Blasphemy & Genocide: Unpopular Green Day Opinions, Part 2

[Z J]

It's weird, even playing it like that Green Day couldn't help but add an awesome groove to it. I don't think it's as good as the way they usually do it live, but it definitely feels more swung than the Operation Ivy original. The more I think about it, the more I think the version from Potsdam that I linked to a few posts up is the best cover ever. To get from the original song to the groovy version with brass and everything is just amazing. The first time I ever heard Knowledge was when I first saw Green Day live in 2005, and I was so disappointed in their studio version and the original when I heard them.

The melody on the song is fantastic when played fast. Idk who is responsible for creating the melodies in the writing process (I assume it's a combination of everyone) but whatever it is they do it incredibly. Even some their worst songs can be undeniably catchy.

[DookieLukie]

I think you have a point on number 2 and number 4 being parts of both 21cb and Dookie. But I'd argue the lyrical content/themes are far more political/outward in nature. Also if I'm a non-GD fan listening to 21cb I think the lead vocal/and great piano work is what I notice, outside of the lyric/themes.

And I think sounding mature is a huge part of what sets them apart. Any regular person off of the street would have a hard time believing that the band that brought you Mudstock is the same band that just performed Wake Me Up When September Ends in front of 60,000 people on their live concert DVD.

So many pop-punk bands got stuck and haven't matured much at all (See Blink 182) so GD's maturing is what sets them apart in a way.

Sure if you break them down to their core they haven't changed a ton on their musical sheet, but that doesn't mean there isn't a vast change in the band we saw in the 90's to the one we see now.

Blink 182 did mature a lot on their last album. Like I said, they make more complex music than Green Day now. Not as good music though.

[AlissaGoesRAWR]

Blink 182 did mature a lot on their last album. Like I said, they make more complex music than Green Day now. Not as good music though.

It's weird, because although it may seem more "mature," the concepts described in their song lyrics are just so abstract, I can't even relate to them anymore. And they used to be so relatable and catchy.

Like, what does this mean?

"I went to a wishing well, but sank to the ocean floor

Cut up by sharpened rocks, and washed up along the shore

I reached for a shooting star, it burned a hole through my hand

Made its way through my heart, had fun in the promised land"

And that's arguably the most catchy song.

That's why, as shitty as the trilogy may have been, I'm glad that most of the songs at least have lyrics about human emotion, rather than whatever this is...

[DookieLukie]

It's weird, because although it may seem more "mature," the concepts described in their song lyrics are just so abstract, I can't even relate to them anymore. And they used to be so relatable and catchy.

Like, what does this mean?

"I went to a wishing well, but sank to the ocean floor

Cut up by sharpened rocks, and washed up along the shore

I reached for a shooting star, it burned a hole through my hand

Made its way through my heart, had fun in the promised land"

And that's arguably the most catchy song.

That's why, as shitty as the trilogy may have been, I'm glad that most of the songs at least have lyrics about human emotion, rather than whatever this is...

That song is about Tom Delonge's emotions when he left the band and decided to come back. The "Wishing Well" is symbolic of what he dreamed of happening when he worked on his own, and then the mess afterwards is how it went and how he felt (bad).

I hated Neighborhoods, I'm just saying it's more complex than Green Day.

[Anaïs.]

I genuinely do not understand how anyone could like any of Blink's albums. The vocals are just so fucking grating. That's the same reason I've never been able to like The Clash, really.

[localinsomniac]

I genuinely do not understand how anyone could like any of Blink's albums. The vocals are just so fucking grating. That's the same reason I've never been able to like The Clash, really.

Mark's voice is far more easy on the ears than Tom's.

[Z J]

Blink 182 did mature a lot on their last album. Like I said, they make more complex music than Green Day now. Not as good music though.

the point was really more about how they act/perform, but the music wasn't all that mature really just more complex.

[JOE THE X-KID]

Reading 2013 lacked the power and edginess of Reading 2012

[Anaïs.]

Reading 2013 lacked the power and edginess of Reading 2012

I still can't watch Reading 2013. Billie looks bored, his voice is still shaky, and the number of errors he makes are just cringe-inducing.

[The Disappearing Boy]

It's weird, because although it may seem more "mature," the concepts described in their song lyrics are just so abstract, I can't even relate to them anymore. And they used to be so relatable and catchy.

Like, what does this mean?

"I went to a wishing well, but sank to the ocean floor

Cut up by sharpened rocks, and washed up along the shore

I reached for a shooting star, it burned a hole through my hand

Made its way through my heart, had fun in the promised land"

And that's arguably the most catchy song.

That's why, as shitty as the trilogy may have been, I'm glad that most of the songs at least have lyrics about human emotion, rather than whatever this is...

To be honest, I get that with most of Billie's lyrics. But I guess I've been through absolutely 0 of the problems that he has, so maybe that's it.

[Anaïs.]

If they never played Holiday/BOBD live again it'd be fine by me. Replace 'em with EJN and 21 Guns.

[JOE THE X-KID]

I still can't watch Reading 2013. Billie looks bored, his voice is still shaky, and the number of errors he makes are just cringe-inducing.

Yeah, it was overall a good performance but they're playing just seemed a bit sloppy that night. And "Reading 2013- and a half" wait...say that again Billie...

[The Disappearing Boy]

EJN can come back into the setlist. I'm not fussed about 21 Guns, it can get a bit annoying sometimes.

[Z J]

To be honest, I get that with most of Billie's lyrics. But I guess I've been through absolutely 0 of the problems that he has, so maybe that's it.

there are a number of lyrics that BJA has written that one does not need to necessarily relate to in order to appreciate them.

Seasons change as well as minds

And I'm a two faced clown

You're mommy's little nightmare

Driving daddy's car around

I'm beat down and half brain dead

The long lost king of fools

I may be dumb

But I'm not stupid enough to stay with you

This is just one example of how BJA uses incredible witticism and genius to write lyrics. A lot of GD's lyrical appeal is in their relatability but there isn't a short supply of incredible lyrics

I still can't watch Reading 2013. Billie looks bored, his voice is still shaky, and the number of errors he makes are just cringe-inducing.

His voice in 13 was far better than Reading 2012. It was a solid GD performance all around, nothing incredible but solid nonetheless. And his voice has continued improving since

[localinsomniac]

there are a number of lyrics that BJA has written that one does not need to necessarily relate to in order to appreciate them.

Seasons change as well as minds

And I'm a two faced clown

You're mommy's little nightmare

Driving daddy's car around

I'm beat down and half brain dead

The long lost king of fools

I may be dumb

But I'm not stupid enough to stay with you

This is just one example of how BJA uses incredible witticism and genius to write lyrics. A lot of GD's lyrical appeal is in their relatability but there isn't a short supply of incredible lyrics

His voice in 13 was far better than Reading 2012. It was a solid GD performance all around, nothing incredible but solid nonetheless. And his voice has continued improving since

Not to speak for the rest of it, but the Mommy's little nightmare line could be a nod to Social Distortion's "Mommy's Little Monster".

[The Disappearing Boy]

there are a number of lyrics that BJA has written that one does not need to necessarily relate to in order to appreciate them.

Seasons change as well as minds

And I'm a two faced clown

You're mommy's little nightmare

Driving daddy's car around

I'm beat down and half brain dead

The long lost king of fools

I may be dumb

But I'm not stupid enough to stay with you

This is just one example of how BJA uses incredible witticism and genius to write lyrics. A lot of GD's lyrical appeal is in their relatability but there isn't a short supply of incredible lyrics

Oh definitely, he has some great lyrics, even if I don't find them that relateable. My problem/dislike is that sometimes his writing can be quite abstract, and I can never get to grips with that. Sometimes it's just bad - 'we're to old to be misbehaved' - sorry, what?!

[DookieLukie]

there are a number of lyrics that BJA has written that one does not need to necessarily relate to in order to appreciate them.

Seasons change as well as minds

And I'm a two faced clown

You're mommy's little nightmare

Driving daddy's car around

I'm beat down and half brain dead

The long lost king of fools

I may be dumb

But I'm not stupid enough to stay with you

This is just one example of how BJA uses incredible witticism and genius to write lyrics. A lot of GD's lyrical appeal is in their relatability but there isn't a short supply of incredible lyrics

His voice in 13 was far better than Reading 2012. It was a solid GD performance all around, nothing incredible but solid nonetheless. And his voice has continued improving since

That's one of my favorite Green Day lyrics.

[Z J]

Oh definitely, he has some great lyrics, even if I don't find them that relateable. My problem/dislike is that sometimes his writing can be quite abstract, and I can never get to grips with that. Sometimes it's just bad - 'we're to old to be misbehaved' - sorry, what?!

the trilogy doesn't count

how many times do we have to go over this

[The Disappearing Boy]

the trilogy doesn't count

how many times do we have to go over this

yeah, fair point!

[Spike]

EJN can come back into the setlist. I'm not fussed about 21 Guns, it can get a bit annoying sometimes.

21 Guns is nothing special on the album, but the live version is incredible. That said, I'm honestly not sure how it might work without the huge backdrop and pyros from the 21st Century Breakdown tour. I mean, it does simply sound better live, but it was massively enhanced by the visuals.

[Z J]

I loved 21 Guns live so much but I don't have an active need for it to be there. I think BOBD is a important song from their catalog to play anyway

[Gwen Stacy]

The cool kids are doing lyric analysis, eh?

In 2012 American rock band Green Day released their tenth studio album, entitled "¡Dos!", the second track of which was a song called "It's Fuck Time". The album as a whole is a statement of current party culture from a man who at various points in his career could be considered the biggest rock star in the world, so it would be useful to break the album down lyric by lyric to understand fully what Armstrong is attempting to convey. I have chosen the second track in particular as I feel it is a fitting representation of the album as a whole. The song itself could be seen as a simple song conveying sexual desire, however upon closer examination it is clear that the song itself is a nuanced and subtle commentary on attitudes toward gender roles and women's place in party culture as a whole. It is important to note that these are not the views of Armstrong himself, as he has written about women in a positive and powerful manner throughout his career, most notably in the songs "She" and "Letterbomb".

The song itself is written from a male perspective, so when the opening line is "I drop your laundry and slam the door", one wonders why the, for lack of a better word, protagonist of the song is doing laundry and is angry about it. The aggressive drumbeat at the beginning of the song does indicate a heightened state of awareness, whether that be sexual energy, or anger, or both. Given the content of the rest of the song it is reasonable to conclude that the protagonist is angry at doing laundry because he sees this as part of the feminine gender role, which he is clearly uncomfortable participating in. The next line is "I want your love so give me more". The word "love" there could have two connotations, one surface level, and one with sexual implications. If one sees it as the protagonist literally wanting love, than he might feel that he is feeling emotionally unfulfilled and this is his cry of help. In seeing the sexual meaning, this could be the protagonist's attempt to take back the manhood he perceives that he has lost by demanding sex. Either way, the protagonist comes off as an unhappy and unfulfilled individual, setting up his self destruction later in the album. The next line re-enforces the protagonist's sense of not being in control by referring to himself as a "beggar". When Armstrong writes "Oh baby baby, it's fuck time, You know I really want to make you mine", he really paints a picture of the depraved and sad protagonist by showing that he thinks the only way to have this woman become his, is via "fuck time", revealing the deep seeded misogyny of the narrator. The narrator's brutishness is expounded upon in the following line "There is nothing left to say, yeah". Clearly the protagonist here is not a person who feels comfortable expressing himself through his words. The next line is interesting where the narrator says "I want to hold you 'till you're paralyzed". Generally, when one holds another, it is a sign of compassion and emotional exchange, implying that perhaps this is the only way the narrator knows how to express compassion or emotion, which is a chilling thought, raising questions of how the protagonist here sees the image of femininity. Fortunately for us, these questions are answered in the next line, "Oh Amanda Jones your holy grace, I want to choke you 'till you're blue in the face". Amanda Jones was Miss USA in 1973, and could be seen as the pinnacle of a certain view of femininity for someone Armstrong's age. Indeed, the line "your holy grace" confirms her to be the highest point of a woman for the narrator, which makes the violence toward her in the following line horrifying and cements the narrator's place without a doubt as misogynistic. Finally, the last line of non-repeated lyric in the song is "Got dirty thoughts and a dirty mind". Pausing for a moment to consider the seemly odd distinction between thoughts and mind, one finds that it holds a deeper meaning. In considering biological philosophy, the mind is truly the self with the body merely acting as a range of sensors and systems for keeping the mind functioning, meaning that one's mind and one's self can be considered synonymous. Knowing this, when the narrator says his mind, or self, and his thoughts are the same, he is saying that he feels something fully, with no cognitive dissonance; he feels completely certain. This final line is the nail in the coffin for the protagonist's attitude toward women, he is truly and fully, a misogynist.

So what is one to make of this? It can be seen as a man unsatisfied with his position in life taking out his general image of women on a woman in particular. In that sense "It's Fuck Time" could be compared to, and seen as a more accessible version of, works like A Clockwork Orange. In considering the structure of the album, I think it holds a further meaning. ¡Dos! is bookended by two acoustic songs, "See You Tonight" and "Amy". Bookends can also be seen as a circle, which is representative of cycles. If one sees Armstrong here as painting a character, then the album as a whole could be seen as saying that these type of people, those who participate in self-destructive party culture came from and are trapped in a cycle, and that this part, skewed attitudes toward gender roles and sexism is an integral part of it. Critics point to Armstrong in this period as not having creative enough lyrics, but I argue here that in saying less, Armstrong says more by forcing one to consider analysis in the context of the total work.

[Z J]

No we can't do lyric analysis not allowed

[Spike]

No we can't do lyric analysis not allowed

No one ever said that

[Z J]

No one ever said that

don't reference me to the dead-forever thread I think I've earned better than that Need a new one