One of my favorite songs ever is “Know Your Enemy” by Green Day (which was featured in this week’s Music Monday) off the California punk band’s 8th studio album 21st Century Breakdown.
Released in April 2009 as the lead single of the aforementioned album, “Know Your Enemy”, much like most 21st Century Breakdown, had political undertones (which makes it sort of a follow up to Green Day’s terrific politically charged 7th album American Idiot).
The line that captivated me the most from this song was “silence is the enemy!” (bonus story, that’s where the name of this blog came from) because back in 2009, I was incredibly into politics (a byproduct of my being a Political Science student at the time). There was a lot of corruption in the Philippine government back then (just like it is now) and I felt the song resonated to me because staying silent at a time of social and political turmoil is what allows the status quo to remain as it is.
So, from the day I first heard it, “Know Your Enemy” has become my daily hype-up music during my commute to school for the next four years. It was effective because aside from the political message it carried, the song has this very punk, fast paced tempo that’s sure to get your adrenaline pumping.
I’m a creature of habit; what I’d do is have my music player on hold as I walk out of our house to the gate, then would only start playing the song once I got inside the pedicab that took me to the jeepney waiting area. This was a routine that I’d do in that precise order everyday, and would feel incomplete if I failed to perform it.
People have weirder stuff than what I do, but I’m glad I had one in the Beforetime (Spongebob reference, look it up) because it makes a good-ish story to tell.
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