Know Your Enemy

"Know Your Enemy"
Single cover
Single by Green Day
from the album 21st Century Breakdown
Released	April 16, 2009
Format	Digital download, CD single, 7"
Recorded	2008
Genre	Punk rock, pop punk
Length	3:12
Label	Reprise
Writer(s)	Billie Joe Armstrong / Green Day
Producer	Butch Vig and Green Day
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Green Day singles chronology
"The Simpsons Theme" (2007) "Know Your Enemy" (2009) "21 Guns" (2009)
Audio sample File:Green Day - Know Your Enemy.ogg file info · help

"Know Your Enemy" is a song written and recorded by the American punk rock band Green Day. It is the first single from the group's eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown. The single was released through Reprise Records on April 16, 2009. Billboard described the song as being lyrically "just as politically charged as last time (on American Idiot)", having a "Modern Rock radio-ready chorus", whilst the song's producer Butch Vig "brings enough punk/pop sheen for mass appeal."^[1] It was the first song to top the Rock Songs, Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock Tracks Billboard charts at the same time.

Release and reception

Alternative Press called the song a "huge rocker" which is a "fierce call to arms against apathy".^{[citation needed]} It was also referred to by Spin as sounding "like an out-take from the Dookie sessions".^[2] About.com's Bill Lamb said the song was "standard issue Green Day", "not a stroke of genius" and "not on par with their last album", but said it was a "great appetizer" for one of the most eagerly awaited albums of 2009.^[3] Pitchfork Media described the track as having "pedantic stiffness" and "nothing more than a rote protest song preaching to the converted".^[4] Rolling Stone called the song one of the highlights of the album, praising the punk-oriented sound and calling it a "Clash-size bootboy chants".^[5] Billboard said that "The lead single from the band's new release, "21st Century Breakdown", finds the group just as politically charged as last time", but also said that "While the subject matter is broad and may be missed by some, "Enemy" has enough charm to amp up the airwaves until (21st Century) Breakdown is released."^[1]

Billie Joe Armstrong told Q, "It’s a rallying song. It’s about liberating yourself from a lot of bullshit that you see on TV."^[6] The song managed to top both the Billboard Mainstream and Alternative Songs charts at the same time, while cracking the Top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, so far reaching number 28.^[7] The song entered the Alternative Songs chart at number eight and rose to number one in its second week. It kept the top spot for six weeks. It became available as a downloadable song for the music video game Rock Band on July 7, 2009, along with the songs "East Jesus Nowhere" and "21 Guns" and is also featured on the soundtrack to the video game NHL 10.^[8]

During their "21st Century Breakdown" tour show in Minneapolis on July 11, 2009, Billie Joe Armstrong told the crowd the song had been recorded on the first day of the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, MN.^[9]

Music video

The music video was directed by Motion Theory's Matthew Cullen (who helmed the video for Weezer's "Pork and Beans" in 2008), and it premiered on MTV and other stations across the globe on April 24, 2009. In the video, the band is performing at night on a stage in a field surrounded by a barbed wire fence. Shots of the band are also frequently seen through night vision closed-circuit cameras that surround the field, as well as on helicopters that patrol the area with searchlights. The final chorus of the song shows fire burning behind the band in silhouettes of the band members (Billie Joe has a man with a guitar behind him, Tre Cool has a man playing the drums behind him, etc). The video was shot in Downtown Los Angeles.

Track listing

Charts

Personnel

• Billie Joe Armstrong - guitars, lead vocals
• Mike Dirnt - bass guitar, backing vocals
• Tre Cool - drums, percussion

References