SONG OF THE DAY
“21 Guns” by Greenday (21st Century Breakdown, Reprise Records, 2009). Written by Billie Joe Armstrong.
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– It is the 2nd single from their eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown. The single was released through Reprise Records on May 25, 2009 as a digital download and July 14, 2009 as a CD single.
– In the radio edit, the song is over forty seconds shorter than the album version because the guitar solo is shortened and the beginning is cut out.
– The song is featured on the soundtrack to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,which was released on June 23, 2009, and it is featured four times in the film itself. It became available for download on the music video game series Rock Band on July 7, 2009, along with the songs “East Jesus Nowhere” and “Know Your Enemy”.
– The song was performed live on the 34th season of Saturday Night Live. A live version was also released on 21 Guns Live EP in September 2009.
– The song debuted at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #22 (becoming their highest peaking song since the 2005 hit “Wake Me Up When September Ends”), and #81 on the Canadian Hot 100, reaching #15. It reached #3 on the Alternative Songs chart and #17 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Also, on the Billboard Pop Songs it reached #37. On the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, the song peaked at #14. On the UK Singles Chart, it debuted at #100 and rose to #36. It was certified Gold after 13 weeks on the chart, selling over 7,500 copies.
MY TAKE
It’s pretty amazing to see that Green Day still has the incredible chops and ability to do a live performance on the American Music Awards (which happened last night), considering that the band is over twenty years old, its members are practically middle-aged, and almost everything else on awards shows these days is lip-synced without question or remorse [see J-Lo’s bizarre boxing-themed performance last night, in which she most definitely bruised her behind during]
Billie Joe Armstrong didn’t exactly do the falsetto that I really love in the studio recording of this song, but the live performance was strong and energetic and admirable. It’s a great song: very catchy, obviously political, and with a serious heartbeat to it because of both lyrics and melody. I like the background vocal harmonies especially—and what a weird and diverse band that they do stuff like that when once they rocked so hard in “Welcome To Paradise”.
I, however, am not disgruntled by their evolution, though I do wish the 1990’s had never ended musically. Though I’m dismayed that songs of the same vein and feel as “Basketcase”, “Waiting” and “When I Come Around” aren’t being written anymore (by Green Day or anyone), I am happy that “American Idiot”, “Wake Me Up When September Ends” and “21 Guns” exist, obvious products of evolution.
VIDEOS OF THE DAY
Here’s a playlist of my favorite Green Day songs: