Green Day’s new Trump-themed lyric video speaks to “Troubled Times”

By Esther Zuckerman  |  January 16, 2017 | 8:45pm
Aux Features Music
Green Day’s new Trump-themed lyric video speaks to “Troubled Times”
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Just in time for the inauguration, Green Day has unveiled the lyric video for a rather self-explanatory track titled “Troubled Times.” Donald Trump himself pops up frequently, his yellow hair engulfing his face like fire, and his animated arms waving frantically. As Billie Joe Armstrong sings about the necessity of staying vigilant, images of historical protests are paired with symbols of oppression, mashing up the inspiring and the ominous.

“Troubled Times” is off the band’s recent album Revolution Radio, which The A.V. Club wrote “seethes with midtempo stompers fearful of the world and what the future holds.” And though the video is pointed, the song is imbued with more dread than rebellion, especially when compared to the likes of “American Idiot.” (Don’t forget: When Trump saw the American Idiot musical in 2010, he called it ”an amazing theatrical experience.”) Green Day’s been trotting out that Bush-era tune recently, and led an anti-Trump chant during their performance of “Bang Bang” at the American Music Awards.

 
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