Centuries ago in The Art of War, Sun Tzu instructed that it was essential to know your enemy before entering into combat otherwise every victory suffers a defeat. Today our world is in the midst of economic turmoil alongside ongoing wars, and Green Day reminds us of Sun Tzu’s wise precaution with their politically driven effort “Know Your Enemy”, the first single from their upcoming album 21st Century Breakdown. After listening to Green Day’s simplistic and somewhat repetitive lyrics, I realized that the enemy they are referring to is the general establishment of society and presumably the authoritative government. Music and art have always been the symbols for freedom of thought and the idea of control is music’s eternal arch-nemesis. In times of hardship like many others before them, Green Day takes the musical front to relay a message of challenge and rebellion for an improved society.
Unfortunately the message lacks any real substance. The lackluster lyrics for Green Day’s “Know Your Enemy” contains mostly generic content and seem to be constructed together with a checklist of words to include. Revolution, check. Overthrow, check. Insurgency, check. We are told to not stay in silence, because that too is an enemy. And at one point Billie Joe Armstrong screeches for revolution. I would not hold my breath for any significant revolution fueled by Green Day’s “Know Your Enemy” in the near future. For Green Day fans, the only enemy seems to be the fellow intoxicated concert-goer that they and others have bashed into a bloody pulp in the mosh pit that they were all a part of when the song played.
Perhaps some are reminded of a similiar song with the same name released almost two decades ago from the militant band Rage Against the Machine. Rage Against the Machine is a group known for their dedicated defiance and explicitly revolutionary lyrics. The lyrics for their version of “Know Your Enemy” is full of anger and threatening remarks. The enemy is the American government and “We don’t need a key/We’ll break in”. I know that Green Day and Rage Against the Machine are two different bands with separate agendas, but I wanted to see Green Day bring more fire in their lyrics and not just in their music video. I’d imagine that a mash-up of Rage Against the Machine and Green Day’s “Know Your Enemy” will eventually arise from some young enterprising internet DJ/producer and uploaded onto Youtube. That individual could probably use Green Day’s song in its entirety as a chorus in combination with Rage Against the Machine’s lyrics to create a meaningful and melodic mash-up.
As Sun Tzu had warned, Green Day was victorious in putting together a wonderfully composed tune and will receive generous radio play, but they suffer a defeat by not being specific and calling out a generic enemy with bland lyrics. Throughout the song Billie Joe repeatedly asks the listeners if they knew their enemy, and the same question could be reverted back to the band themselves. Green Day, do you know your enemy? Hopefully they will answer that question within the album 21st Century Breakdown slated to be released on May 15, 2009. On a bright note, when this song comes out on Rock Band the player performing the vocals for the song won’t have too much difficulty.
love the song know your enemy :> it rocks
Green Day could have tried to echo Rage, but they still would have failed. They are that pathetic.
you are right on. it would not have taken much for GreenDay to have commented on today’s asyemtrical wars and how little we know about our enemies. instead, just catchphrases.