Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in … Read Full Bio ↴Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career they have been a power trio with drummer Tré Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before the recording of the band's second studio album, Kerplunk (1991). Before taking its current name in 1989, Green Day was called Blood Rage, then Sweet Children and they were part of the late 1980s/early 1990s Bay Area punk scene that emerged from the 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California. The band's early releases were with the independent record label Lookout! Records. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.

Though the albums Insomniac (1995), Nimrod (1997) and Warning (2000) did not match the success of Dookie, they were still successful, with the first two reaching double platinum status, while the last achieved gold. Green Day's seventh album, a rock opera called American Idiot (2004), found popularity with a younger generation, selling six million copies in the U.S. Their next album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released in 2009 and achieved the band's best chart performance. It was followed by a trilogy of albums, ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!, released in September, November, and December 2012, respectively. The trilogy did not perform as well as expected commercially, in comparison to their previous albums, largely due to a lack of promotion and Armstrong entering rehab. Their twelfth studio album, Revolution Radio, was released in October 2016 and became their third to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The band's thirteenth studio album, Father of All Motherfuckers, was released on February 7, 2020, and was their final album released by Reprise. On October 24, 2023, the band announced that their fourteenth studio album, 'Saviors', will come out January 19, 2024.

In 2010, a stage adaptation of American Idiot debuted on Broadway. The musical was nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design, winning the latter two. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, their first year of eligibility. Members of the band have collaborated on the side projects Pinhead Gunpowder, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Longshot and The Coverups. They have also worked on solo careers.

Green Day has sold roughly 90 million records worldwide, them one of the world's best-selling artists. The group has been nominated for 20 Grammy awards and has won five of them with Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and Best Musical Show Album for American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording.

Brutal Love
Green Day Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Turn out the lights
Close your eyes
Turn up the silence
The heartache of your life
Dance forever
Under the lights
This brutal love

Oh, how you want it
You're begging for it
But you can't have it
Even if you tried
It's in the clutches
In my hands of
This brutal love

Old toys
This plastic heart
Loners and fools are tearing me apart
Here comes trouble
The uninvited
This brutal love

Danger
Not quite at home
The eyes of temptation
The flesh and my bones
Hello stranger
I'm a disaster
This brutal love

Bad luck
Bitters and soda
Anguish and shame
The modern fool
Bad sex
Buy me a train wreck
Something for my troubled mind

Bad luck
Bitters and soda
Anguish and shame
The modern fool

Bad love
Kiss me I?m loaded
Something for my troubled mind

Drop out
Drop-dead hideous
How low is this brutal love
Drop out
Drop-dead hideous
How low is this brutal love
Drop out
Drop-dead hideous
How low is this brutal love
Drop out
Drop-dead hideous

How low is this brutal love
This brutal love

Overall Meaning

In "Brutal Love" by Green Day, the lyrics paint the picture of a tumultuous and toxic relationship that is not built on love, but rather lust and a desire for destruction. The opening lines, "Turn out the lights, close your eyes, turn up the silence, the heartache of your life," set the stage for a painful and emotional ride. The singer is advised to distract themselves by dancing under the lights of their dark life. In the chorus, the lyrics suggest that the singer craves this brutality, but the one doling it out holds all the power. The next verse suggests that the singer's heart is fake and therefore easily broken, and that they have nobody to turn to for help.

The lyrics then switch to a warning that this relationship is not good for the singer; the consequences of temptation and lust are tearing them apart. The singer declares that he is a disaster and that his affections are cruel and dangerous. The following verse speaks of a problematic lifestyle that has led to shame and anguish, with no hope of escape from this modern-day fool. Finally, the chorus repeats as a warning that this brutal love is causing the singer to drop out and become "drop-dead hideous." He is questioning how low he can go in pursuit of this love.

Line by Line Meaning

Turn out the lights
Dim the lights, close your eyes, and embrace the silence

Close your eyes
Shut out the world and become lost in your thoughts

Turn up the silence
Allow the quiet to envelop you fully

The heartache of your life
All of the pain and sadness that you've experienced in your lifetime

Dance forever
Keep moving, never stopping, even in the face of adversity

Under the lights
In the spotlight, for all to see

This brutal love
The intense, unforgiving love that consumes someone entirely

Oh, how you want it
The desire to have something unattainable

You're begging for it
Pleading for something that may never come

But you can't have it
The thing that is wanted is unattainable

Even if you tried
No amount of effort will change the outcome

It's in the clutches
The object of desire is held tightly, out of reach

In my hands of
It's held by the one you desire

This brutal love
Intense love that can be both beautiful and cruel

Old toys
Things that are no longer relevant or useful

This plastic heart
An inauthentic, artificial love

Loners and fools are tearing me apart
The isolation and foolishness of others is causing internal turmoil

Here comes trouble
More problems are on the way

The uninvited
People or situations that were not welcome or expected

This brutal love
Love that can be both pure and vicious

Danger
Risk and uncertainty

Not quite at home
Not feeling comfortable or secure in a particular situation

The eyes of temptation
The allure of something desirable

The flesh and my bones
The physical and emotional components of a person

Hello stranger
An unknown or unpredictable situation

I'm a disaster
Feeling lost or unsettled

This brutal love
Love that can be both wonderful and devastating

Bad luck
Misfortune and struggles

Bitters and soda
A metaphor for something that is difficult to swallow

Anguish and shame
Pain and embarrassment

The modern fool
A person who is ignorant or foolish

Bad sex
Unsatisfying sexual experiences

Buy me a train wreck
Asking for something that is sure to be disastrous

Something for my troubled mind
A way to escape the difficulties of life

Bad love
Destructive, harmful love

Kiss me I'm loaded
Seeking intimacy to numb emotional pain

Drop out
To leave a situation or group

Drop-dead hideous
Terribly, unbearably ugly

How low is this brutal love
Questioning the value of love, and whether it's worth the pain it brings

This brutal love
Powerful, all-consuming, and often devastating love

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, SAM COOKE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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