21st Century (Digital Boy)
Encyclopedia
"21st Century" is a song by the punk rock
group Bad Religion
. It was originally recorded in 1990 on their fifth full-length studio album Against the Grain
and rerecorded on the 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction
. The following year it was included on the All Ages compilation release.
Although the Against the Grain
version was not released as a single, the Stranger Than Fiction
version was a popular hit. The hit version was also featured on the 2002 compilation Punk Rock Songs
, which was not endorsed by the band.
21st Century (Digital Boy) peaked at #76 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 1995 and is also the only Bad Religion song to feature on Triple J's hottest 100.
. Guitarist Brett Gurewitz
claimed that Bad Religion re-recorded it because their then-label Atlantic Records
said they didn't "hear a single" in that album and thought the song was a hit so they asked the band to redo it.
When also asked why "21st Century (Digital Boy)" would be re-recorded for Stranger Than Fiction, bassist Jay Bentley
replied:
culture, as exemplified in the lyrics "I'm a 21st Century Digital Boy / I don't know how to live, but I've got a lot of toys". This alienation and rejection of consumerism and mainstream culture is a common theme in the music of Bad Religion. The bridge includes references to the group's two previous records (as of the original recording), Suffer
and No Control
. Contrary to rumor, "21st Century (Digital Boy)" was not written or performed live in 1988 nor was it going to appear on No Control.
The song pays homage to King Crimson
's "21st Century Schizoid Man
", even interpolating some of its lyrics towards the end:
Cat's foot iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
Innocents raped with napalm fire
The line "everything I want I really need" that follows is a play on "21st Century Schizoid Man
"'s "nothing he's got he really needs." After that line, as the song fades out, Greg Graffin sings "21st Century Schizoid Boy".
Excerpt from an interview with Greg Graffin in Scientific American magazine:
Q: "Your most famous song is "21st Century Digital Boy," which pokes fun at our gadget-laden era."
A: "Oh no, we love technology and gadgets. We use irony in 60 percent of our music. "21st Century Digital Boy" is an ironic twist characterizing the youth of today. The truth is that even though the song was written in 1990, it was clear that the youth were going to be affected for good and bad by digital technology. It's probably because we loved video games so much."
version is available as downloadable content in both Rock Band 2
and Guitar Hero World Tour
. Guitar Hero World Tour incorrectly notes 2004 instead of 1990 as its date of the song. The 2004 date could possibly be referring to Against the Grains remastered date.
"The Dylan Ratigan Show", a television program on the news channel "MSNBC
", used the song as background music during a segment targeting "Facebook addiction".
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
group Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
. It was originally recorded in 1990 on their fifth full-length studio album Against the Grain
Against the Grain (Bad Religion album)
-Release history:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals* Pete Finestone – drums* The Legendary Starbolt – mixing...
and rerecorded on the 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction
Stranger than Fiction (Bad Religion album)
Stranger than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album by Bad Religion, released in 1994...
. The following year it was included on the All Ages compilation release.
Although the Against the Grain
Against the Grain (Bad Religion album)
-Release history:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals* Pete Finestone – drums* The Legendary Starbolt – mixing...
version was not released as a single, the Stranger Than Fiction
Stranger than Fiction (Bad Religion album)
Stranger than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album by Bad Religion, released in 1994...
version was a popular hit. The hit version was also featured on the 2002 compilation Punk Rock Songs
Punk Rock Songs
Punk Rock Songs is a compilation album by Bad Religion, released in 2002.Spanning the years from 1994 to 2000, this is a collection of the biggest hits and some live tracks from their Atlantic and Epic Records era, therefore it does not contain any songs from Bad Religion's first seven full-length...
, which was not endorsed by the band.
21st Century (Digital Boy) peaked at #76 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 1995 and is also the only Bad Religion song to feature on Triple J's hottest 100.
Re-recording
In 1994, Bad Religion re-recorded the song for their eighth studio album Stranger Than FictionStranger than Fiction (Bad Religion album)
Stranger than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album by Bad Religion, released in 1994...
. Guitarist Brett Gurewitz
Brett Gurewitz
Brett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
claimed that Bad Religion re-recorded it because their then-label Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
said they didn't "hear a single" in that album and thought the song was a hit so they asked the band to redo it.
When also asked why "21st Century (Digital Boy)" would be re-recorded for Stranger Than Fiction, bassist Jay Bentley
Jay Bentley
Jay Dee Bentley is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985.-Bad Religion:...
replied:
- [We re-released the song] because we were playing it every night since 1989, '90. It wasn't that we weren't happy with it. I was thrilled with it. I thought it was a great song. Brett just happened to think that we were playing it better than we played it on the record. He just thought it was the one song of his that had a snowball's chance in hell of being popular. I think one of Brett's quests as a song writer was to write a pop hit. That’s hard to do when you’re in a punk rock band. He always thought that song could be a pop hit, and he fought for it to get on the record and to be a single. I eventually got tired of saying 'that's not what we do'. That's what he wanted to do when he was a member of the band at the time and we all went 'well, OK, if you feel that strongly about it, we'll put it on the record'. We have a very democratic process which is that if 3 members vote one way, then it's going to happen, unless one member feels so strongly about it, then we all just concede and say that's cool.
Meaning and composition
The lyrics of the song could be interpreted as a rejection of modern consumeristConsumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
culture, as exemplified in the lyrics "I'm a 21st Century Digital Boy / I don't know how to live, but I've got a lot of toys". This alienation and rejection of consumerism and mainstream culture is a common theme in the music of Bad Religion. The bridge includes references to the group's two previous records (as of the original recording), Suffer
Suffer (album)
Suffer is the third album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on the Californian independent record label Epitaph Records on September 8, 1988. It was the first album that was both released and distributed by the label...
and No Control
No Control (Bad Religion album)
- Release history :- Notes/Trivia :* Track 2, "Big Bang" was featured on video game Tony Hawk's Underground.* Track 3, "No Control" quotes Scottish natural historian James Hutton, "no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end."...
. Contrary to rumor, "21st Century (Digital Boy)" was not written or performed live in 1988 nor was it going to appear on No Control.
The song pays homage to King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
's "21st Century Schizoid Man
21st Century Schizoid Man
"21st Century Schizoid Man" is a song by progressive rock band King Crimson from their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King.-Personnel:* Greg Lake – Vocals, bass guitar* Ian McDonald – saxophone* Robert Fripp – guitars* Michael Giles – drums...
", even interpolating some of its lyrics towards the end:
Cat's foot iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
Innocents raped with napalm fire
The line "everything I want I really need" that follows is a play on "21st Century Schizoid Man
21st Century Schizoid Man
"21st Century Schizoid Man" is a song by progressive rock band King Crimson from their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King.-Personnel:* Greg Lake – Vocals, bass guitar* Ian McDonald – saxophone* Robert Fripp – guitars* Michael Giles – drums...
"'s "nothing he's got he really needs." After that line, as the song fades out, Greg Graffin sings "21st Century Schizoid Boy".
Excerpt from an interview with Greg Graffin in Scientific American magazine:
Q: "Your most famous song is "21st Century Digital Boy," which pokes fun at our gadget-laden era."
A: "Oh no, we love technology and gadgets. We use irony in 60 percent of our music. "21st Century Digital Boy" is an ironic twist characterizing the youth of today. The truth is that even though the song was written in 1990, it was clear that the youth were going to be affected for good and bad by digital technology. It's probably because we loved video games so much."
In modern culture
The Against the GrainAgainst the Grain (Bad Religion album)
-Release history:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals* Pete Finestone – drums* The Legendary Starbolt – mixing...
version is available as downloadable content in both Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
and Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour is a music video game developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. It is the fourth main entry in the Guitar Hero series...
. Guitar Hero World Tour incorrectly notes 2004 instead of 1990 as its date of the song. The 2004 date could possibly be referring to Against the Grains remastered date.
"The Dylan Ratigan Show", a television program on the news channel "MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
", used the song as background music during a segment targeting "Facebook addiction".
Cover versions
- The song was covered in 2006 as "21st Century Digital Girl21st Century Digital Girl"21st Century Digital Girl" is the third and final single from the album 21st Century by German trance group Groove Coverage. The song is a replica of Bad Religion's "21st Century Digital Boy".-Remix list:...
" by German trance/dance group Groove CoverageGroove CoverageGroove Coverage is a German Euro-dance band. The Groove Coverage project consists of Axel Konrad, DJ Novus, Melanie Munch, better known as Mell , and Verena Rehm . The band has had hits around the world, especially in Germany, and have had radio play in North America, notably with the song, "Poison"...
. - The band Radio Cult released a cover of the song on their album "Grooves from the Grave" in 2008.
- The song also appears on the 1994 live album Hel! by Swedish TrallpunkTrallpunkTrallpunk is a subgenre of punk music specially developed in Sweden. It is known for its fast drums, a melodic sound, and often politically-oriented lyrics. Generally, Asta Kask and Strebers are considered to be the first trallpunk bands, but opinions diverge on the matter...
band Charta 77Charta 77 (band)Charta 77 is a Swedish punk-band formed in 1983 in the Swedish town Köping. The band consists today of Per Granberg , Johnny Smedberg , Mattias Söderlund , Johan Hultman...
.
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 11 |
| UK Singles Charts | 41 |