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02 - Bang Bang


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To my knowledge, Green Day rarely do acoustic or more stripped down versions of their songs, but I wish they would do it with Bang Bang. I think it would give a new (and glorious) depth to it.  

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I've struggled with deciphering some of Billie's lyrical metaphors in a number of songs, including Bang Bang. However I honestly think the way that Green Day/Billie perform the song live will be extremely telling of the underlying meaning, especially with lines like "I testify like a lullaby of memories." Will it be presented as a persona, like St. Jimmy? (sidebar: I hope it is, but I wonder how/if it will differ from St. Jimmy!) Will there be a high degree of call and response from BJ to audiences? Billie is so theatrical in his performances, I always gain such a deeper appreciation for his songwriting motivations/meanings when watching him bring the songs to life. Just a thought to consider. 

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I think both simple lyrics and more complex lyrics can work, and have worked for Green Day. However I don't think many of Green Day's lyrics are massively complex, even their most complex ones on 21st CB that take a while to get your head round are work-out-able and not nearly as obscure or abstract as many other band's lyrics are. Pretty much all their albums have some clear lyrics and some that give you a bit more to think about, including the trilogy (I've had many conversations about trilogy lyric meanings, and I think if the band had done more interviews/talked about the songs more they probably would've been looked into in more detail by fans). AI, 21st CB and going by Bang Bang possibly Revolution Radio give you more to think about than average but there hasn't been anything that mind boggling so far.

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1 hour ago, Steven Seagull said:

GD used to write simple lyrics until like Warning and no one can say that those lyrics were bad. To me lyrics really don't mean much because the melodic part is way more important. That's why a good song will always have good instrumentals not the lyrics. I don't like songs where you don't understand what the writer is saying when you listen to the song. You can say something in a really simple way, you don't have to package your every thought in a metaphor so you can say you're a better writer. Now go listen to Bloodbath at Burger King by TB for example and tell me if those lyrics aren't awesome even though they couldn't get more simple. They just work. Or go listen When The Wild wind blows by IM. Again lyrics are simple but they tell a story and you understand them immediately. I really don't like the writing style Billie uses now. To me it's completely unnecessary and I don't understand shit he's sayin'

Personally, I don't hate "simple" lyrics, I think that songs from the Trilogy like Stay the night or X-kid are beautiful in their simplicity, generally speaking a simple song can be a piece of art, there's nothing wrong with it. You don't like this song, you're entitled to this opinion, it's ok. But I really don't understand how you can call "shitty" a more complex or metaphorical writing style, how you can't understand what Billie's saying. Paraphrase a song, as well as paraphrase a poetry, can be something beautiful, a complex lyric, like those from this song, can reach people from different perspectives, touch hard issues with irony and lightness. And if you need the author's words to catch the "correct" meaning of the lyrics there's nothing wrong with it. Many art expositions have correlated books or guides that allow you to understand and appreciate the meaning of an artwork. Escape from those guidelines, building your own interpretation is an integral part of the art itself. 

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12 minutes ago, DookieLukie said:

Insomniac has complex lyrics FILLED with metaphors. Armatage Shanks, Geek Stink Breath, Panic Song, Jaded, Westbound Sign, Walking Contradiction: all lyrically filled with metaphors and quite mature compared to Dookie. Nimrod has some lyrical blunders, but great songs there. Hitchin' a Ride is full of cool plays on words that convey multiple meanings (Cold turkey's gettin' stale, tonight I'm eating crow). Prosthetic Head is a violent take on vanity and image. The problem with the Trilogy wasn't that the lyrics weren't political and complex. I'd argue that 21CB was a bit too complex lyrically. The problem with the Trilogy was that none of the lyrics made you think or really went beyond surface level, and none of them had any classic Green Day humor or perspective. Even Dookie songs had deeper meanings and clever deliveries.

I didn't say you shouldn't use metaphors here and there. When you listen to the songs you listed you understand them straight away. With Bang Bang there's just too many weird word combinations put together.

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3 hours ago, Steven Seagull said:

That fact that you must debate the meaning behind the lyrics means that they are shitty. If Billie wouldn't say that the song was written from shooters perspective no one would understand them. It's just bunch of random metaphors and similes thrown together and mixed in a big dump of nothing if you ask me. Where the fuck did their simple lyrics go? When you knew exactly what the song tried to tell you. I'm sorry but Bang Bang really sucks at this. Trilogy songs were much more simple but they still had a message.

 

You must have really despised literature and poetry in school. I mean that Shakespeare guy...what an idiot and he was the tip of the iceberg. All those metaphors and necessary analysis. Obviously all those poets and writers needed a crash course in writing because the fact that generations of people have to debate the meaning of a few lines of writing obviously means that it was extremely shitty. Fucking idiots. Should have stuck to writing songs about fucking like on the trilogy. No need to analyse that. Smart :thumbsup:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK and Irish fans (possibly European I am not sure) 

MTV ROCKS is showing the new video (obviously the lyric video) tomorrow afternoon at 1.55pm and 11.15pm. the info on the Sky guide reads:

Green Day: New Track! 

After 4 Years, Green Day are back with a 'Bang Bang'! Check out their new track right here!

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13 minutes ago, Hero_Of_The_Hour said:

UK and Irish fans (possibly European I am not sure) 

MTV ROCKS is showing the new video (obviously the lyric video) tomorrow afternoon at 1.55pm and 11.15pm. the info on the Sky guide reads:

Green Day: New Track! 

After 4 Years, Green Day are back with a 'Bang Bang'! Check out their new track right here!

too bad MTV is pay-tv now :/ i would have tuned in but paying for that crappy channel really isn't worth it anymore

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3 hours ago, Steven Seagull said:

That fact that you must debate the meaning behind the lyrics means that they are shitty. If Billie wouldn't say that the song was written from shooters perspective no one would understand them. It's just bunch of random metaphors and similes thrown together and mixed in a big dump of nothing if you ask me. Where the fuck did their simple lyrics go? When you knew exactly what the song tried to tell you. I'm sorry but Bang Bang really sucks at this. Trilogy songs were much more simple but they still had a message.

you shouldn't draw conclusions based on yourself. (if you didn't understand that either: i think you're kinda thick.)

i discussed the lyrics with people who didn't read the inteview. they all got the theme of mass shootings and social/mass media critique. also "where did they go" after they were there on their last album, is a really stupid thing to say after you just heard one song of the new album.

also i think a few songs are not that easy to interpret from the trilogy... while some of them on uno (nuclear family) are just stupid and don't seem to have any meaning, others (dirty rotten bastards) are quite interesting to interpret and think about them.

-------------------

unrelated to this... listening to Having a Blast, Desensitized and Bang Bang after another is an experience (i still think Desensitized is such an underrated song... i guess it just didn't fit the flow of nimrod or it would have been on there).

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2 hours ago, Jake69 said:

Bang Bang victim of the loudness war. 

Crap :(

Edited by Matt.
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^ it was really hearable from the first listen. it sounds so muddy. the only critique i really have on that song...

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I like complicated lyrics- it makes for good poetry. Billie's a poet whether some people on this forum like it or not. Simple songs are fun and easy, but I appreciate and respect musicians who can string together words and meanings in an artistic, metaphorical way. 

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3 hours ago, Billie Hoe said:

too bad MTV is pay-tv now :/ i would have tuned in but paying for that crappy channel really isn't worth it anymore

It's a totally crap channel but I have to pay for all of my channels so I get it anyway... I just don't watch it :lol:

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2 hours ago, Jake69 said:

Bang Bang victim of the loudness war. 

Wait what does this mean and why is it a bad thing?

Edited by Matt.
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Tbh i think it's okay? I mean the first time I listened to it I couldn't understand anything but that's my fault because I had the volume on 100%... but it sounds fine to me now even without headphones. Also mp3s are always louder when you download them than when you rip them from a CD, I think... mine are at least. 

But when the song is being played on lower quality (re-uploads and radio) i guess it could sound a bit crappy..

Personally, I love the loudness 😁

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2 minutes ago, MysticManiac said:

Wait what does this mean and why is it a bad thing?

It's popular belief that it's a bad thing... Ever since Metallica's Death Magnetic album, the "issue" has become a hot topic.

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3 minutes ago, Matt. said:

Sighhhhh... :dry:

Anything else to complain about?

Y'know I'm actually starting to miss the pre August eleventh hyperventilating GDC.

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2 minutes ago, Matt. said:

Sighhhhh... :dry:

Anything else to complain about?

 

Exactly. I wonder if this much time will be devoted to complaining about every ridiculous aspect imaginable of every other song on the album. 

 

 

Too many unhappy people on this site who need a trip to Disneyland :lol:

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4 minutes ago, Jake69 said:

To be honest, I can't even tell. I still love the song and I think it's the best single since AI. But I think we are already bored and want more. That's why people are shitting on the titles and little shit like that. It's because that's all we know at this point. I feel like once we get some interviews and other promotional stuff, all that shit will stop.

Listen to something else?

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3 minutes ago, Eric said:

Listen to something else?

What is this "something else" you speak of?

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