Sauli Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Well about 3 seconds of it is anyway Seriously though most of the trilogy isn't silly/nonsense lines, they're the exception. All kinds of more thoughtful/serious/intelligent stuff in there too.Yes but after AI the quality of their lyrics has been going constantly downhill. Anyway, on the Trilogy even the thoughtful stuff ain't that good in my opinion 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Yes but after AI the quality of their lyrics has been going constantly downhill. Anyway, on the Trilogy even the thoughtful stuff ain't that good in my opinion Disagree there, I think the lyrics are up to the same standard on 21st CB. And decent on both the Trilogy and Stop Drop And Roll, although the more light hearted nature of some of them won't be to everyone's taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akshat Jain Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Yes but after AI the quality of their lyrics has been going constantly downhill. Anyway, on the Trilogy even the thoughtful stuff ain't that good in my opinion No, No, No, Brutal Love is a Great song, both lyrically and instrumentally, just see the lyrics of that song 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauli Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Disagree there, I think the lyrics are up to the same standard on 21st CB. And decent on both the Trilogy and Stop Drop And Roll, although the more light hearted nature of some of them won't be to everyone's taste. 21st Century Breakdown has songs with good, even great lyrics (21 Guns, Viva La Gloria, East Jesus Nowhere) but some of them are very horrible (Christians Inferno, Last of the American Girls and Know Your Enemy. Itdis still lyrically fine album but not quite as good as AI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteTim Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 To me 21st is by far a much better album than AI lyrically (and musically as well) but that's just my opinion But then I loved 21st instantly while it took me 7 years to get into all of AI 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlissaGoesRAWR Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 But then I loved 21st instantly while it took me 7 years to get into all of AI Are you human? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DookieLukie Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 To me 21st is by far a much better album than AI lyrically (and musically as well) but that's just my opinion But then I loved 21st instantly while it took me 7 years to get into all of AI I disagree. The lyrics in 21CB are more complex, but they seem distant and lack emotion. AI had simpler lyrics but very relatable and powerful metaphors. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteTim Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Are you human? Lol yes I have no explanation why it took me so long to get into AI I disagree. The lyrics in 21CB are more complex, but they seem distant and lack emotion. AI had simpler lyrics but very relatable and powerful metaphors. Hence I said my opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DookieLukie Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Hence I said my opinion I know...I was just discussing lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of 1969 Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 To me 21st is by far a much better album than AI lyrically (and musically as well) but that's just my opinion But then I loved 21st instantly while it took me 7 years to get into all of AI That's probably the best post I've ever read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteTim Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I know...I was just discussing lol I like complex lyrics and I love epics AI musically wasn't all that epic to me and wasn't that far from what GD has done before 21st was an awesome album (still is for me) I get why people are more into AI and it is a great album I'm not or would ever say AI isn't but for my personal preference 21st is better in both lyrics and music than AI which I know is unpopular lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Disappearing Boy Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 My problem with the Trilogy lyrics is the lack of intelligence. Example: Someone kill the DJ shoot the fucking DJ Someone kill the DJ shoot the fucking DJ Someone kill the DJ shoot the fucking DJ Now I get the intention behind that chorus - that a lot of modern music is boring, repetitive and contains gratuitous swearing. Nothing wrong with that message, but the issue is that Billie Joe of old would have written a witty, clever one-liner or verse, or chorus to convey that message, not the same (rubbish) line repeated three times. The thing is, this isn't the only time this happened on the Trilogy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of 1969 Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 My problem with the Trilogy lyrics is the lack of intelligence. Example: Someone kill the DJ shoot the fucking DJ Someone kill the DJ shoot the fucking DJ Someone kill the DJ shoot the fucking DJ Now I get the intention behind that chorus - that a lot of modern music is boring, repetitive and contains gratuitous swearing. Nothing wrong with that message, but the issue is that Billie Joe of old would have written a witty, clever one-liner or verse, or chorus to convey that message, not the same (rubbish) line repeated three times. The thing is, this isn't the only time this happened on the Trilogy.A Little Boy Named Train is also an example of lyrical lack of inteligence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Nimrod Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 boat is already floating I want this tattooed on me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 My problem with the Trilogy lyrics is the lack of intelligence. Example: Someone kill the DJ shoot the fucking DJ Someone kill the DJ shoot the fucking DJ Someone kill the DJ shoot the fucking DJ Now I get the intention behind that chorus - that a lot of modern music is boring, repetitive and contains gratuitous swearing. Nothing wrong with that message, but the issue is that Billie Joe of old would have written a witty, clever one-liner or verse, or chorus to convey that message, not the same (rubbish) line repeated three times. The thing is, this isn't the only time this happened on the Trilogy. But the point is, as you said yourself, that it's ironic. If you're taking the piss out of repetitive music it's perfectly understandable to be repetitive in order to make the point. Anyway, obviously I'm no Trilogy-lover, but applying the "lack of lyrical intelligence" shtick to all three albums based on one song seems a bit unfair, especially when you've then pointed out why it's not even that dumb after all. And especially when that song has some of the best verses Billie has ever written. A Little Boy Named Train is also an example of lyrical lack of inteligence. Not really, it's just based on a crappy story in the first place. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anaïs. Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Not really, it's just based on a crappy story in the first place. I think it's a great story, it's just a story better suited to, say, David Bowie than Green Day. Especially when you can't tell at all from the song what that story is. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 I think it's a great story, it's just a story better suited to, say, David Bowie than Green Day. Especially when you can't tell at all from the song what that story is. Yeah, fair point really. If the story was at least made slightly clear in the lyrics it'd be better. There's only so much you can do with a song about a little boy named Train without it coming across as really stupid, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anaïs. Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Yeah, fair point really. If the story was at least made slightly clear in the lyrics it'd be better. There's only so much you can do with a song about a little boy named Train without it coming across as really stupid, though. Maybe they should've just gone Hedwig and the Angry Inch-style and made their follow-up to 21CB an epic rock opera all about Train and his genital travails, rather than the Trilogy. And then made it into a musical starring Neil Patrick Harris. Hey, I'd watch the shit out of it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Maybe they should've just gone Hedwig and the Angry Inch-style and made their follow-up to 21CB an epic rock opera all about Train and his genital travails, rather than the Trilogy. And then made it into a musical starring Neil Patrick Harris. Hey, I'd watch the shit out of it. I never thought I could have been more disappointed in the Trilogy after Breakdown. I was wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Nimrod Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Guys, the song A Little Boy Named Train isn't actually about the boy named Train. Billie Joe just wanted to write a song with that title and he wrote it about himself as a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Guys, the song A Little Boy Named Train isn't actually about the boy named Train. Billie Joe just wanted to write a song with that title and he wrote it about himself as a child. True, but there's a bit more to it than that. He didn't just use Train's name for no reason. "One of [Train's] parents was born a hermaphrodite, and [Train's parents] cut off the penis. His/her whole life, this person wanted to be acknowledged as a man. The parents wanted the child to not be identified as a boy or a girl, and the child didn't really have a name --one week it's Tigger, another it's Train. Many years ago I wrote it down, and I always wanted to write a song called 'Little Boy Named Train.' [This] happened to someone else, but there's a part of me I was thinking about when I wrote it. There's a line: 'I'm always lost, I'll never change, give me directions and I'll get lost again.' Kind of autobiographical." -- Billie Joe Billie Joe's son went to school with "Train," who was raised by two women. Throughout the song, the narrator eludes to the general feeling of uncertainty surrounding this character. As a child, the character did not have control of his life, and was forced to roll with the punches, "like a rat inside a maze." This carries strong meaning, because this high degree of uncertainty isn't usually part of a person's life. Now, the only choice "Train" has is to accept what he's been through, and wonder where he'll be tomorrow. The song is completely summed up in these lines: "Don't know where I come from / But I know where I have been." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Nimrod Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 True, but there's a bit more to it than that. He didn't just use Train's name for no reason. I know the story 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anaïs. Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Further evidence of Billie being a bit of an egomaniac--he took an incredibly weird and interesting story and made it about him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 I know the story I wasn't necessarily posting it for your benefit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certified Nimrod Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I wasn't necessarily posting it for your benefit What? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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