Green Day: '21 Guns'

Released on Monday, Jul 13 2009

Published Sunday, Jul 12 2009, 17:58 BST | By Mayer Nissim | 3 comments

Despite the chunky riffs and shouty bits on last single 'Know Your Enemy', Green Day's (s)punky early days are becoming a fast-receding memory. They followed up the concept-heavy American Idiot with the concept-heavier 21st Century Breakdown, and their latest single, an anti-war anthem called '21 Guns', finds them cementing their transition to full-blown epic rock.

It combines verses reminiscent of Neil 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, not least a neat pun - "Throw up your arms in the air" - that should get all hands waving at the festivals this summer.

> Click here to read our review of 21st Century Breakdown

More: Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, Music

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Hannah, Manchester, on July 17th, 2009
Love it, always end up singing along to this when it comes on the radio. Catchy song

James, Watford, on July 14th, 2009
not my favourite Green Day song but i like it. absolutely great vocal by Billie Joe. doesn't look like it will chart very well, not too surprised to be honest. it's good but to me it sort of sounds like a toned-down version of the amazing Boulevard Of Broken Dreams.

miles pearce basingstoke, on July 13th, 2009
I think it's okay atcully and that's coming from a person who is not a green day fan, I feel that it should chart higher than Know Your Enemy but it probally will struggle to make top 20 let alone top 10