07 - Still Breathing

[Slash]

The song is great live

[Ruskaeth]

Live performance just changed my mind about this song. I love it ❤

[RedundantIdiot]

I'm lucky to still be alive right now- I could've been killed earlier today.

I'd gone out for the day with my parents to the countryside. As we were driving home along a country lane an asshole in a van (who was trying to overtake 3 cars on a bend) came flying around the bend on our side of the road. Had Mum not done an emergency stop and swerved to the left, we'd have been hit. Luckily, thanks to Mum's quick reactions, the asshole van driver missed us by a couple of feet.

I'm still shaking with shock as I write this right now. I think I might make Still Breathing one of my favourite GD songs.... and I will enjoy it when I hear it live next year.

 

[TimmyChunks]

8 hours ago, stories and songs said:

Hands down, the most passionate I've ever seen them perform live was playing this song. Really, really moving. I didn't know what to do with myself, because I really wanted to just listen to the song but I also wanted to sing along to let them know how much I love it, too. 

Here's part of what I just posted in the show thread- this song is incredible:

 

My God, Still Breathing last night....my 16th time seeing them, and may have been the most epic single song performance I've seen. What a great crowd- the song's been around 10 days and it felt like the roof came off of the place with the singalong. And Billie's delivery was so focused, so emotional- what an incredible song live.

[21guns&novacaine]

2 hours ago, Whatsername_123 said:

I'm lucky to still be alive right now- I could've been killed earlier today.

I'd gone out for the day with my parents to the countryside. As we were driving home along a country lane an asshole in a van (who was trying to overtake 3 cars on a bend) came flying around the bend on our side of the road. Had Mum not done an emergency stop and swerved to the left, we'd have been hit. Luckily, thanks to Mum's quick reactions, the asshole van driver missed us by a couple of feet.

I'm still shaking with shock as I write this right now. I think I might make Still Breathing one of my favourite GD songs.... and I will enjoy it when I hear it live next year.

 

Oh man that's intense! Glad you're all okay! 

[Kaddi.]

I just watched a video of the concert in Boston and I don't think I've ever been more excited to hear a song live before. Billie seems so emotional yet absolutely enjoying to play that song live, it's pure bliss to watch those live videos and I can't wait to see it live myself. It's one of the best songs they've written in years and I just love to see how much Billie seems to love playing it. 

[TimmyChunks]

On 25 September 2016 at 8:30 PM, Billie Hoe said:

I fell asleep yesterday listening to this song on repeat and I sang along until my mouth was too tired to move. Now listening to it again, and seriously thinking about making it my first tattoo. God, I love it so much.

I would love if during the concert he just kind of stood there alone in the spotlight, with his acoustic guitar or without (Jason could play in the background) and just... sang it with us. 

Well, that's pretty much what he did last night. He stood on a monitor for about 2/3 of the song and just laid into it. It was ridiculous, he absolutely scorched this one and it was their best single song performance I've ever seen. I'm sure the YouTube out there doesn't do it justice, but definitely check it out. 

18 hours ago, xXRustyJamesXx said:

Billie without a guitar... he looks kind of uncomfortable

 

Very good point. They solved for that last night by his wearing of the minority's guitar throughout the song (but not playing it). It flowed much more naturally- I love how these things evolve during the early stages of a tour, it really is fun to follow. 

[unextraordinarygirl]

Watching Billie singing Still Breathing on that video was incredible! He was so into it and really feeling it, if that makes sense. I could see and feel his emotion while watching it. Unreal! 

[Spike]

I find it kind of weird he's not playing guitar on it live, for the choruses at least. It's not exactly a difficult part. That said the vocals are probably enough for him to worry about, and he's really nailing those choruses in that video. 

[PursuitOfEpicness]

21 minutes ago, Spike said:

I find it kind of weird he's not playing guitar on it live, for the choruses at least. It's not exactly a difficult part. That said the vocals are probably enough for him to worry about, and he's really nailing those choruses in that video. 

yeah it's always weird to not see him playing the guitar but i guess it's a pretty tough song to sing well

[amberwhite]

I just watched the video from Boston and my whole body is tingling---SO GOOD!!

[21guns&novacaine]

Just now, amberwhite said:

I just watched the video from Boston and my whole body is tingling---SO GOOD!!

Same!!! It's such a crazy feeling. Really cool video!

[jengd]

22 hours ago, xXRustyJamesXx said:

Billie without a guitar... he looks kind of uncomfortable

Don't agree, think he always looks comfortable on stage, a little different from what we're used to maybe.  He's so focused on the song though that it's amazing and we have seen him do this before.  Great video though.  A real performance.

[DeJennsitized]

The harmonies in "as I walked out on the ledge" give me chills. It's even more obvious live!

[Thatsername]

On 26.9.2016 at 5:18 PM, Clockwise said:

They should really push this on radio. 

I just found an article on a music news website here in Germany calling Still Breathing the second official single of the new album. So does that mean Still Breathing is a "real" single now and RevRed wasn't? I don't really get that. No idea how reliable this website is though. http://www.lifeonstage.net/green-day-neue-single-still-breathing-aus-kommendem-album-revolution-radio/21990/

[Beerjeezus]

15 minutes ago, Jenn. said:

The harmonies in "as I walked out on the ledge" give me chills. It's even more obvious live!

That moment is perfect. 

[**nobodylikesyou**]

this song is freaking amazing.

[stories and songs]

3 hours ago, jengd said:

Don't agree, think he always looks comfortable on stage, a little different from what we're used to maybe.  He's so focused on the song though that it's amazing and we have seen him do this before.  Great video though.  A real performance.

Seeing him just singing without a guitar is actually pretty cool, because it's different. He always looks like a frontman (obviously), but even more so when it's just him and a microphone.

[Sanity Loan]

3 hours ago, MMwhatsername said:

I just found an article on a music news website here in Germany calling Still Breathing the second official single of the new album. So does that mean Still Breathing is a "real" single now and RevRed wasn't? I don't really get that. No idea how reliable this website is though. http://www.lifeonstage.net/green-day-neue-single-still-breathing-aus-kommendem-album-revolution-radio/21990/

Hoping so! Billboard and Mediabase charts update tomorrow (Tuesday) so we'll see if it has charted here in the US. I haven't seen the song go up for "adds" yet for stations.

[gerardsangel4977]

On 9/22/2016 at 2:43 PM, DookieLukie said:

No? Explain why my grand-parents like polka, my parents like 80s glam rock, and I like punk and alternative. And my friends younger siblings like rap and hip hop. Race, gender, age, etc all play into music tastes.

I realize this post is old, and I'm probably going to get a lot of WTFs for bringing it back up again, but this is so completely false.....and kind of borderline racist/sexist  The only things that really factors into someone's music tastes is exposure, particularly at young ages when our tastes are still developing (much like with food), and whether or not the message of the song relates to you, personally. Societal norms can also play a role here, determining what is "appropriate" for someone of a certain age, gender, etc to listen to, causing people to avoid certain things and, thereby, shaping their tastes. And I've even seen some studies try to draw a correlation between one's music taste and one's level of intelligence, though I'm not sure how much I buy that either (especially since correlation =/= causation). 

On 9/22/2016 at 6:00 PM, Second favourite son said:

 

The co-writing credit is because Green Day have 'sampled' a song that these guys have written (heard & liked the song, so taken a key element (most likely melody) and then written their own song around it.  It's a legal requirement under copyright law that the original source of inspiration is properly credited, otherwise it could go to a court case (think blurred lines) and the original writers could be entitled to up to 100% of the revenue from Green Day's song, even though, for all intents and purposes, it is very much personal to Green Day and original in its own right.  The 'co-writers' have likely never met the band, let alone written it together, but it's only right that they receive credit for their role in inspiring the song.  Green Day has written like this many times before (Brutal Love, Waiting etc.). 

Technically, the law does not state this at all. If people had to cite their "source of inspiration" for everything, royalties and licensing fees would be even more insane than they already are. In fact, when it comes to music, copyright law actually specifically states that certain musical elements, like guitar riffs and basic lines of melody are not protected by copyright, unless it is a very substantial and recognizable portion being used (and, obviously, if the original recording is involved) because of the fact that there are a finite number of notes and chords available to use, that can only be combined in a finite number of ways, making duplication inevitable. This is why "What's My Age Again?" by Blink-182 and "Welcome to the Black Parade" by MCR and "Basket Case" can all use the same chord progression without having to cite one another as sources. And that's without even getting into the murky realm of Fair Use. Granted, that doesn't stop some people from trying to trademark guitar solos or suing other artists for what they feel is copyright infringement, BUT they are seldom successful. The vast majority of those cases get dismissed by judges and/or settled out of court long before the matter is ever  taken to trial by jury. The "Blurred Lines" lawsuit is a very rare exception to the rule, and the verdict of that case, I imagine, is going to make some labels more cautious about what they cite and what they do not (though, even there, it was made clear that the Gaye family only held copyright over certain elements of the sheet music, not the entire sound recording, and the amount they were awarded was only a small fraction of what they were seeking, since the infraction was found not to be willful). So, is it "safer" for Billie Joe to give credit to Red Triangle productions for the small portion of melody he sampled from their song, in order to prevent a potential court case? Sure. Is it legally required for him to do so? No. It is not.

On 9/23/2016 at 3:52 AM, yodda said:

It sounds like every ballad ever put out, with the same boring 4 chord progression and predictable verse chorus etc. structure.

I think you just described about 80% of Green Day songs here

 

On 9/23/2016 at 6:14 PM, Haushinka! said:

This line I agree with 100%, and I think it perfectly sums up why I'm not a fan of the track. In my opinion, Still Breathing sounds like it's a from a different band entirely. Their other "poppy" singles still maintain the Green Day identity in terms of sound. There is nothing wrong with making a pop song if it still has elements of the band in some way. Call me crazy but I don't listen to Green Day to hear songs that sound like some other band. I love the lyrics, I think they're obviously very powerful, but to me, great lyrics don't automatically make a track awesome. While I may not like the song too much, I love the fact that it seems to be hitting a lot of fans emotionally. I guess i'd rather have an emotional pop song than a meaningless one. 

I agree. "Still Breathing" does sound like a completely different band, and it is off-putting on first listen. But then, as a kid listening to the radio in the 90s, if you had asked me who made "Longview" or "Basket Case" or "Brain Stew" or "Good Riddance" or "Minority", I would've told you that they were all by different people because I literally thought that they were. It wasn't until I picked up a copy of International Superhits at the age of 15 that I realized all of those songs from the radio were by the same band. And that was before American Idiot. And The Network. And Foxboro Hot Tubs. And all the other crazy shit that they've done in the past 10-15 years. I remember the earnest debates where people were wondering if the Network and FBHT actually were Green Day or not. I remember the outrage about American Idiot being too "different" and "poppy" and "mainstream" and they totally sold out by making it....and I also remember the overwhelming disappointment afterward when 21st Century Breakdown sounded *too similar* to what they had done before and that the vocals were too polished and "fake" and we needed to bring back Rob Cavallo.  And, in that sense, I suppose "Still Breathing" is just the latest in the grand saga of Green Day pissing people off/disappointing them by doing the unexpected and making songs with mass "mainstream" appeal. Which isn't to say that everyone has to like it, of course (I've always hated Good Riddance, myself, and only started to get an appreciation for it after hearing Billie Joe playing it live in his acoustic encores), but I definitely find it interesting and amusing that this idea of Green Day sounding like someone else is still a sticking point with so many, especially when, for a lot of us, it's one of the things about the band that we admire most.

[Z J]

That live video 

Ugh, my heart. The chorus has me feeling some type of way. Definitely gets taken a notch higher live

[Maddie86]

oh shit!! I'm watching the Mets/Giants wildcard game on espn and they just played Still Breathing after the commercial break!

[Gwen Stacy]

I decided to put off listening to this one until the album came out mostly due to the fact that I didn't want to have listened to a fourth of the whole thing before it came out so I just heard it for the first time tonight.

Holy Shit.

I heard it was good and not only did it live up to the hype, it blew it out of the water. When Billie Joe sings "Cause I'm still breathing" it sounds different than anything I've ever heard from him. It sounds honest. It sounds vulnerable but also triumphant. I couldn't imagine how hard it must have been to write "I'm like a junkie tying off for the last time" and "I'm like a son that was raised without a father" but he pulls it off flawlessly. I feel like there's something in here everyone can relate to. I love music with a passion but this is the first song to ever give me goosebumps as I listened to it. All the raw emotion the band has been through for the past few years is all in here but it comes out as something beautiful.

"Are you scared to death to live?" Yes Billie, I am. But having this song makes it all just a little easier.

[AntonGlader]

Now I have listen to the whole album I've just heard still breathing once before. It's is my favorite from the new album. I'm already thinking of a "I'm still breathing" tattoo. Because this song reminds me of a lot in my life, and that I'm still here! I love it it's such a great song for bad days, and the good eh.. EVERY DAY! I love it.

[ElmoGreenDay]

In my eyes "still breathing" is Billie telling us he is back and better than ever. The love I have for this song is unreal. So personal but it feels like he wrote if for us. To assure us that he's okay.