Song of the Week Christian's Inferno

[pasalaska]

Following up some discussion in the 'Ninth Studio Album' thread, this week's Song of the Week is the somewhat creepy Christian's Inferno, track 6 off Green Day's 8^th studio album, 21^st Century Breakdown, released in 2009. For some reason, Christian's Inferno often comes up on peoples 'least favourite' lists of Green Day songs, so here's hoping that this thread can be a place for some discussion as to why exactly that is.

The title of Christian's Inferno gives us somewhat of a hint as to what exactly is going on with the character Christian at this point in the album. 'Inferno' in Italian means 'hell', and the title is (I'm assuming) a reference to 'Dante's Inferno' - the first part of the 14^th century Roman poem, Divine Comedy, which follows Dante's entrance into, and journey through the nine circles of hell, and 'describes the recognition and rejection of sin' (thanks, Wikipedia). It seems then, that this song is describing Christian's breakdown; his decent into his own hell. The "rejection letter" that was "already ripped to shreds" then, could be a number of things – a rejection into a job, a university, from a lover… the point is that that rejection to Christian is like the rejection into heaven in Divine Comedy – Christian's chance at 'salvation' is "ripped to shreds"; and as a result he's having to swallow a "bitter pill" (that's "chased with blood" – did he go out an pick a fight because of his anger?), and his inferno rages; "there's a fire in my veins". The manic, evil laugh mid-way through the song just adds to the feeling of brokenness and rage in the song. The second verse continues with the theme of hell – "diabolic" means to act like, or have the qualities of the devil, so Christian's existence is being 'graced' (being touched by or watched over by) his devil-like state (or could that be that the state – ie the government - is devil-like?). Whoever the 'devil' is here (Gloria, the Government, god, Christian himself), they're a catastrophic catalyst - the "chemical reaction" - that sets Christian's inner daemons exploding out of him. The last 4 lines of the second verse seem to by Christian on some sort of mid-breakdown power-trip or deluded fantasy, likening himself to a god, with his power (or his freshly-enraged beliefs) radiating out of him ("I am the atom bomb, I am the chosen one") into the people around him, trying to erode away at current human (read: corporate?) progress ("toxin your reservoir and then return man to ape").

Musically, Christian's Inferno is noticeably different to the rest of 21^st Century Breakdown; it's really very dark and echo-y, and Billie's voice is distorted and somewhat distant, especially in the verse - it's as if it's coming from the very depths of Christian's mind. Really, Christian's Inferno wouldn't be out of place on a Network album – it's got that same distorted, dark feeling reminiscent of Money Money 2020 or Hammer of the Gods.

The whole point of this SotW really is to explain why you do or don't like this song, so get typing! Very interested to see your responses.

Personally, I'm a big fan of this song. I really like how twisted and vague some of the lyrics are, and how musically it's frantic and dark. Interestingly, in the May 2009 Rolling Stone featuring, Billie talks briefly about this song, and even he touches on just how dark it really is:

'I look at Christian and Gloria, and it's me. Gloria is one side: this person trying to holf on to this sense of belief, still trying to do good. Whereas Christian is deep into his own demons and victimising himself over that… Sometimes I fell like I'm protecting my kids from myself. I'll write a song like Christian's Inferno or East Jesus Nowhere and fear they will look at the lyrics. Even Adrienne will look at them and go, "is Dad feeling OK?".'

'Sometimes I feel insecure – I want to make sure Christian's Inferno isn't going on in this house. I don't think he understands everything that's going on in there. He just knows it rocks hard. But in the next few years [Armstrong acknowledges with a slight shiver] he's definitely going to do some investigating.'

Okay! Enough reading, it's video time. This is a live performance of Christian's Inferno from the Fox Theatre show in Oakland in 2009.

(video credit: mrsnoo86)

And this is just plain awesome/creepy:

(video credit: Jaymee!)

Lyrics:

I got under the grip

Between the modern hell

I got the rejection letter in the mail and

It was already ripped to shreds.

Seasons in a ruin and

This bitter pill is chased with blood.

There's fire in my veins

And it's pouring out like a flood

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

This diabolic state is gracing my existence

Like a catastrophic baby

Maybe you're the chemical reaction

I am the atom bomb

I am the chosen one

Toxin your reservoir

And then return man to ape

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

Whoa, Christian's inferno

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

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.

[-Billiejoezee-]

When the album first came out, it was my favorite on there. I didn't understand why people disliked it so much. I guess not many people have a "thing" for dark songs like me. I hope those who appreciate such song like this one can fill this thread with good comments. I'd like to see this song finally get the love it deserves! And very nice videos, Aska!

[Heather.]

OK, I am so excited to share the following:

I always hated this song. For two straight years, I thought it was the worst piece of shit I ever heard. Then, about two months ago, inconceivably, I *got it*. I watched the Fox Theater clip above, I listened to it on the album, and all of a sudden I started getting chills. I'm not sure how it happened, really. I'm in total shock because for the longest time I basically wanted to vomit every time I heard this song, and I had deleted it from my iTunes basically a day after the album came out. I never had a problem with the chorus, obviously, which is a relatively normal rockin' melody, so obviously, most people take issue with the way the rest of it is shouted/sung. Me too. I think what finally got me was, "I am the atom bomb, I am the chosen one," and the passionate way Billie sings those lines. I suddenly found those to be extremely powerful words. I don't think anything like this has ever happened to me with a song I dislike, so I'm just as shocked as you would be if you also hate this song and can't imagine ever liking it. Maybe I'm just possessed now.

Oh, and the more I listen to it, especially the "like a catastrophic baby baby baby maybe", the more it sounds like a Tubbies song to me.

[Mary711]

'Whoa, Christian's Infernooo' this is what basically comes to my mind when I'm thinking of this song and that's it. I mean, the chorus seems to be a lot more catchy than the rest of it. Maybe because the verses sound so different and that's why I never really got into them. I don't know, I don't really have an opinion about this song.

[WestboundSign!]

I've always liked Christian's Inferno. It's not my all time favorite or something like that, but I really like it! I fell in love with its dark lyrics right after I had bought the album when it came out. And what I especially love about this song, might be Billie Joe's laughter and the music in general. I don't know why, but being furious and listening to this song makes me able to let off steam. I feel better afterwards. And that's probably the most important thing that makes me say: This is an amazing song!

[Dylan.]

Aska, you asked for it.

Look, this song is my least favorite song Green Day has put out since Last Ride In. It's for a number of reasons, but I will outline my top justifications.

1. The lyrics are seemingly nonsensical. From the opening line "I got under the grip between this modern hell, I got the rejection letter in the mail and it's already ripped to shreds. Season's in ruin and this bitter pill is chased with blood. There's fire in my veins and it's pouring out like a flood."

Those lyrics are about being really angry and I respect that. But the melody is non-existent, and the chorus is generic as hell.

2. Going back to what I just said, the chorus is lazy. I cringe when I listen to the lyrics there because they do not exemplify what Green Day is capable of. And to be honest, it really feels like they couldn't think of any chorus for the song, so they took the title and gave it a generic melody. I think that they desperately wanted to have a song called "Christian's Inferno" on the album, and as the album got closer to being done, they knocked out a simplistic song in the form of Inferno.

3. This will mostly likely be my final reason. I don't like that they hardly ever played it live. In my opinion, 21st Century Breakdown was a victim of songs that were not written for live performances. With a song like Inferno that is so simplistic and angry and fast and vicious on the record, it seems like it would at least be really fun to see live, for all those reasons. Unfortunately, that recording up there is the only time I'm aware they ever even played it live.

Look, I know I'm going to trash me for this. I expect people saying stuff like, "Well, they are extremely talented and you are just being overly critical." Maybe I am, but it is my honest opinion. I love Green Day, and I don't even mind this song. I enjoy screaming along to Billie's maniacal laugh!

It just happens to be my least favorite song on Breakdown. It was a perfect example of all that was wrong with that record. (Over-production, failed linear concepts, etc.)

[-Billiejoezee-]

I love the way he sings it. Especially his laughter.

[Emilie]

I don't know, I don't really have an opinion about this song.

Same with me. I mean, it's okay. I don't really like or dislike this song. If I'm listening to music while doing something else and it comes on I'll listen but I never specifically choose it when going through all the songs on my iPod.

Unlike most people I prefer the verses over the chorus. I've never been a big fan of choruses that use the same line 4 times.

But I do like the line "I got the rejection letter in the mail and it was already ripped to shreds".

[whitechristmas]

I like it, but it gets boring after a while. I like the 'ha ha ha' part.

[Trotsky]

This song took the longest to grow on me because the chorus and verses just seem so non sequitar, they really don't flow into each other. But it's an alright song, I suppose.

[Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love]

I don't really like this song as a whole, but I can appreciate some elements of it. When I first heard the first song I was kind of disappointed and I think that's stuck with me. Before 21stCB got out, they had played a few live shows and while I didn't listen to most of the recordings (team B!), I had listened to a few 20 second clips, and one of those clips was the chorus from Christian's Inferno. I really liked it, and how it sound and it was catchy and all that. When I heard the real song for the first time I first thought that it was the wrong song because it didn't sound like the awesome catchy clip, until the chorus, and I didn't really like the first parts.

I still don't like the verse parts very much, as in, I don't really like how they sound. What I do like, is how it fits so well with the lyrics. It is, to use the words from the song, really diabolical, and there is immediately no doubt about who Christian is, he's portrayed just about as clear and bold as it can get. It's not the finest example of Billie's lyrics, but it does what it's supposed to do.

I like the lyrics "I got the rejection letter in the mail and it was already ripped to shreds" and "I am the atom bomb, I am your chosen one", they're strong lyrics and the first one is a strong image, but opposed to those I really don't like the last lines of the verse, especially the first one is just... cheesy, I think.

While the chorus is very repetitive, I do like it. It sounds catchy, but it's not actually good or nice. Christian's exhilarated about his inferno.

It also shows a weakness, he thinks what he does is great, woah, inferno, but I think that's a minor part of the chorus. Christian's exhilaration (I keep misspelling that. "exhiliration" looks much better, even though it's wrong) is the big part. I think in this song he's not yet victimizing himself over his demons, he's loving it and feeding off of it. It's Christian in the crazy hut inside his head, and he's slightly insane. The manic laughter in the song is perfect.

[Elleny]

I really love this song, it must be one of my favourites from 21stCB. I remember, that when I first listened to the album I mostly skipped it and didn't like it that much, but the more I heard it, the more i liked it. I really like this kind of really, really dark athmosphere this song has and of course I love Billie's laugh...

And yay, for the chioce of videos, the Fox Theatre show one is just plain awesome. It's a pity they rarely play this song live.

[DecanoLP]

The bass line is amazing, everything else is shit. I don't think I have to explain that anymore, there are already some posts that represent my opinion.

[LMC]

When I first saw the tracklist for 21st Century Breakdown, Christian's Inferno was one of the titles that stood out for me, and made me really excited to hear what the new album would sound like. When I first heard the song though, I just felt that they could have made so much more out of a song with a powerful title like Christian's Inferno. I feel like that's a big reason to why I don't like this one. And don't even get me started on the chorus...

[ScatteredPictures]

Well, I love it. There was a time where it was actually my most played song. And I dont thinke everything by Green Day has to be a lyrical masterpiece or super creative.

[Heather.]

When I first saw the tracklist for 21st Century Breakdown, Christian's Inferno was one of the titles that stood out for me, and made me really excited to hear what the new album would sound like. When I first heard the song though, I just felt that they could have made so much more out of a song with a powerful title like Christian's Inferno. I feel like that's a big reason to why I don't like this one. And don't even get me started on the chorus...

This came up in Dylan's comment also... how freakin' awesome the title Christian's Inferno is. I guess I never really thought about it, but now, in retrospect, I could see how you'd want this song to be HUGE in a very different way. Now I kinda wish they had called this song "Man to Ape" and called the ALBUM Christian's Inferno. Because let's face it, 21CB is a bit of a mouthful, and kind of cliche (But don't get me started on 21CB as an album title, because the first time I heard it I definitely thought "who do these guys think they are?")

(And now I'm thinking that a song called "Man to Ape" should have a lot of really clever lyrics and should sound kind of like Mechanical Man, so forget that idea).

I'm still bitter that Jesus Christ Supermarket never came to fruition, so Christian's Inferno would have been a really awesome album. Damn.

[Mar]

Aska, you asked for it.

Look, this song is my least favorite song Green Day has put out since Last Ride In. It's for a number of reasons, but I will outline my top justifications.

1. The lyrics are seemingly nonsensical. From the opening line "I got under the grip between this modern hell, I got the rejection letter in the mail and it's already ripped to shreds. Season's in ruin and this bitter pill is chased with blood. There's fire in my veins and it's pouring out like a flood."

Those lyrics are about being really angry and I respect that. But the melody is non-existent, and the chorus is generic as hell.

2. Going back to what I just said, the chorus is lazy. I cringe when I listen to the lyrics there because they do not exemplify what Green Day is capable of. And to be honest, it really feels like they couldn't think of any chorus for the song, so they took the title and gave it a generic melody. I think that they desperately wanted to have a song called "Christian's Inferno" on the album, and as the album got closer to being done, they knocked out a simplistic song in the form of Inferno.

3. This will mostly likely be my final reason. I don't like that they hardly ever played it live. In my opinion, 21st Century Breakdown was a victim of songs that were not written for live performances. With a song like Inferno that is so simplistic and angry and fast and vicious on the record, it seems like it would at least be really fun to see live, for all those reasons. Unfortunately, that recording up there is the only time I'm aware they ever even played it live.

Look, I know I'm going to trash me for this. I expect people saying stuff like, "Well, they are extremely talented and you are just being overly critical." Maybe I am, but it is my honest opinion. I love Green Day, and I don't even mind this song. I enjoy screaming along to Billie's maniacal laugh!

It just happens to be my least favorite song on Breakdown. It was a perfect example of all that was wrong with that record. (Over-production, failed linear concepts, etc.)

I couldn't have said it better myself. I still laugh at this:

It's shit, why would they play it live?

[mechanicalman]

Being quoted in a thread I haven't posted in is very unnerving.

[Sweet Armataged Chump]

I just got in to this song and quickly too. good choice for sotw

[Jacob.]

Who voted for Christans Inferno as Song of the Week? I thought you guys were better than this.

This song is one of the worst on 21st Century Breakdown, along with See the Light. Also, see spoiler.

[A song for the lovers]

Who voted for Christans Inferno as Song of the Week? I thought you guys were better than this.

This song is one of the worst on 21st Century Breakdown, along with See the Light. Also, see spoiler.

I think you are over reacting, I think it's a great song! but I agree with you about the See The Light...

[JDookie]

Okay, this is not their best song, but I like it! The meaning of the song is not very relevant to me, but I like the words chosen from a "rhetorical" point of view. I mean, I love how sounds the alliteration "like a cathastrophic baby maybe maybe" and also the part "toxin in your reservoir and then return" which I think is an assonance or something like this, or just the sound of the words which, in combination with the perfect way in which Billie Joe sings this song, really creates a dark atmosphere, charged of angry. I also like the chorus (and obviously to me it's nice to hear italian words in Green Day song ).

About the Inferno theme, I would like to add that it's also linked with See the Light, by considering light as the natural opposite of hell. (Light is a very widespread theme in Dante's Paradiso, too ).

[InvaderPhantom]

I absolutely love this song. Maybe it's because my name is Christian and it just blows me away that my name is used in the title of a freakin Green Day song xD

I just don't understand why people hate it so much, I love love love the dark atmosphere, the "whoooa", the lyrics (especially "I got the rejection letter in the mail and

It was already ripped to shreds."), Billie's demonic laugh and that the song truly shows Christian as a character. :good:

The only disappointing thing is that the song is so rarely performed live. I could really imagine it as a song to just go batshit insane on a concert, jump around and sing the "whoa" part

I like to refer to this song as "My Inferno"

[cj_unoxx]

I love this song! Not only because my name is Christian but also because it's a badass song like most people said how you can listen to it while being pissed off and feel better and it's true sometimes I come home from a long day and I blast this song on my speakers and I feel lots better:) this song is amazing but they could have added more lyrics I'll agree with you on that cuz I really loved the lyrics "I am the atom bomb! I am the chosen one! Toxin your reservoir and then return MAN TO APE!!" love it:D I also love the Laughing parts in it too it's a good song not their best but good and also See The Light is a very good song the only complaint I have is that it starts off just the same as the song 21st Century Breakdown:/

[Bastard of 1967]

Sorry for the absence over the past few weeks. We're finally getting the living room/dining room/rec room part of the house painted (which we didn't do before our move -- mainly because we had no idea yet what we wanted to do with it). So we basically had to move out of half the house and now every muscle in my body ACHES. Now, back to the music.

First....I need to respond to Jacob's inferno above. We discuss songs in the SOTW threads because Green Day wrote them, regardless of whether anyone in particular likes or dislikes the week's choice. Sometimes when you share thoughts about a song, you get some insights about it from others or come to see it in a different way, and even if you still don't like it you get some good perspectives on it, which makes your participation worthwhile. It's not black-or-white here, at least I don't think it's supposed to be.

Now onto Christian's Inferno. The lyrics are bleak, intense, maniacal, and overwhelmingly violent. They take you on a tour of some very, very dark and disjointed places in Billie Joe's mind. In contrast to many of his other writings where if you only dig a bit you can find some deep meaning, an understanding of some aspect of the world, or even a few surprises, I think (like iViva La Gloria!) Inferno hits best when you don't try to interpet the lyrics literally. Instead, look at it as setting a mood, as framing other parts of 21st CB. One of the overall themes of the album is "the world as we know it is so fucked up, do we try to fix it from within, or do we give up, tear it all down in an apocalyptic catastrophe, and start over?" Gloria is Billie's character answer for the first possibility, whereas Christian answers the second. I suspect Billie's intent here was to first make you think about what life was like "before the lobotomy", before Western civilization took a giant turn for the worse at the turn of the 21st century, remind you that those days are never coming back, and then feel the same rage that he feels when he thinks of all the opportunities that were once promised to us but that his own children now will never have in the corrupt police states we live in that are supposed to be thriving democracies. "Inferno" is Billie vomiting out this rage.

Inferno thus serves a few key roles within the larger context of 21CB. It defines the contrast between the Christian and Gloria characters. In a call-ahead from Before The Lobotomy, it illuminates the basis for the "rage" theme that recurs throughout the album ("Life before the lobotomy, Christian sang the eulogy, sign my love a lost memory, from the end of the century"). The demonic laughter in the chorus is redirected as the "maniacal laughter" in American Eulogy, and dares us to ask whether it's the revolutionaries or our so-called leaders who are really the crazy ones hell-bent on the destruction of our society -- all while pointing out who bears the ultimate burden of their failures: "True sounds of maniacal laughter, and the deaf-mute's misleading the choir, the punch-line is a natural disaster and it's sung by the unemployed." Whether you like the song or not, it plays a vital connective role in understanding 21CB overall, and you simply cannot ignore it.

Musically, I think Inferno is the most "pure punk" of all of the tracks on 21CB. The distant, distorted, spoken vocals are reminiscent of what the B-52's Fred Schneider might sound like if he were possessed by a demon. Mike shows you how even the most simple bass lines can sound phenomenal in the right context, and Tre's furious percussion in the chorus and machine gun roll in the bridge drops the exclamation points in all the right places.

All that being said - Inferno is not one of my favorite tracks, by a long shot. But when I listen to it from this perspective, I see where it fits in 21CB and think I understand why it's there, and what it's trying to tell us.