Meaning and Composition
The lyrics of the song could be interpreted as a rejection of modern consumerist 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."
Read more about this topic: 21st Century (Digital Boy)
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