The 2009 song Billie Joe Armstrong “tortured” himself to write: “Nobody understands”

Billie Joe Armstrong said writing “21 Guns” grew out of the burnout and isolation he experienced while trying to push Green Day’s music further after the success of *American Idiot*. The song matters because it turned that personal struggle into a hit about exhaustion and working out what is worth fighting for.

Armstrong recalled that the pressure became dark and affected his family and friends, who could not understand what he was going through. Released in 2009 on *21st Century Breakdown*, “21 Guns” reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album topped the Billboard 200.