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¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)


pasalaska

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Posted

This week’s Song of the Week is ¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl), as nominated by Bryony Isabella. This thread is all about discussing your thoughts and feelings on ¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl).

¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl) is track 12 on 21st Century Breakdown, and is the stark opposite, story-wise, to track 4, ¡Viva La Gloria!. Little Girl sees Gloria homeless and running away in tears from the hardships in her life, as opposed to her triumphant rise above her hardships in ¡Viva La Gloria!.

Musically, this is one of my favourite songs off 21st Century Breakdown – I love the ‘oompa’ style of the piano and guitar during the verses, the pause, and then the surging guitar of the chorus. The upbeat music contrasts brilliantly with the really quite stark and sad lyrics of Gloria’s demise. To me, it’s almost as if the music in the verses is being patronising to, or mocking Gloria’s plight, in the same way the narrator is patronising to Gloria, calling her ‘Little Girl’ and ‘Little One’, before flying at her in a rage in the chorus (‘run away!’).

According to setlist.fm, this song has only ever been played live thirteen times, all in 2009, around the time of 21st Century Breakdown’s release, which is a real shame. I can really imagine audiences getting into this song live, shouting out ‘run away!’ together and dancing like crazy during the choruses. It’s also got some awesome piano parts in it, and I’m a big fan of watching Jason Freese play piano live.

I don’t have a favourite lyric from this song, simply because it’s filled with lots of great lines, but I do have a favourite part; the ‘GLOOOO-RIIII-AAAAA’ that Mike sings in the background after the line ‘like the mascara tears from your getaway’. I like how it ties in with the similar ‘Gloria’ in ¡Viva La Gloria!’s chorus. It’s just a clever little throwback to ¡Viva La Gloria!, tying the two songs, and Gloria’s story, together. It’s also faded into the background, just like how her once victorious self is now slipping away in Little Girl.

Here’s a great video of Green Day playing ¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl) live at Webster Hall, New York on the 19th of May, 2009.

Lyrics:

Little girl, little girl

Why are you crying?

Inside your restless soul your heart is dying.

Little one, little one

Your soul is purging

Of love and razor blades

Your blood is surging

Run away

From the river to the street

And find yourself with your face in the gutter

You’re a stray for the Salvation Army

There is no place like home

When you got no place to go

Little girl, little girl

Your life is calling

The charlatans and saints of your abandon

Little one little one

The sky is falling

Your lifeboat of deception is now sailing

In the wake all the way

No rhyme or reason

Your bloodshot eyes

Will show your heart of treason

Little girl little girl

You dirty liar

You're just a junkie

Preaching to the choir

Run away

From the river to the street

And find yourself with your face in the gutter

You’re a stray for the Salvation Army

There is no place like home

When you got no place to go

The traces of blood

Always follow you home

Like the mascara tears

From your getaway

(GLOOOOO-RIIII-AAAAA)

Your walking with blisters

and running with shears

So unholy.

Sister of grace.

Run away

From the river to the street

And find yourself with your face in the gutter

You're a stray for the Salvation Army

There is no place like home…

*********************************************************************************************************

You can nominate songs for discussion as Song of the Week in the SotW Nominations and Archive thread, which contains links to each previous Song of the Week in its first post.

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Posted

Way too much to quote

Thank You!!

I adore this song so much and it has about a zillion plays on my iTunes just because I never get tired of it. I wish I could hear it live and am determined to make a sign or something for the next show I go to (hopefully soon!), just to be in with a chance.

This has got to be my favourite line:

Little girl little girl

You dirty liar

You're just a junkie

Preaching to the choir

It's so amazing to just yell that when you're singing along the track and the way Billie says 'liar' always makes me smile.

It's just an all out awesome song. :) Thanks for making it SOTW... :D

- It also took me ages to figure out he was saying 'Salvation Army', as it is with lots of GD songs I think it's one thing and then on one chance listening I'm like "Oh, that's what he's saying..."

Posted

This is an amazing song.

One thing about this one, which is the case for me on most songs from 21CB, is that I like all the lyrics surrounding the chorus more than the chorus itself (I feel similarly about Static Age, 21 Guns, 21CB, KYE, where the lyrics leading up to the chorus are so much better). That being said, I do like this chorus a lot too.

And they should really play this one live more often. Starting off with the piano, it's pretty exciting.

Posted

This has got to be my favourite line:

Little girl little girl

You dirty liar

You're just a junkie

Preaching to the choir

That's my favorite part too! I gotta say I love this song, definetely one of my fav from 21CB. :wub:

Posted

That's my favorite part too! I gotta say I love this song, definetely one of my fav from 21CB. :wub:

and it's my favorite part too :wub:

Posted

It's an awesome song and pasalaska summed it up perfectly. :)

I don't really have a favorite part, but if I had to choose one, it might be the "Run awaaaaay!"

I can't really explain why but it just touches me in an unexplainable way.

Posted

It's so spooky and brilliant.

I always make up my own music video in my head to it.

Posted

Yay for the return of SotW! No time to say anything more than its a cool song but I prefer iViva la Gloria!

Will return for further analysis and discussion :)

Posted

I love the musical break before the last chorus.

Posted

Yay for the return of SotW! No time to say anything more than its a cool song but I prefer iViva la Gloria!

Will return for further analysis and discussion :)

I personally prefer Little Girl to Viva La Gloria, though they're both kick-ass songs :wub:

Posted

Fucking love this song. :wub: Definitely one of my all time favorites.

Posted

I like this song, "the dark side of Gloria"... Especially the intro, and then the "uuhhh" during the guitar solo

Posted

I love this song. I always wished they incorporated it into the musical. It has a lot of stage potential in my opinion with the strong beats and the drama in Billie's voice.

Posted

Hey, that's me! :woot: My parents want to watch a movie now, but I'll be back later for my thoughts because as you may have guessed, I really, really like this song.

Posted

this is one of my favorites songs off of 21CB i just love the sound and the lyrics

the song is kind of creepy and the beginning is almost carnival, fun house sounding

Posted

OK- First off- GREAT SONG (although I say that about all of them lol). Reminds me of Alabama Song by the Doors. Same style in the verses. Also a little of the Warning era, with a little more acoustic sound. Good story, too. I'm in agreement with Aska- This song would be really powerful live- There ups and downs, and overall a ton of energy. So, to wrap it up, maybe they'll unleash it like they did Give Me Novaccaine on the 21CB tour. Who knows...

Posted

I love this song. This is probably the first track I had heard from 21st Century Breakdown. It's filled with energy, and I catch myself listening to it a lot. My twin stated that "it sounds like a scary haunted house" xD Anyways, wonderful song! ♥

Posted

I love this song. This is probably the first track I had heard from 21st Century Breakdown. It's filled with energy, and I catch myself listening to it a lot. My twin stated that "it sounds like a scary haunted house" xD Anyways, wonderful song! ♥

Well spoken XD

Posted

I'd say one of the best songs Green Day as ever composed. Stupendous song, filled with emotions and, and.. and everything!!

Posted

This has got to be my favourite line:

Little girl little girl

You dirty liar

You're just a junkie

Preaching to the choir

It's so amazing to just yell that when you're singing along the track and the way Billie says 'liar' always makes me smile.

Me too! The way he says "dirty liar", and "you're just a junkie" just about make the song for me.

I think their was a thread a while back for moments in songs that gave you the chills? Something like that.

Anyway, this verse was the one I posted in that thread.

Posted

Well spoken XD

xD Why, thank you!

Posted

This is the artwork inspired by ¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl) from the Green Day Presents: The Art of Rock exhibition in London in 2009.

barras.jpg

by Will Barras

Just thought it'd be interesting to put in here. There's a few great little details in the piece, like the cross on the building to the right, the boat and the house on the 'river' that Gloria's got her hand in... reference to the lines 'run away from the river to the street' and 'the traces of blood always follow you home'?

Posted

This is the artwork inspired by ¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl) from the Green Day Presents: The Art of Rock exhibition in London in 2009.

Absolutely love it!! It summarizes Gloria's story and falling from the song in a very original way...all the datails are very well-thought, like the halo over Gloria's head...

It has the same atmosphere the song conveys to me :wub:

Posted

Best song off 21st Century Breakdown.

Just amazing :)

Posted

my favorite songs of 21CB!! well this and Restless Heart Syndrome :D

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