21st Century Breakdown (music): Difference between revisions

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#REDIRECT [[21st Century Breakdown (Music)]]
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[[File:21stCenturyBreakdown_1460.jpg|frame]]

{{quote| They're playing the song of the century<br />
Of panic and promise and prosperity<br />
Tell me a story into that goodnight<br />
Sing us a song for me }}

21st Century Breakdown is a [[Rock Opera]] by the rock band [[Green Day (Music)|Green Day]] released as a follow-up to their popular album [[American Idiot (Music)|American Idiot]]. The plot follows [[Battle Couple|two lovers]] named [[Meaningful Name|Christian]] and [[Theme Naming|Gloria,]] who are followed in the story as they witness the many new trials faced by the common man in the recent years of America (Mainly told in first-person from the point of Christian).

Several of the themes looked at by [[Anti-Hero|Christian]] (Who is [[Alternative Character Interpretation|most definitely]] [[Sarcasm Mode|not]] [[Western Terrorists|a terrorist]]) include [[Corrupt Church|religion,]] [[American Political System|politics,]] and [[Best Served Cold|vengeance,]] along with being heavily involved in his relationship with Gloria. He is very cynical about most large organizations, and feels he and Gloria must stand up for [[The Everyman]]. Gloria, meanwhile, is trying to hold onto her original beliefs while trying to help Christian as well.

Several tracks, including "Know Your Enemy" and "21 Guns", are used in the [[Theatrical Productions|Broadway production]] of American Idiot.

The Album is Seperated into three acts.

Track list:

{{quote| 1. Song of the Century<br />
Act I: Heros and Cons-<br />
2. [[Title Drop|21st Century Breakdown]]<br />
3. Know Your Enemy<br />
4. ¡Viva la Gloria!<br />
5. Before the Lobotomy<br />
6. Christian's Inferno<br />
7. Last Night on Earth<br />
Act II: Saints and Charlatans- <br />
8. East Jesus Nowhere<br />
9. Peacemaker<br />
10. Last of the American Girls<br />
11. Murder City<br />
12. ¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)<br />
13. Restless Heart Syndrome<br />
Act III: [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming|Horseshoes and Handgrenades]]- <br />
14. Horseshoes and Handgrenades<br />
15. The Static Age<br />
16. 21 Guns<br />
17. American Eulogy<br />
A. Mass Hysteria<br />
B. Modern World<br />
18. See the Light }}

------

== This [[Rock Opera]] provides examples of: ==

* [[Action Girlfriend]]
* [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]: In Last of The American Girls - "She's a sucker for all the criminals breaking the laws"
* [[Author Avatar]]: [[Word of God]] has confirmed that both Christian and Gloria are [[Author Avatar|author avatars]].
* [[Bittersweet Ending]]
* [[Book Ends]]: Pulled off excellently.
* [[Broken Bird]]: Gloria, possibly. She certainly sounds like one in "¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)".
* [[Cool People Rebel Against Authority]]
* [[Dark Reprise]]: "¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)" is obviously one on "¡Viva La Gloria!"
* [[Epic Rocking]]: "American Eulogy"
* [[Expy|Expies]]: Christian and Gloria can be seen as either these or [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute|Suspiciously Similar Substitutes]] for [[American Idiot (Music)|Jesus of Suburbia and Whatsername]], although there are [[Your Mileage May Vary|shades of difference]]: Christian is smarter and more insane; Gloria is more world-weary.
* [["I Am" Song]]: Several, most obvious being the title track.
* [[Ironic Echo]]: "Know Your Enemy," echoed near the end of "Restless Heart Syndrome."
* [[Loudness War]]: As with ''American Idiot'', it's really badly clipped.
* [[Meaningless Meaningful Words]]: Tons. "American Eulogy" is nothing but this.
{{quote| I want to take a walk to the great divide<br />
Beyond the up-to-date and the neo-gentrified <br />
The high-definition for the low resident<br />
Where the value of your mind is not held in contempt }}
* [[Metal Scream]]: "Know Your Enemy" has one:
{{quote| Well, violence is an energy, oh ay, oh ay<br />
Well, from here to eternity, oh ay, oh ay<br />
Well, violence is an energy, oh ay, oh ay<br />
Well, silence is the enemy<br />
So gimme, gimme '''[[Big Word Shout|REVOLUTION!]]''' }}
** Used more so during "Horseshoes and Handgrenades."
* [[New Media Are Evil]]: "The Static Age"
* [[Precision F-Strike]]: See [[Sex, Drugs and Rock And Roll]].
* [[Protest Song]]: Pretty much everything that's not a love song or a [[BSOD Song]].
* [[Rebellious Spirit]]
* [[Recurring Riff]]: Several, being one of the main differences between this and American Idiot (Along with the fact that several songs were [[Subdued Section|written for piano]]). The "Song of the Century" parts, along with the guitar pattern at the beginning of [[Book Ends|"21st Century Breakdown" and "See the Light."]]
** The tune to the "Restless Heart Syndrome" chorus is also played at the beginning of "¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)", which is the song before it.
* [[Sex, Drugs and Rock And Roll]]: Many references to "pills and alcohol," along with the following part in "Before the Lobotomy"
{{quote| I'm not stoned<br />
I'm just fucked-up<br />
I got so high<br />
I can't stand up }}
* [[Shout-Out]]: As listed in the [[Homage]] trope-page, the line "I once was lost, but never was found" is a shout-out to [[Amazing Freaking Grace|"Amazing Grace"]].
** "Last of the American Girls" could be a shout-out to the [[Tom Petty (Music)|Tom Petty]] song "American Girl".
** And let's not forget the [[Arc Words|several mentions]] to [[John Lennon (Music)|John Lennon]]'s "Working Class Hero" (which the guys happened to do a cover of themselves, so this one was more obvious).
** The line "Last one born and the first one to run" is a shout-out to [[Bruce Springsteen (Music)|Bruce Springsteen]].
** Perhaps in 21 Guns, the line "when it's time to live and let die" is a shout out to [[Paul McCartney (Music)|Paul McCartney]]'s song from the [[James Bond]] [[Live and Let Die (Film)|movie]].
** Also "My Generation is zero" that precedes "Never made it as a Working Class Hero" may be a shout out to the Who's My Generation, which they covered in their Kerplunk album.
* [[Step Up to The Microphone]]: Bassist Mike Dirnt sings most of "Modern World".
* [[Subdued Section]]: The two "Song of the Century" sections, "21 Guns," "Last Night on Earth," the beginnings of "Restless Hearts Syndrome", "¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl)", and "Before the Lobotomy."
* [[Three Chords and The Truth]]: It's [[Green Day (Music)|Green Day]]. You should expect this by this point. However, not as much as previous works.
* [[Troubled but Cute]]
* [[Wham! Line]]: "Restless Heart Syndrome" changes Gloria's entire image with the line: "Know your enemy."
** Normal chorus for "Last Night on Earth": "My beating heart belongs to you/I walked for miles 'til I found you/I'm here to honor you/If I lose everything in the fire/I'm sending all my love to you" Final chorus: "...I'm here to honor you/If I lose everything in the fire/Did I ever make it through?"
* [[Write Who You Know]]: Mike Dirnt has speculated that Armstrong wrote "The Last of the American Girls" about his wife, Adrienne.

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Albums Index]]
[[Category:Rock Operas]]
[[Category:Twenty First Century Breakdown]]
[[Category:Music]]

Revision as of 08:28, 23 March 2014

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