"21st Century Breakdown" | ||||
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Single by Green Day | ||||
from the album 21st Century Breakdown | ||||
Released | December 21, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2008–2009 at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, California; Studio 880, Oakland, California; Jel Studios, Newport Beach, California; Costa Mesa Studios, Costa Mesa, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Reprise | |||
Composer(s) | Green Day | |||
Lyricist(s) | Billie Joe Armstrong | |||
Producer(s) |
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Green Day singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"21st Century Breakdown" on YouTube |
"21st Century Breakdown" is a song by American rock band Green Day from their album of the same name. Billie Joe Armstrong composed the song, which is mainly based on his personal life and musical influences. The song was released as the fourth single from the album on December 21, 2009.
Much of the song was written about the personal life of its writer, Armstrong. According to David Fricke of Rolling Stone , its opening lyrics "Born into Nixon, I was raised in hell" refer to Armstrong's birth year of 1972, while "We are the class of the class of '13" references his eldest son Joseph's high school graduation year of 2013. [3] Later in the song, lyrics begin to reference the song's musical influences: "Last one born / but first one to run" is an allusion to Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run , [4] while "I never made it as a working class hero" is a reference to the John Lennon song "Working Class Hero", which the band had previously released a cover of. [5]
Spin suggested that the song's guitar usage is similar to that of The Edge. [6]
On September 10, 2009, Green Day's official site announced that the song would be the band's next single. [7] However, on September 25, Green Day instead said that "East Jesus Nowhere" would be released as the next single and offered a release date of October 19. [8] On October 21, the band again asserted that "21st Century Breakdown" would be released as a single and gave a release date of December 21. [9]
Reception to the song has been mainly positive. Spin thought that it was "Green Day's most epic song yet". [6] AbsolutePunk stated that the song "bursts forth with resilient aplomb". [4] Adam Downer of Sputnikmusic called the track "heavily indebted to The Who [and] Queen". [10]
The music video for "21st Century Breakdown" was directed by Marc Webb. [7] It premiered on-air and online October 19, 2009, on MTV and a number of its subsidiary websites. It starts off with a wall with the spray-painted woman and man from the album art of 21st Century Breakdown. After they kiss, the first chord strikes. The video is animated in graffiti until the final thirty seconds, when the graffiti version of Armstrong transitions into the real Armstrong and the video concludes in live action. [11]
All lyrics are written by Billie Joe Armstrong; all music is composed by Green Day
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "21st Century Breakdown" | 5:09 |
2. | "Last of the American Girls" (live at Studio 880, Oakland, California) | 3:54 |
Total length: | 9:03 |
Chart (2009) | Peak position |
---|---|
France (SNEP) [12] | 41 |
Germany (Official German Charts) [13] | 71 |
Japan (Japan Hot 100) [14] | 17 |
Green Day is an American rock band formed in Rodeo, California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.
Billie Joe Armstrong is an American musician and actor. He is best known for being the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock band Pinhead Gunpowder, and provides lead vocals for Green Day's side projects Foxboro Hot Tubs, the Network, the Longshot and the Coverups. Armstrong has been considered by critics as one of the greatest punk rock guitarists of all time.
Michael Ryan Pritchard, better known by his stage name Mike Dirnt, is an American rock musician who is the co-founder, bassist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of Green Day. He has also played in several other bands, including the Frustrators. His stage name Dirnt was originally a nickname that his friends from grade school gave him, as he constantly played "air bass/guitar" and made a "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt" noise while pretending to pluck the strings.
Warning is the underrated sixth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on October 3, 2000, by Reprise Records. Building upon its predecessor Nimrod (1997), it eschewed the band's trademark punk rock sound and incorporated acoustic elements and pop and folk styles. Lyrically, the album contains more optimistic and inspirational themes in comparison to the band's earlier releases. Warning was also Green Day's first album since Kerplunk (1991) that was not produced by Rob Cavallo, although he did have a hand in its production and was credited as executive producer.
Slappy is the second EP by American rock band Green Day. It was released in 1990 through Lookout! Records. Upon its release, several different colors of vinyl were available in limited quantities. Frontman and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong cited the extended play as the one on which Green Day began to find its sound. The dog on the cover was known as Mickey. "Slappy" was a nickname given to him by bassist Mike Dirnt's friend Jason Relva. The EP includes one cover, "Knowledge", which was originally by influential California punk band Operation Ivy. All four tracks were later included on the compilation album 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours in 1991.
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours is a compilation album comprising early recordings by American rock band Green Day, released October 1, 1991, on Lookout Records. Often erroneously referred to as the band's debut album, the compilation combines the band's actual debut 39/Smooth (1990) and its first two EPs 1,000 Hours (1989) and Slappy (1990), as suggested by the amalgamation of the titles of the debut album and two EPs for the resulting compilation album. The album includes one cover, "Knowledge", which was originally by influential California punk band Operation Ivy, whose singer, Jesse Michaels, contributed the artwork for the album. The cover art features the same image from 39/Smooth.
21st Century Breakdown is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on May 15, 2009, through Reprise Records. Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006 and forty-five songs were written by vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong by October 2007, but the band members did not enter studio work until January 2008.
"Know Your Enemy" is a protest song by American rock band Green Day. It is the third track on their eighth album, 21st Century Breakdown, and it was released as the lead single through Reprise Records on April 16, 2009, and the group's first single since "Jesus of Suburbia", released 4 years earlier. Billboard described the song as being lyrically "just as politically charged as last time ", having a "Modern Rock radio-ready chorus", whilst the song's producer Butch Vig "brings enough punk sheen for mass appeal." It was the first, and one of only three songs, to top the Rock Songs, Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock Tracks Billboard charts at the same time. "Know Your Enemy" has been certified Gold by the RIAA and has sold 798,000 copies as of August 2010.
"East Jesus Nowhere" is a song by American rock band Green Day. The single was released on October 19, 2009, as the third single and eighth track from their eighth album 21st Century Breakdown. The title is derived from a phrase in the 2007 film Juno.
"21 Guns" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It was released as the second single from their eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown (2009), and serves as the sixteenth track from the album. The single was released through Reprise Records on May 25, 2009 as a digital download and July 14, 2009 as a CD single.
"Last of the American Girls" is a song by American rock band Green Day. The song is the tenth track from their eighth studio album 21st Century Breakdown (2009) Written by the band and produced by Butch Vig, the song was released as the album's fifth and final single on March 22, 2010.
Awesome as Fuck is a live album by American rock band Green Day, released on March 22, 2011, by Reprise Records. The album is composed of tracks recorded during Green Day's 2009–10 21st Century Breakdown World Tour in support of their eighth studio album 21st Century Breakdown (2009). It includes a DVD of a concert recorded at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It is also available in Blu-ray.
¡Uno! is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 25, 2012, by Reprise Records. It is the first of three albums in the ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy, a series of studio albums released from September 2012 to December 2012. Green Day recorded the album from February to June 2012 at Jingletown Studios in Oakland, California. This is the band's first album recorded as a quartet, as touring guitarist Jason White joined the band in the studio to give the studio recordings a more live feel.
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