pasalaska Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 Do you wanna write SotW from now on? Seriously though, I completely agree with all you said. Excellent post. And welcome back, I've missed your input in these threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of 1967 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Do you wanna write SotW from now on? Hell no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of 1967 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 'Inferno' in Italian means 'hell', and the title is (I'm assuming) a reference to 'Dante's Inferno' - the first part of the 14th 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". Aska - I thought I was done with this but I've got to take something you wrote in the OP and put it together with the "big picture" perspective I tossed out a few minutes ago. That "rejection letter in the mail, it was already ripped to shreds" -- think about the OWS protests going on now and the millenials' loss of the same opportunities that their parents had years ago. What do you do if you get unpleasant news in the mail? You might rip it up and toss it in the trash. In 21st century society there is simply no opportunity for the working class anymore because the Bastards of 1969 have stolen them all for themselves. The point is that if you're born into working class, there's no use even trying anymore. If you apply, you're going to be dinged, and you don't even have to burden yourself with ripping up that rejection letter, the plutocrats in control of your fate have already done that for you. Whatchathink? [Edit] PS: Best quality vid of the Fox Theater performance I've found so far -- [/Edit] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy's Little Nightmare Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I have to say, this song really grew on me. I wasn't that big of a fan of it when I first heard it. I thought it sounded like a Network song, which made me laugh. I made a crack to Mike about admitting that the Network wrote it and they stole it when I met them the day the album came out. ...but then, I saw it performed live. I think it was the Fox Theater Live thing that aired on TV, and my entire outlook of it changed. I always thought it had great lyrics, because Billie's imagery is something that I just can't compare to anything else. It's always wonderful. It was the sound of the song I wasn't too into, but now I love it. The angry verses and the way they blend into the belting out of the chorus. It's just... GAH! I love it so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacob. Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I think you are over reacting, I think it's a great song! but I agree with you about the See The Light... It's a great song, but the whole album is great. So compared to the rest, it's not at the same level as half of those songs IMO. But for the most part, it's better then all the crap that plays on the radio today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen. Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 [Edit] PS: Best quality vid of the Fox Theater performance I've found so far -- Wow - that video kinda made me like the song! (which was the whole point of it being song of the week). It also makes me want to save every penny so I can go to something like that show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of 1967 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Wow - that video kinda made me like the song! (which was the whole point of it being song of the week). It also makes me want to save every penny so I can go to something like that show. Don't forget that was just a *preview* concert, basically a dress-rehearsal for what became the 21st CB 2009-2010 tour. There's no physical way they can keep going on like that forever, and their live shows are unlike anything you've ever seen before....so the next time you have a chance to see them on tour, GO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katarina. Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Awesome. Christian's Inferno, on its own, isn't a Green Day song I listen to that often. On the 21st Century Breakdown record however, it's perfect. You need to hear that song to understand what that actual breakdown is about. I love listening to 21CB, I can never skip any songs. So I never skip Christian's Inferno either, it's a part of the story. I remember listening to the record for the first time, and hearing Christian's Inferno. Exactly, my reaction was "woah!" Such a dark song. The lyrics "I got the rejection letter in the mail, it was already ripped to shreds", and especially "I am the atom bomb, I am the chosen one" make it a very powerful song too. The way I see it, is that Christian is so fed up with everything going on in the world, he's getting so angry, that he's thinking and/or talking to himself about those things and kind of "feeding" himself with hate, which makes him go even more into his own dark state of mind. That feeling makes him feel surprisingly great, and he's like "Yeah, let's really burn this place down! Woah!" So he gets blinded by the hate/angry thoughts. It seems to me he continues to talk to himself about it when the song continues, and I see the harmonies in the chorus kind of like the voices in is head, with the "Woah, inferno! Yeah!" coming from all directions. The maniacal laughter fits perfectly with this. So yeah, woah.. a bit of a breakdown in his own mind, it's Christian's breakdown.. which is the feeling I get when you get to the end of the song and it fades into Last Night on Earth. Something this song reminds me of, both musically and lyrically, is.. "This is the age of make-believe", "Television, Murder City, dreaming of tomorrow", "Give me murder, give me loss, turn the cities into dust man", and "My brain is melting and it smells like a volcano". To me Transistors Gone Wild could even be Christian Gone Wild.. Now I'm going to listen to 21CB so I can sing "Woah!" and do the supermodel robot dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schlappy Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 i know this song doesnt get much love, but i honestly love it! the chorus is "okay" but the energy and verses make up for it. definitely one of those tracks that really thrives live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint of Suburbia Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 gotta agree with a lots of people who have posted, and say that i donthave a huge opinion of the song. some good and some lame lyrics. some good and some lame musical parts. whatever tre plays is amazing though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj_unoxx Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 It's a great song, but the whole album is great. So compared to the rest, it's not at the same level as half of those songs IMO. But for the most part, it's better then all the crap that plays on the radio today. Very true I totally agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soo Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I'm glad this is song of the week as it's good to hear everyone's thoughts on it! Like a few others, it was not a favourite of mine when I first listened to the album. Then I watched the Fox Theatre performance and something about it just clicked and I've really liked it since then. I have watched that video so many times now! I love the energy of the song and Billie's distorted vocals and the Network vibe that it gives off. It's also a good song for blasting out in the car when I am driving home from work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Likes Cam Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I really like "Christian's Inferno". When I first saw the title actually after hearing "East Jesus Nowhere" (I listened to it our of order the first time around) I thought it was an anti-religious type of song). The lyrics may be confusing, but that's always kind of made me think of the song "Before The Lobotomy", I don't know why. It's a mixed up song, but I enjoy it very much and I think that's why I like it, it's a bit confusing. It also seems like it was written in under 10 minutes, like "Know Your Enemy". I do like the opening post that Aska wrote, also. She is quite an awesome writer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandi1313 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 i nominate Are We the Waiting! its about just wanting to get out of this stinkin town and do something better with your life.becasue the town just sucks you in and you cant get out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizziebix Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 i nominate Are We the Waiting! its about just wanting to get out of this stinkin town and do something better with your life.becasue the town just sucks you in and you cant get out. You can nominate songs here: http://www.greendaycommunity.org/topic/85588-sotw-nominations-and-archive/ And welcome to GDC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie, get your gun Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I like this song, especially for those effects of the drums and Billie's voice. And his theory of "a rocket shooted from hell exploding in outer space" (not his exact words) connecting the end with the beginning of LNOE it kinda makes sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasalaska Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 Aska - I thought I was done with this but I've got to take something you wrote in the OP and put it together with the "big picture" perspective I tossed out a few minutes ago. That "rejection letter in the mail, it was already ripped to shreds" -- think about the OWS protests going on now and the millenials' loss of the same opportunities that their parents had years ago. What do you do if you get unpleasant news in the mail? You might rip it up and toss it in the trash. In 21st century society there is simply no opportunity for the working class anymore because the Bastards of 1969 have stolen them all for themselves. The point is that if you're born into working class, there's no use even trying anymore. If you apply, you're going to be dinged, and you don't even have to burden yourself with ripping up that rejection letter, the plutocrats in control of your fate have already done that for you. Whatchathink? [Edit] PS: Best quality vid of the Fox Theater performance I've found so far -- www.youtube.com/watch?v=--mdr2KEf_0&hd=1 [/Edit] oooh, yep, I agree with that 100%. I like it. Also, thanks for the video, I was looking for the HD version. Switched up the GDA post to HD goodness too The way I see it, is that Christian is so fed up with everything going on in the world, he's getting so angry, that he's thinking and/or talking to himself about those things and kind of "feeding" himself with hate, which makes him go even more into his own dark state of mind. That feeling makes him feel surprisingly great, and he's like "Yeah, let's really burn this place down! Woah!" So he gets blinded by the hate/angry thoughts. Something this song reminds me of, both musically and lyrically, is.. "This is the age of make-believe", "Television, Murder City, dreaming of tomorrow", "Give me murder, give me loss, turn the cities into dust man", and "My brain is melting and it smells like a volcano". To me Transistors Gone Wild could even be Christian Gone Wild.. Now I'm going to listen to 21CB so I can sing "Woah!" and do the supermodel robot dance. Yes! He's slowly decending into the hell in his mind, that's exactly it. And I never noticed the similarity in lyrical content between this and Transistors. I like that a lot It's also a good song for blasting out in the car when I am driving home from work. ohhhh yeah 8) that's my favourite. I do like the opening post that Aska wrote, also. She is quite an awesome writer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koolkev Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 People hate this song- but why? The lyrics? Well thats a load of crap. This song was always on the odd side for me, but never "bad". I can kind of see where the haters come from, but the song isn't half bad at all. On a comical note: Anyone remember the podcast where someone accendentally put a picture of her iPod playing "Christens Inferno" on a powerpoint at church and got banned? (I probably dont have the details correct- but anyone remember?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasalaska Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 People hate this song- but why? The lyrics? Well thats a load of crap. You should try avoiding calling peoples valid opinions 'a load of crap' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheJesusOfSuburbiaIsALie Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I really don't know why people don't like this song! It's amazing! And I just love Billie's voice in this song! But a very good choice for SotW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuckWithRob Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I don't particularly lilke this song. It seems to empitomise what Green Day could have become after the success of American Idiot, overproduced and bloated. Thankfully that never happened and they seem to have dropped this song, along with a few of a similar ilk off 21st CB. The riffs aren't great, the lyrics somewhat drab and the whole feel of the song isn't good. But that's just what I think! One song that isn't good compared to so many that are excellent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moyeszet Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Well, this song just uneases me. I was at a point I was fearing that it came on my shuffle. Trust me, that was one of the first songs I heard (Holiday was the first, and I didn't like it, then Redundant, then Viva la Gloria, then Inferno) and since Green Day was my first band in rock music, I cringed. Then, when I knew the lyrics I was always listening to it. Seriously I think it's cool when you're angry, but it's not worth a good Platypus or Take Back. The lyrics aren't that bad. It's what hooked me up. The way they are written fit with the meaning of the song. Hell is a nonsense, dammit. But yeah, it's the symbol of overproduction. There's something wrong in the laughs, in the whole music. It's empty. I mean maybe in the beggining it had a meaning but it became empty at the recording. I don't blame the guys for that. 21stCBD stills an awesome record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YehItsRyan Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I am not really too fussed about this song but it is definitely something different and it does seem disjointed. As for the random spaceship-esque noises going on in the verses they don't really fit in, had they just left it with the drum, bass and guitars filling out the verse it would have sounded better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I adore everything about this song . One of my favourites on the album. Not only is it awesome, but it really sticks out and is totally unique and different among Green Day's songs. So the amount of both hate and apathy directed towards it is a mystery to me. The music of the verses has such a sinister and kind of other-worldly sound, and then you've got Billie spitting out those dark, twisted lyrics along with that fabulous evil laugh. It's all so devilish. And definitely a nice splash of The Network in there too. It's an outpouring of violent rage before the calm and beauty of Last Night On Earth. I find it very satisfying to listen to. 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. That's one of my favourite things about it. I love that they had the audacity to put together a chorus and verses that totally clash . I had to laugh when I first heard it and the chorus came in and took me by surprise, love how blatent the clash is. And the sudden jump between the evil verses and the more 'normal' chorus makes the verses sound even more evil. It descends from that clear catchy singing to a maniacal laugh and sinister music. Fantastic. And this is just plain awesome/creepy: Oh my god I love this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koolkev Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 You should try avoiding calling peoples valid opinions 'a load of crap' true... just stating my "valid" opinion. I really don't know why people don't like this song! It's amazing! And I just love Billie's voice in this song! But a very good choice for SotW Thank you for agreeing with me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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