| "21 Guns" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byGreen Day | ||||
| from the album21st Century Breakdown | ||||
| B-side | "Favorite Son" | |||
| Released | July 14, 2009 (CD single) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:21 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Composer(s) |
| |||
| Lyricist(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Green Day singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "21 Guns" onYouTube | ||||
"21 Guns" is a song by Americanrock bandGreen Day. It was released as the second single from their eighth studio album,21st Century Breakdown (2009), and serves as the sixteenth track from the album. The single was released throughReprise Records on May 25, 2009 on radio and digital download and July 14, 2009 as a CD single.
The song has been a commercial success on theBillboardHot 100 chart, peaking at No. 22, becoming their highest charting single since "Wake Me Up When September Ends" in 2005. To date, it is their last top 40 hit in the United States. The song is also featured on the soundtrack of the filmTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen and is featured as one of the songs during the end credits.
It was nominated for aGrammy forBest Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal andBest Rock Song in 2010.
"21 Guns" addresses the topic ofpatriotism. Frontman and chief songwriterBillie Joe Armstrong toldQ, in May 2009: "It brings up 21st Century Breakdown in a lot of ways, and the21-gun salute for someone that's fallen, but done in an arena rock 'n' roll sort of way."[1]
According toQ, the song is "a mammothpower ballad with a chorus likeMott the Hoople's 'All the Young Dudes'."[2] William Goodman fromSpin agreed, also comparing the song to "All the Young Dudes".[3]Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson described it as a "sensitivearena rock cut that made us think ofToto's 'Africa'. While the chorus sounded more likeELO's 'Telephone Line.'[4] ARolling Stone article commented that it "has a dash of 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' to it."[5]Spin's Goodman agreed, writing: "This track covers a lot of territory in its five minutes, from a solo acoustic guitar (reminiscent of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams") toBrian May-worthy electric riffage. But the chorus holds the killer hook, [because] Armstrong hits highs with his voice in a thrilling moment."[3]
The song has been labeled by critics asarena rock,[4][1]pop-punk,[2][6] andpower pop.[7]David Bowie is credited as a songwriter on the song to avoid a potential plagiarism lawsuit, as the melody of the chorus is similar to the Bowie-penned "All the Young Dudes".[8]
The song has received critical acclaim. Chris Fallon writing forAbsolutePunk commented that "it is arguably the album's highlight, presenting an anti-warballad that is both monumentally enduring and also sophisticated protest."[9] James Montgomery ofMTV News described it as "a cell-phones-in-the-air anthem, starting with more sharply strummed acoustic guitars."[10] Colin Moriarty fromIGN wrote that the track is "perhaps the best song on the album as a whole, a multi-faceted song with a pretty poignant message to boot."[11]
Jordan Richardson ofBlogcritics commented: "It's the album’s anti-war hymn, reaching heroic heights with a sleek sort of sappiness that fits flawlessly. The range and sentiment may dishearten those looking for a little moreDookie from their Green Day, but I’ve never heard Billie Joe sound so good and so earnest as he pulls his frail voice upwards to knock out some stunning high notes."[12] Mayer Nissim gave the song three out of five stars, writing: "It combines verses reminiscent ofNeil Young's 'Heart of Gold' with big power-pop chord changes and choruses that soar in all the right places. The jerky charm of the band's earlier work may be missing, but there's still lots to enjoy here."[7]
The song debuted at No. 55 on theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 22 (becoming their highest peaking song since the 2005 hit "Wake Me Up When September Ends", and their second-to-last single to debut on the chart, as after 'Oh Love', all of their subsequent tracks have failed to chart), and No. 81 on theCanadian Hot 100, reaching #15. It reached No. 3 on theAlternative Songs chart and No. 17 on theHot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also reached #7 on theBillboard Pop Songs chart. On the AustralianARIA Singles Chart, the song peaked at #14. On theUK Singles Chart, it debuted at No. 100 and rose to #36, and as of 2021, remains their last UK Top 40 hit. In New Zealand, the song debuted at No. 23 and peaked at No. 3 in its seventh week on the chart, giving it the highest peak of any Green Day song there.[13] In New Zealand, it was certified Platinum after 13 weeks on the chart, selling over 15,000 copies.[14] It was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The single was also certified Platinum in Italy.[15]
"21 Guns" was released to modern punk radio stations on May 25, 2009, although it had already been played on some radio stations, such as KROQ in Los Angeles and 101.9 in New York City.[16] In the radio edit, the song is over forty seconds shorter than the album version due to the bridge being shortened and the intro being taken out. The CD single and clear 7" single were released on July 14, 2009.[17]
The song is featured heavily inTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen and appears on thesoundtrack, which was released on June 12, 2009.[18] It was released as downloadable content for themusic video game seriesRock Band on July 7, 2009, along with the songs "East Jesus Nowhere" and "Know Your Enemy".[19]
The song was featured in episode 6 ofThe Vampire Diaries.[20]
A live version was also released on21 Guns Live EP in September 2009.[21]
A music video was directed byMarc Webb and filmed in Los Angeles on June 6, 2009. It premiered on MySpace on Monday, June 22, 2009 at midnightEDT.[22] A shorter version of the video also exists, which is set to the radio edit of the song.[citation needed]
It is the third Green Day video to feature touring guitaristJason White performing with the band, following "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Working Class Hero". He is also seen briefly in the music videos for "When I Come Around" and "Jesus of Suburbia", but is not performing with the band.[citation needed]
After spending the previous week at number 3, the video peaked at number one on VH1 Top 20 Countdown on August 22, 2009 and again on September 19, 2009. It also wonBest Rock Video (Green Day),Best Direction (Marc Webb) andBest Cinematography (Jonathan Sela) for the2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[23]
The video takes place with the band and the album's two protagonists Christian (Josh Boswell) and Gloria (Lisa Stelly) taking refuge in a white room after robbing a bank. The police arrive outside the room and open fire through the window, to the couple's terror.[24] As bullets rain through the room, the band continues playing. Gloria picks up the phone and throws it into a fish tank. As the bullets continue to fly and tear apart the room, Christian and Gloria become calm and walk toward each other, unharmed by the bullets. They embrace and kiss as the room goes dark, recreating the21st Century Breakdown cover art. As the song ends, the room lights up again, and they are still uninjured. After the room lights up, there are various shots of destruction in the room, including a shot of some of the writing on the walls. The writing includes an excerpt of the lyrics to "21 Guns", as well as those of the song "See the Light" which is the final song on the album. The video may represent the meaning of the song in the story.
| "21 Guns" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byGreen Day and the cast ofAmerican Idiot | ||||
| from the albumAmerican Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording | ||||
| B-side | "Like a Rolling Stone" | |||
| Released | December 3, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 4:41 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Green Day,David Bowie | |||
| Producer(s) | Green Day | |||
| Green Day and the cast ofAmerican Idiot singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Green Day has recorded two versions of "21 Guns" with the cast ofAmerican Idiot. The recording was produced byBillie Joe Armstrong. The recording with Armstrong singing the male solo parts was released on December 3, 2009 to Spinner.com and also released for digital download on December 22, 2009.[25] The video was released February 1, 2010.[26][27]
The second version of the song with the cast ofAmerican Idiot featuresStark Sands,John Gallagher Jr., andMichael Esper singing their respective solos instead of Armstrong.
It was performed with Armstrong singing lead male vocals at the52nd Grammy Awards.
| 21 Guns Live EP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| EP by | |
| Released | September 4, 2009 |
| Recorded | July 25, 2009, Albany, New York; and July 28, 2009Madison Square Garden, New York City |
| Genre | |
| Length | 17:52 |
| Label | Reprise |
| Producer | Green Day |
Green Day released a live EP for the song including live performances of "Welcome to Paradise", "Brain Stew/Jaded" and "F.O.D." recorded live in Albany, New York and Madison Square Garden. This EP was released on the Australian iTunes store, Amazon UK, and Napster.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "21 Guns" | 5:21 |
| 2. | "Favorite Son" (Green Day's contribution to the Rock Against Bush Vol. 2 compilation) | 2:13 |
| 3. | "21 Guns" (Studio 880 version) | 5:17 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "21 Guns" | 5:21 |
| 2. | "Favorite Son" (From "Rock Against Bush Vol. 2") | 2:13 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "21 Guns" (Radio Edit) | 4:37 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "21 Guns" (Green Day with the cast of American Idiot version) | 4:41 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "21 Guns" (Green Day with the cast of American Idiot version) | 4:41 |
| 2. | "21 Guns" (Original version) | 5:21 |
| 3. | "21 Guns" (live at Akasaka Blitz, Tokyo on May 28, 2009) | 5:01 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "21 Guns" (live in Albany, New York, 2009) | 5:45 |
| 2. | "Welcome to Paradise" (live in Albany, New York, 2009) | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Brain Stew/Jaded" (live in Albany, New York, 2009) | 5:33 |
| 4. | "F.O.D." (live in Madison Square Garden, New York, 2009) | 2:50 |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[68] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[69] | Gold | 15,000* |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[70] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[15] | Platinum | 20,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[71] | Gold | 7,500* |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[72] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[73] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[74] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| |
| Studio albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Compilations | |
| EPs | |
| Tours | |
| Associated acts | |
| Related articles |
|
