lol

[unexplainedbacon]

This song was just perfect for the opening of their concerts. AWESOME!

[E!!i]

Hey gang -- one of our fellow GDCmates just uploaded an entire instrumentals-only mix of 21CB taken directly from the GDRB mogg's:

http://www.greendaycommunity.org/Forum/index.php?showtopic=81402&view=findpost&p=4209610

You've got to take a listen to it, if nothing else to hear the Celtic punk arrangement without Billie's vocals. Listen close, you'll hear a sample of one of the chord progressions from Homecoming in there (I think it's from the transition between Rock & Roll Girlfriend and We're Coming Home Again). Bloody hell, they dropped a hidden callback to at least some of the themes from American Idiot here. Makes the song even more f*cking epic than it already is.

The one other thing you can't help but notice in the instrumental track is the use of, I think it's Mike's bass in the bridge between where Billie's vocals drop out at the end of "20th century deadline...." and where they would pick up again at "We are the class of...". This chord is substituting for a bagpipe undertone, and Mike holds it all the way through to where "the Bastards of 1969" lyric hits.

cool thx sounds great even without lyrics

[Bastard of 1967]

I relate it to Homecoming, the mock-triumphalism of it

OMG Angeline, you nailed something right here -- and now you have to listen to Gr33nday!!'s instrumental mix that he hacked from the GDRB mogg's. Listen to the Celtic punk midsection of the song and you'll hear one of the chord progressions from Homecoming -- one that's in the transition between R&R Girlfriend to We're Coming Home Again. Especially in light of your comment about Homecoming and 21CB having a thematic relationship, I don't think this was an accident.

[E!!i]

OMG Angeline, you nailed something right here -- and now you have to listen to Gr33nday!!'s instrumental mix that he hacked from the GDRB mogg's. Listen to the Celtic punk midsection of the song and you'll hear one of the chord progressions from Homecoming -- one that's in the transition between R&R Girlfriend to We're Coming Home Again. Especially in light of your comment about Homecoming and 21CB having a thematic relationship, I don't think this was an accident.

I can't find this part

[Bastard of 1967]

I can't find this part

In the instrumental, it hits at about 3:07 and repeats at 3:13, 3:19, 3:25. It appears a second time at 3:42 with repeats at 3:48, 3:54, and 4:00.

In Homecoming, the same three-chord riff appears and repeats at 6:08, 6:12, 6:15, and 6:18.

[E!!i]

In the instrumental, it hits at about 3:07 and repeats at 3:13, 3:19, 3:25. It appears a second time at 3:42 with repeats at 3:48, 3:54, and 4:00.

In Homecoming, the same three-chord riff appears and repeats at 6:08, 6:12, 6:15, and 6:18.

thx have to listen this now

EDIT: Ah finally I got it

[Hermione]

Hey how come I didn't notice this!? Funnily enough earlier today I saw the amazing video of this song on TV instead of a little computer screen for the first time . I think it's the only Green Day song where the video actually made me love it more - it's perfect. It brings the song to life. The lyrics are vivid enough already but with those visuals it really smacks you in the face.

What an epic song! Such a wonderful way to set the scene for the album. The music is a proper rollercoaster ride from start to finish and I love the lyrics

"I've swallowed my pride and I've choked on my faith

I've given my heart and my soul

I've broken my fingers and lied through my teeth"

Definitely some of my all time favourite lyrics. I remember the first time I heard it (the demo version), it was the mini guitar solo/slowed down part right at the end that really struck me. It seemed so different from anything we'd heard from them before and I couldn't wait to hear more. It all just seemed more........musical. They'd taken things to another level and I was excited about it.

This! 21st CB is a perfect opening song, the energy it delivers is amazing! I think I will never able to listen to this song as just a "song" but always think back to the shows I went to.

Me too! Whenever I hear the beginning I get that feeling of anticipation in my stomach

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

I just realized (haha, I keep realizing things about this song. Every time I read someone's post, something connects in my head) that this whole verse is pretty great.

I swallowed my pride and I choked on my faith

I've given my heard and my soul

I've broken my fingers and lied through my teeth

The pillar of damage control

How it's like... sacrifice yourself, just to keep the damage in control. And how that is how this world is. The most recent example being the new pat down thing on air ports. Humiliating people just for safety (and it's even doubtful it'll work).

Then something else, these lines (which coincidentally come right after the previous ones)

I've been to the edge and I've thrown the bouquet

Of flowers left over the grave

I don't understand this one. What it means. What the message in it is. I don't get any further than what it literally says, apart from some tiny shards of possible meanings, but too little to puzzle anything together.

What are other people's thoughts on this line/lines?

Then something not to do with 21st Century Breakdown (as if this post isn't too long already), only in general with Song of the Week.

I wonder what Green Day and especially Billie (since he wrote the songs) would think of Song of the Week, of people picking their songs apart (in a good way) and figuring them out. Because sometimes it goes deeeeep in these threads.