“Here Comes the Shock” by Green Day

Honestly speaking, the lyrics of “Here Comes the Shock” read as if the singer is taking on the role of a gang member or perhaps even leader of such an organization. He and his cohorts “got the numbers”, as in they are frighteningly-deep (i.e. numerous).

And the wording paints a picture of them basically roaming the streets, looking for blood. Indeed their apparent goal, as revealed in the first verse, is to confront their unspecified enemy in a fight to the death. Furthermore in the pre-chorus, it can be said that they are advising the listeners to arm themselves in defense – in other words prepare for their inevitable incoming in some other way.  For the vocalist and his gangbanger peers, as the title suggests, are verily bringing “the shock”.  And “the shock” apparently an artistic synonym for the massive, ‘genocidal’ level of havoc which they are about to wreak.

And in terms of the origins of this posse or movement, the singer states that they are coming “from the barrio”. The barrio is a Spanish term which, as used in America, is more or less a reference to the ‘hood in general.

So it can be said that the narrator is idealizing an uprising being perpetrated by the downtrodden, disenfranchised population of the land. In fact he further goes on to clarify that “this isn’t rock and roll”, insinuating that the sentiments being expressed extend beyond the usual (i.e. White) audience of this genre.

In Conclusion

So putting all of this together, we can postulate that Green Day was inspired by the large-scale protests which were part and parcel of 2020 America. And if so, then they also obviously empathized with, and one may even say admired, the protestors.

In fact it can be further put forth that the band is actually looking forward to the day when such a movement actually results in lasting societal change.

Or another theory concerning this song is that the band is basically chronicling what transpired during said protests. And they are actually chronicling it from a directly-involved, first-person perspective. For at the end of the day, gangs of protestors did cause a considerable amount of damage in America during 2020 even outside of the realm of fantasy.

Music Video

The official music video features only a singular character, that being a lady who looks kinda like Phoebe from the sitcom Friends. She is wearing what appears to be cheap makeup and a completely-inexpensive getup altogether. And throughout the clip she is dancing, alone, almost incessantly.

Based on the T-shirt she’s wearing as well as some of the pin-ups with litter the wall behind her, it would appear that she’s practicing an art/exercise form known as “punk rock aerobics”.

And in addition to her pink “punk rock aerobics” tank-top like T-shirt, she’s also wearing gym shorts with ripped fishnet stockings underneath and another ripped fishnet stocking on her right arm. She wears a wristband on her left arm, mismatching socks with a pair of low-top sneakers and a microphone earpiece in her right ear.

Also each time she pulls of a different move, its name is highlighted at the bottom of the video. And listed dance styles include the likes of “Skank”, “Iggy’s Punch”, “Circle Jog” and “You Be the Star Air Guitar”. And judging by the latter name for instance, it may be that she’s emulating someone playing a motion-based, rock and roll videogame.

Also as the clip progresses, it starts to show her dancing from different angles and zooms. Also just the note, in the background there is also a set of large speakers which she is exercising in front of, with some Teletubbies stuffed dolls on top of them.

Release of “Here Comes the Shock”

This is a track which Green Day originally announced and teased on 17 February 2021. And it eventually came out on 21 February 2021 as a non-album single.

The day prior to that, on 20^th February, the band debuted the tune at an NHL Outdoor game held at Lake Tahoe, Nevada which aired via television network NBC. It also should be noted that the National Hockey League has been working with Green Day at least since 2020. And likewise Green Day has been promoting the NHL.

Writing

This is a song which the band apparently wrote during the coronavirus lockdowns.