Album
21st Century Breakdown
21st Century Breakdown is Green Day's eighth studio album, released on 15 May 2009 through Reprise Records. It arrived five years after American Idiot, the longest gap between records in the band's career, and it follows that album's lead by working as a concept album and rock opera. Its themes are alienation and political anger, heard clearly in the singles "Know Your Enemy" and "21 Guns".
Billie Joe Armstrong had written forty-five songs by October 2007, though the band did not start studio work until January 2008. They brought in Butch Vig, the producer of Nirvana's Nevermind, to shape the sprawling material. At just over 69 minutes, it is their longest studio album. Reviews were positive, even if it was generally placed a step below its predecessor. It topped charts in the US, UK and across Europe, won the Grammy for Best Rock Album, and has since built a cult following.
21st Century Breakdown: tracklist, credits and charts
18 tracks · 1:09:16Tracklist
- 1Song of the CenturyGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong0:58
- 221st Century BreakdownGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong5:09
- 3Know Your EnemyGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong3:10
- 4¡Viva La Gloria!Green Day and Billie Joe Armstrong3:31
- 5Before the LobotomyGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong4:37
- 6Christian’s InfernoGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong3:07
- 7Last Night on EarthGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong3:57
- 8East Jesus NowhereGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong4:35
- 9PeacemakerGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong3:24
- 10Last of the American GirlsGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong3:51
- 11Murder CityGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong2:54
- 12¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)Green Day and Billie Joe Armstrong3:48
- 13Restless Heart SyndromeGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong4:21
- 14Horseshoes and HandgrenadesGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong3:14
- 15The Static AgeGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong4:17
- 1621 GunsGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong5:21
- 17American Eulogy: Mass Hysteria / Modern WorldGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong4:26
- 18See the LightGreen Day and Billie Joe Armstrong4:36
- Produced by
- Butch Vig, Green Day
- Engineered by
- Chris Dugan
- Recorded
- January 2008 – April 2009
- Label
- Reprise Records
- Length
- 1:09:16
Singles
- “Know Your Enemy” · 16 April 2009
- “21 Guns” · 25 May 2009
- “East Jesus Nowhere” · 19 October 2009
- “21st Century Breakdown” · 21 December 2009
- “Last of the American Girls” · 22 March 2010
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 2009–10 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Czech Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Danish Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| European Top 100 Albums (Billboard) · 2009–10 | 1 |
| French Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| German Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
All 33 charts
| Italian Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2009–10 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Spanish Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Swedish Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| US Alternative · 2009–10 | 1 |
| US Tastemaker · 2009–10 | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2009–10 | 1 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2009–10 | 2 |
| Irish Albums · 2009–10 | 2 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2009–10 | 2 |
| Slovenian Albums (IFPI) · 2009–10 | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2009–10 | 3 |
| Finnish Albums · 2009–10 | 3 |
| Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico) · 2009–10 | 3 |
| Dutch Albums · 2009–10 | 4 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2009–10 | 4 |
| Polish Albums · 2009–10 | 6 |
| South African Albums (RISA) · 2009–10 | 8 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Gold |
| Australia · 2009 | Platinum |
| Austria | Platinum |
| Belgium · 2009 | Gold |
| Brazil · 2012 | Gold |
| Canada | 2× Platinum |
| Denmark · 2011 | Platinum |
| Finland · 2009 | Gold |
| France · 2009 | Platinum |
| GCC · 2009 | Platinum |
| Germany | 3× Gold |
| Ireland · 2009 | Platinum |
| Italy · 2009 | Platinum |
| Japan · 2009 | Gold |
| New Zealand · 2020 | 2× Platinum |
| Norway · 2009 | Gold |
| Sweden · 2009 | Gold |
| Switzerland | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Platinum |
| United States · 2011 | Platinum |
| Europe · 2009 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
88.3
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
11k
ListenBrainz listeners
148k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
111k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 15 May
Every year →
More from Green Day
Full discography →
1,000 Hours
1989
Slappy EP
1990
39/Smooth
1990
Sweet Children
1990
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours
1991
Kerplunk!
1991
Dookie
1994
Insomniac
1995
Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking
1996
nimrod.
1997
Warning:
2000
Tune In, Tokyo…
2001
International Superhits!
2001
Shenanigans
2002
American Idiot
2004
Bullet in a Bible
2005
Last Night on Earth: Live in Tokyo
2009
American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording
2010
Awesome as Fuck
2011
Oh Love E.P.
2012
¡Uno!
2012
¡Dos!
2012
¡Tré!
2012
Revolution Radio
2016
Greatest Hits: God’s Favorite Band
2017
Father of All Motherfuckers
2020
BBC Sessions
2021
Saviors
2024
The best of 2009
All of 2009 →
Liebe ist für alle da
Rammstein · 2009
Backspacer
Pearl Jam · 2009
Black Gives Way to Blue
Alice in Chains · 2009
Raditude
Weezer · 2009
Greatest Hits
Foo Fighters · 2009
World Painted Blood
Slayer · 2009
Live at Reading
Nirvana · 2009
Orgullo, pasión, y gloria: Tres noches en La Ciudad de México
Metallica · 2009
Endgame
Megadeth · 2009
The Smashing Pumpkins 2008-12-07: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL, USA 2009
2008-12-07: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL, USA
The Smashing Pumpkins · 2009
Iron Maiden Flight 666 2009
Flight 666
Iron Maiden · 2009
Backtracks
AC/DC · 2009
More on Reprise Records
The label →American Idiot
Green Day · 2004
Dookie
Green Day · 1994
nimrod.
Green Day · 1997
Insomniac
Green Day · 1995
Warning:
Green Day · 2000
Diamond Eyes
Deftones · 2010
Revolution Radio
Green Day · 2016
Father of All Motherfuckers
Green Day · 2020
Saviors
Green Day · 2024
Koi no Yokan
Deftones · 2012
¡Uno!
Green Day · 2012
The Real Thing
Faith No More · 1989
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 2009-05-12 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 12 May 2009 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 15 May 2009 | |
| Wikidata | 15 May 2009 | |
| US release | 15 May 2009 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 15 May 2009 | earliest UK or European date |
15 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2009 | ZA | Reprise Records | 6001212331337 | original |
| 12 May 2009 | CA | Reprise Records | 093624980216 | other |
| 15 May 2009 | — | Reprise Records | 093624980209 | other |
| 15 May 2009 | US | Reprise Records | other | |
| 15 May 2009 | US | Reprise Records | 093624978534 | other |
| 15 May 2009 | US | Reprise Records | 093624975731 | other |
| 15 May 2009 | JP | Reprise Records | 4943674088898 | other |
| 15 May 2009 | XE | Reprise Records | 093624980216 | other |
| 15 May 2009 | AU | Reprise Records | 9340650003213 | other |
| 15 May 2009 | XE | Reprise Records | 093624977773 | other |
| 15 May 2009 | XW | Reprise Records | other | |
| 15 May 2009 | — | Reprise Records | 093624976790 | deluxe |
| 20 May 2009 | US | Reprise Records | 093624980216 | other |
| 4 September 2012 | XW | Reprise Records | 093624947837 | other |
| 2014 | XE | Reprise Records | 093624980216 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 900×900 | upscaled |