THE TRUE MEANING OF GREEN DAY’S SONG: …i THE TRUE MEANING OF GREEN DAY’S SONG: HOLIDAY IN THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN FINAL PAPER Presented

i

THE TRUE MEANING OF GREEN DAY’S SONG: HOLIDAY

IN THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN FINAL PAPER

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Bondan Jiwandana

Student Number: 101214146

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2017

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ii

A Sarjana Pendidikan Final Paper on



By

BONDAN JIWANDANA


Approved by

Advisor

Dr. Antonius Herujiyanto, M.A June 14th

, 2017


iii

A Sarjana Pendidikan Final Paper on



By

BONDAN JIWANDANA


Defended before the Board of Examiners

on July 10th

, 2017

and Declared Acceptable

Board of Examiners

Chairperson : Yohana Veniranda, M.Hum., M.A., Ph.D. ______________

Secretary : Christina Lhaksmita Anandari, Ed.M. ______________

Member : Dr. Antonius Herujiyanto, M.A. ______________

Member : Paulus Kuswandono, Ph.D. ______________

Member : Truly Almendo Pasaribu, S.S., M.A. ______________

Yogyakarta, July 10th

, 2017

Faculty of Teachers Training and Education

Sanata Dharma University

Dean

Rohandi, Ph.D.


iv

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this paper, which I have written, does not contain the work

or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the

references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, July 10th

, 2017

The writer,

Bondan Jiwandana

101214146


v

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN

AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:

Nama : Bondan Jiwandana

Nomor Mahasiswa : 101214146

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan judul kepada

Perpustakaan Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul :

“THE TRUE MEANING OF GREEN DAY’S SONG: HOLIDAY

IN THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT”

Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan

kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,

mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan

data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau

media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya

maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya

sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal: 10 Juli 2017

Yang menyatakan

(Bondan Jiwandana)


vi

ABSTRACT

Jiwandana, Bondan. (2017). The true meaning of green day’s song: holiday in

the social, political and economic context. Yogyakarta: English Language

Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education,

Faculty of Teachers Training and Education. Sanata Dharma University.

Power is one of the most influential things to do an action. Powerful people

often use their power to achieve goals in order to fulfill their interests. It is the

true meaning of Green Day’s song: Holiday, which was written by the singer,

Billie Joe Armstrong. Amrstrong criticizes the policy of Iraq invasion as well as

protesting the American who supported the invasion.

The objective of this study is to reveal the textual and true meaning of

Green Day’s Holiday song lyric. There are two formulated problems in this study,

i.e “What is the textual meaning of song?” and “What is the true meaning of the

song in the social, political and economic context?”

This is a qualitative study. The primary data were taken from the song

lyric of Green Day’s Holiday which is taken from the album American Idiot,

while the secondary data were taken from other relevant sources, such as related

books, journals, and the internet. The approach used in this research is Marxist

Criticism Approach. The theory used is the theory of poetry.

There are two conclusions in this study. The first finding is the textual

meaning of Holiday which is about war that occurs as the result of self-oriented

dictator policies, the war-minded citizens and the hypocritical supports given by

the people to the leader. The second is the true meaning of the song lyric in the

social, political and economic context at the time the song was written. After

analyzing the song, the researcher reveals the true rationale of the Iraq invasion

and the impacts of the invasion in social, political and economical life of the

Americans as well as the Iraqi people.

Keywords: Holiday, textual meaning, literal meaning, Iraq invasion, 9/11.


vii

ABSTRAK

Jiwandana, Bondan. (2017). The true meaning of green day’s song: holiday in

the social, political and economic context. Yogyakarta: English Language

Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education,

Faculty of Teachers Training and Education. Sanata Dharma University.

Kekuasaan adalah hal yang paling berpengaruh dalam pengambilan

tindakan. Orang-orang yang berkuasa selalu menggunakan kekuasaan mereka

untuk mencapai tujuan tertentu demi memenuhi kebutuhan mereka. Ini adalah arti

mendalam dari lagu milik Green Day yang berjudul Holiday, yang diciptakan oleh

penyanyi mereka, Billie Joe Armstrong. Armstrong mengkritisi kebijakan dalam

hal penyerangan Iraq sebagaimana juga memprotes orang Amerika yang

mendukung penyerangan tersebut.

Tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk menemukan arti tekstual dan arti

sebenarnya dari lagu milik Green Day yang berjudul Holiday. Ada dua masalah

yang diformulasikan dalam studi ini yaitu “Apa arti tekstual dari lagu tersebut?’

dan “Apa arti sebenarnya dalam konteks sosial, politik, dan ekonomi dari lagu

tersebut?”

Studi ini termasuk dalam studi kualitatif. Data utama diambil dari lirik

lagu Holiday yang diambil dari album American Idiot, sedangkan data kedua

diambil dari sumber lain yang relevan seperti buku, jurnal, dan data dari internet

yang berhubungan dengan studi. Pendekatan studi yang digunakan adalah Marxist

Criticism. Teori yang digunakan adalah teori puisi.

Ada dua kesimpulan yang diambil dari studi ini. Yang pertama adalah arti

tekstual dari lagu Holiday tentang perang yang disebabkan oleh kebijakan seorang

diktator yang mementingkan dirinya sendiri, warga negara yang gemar akan

peperangan, dan dukungan yang hipokrit dari orang-orang untuk sang penguasa.

Yang kedua adalah arti sebenarnya dari lirik lagu tersebut dalam konteks sosial,

politik, dan ekonomi. Setelah menganalisis lagu tersebut, penulis menguak alasan

sebenarnya dari penyerangan Irak dan dampak dari penyerangan tersebut dalam

kehidupan sosial, politik, dan ekonomi warga negara Amerika sebagaimana warga

negara Irak.

Keywords: Holiday, arti tekstual, arti sebenarnya, penyerangan Irak, 9/11.


viii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Finishing this paper is a dream comes true for me. I want to thank everyone

who gave me support to finish my study. I thank Dr. Antonius Herujiyanto,

M.A and Yohana Veniranda, M.Hum., Ph.D. that believed that I can finish this

study like many other people.

I dedicate this study to my father, Alm. Wandiyo and my mother Sumarti

who are the primary reason I chose PBI as my major. They are the best parents in

the world, and this little dedication is not equal with the loves they gave to me my

entire life.

I also dedicate this study to my best friend and partner, Mei Nadia. She

supported and encouraged me the most during the writing process. Eventually I

thank my bandmates in UKM Band Sexen, Horse Shoe and Korekayu which are

my partners in pursuing our musical careers. I also want to thank my long lasting

friends: Yustinus Ryan, Gallang Purbowaseso and Yoga Prihantara who have

fought with me in this battle for seven years.

Bondan Jiwandana


ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................ i

APPROVAL PAGE ...................................................................................... ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ........................................... iv

PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ........................................... v

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... vi

ABSTRAK ....................................................................................................... vii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................ viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................. ix

LIST OF APPENDICES .............................................................................. x

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 1

A. Background of the Study ..................................................................... 1

B. Approach of the Study......................................................................... 4

CHAPTER II. DISCUSSION ....................................................................... 6

A. Textual Meaning of Holiday ............................................................... 6

B. True Meaning of Holiday in the Social, Political and

Economic Context ............................................................................... 16

CHAPTER III. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................ 22

REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 25

APPENDICES ............................................................................................... 27


x

LIST OF APPENDICES

Page

1. The Lyric of Holiday ........................................................................... 27

2. Short Biography of Billie Joe Arsmstrong .......................................... 29

3. Short Biography of George Walker Bush ........................................... 31


1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of two sections, namely Background of the Study

and Approach of the Study. Background of the Study provides information about

the investigated problems, the importance of the study, and an overview about the

study strategy. Approach of the Study deals with the descriptions of the sample,

materials, and procedures.

A. Background of the Study

Art and ideology are two things that cannot be separated each other.

There is always a big connection between art and ideology. An artwork is

constructed based on the ideology and experiences of the author. Consciously or

not, the artist tends to reflect his/her ideology to the artworks. There must be a

background and reason why an artist chooses particular style and theme showed in

the artwork. Gombrich (1960) stated: “a style like a culture or a climate of

experience sets up a horizon of expectation, a mental set, which registers

deviations and modifications with exaggerated sensitivity in noticing relationships

the mind registers tendencies” (p. 60). It shows that the style and themes are

chosen based on the ideology of the artist.

The lyric of a song is constructed by the elements of the literature, which

makes it identified as a literary work. Literature is an art, so it means that we can


2

identified the artist‟s ideology through the lyric. Booker (2005) stated, “The text

can never be a self-sufficient totality because literature bears a complex but

identifiable relationship with ideology, which is as it were the “raw material”

transformed by the specific processes of literary production” (p. 445). Analyzing

the artist‟s character through the deep study of the lyric is possible. We can

determine the message of the lyric by analyzing the theme choosen and also the

style that is used in the literary process.

Related to the background above, the researcher is interested to study the

lyric of a song entitled Holiday. It is Green Day‟s song, an American punk rock

band which was given an honour to be included in Rock N‟ Roll Hall of Fame and

their album called American Idiot was being placed in the 30th

of the list of US

Billboard, a famous chart ranking of the most popular music albums in United

States. This song contains Green Day‟s protest for the US Government. Green

Day is famous for their anti-war lyrics and is considered as one of many

musicians who protested the political policies of the United States of America

government, especially between the administration of George Walker Bush (2001-

2009). Billie Joe Armstrong (2010), the singer of the band and the songwriter

once stated in an interview given by NPR Music:

In the beginning, right after 9/11 and watching the sort of tanks going

into Iraq and these embedded journalists going in live, it felt like a cross

between war and reality television. So I just felt this great sort of

confusion, like, someone needs to say something. For me, I felt this

moment of rage and patriotism. (p.1)

Armstrong‟s statement above clearly shows his disappointment of the

U.S government decision to invade Iraq. The rationale of the invasion itself is still


3

debatable. In fact, many Americans including Armstrong did not support this

decision and they labelled Bush as a war criminal. In an article published by

Clickhole which was written by himself, he stated:

When my band Green Day released our album American Idiot almost 13

years ago, we knew we were lobbing a grenade into the lap of the culture.

With the fallout from 9/11 and the Iraq War revealing deep divisions in

American society, our confrontational lyrics and attitude clearly touched

a nerve, if our 15 million record sold are any indication. But now that

enough time has passed to let the dust and controversy settle, I finally

feel comfortable revealing that the “American Idiot” I sang about was

none other than President George W. Bush. (Armstrong, 2017)

That statement shows which side Armstrong is in. His protest against the

government policies is the main theme of Green Day‟s 15-million-record-sold

album.

The aim of this study is to reveal the true meaning of Holiday song lyric

in the social, political and economic context in the U.S. at the time the songs were

written. In order to do so, there are two questions to be answered:

1. What is the textual meaning of Green Day‟s Holiday?

2. What is the true meaning of the song lyric?

This study is beneficial, firstly, for the readers who are interested in

knowing deeper about Green Day and their artworks. Moreover, this study

encourages the readers who have passion in music to enrich their knowledge in

literature as well as history. In teaching literature, this study is useful to enrich the

student‟s knowledge about poetry. Lastly, for future researcher, it is suggested

that they may use this study as their reference


4

B. Approach of the Study

The approach of the study is Marxist Criticism. Marxist Criticism

approach is used to dig out the true meaning of the poem in the social, political

and economic context. Stefánsson (2014) have described the definiton of Marxist

theory:

Marxist literary criticism is a form of criticism that is founded in the

theories of Karl Marx and can be applied to any literary text. The aim of

Marxist literary criticism is to expose the underlying social and political

leanings of the author as well as his works. (p. 3)

It is a literary criticism that does not only analyzes a literary work, but

also the author himself in order to get a deeper understanding of both. Marxist

Criticism approach tends to focus on the representation of class conflict as well as

the reinfocement of class distinctions through the medium of literature. Marxist

Criticism often champion authors symphatetic to the powerless (working class).

The literary works often reflect the different class of the characters involved. In

the case of this study, it is the different political class between Armstrong and

Bush.

Biography is used to analyze the life and political review of the author,

such as the information about his hometown where he lives, the social, political

and cultural athmosphere at the time the songs were written, or his daily activities.

Spitzer and Walter (n.d) stated:

Historical context includes all of the factors relevant to understanding

and interpreting a song at a given moment in history. Many features that

appear unusual or unique today turn out to be typical when the work is

viewed in its historical context (p. 5).


5

This study is a qualitative study. Clissett stated that, “qualitative research

covers a wide range of approaches for the exploration of “human experience,

perceptions, motivations and behaviors”, and is concerned with the collection and

analysis of words whether in the form of speech or writing” (as cited in Tavallaei

& Talib, 2010, p. 571). By using this qualitative research, the researcher is able to

interpret the true meaning of Green Day‟s song lyrics.

The researcher also used library study to help the study process. The

primary data of the research is the song lyric of Green Day‟s Holiday. This song is

a very political contained song and the researcher analyzed it to reveal the true

meaning in the social, political and economic context. The other sources are some

data from the internet which have relation with the study, especially the biography

of Billie Joe Armstrong as well as articles and journals about Iraq invasion.

There are several steps to conduct this study. The first step is listening

Holiday and study the lyric. Second, the researcher finds some informations

related to the topic and the biography of the songwriter. The third step is to find

the theories related to the topic. The next step is to find the textual meaning of the

lyric. The last step is to analyze the true meaning of Holiday. Finally, the

researcher makes conclusions of this study.


6

CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

This chapter discusses three major parts of discussion as mentioned

before. Firstly, it discusses the textual meaning of Holiday. Secondly, it discusses

the the true meaning of the song in the social, political and economic context.

A. Textual Meaning of Holiday

Lyrics is a major part for musician to convey the messages. Lyrics give

the audience deep understanding about the message contained in the song. Dallin

(1994) said,

Lyrics are written as a form of interaction between the writer and the

listeners. Most of the times, they carry a message (whatever that might

be) with the purpose of motivating the listeners, at least, to think about it.

Such a purpose and form of interaction are embedded in the cultural

context of these people, according to their musical preferences, time, etc.

(p. 55)

According to Butt (2005), English speakers and writers use the first

position in the clause to signal to their audience what the message is about. In

English, the first position in a clause contains textual meaning (p.135).

Holiday is basically one of the most popular songs from Green Day

which were written by Billie Joe Armstrong, who is the main songwriter of the

band. Armstrong wrote this song at the time of the album production, which was

between 2001-2003, right after 9/11 tragedy. The theme of this song is about his

protest against the US government policies.


7

The musical arrangement of this song shows the characteristics of punk

rock music, which can be identified by loud and distorted guitar sound and fast-

beat tempo. Punk rock itself is a popular music that developed widely in England

during Industrial Revolution as the protest of the working class people against the

capitalistic society. It has been used widely as the vehicle of the protesters to

convey their aspirations. The punk-rockers itself usually belong to the lower class

people with poverty issue as noted by Laing (1978) that the musical production of

punk rock “were made quickly and cheaply in a small recording studio, often in

the group's home city”, (p. 125). It shows the economic class of the punk rockers.

In order to make clear interpretation of the song lyric and to find its

textual meaning, the researcher provides stanza-by-stanza and line-to-line

analysis.

The First Stanza

Hear the sound of the falling rain (1.1)

Coming down like an Armageddon flame (1.2)

The shame (1.3)

The ones who died without a name (1.4)

From the stanza above, the researcher found that the writer describes a

place which is in a war. This place is very chaotic and dead bodies are found

everywhere. The first line of the stanza says: Hear the sound of the falling rain

(1.1). In this line the writer describes that something fall from the sky like a rain

drops. These things are possibly military air forces which bring disaster to the

land. The amount of these things are huge that Armstrong symbolizes it into rain

(1.1), in which the water drops are countless.


8

The writer adds another visual image in the second line of the stanza:

Coming down like an Armageddon flame (1.2). He makes the visualization of the

rain (1.1) clearer that it is not water, but something as destructive as Armageddon

flame. Faulk (2002) stated that “Armageddon is the biblical site of the final

clicmatic battle between the forces of good and evil.” (p. 999). Armageddon is a

Hebrew word which often used as a word to describe a catasthrophic event. The

flame itself symbolyzes destructive entity. Armageddon flame represents

something with enormous force which is able to bring the level of destruction as

Armageddon. This description fits the images of bullets and other military

weapons in the war.

The third line: The shame (1.3), and the fourth line of the stanza: The

ones who died without a name (1.4) visualize the effect of the military assault to

the place. The ones who died without a name is the representation of the casualties

of the war from both side. The amount of the casualties is countless that it cannot

be recognized or possibly the amount of the casualties is not important anymore

related to the countless amount. It is showed in the phrase without a name (1.4).

This first stanza introduces the visual images of the song. A military

force assaults the land, resulting a catasthropical image. This military assault

causes destruction and the casualties are found everywhere.

The Second Stanza

Hear the dogs howling out of key (2.1)

To a hymn called faith and misery (2.2)

And plead (2.3)

The company lost the war today (2.4)


9

The second stanza represents the people behind the curtain of this war.

The first line says: Hear the dogs howling out of key (2.1). the dogs in this line

refers to a group of people, possibly political party who are howling out of

control. They are the decision makers or government who act against the right

thing. Howling out of key represents (2.1) their actions of justifying war. This

people make decisions based on their own interests, although it is bad and brings

disaster.

The second line of the stanza says: To a hymn called faith and misery

(2.2). A hymn is a type of song, usually religious and specifically written for the

purpose of adoration or prayer. The word hymn (2.2) in this line refers to the

religious base of these people. Faith and misery (2.2) is the contadictive aspect of

their decision. Faith (2.2) represents their actions which are believed to bring

good and prosperous life for them. In the other side, misery (2.2) is the result

caused by it. The misery is only experienced by the casualties of war.

The third and the last line of the stanza shows that these certain people

try to attract sympathy from the citizens of their nation. The company lost the war

today (2.4) clearly makes a strong statement that their side is the side which is

hurted. It legitimates their actions to do more to fight in this war, because their

side is beaten.

Overall, the second stanza shows how evil the people who design the

war. They use their tricks to grab the attentions and sympathies of the whole

nation by propaganda.


10

The Third Stanza

I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies (3.1)

This is the dawning of the rest of our lives (3.2)

On holiday (3.3)

The first line of the stanza says: I beg to dream and differ from the

hollow lies (3.1). In this line, the writer shows his opinion about the war as well as

giving social critics. The leader of the nation wants everyone to support his

actions, and some people do support him. The writer is disgusted on how many

people in the nation follow the blind lies, and he wants to break out from that

situation.

This is the dawning of the rest of our lives (3.2) refers to the social critics

given by the writer to the people of the nation who are considered ignorant by

him. Holiday is the time when people do not go to work, staying home or doing

something contraproductive. The word holiday (3.3) on the third line of the stanza

symbolyzes the attitude of the people in relation with the politic of their nation.

At last, the third stanza reveals the writer‟s disappointment of the action

of both, the leader and some people who support him. This stanza is being placed

in the chorus part of the song, which is the most catchy and important part. This

chorus is repeated for four times in the song, which is adding stronger sense of the

critic from the writer.

The Fourth Stanza

Hear the drum pounding out of time (4.1)

Another protester has crossed the line (4.2)

To find the money’s on the other side (4.3)


11

The fourth stanza adds more informations about the ignorant actions of

the leader and some people in the writer‟s nation. The line Hear the drum

pounding out of time (4.1) has similar meaning with the first line of the second

stanza which says: Hear the dogs howling out of key (2.1). A drum which is

pounded out of time symbolyzes the action that is not right and out of the track. It

is similar to an out-of-tempo beat, which is considered as wrong based on musical

rules. The writer believes that the action of the leader and some people who

support him is considered wrong and should not be done.

The second line of this stanza: Another protester has crossed the line

(4.2), explains why the drum is pounding out of time. The reason is some people

who were genuinely good people and against the war-minded leader, cross the

political border to support the war action. The reason behind this attitude is

explained in the next line: To find the money’s on the other side (4.3). It is caused

by money (4.1), which is the symbol of the prizes given by the regime.

This stanza reveals that the leader uses anything possible to convince

people to support him. Some people of course, take the bait and cross the line for

the prizes. The writer makes a statement that the nation is corrupted and the

people do not care about any other thing as long as it serves their own interests

without thinking about the political consequences.

The Fifth Stanza

Can I get another Amen (5.1)

There’s a flag wrapped around a score of men (5.2)

A gag (5.3)

A plastic bag on the monument (5.4)


12

The first line of this stanza is similar with the second line of the second

stanza: To a hymn called faith and misery (2.2). It says: Can I get another Amen

(5.1). The word Amen (5.1) is possibly has the same function as hymn (2.2), which

refers to satire critic related to a religion base of a group (political party). It is also

a statement from the group that they have religion based reason to legitimate the

war, as well as a way to convince people who have the same religion to support

them.

The second line: There’s a flag wrapped around a score of men (5.2),

describes the condition of the war casualties. Flag (5.2) represents nation, while

wrapped around (5.2) symbolizes the freedom of the war casualties which are

taken from them. This line shows that the leader of the nation tries to control other

nation by war, and take away its people‟s freedom.

Entirely, this stanza shows that freedom is taken from the innocent

people and religious based reason is used to legitimate the war.

The Sixth Stanza

The representative from California has the floor (6.1)

Sieg Heil to the president gasman (6.2)

Bombs away is your punishment (6.3)

Pulverize the Eiffel Towers (6.4)

Who criticize your government (6.5)

In the song, the line The representative from California has the floor

(6.1) is sung with a voice from a megaphone speaker. This kind of speaker is often

used in demonstrations. In this case, the first line of the stanza describes the

situation where a demonstration is held, and the orator of the demonstration is the


13

representative from California (6.1). It shows that the next lines of the stanza are

the words of the orator.

The orator says: Sieg Heil to the president gasman (6.2). This is a satire

from the writer for some people who support the leader of the nation. This people

gather in a demonstration to show their support. Sieg Heil is a common chant at

political rallies in Nazi Germany, means roughly „Hail Victory‟. In this song, the

writer wants to show the dictatorship of the leader of nation by comparing him to

Hitler, who was one of the famous dictators in the world. The chant which is

spoken by the orator also reveals that they accept and even support the leader as

the dictator of the nation. Gasman is a businessman who is selling and trading gas.

It is obvious that gasman is a rich person because gasoline is a good commodity

and always brings a lot of money for the seller or trader. The phrase president

gasman (6.2) symbolyzes the leader of the nation as a person who always seeking

money, and not the good of the nation. He always thinks about his own interest.

The third line of the stanza: Bombs away is your punishment (6.3), is the

next bold statement to show the dictatorship of the leader. The punishment (6.3) in

the line is a threat for the people who are against the leader. The leader will punish

the people with Bombs (6.3), which shows that military force is used to punish

them. This adds clearer description of the dictatorship of the leader.

The fourth and the fifth line of the stanza: Pulverize the Eiffel Towers

(6.4), Who criticize your government (6.5) refer to another nation which gives

some critics about the leadership. The Eiffel Towers (6.4) is possibly the symbol

of France.


14

Overall, this stanza shows the stupidity of the people who support a self-

interest-oriented leader. This leader keeps his dictatorship secured by threating

people with military force, as the usual dictators do. Although there are some

critics from other nation, it does not affect his decision to become a dictator and

running the government in a savage attitude.

The Seventh Stanza

Bang-bang goes the broken glass and (7.1)

Kill all the fags that don’t agree (7.2)

Trials by fire setting fire (7.3)

Is not a way that’s meant for me (7.4)

The first line of the stanza: Bang-bang goes the broken glass and (7.1),

reveals another violence approach used by the leader. Bang-bang (7.1) is the

sound of gunshots while broken glass symbolizes the destruction as the result of

the violence approach. The next line: Kill all the fags that don’t agree (7.2),

shows the target of the violence. Fags symbolize people who are weak and tend to

avoid any violences, in this case it is war. All the anti-war people are considered

as troublemakers and they need to be shutted down. The phrase don’t agree (7.2)

reveals vividly the reason why it is considered as a threat for the government. Kill

all the fags (7.2), which symbolizes the using of whatever methods needed, is the

solution of the regime to deal with this threat.

The third line says: Trials by fire setting fire (7.3). It shows the writer‟s

opinion on the fact that war approach on something is always wrong. There is no

good in a war. Fire (7.3) in this line symbolizes war. It shows that starting war

resulting another war, and it is a never ending cycle. The last line of the stanza: Is


15

not a way that’s meant for me (7.4), states the obvious reaction of the writer about

the war approach. It shows the disappointment of the writer.

This stanza contains another bad thing about the dictatorship of the leader

as well as showing the disagreement of the writer about the method that the nation

used to react on an issue.

The Eighth Stanza

Just cause (8.1)

Just cause (8.2)

Because we’re outlaws (8.3)

This stanza is the critic from the writer for the people of the nation.

Outlaws (8.3) represents some people who are rule breakers. It is a symbol of the

people who are hypocrite and breaking their own rules when it comes to being a

good nation with honest intention. People are turning away from the fact that

voting and supporting the tyrannical leader are something which are considered as

wrong. It does not end the discord of the world. Otherwise, the war becomes more

intense and the peace is just a dream if the people stay in outlaws state.

At last, the textual meaning of this song lyric is about war which is

occured as the result of self-oriented dictator policies, the war-minded citizens and

the hypocritical supports given by the people to the leader. It is the aspiration of

the writer as well as social critics to his whole nation. The writer is an anti-war

person, showed by his critical way of thinking and reaction on something related

to the issue.


16

B. True Meaning of Holiday in the Social, Political and Economic

Context

After studying the lyric to find its textual meaning, the writer conducts

the analysis of its true meaning in the social, political and economic context. This

study uses Marxist Criticism approach. This approach focuses on the distinction

class between the upper class and the middle class of the society by examining

carefully on the forms, styles and meanings of the artwork. Eagleton (1976) stated

that:

Marxist criticism is not merely a „sociology of literature‟, concerned with

how novel get published, and wheter they mention the working class. Its

aim is to explain the literary works more fully; and this means a sensitive

forms of styles and meaning.” (p. 3).

Stefánsson (2014) have described the definiton of Marxist criticism:

Marxist literary criticism is a form of criticism that is founded in the

theories of Karl Marx and can be applied to any literary text. The aim of

Marxist literary criticism is to expose the underlying social and political

leanings of the author as well as his works. (p. 3)

1. True Meaning of Holiday in the Social Context

In the social context, Holiday is a critic from Billie Joe Armstrong for the

government of his country, United States of America, administrated by George

Walker Bush. Armstrong also criticizes the citizens of the country who supported

the war campaign led by Bush. The rationale of the invasion itself is still

debatable. According to the Official Site of the White House (2017), the reason

behind the invasion based on “the belief that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein

posed a grave threat to the United States.”. Before the Iraq invasion, a terrorist


17

attack happened in the US. Osama bin Laden was accused as the man behind the

notorious attack known as 9/11. This attack triggered Bush to reinforce the

military action in responding the issues from the middle-east nations as well as

Islamic movements. The Iraq invasion was one of his moves in responding the

issues. In the other hand, this motive was not well accepted by the people of the

United States. The invasion of Iraq divides the society of the people into two: the

pro-war people and the anti-war people. According to Pew Research Center, in

March 2003, there are two sides of people‟s attitude in responding Bush‟ decision.

72% people said it was a right decision, and 22% people on the other side that

said it was a wrong decision (Pew Research Center, March, 2008). Armstrong

belonged to the second group and he showed it through his lyric. As mentioned

before, the word holiday (3.3) in the chorus symbolyzes the people in the society

of America which decided to choose the wrong option in responding the war

issue. Armstrong criticized their attitude which was in a “holiday” manner,

without thinking about the consequences. Based on Pew‟s latest national survey in

Feb 2008, among 1,508 adults, 54% people said that the nation made the wrong

decision and 38% people said US made the right decision.

The song also reveals the real impact of the war which was the death of

the casualties from both side, the army of the invader and the casualties from the

invaded. Many soldiers died in the invasion of Iraq as well as innocent Iraqi

people. In 2006, Burnham, Doocy, Lafta and Roberts said, “the number of victims

to be around 655,000” (p. 2). Armstrong, as many other people who were against

Bush, believed that this should not be happened. In the other hand, the fact that so


18

many people died in the battle did not stop the Bush‟ regime to continue the

invasion. They covered their actions using the media as a tool for propaganda.

The government spread false informations regarded the war facts. The

lines: And plead (2.3), The company lost the war today (2.4) shows how Bush

used his power to manipulate informations. Pfiffner (2004) said that some popular

press accused Bush of his lying arguments to decide the war in Iraq (p. 25). This

informations showed that US was in the weaker side of the war and needed to

push more in order to get the justice, which was in fact, a false justice. This wrong

information spread by the media controlled by Bush, was a legitimation to

continue the invasion. Some people on the society accepted the information as it

was spread and felt that the invasion was the right choice.

The word Amen (5.1) in the song reflects Christianity. This religion-

based sentiment adds clearer legitimation of the invasion since the majority of

people in the middle east believed in Islam. The 9/11 attack was based on the

religion motive which gave a false image that the invasion was the counter attack

reaction from the Christians, with the U.S. military forces as „the crusaders‟.

Beside that, Bush‟s biographers note that he was “deeply devoted to the Israeli

cause. An emotional visit to the Holy Land in 1998 linked his Christian faith with

the fate of the Israeli people in a deeply personal way” (Schweizer & Schweizer,

2004 : p. 538-539).

Overall, the true meaning of this song in the social context is the protest

from Armstrong to notorious Bush administration as well as the people who

supported him. Bush used his power to control the media to did some propagandas


19

to legitimate his actions. Armstrong also critized the US citizens who thought that

this war was a religion-based war. Armstrong was one of the citizens who were

against Bush and his supporters. It is a clash between the powerful Bush and the

powerless Armstrong.

2. True Meaning of Holiday in the Political Context

In the political context, this song reveals that the tyrannical Bush and his

political supporters used their political power to control every aspect in order to

fulfill their self interests. One of the Bush‟s supporter groups is revealed in the

line: Hear the dogs howling out of key (2.1) and To a hymn called faith and

misery (2.2). As it mentioned before, a hymn which is a song or prayer,

symbolyzes religion. In political context, it refers to Republican Party which has

strong base of Christianity. Conger (2007) said, “The Christian Right has become

a leading factor in Republican politics in the United States over the past 25 years”

(p. 2). The word Amen (5.1) from the fifth stanza also refers to it.

Beside the political party, this quarrel also involved another country

which was against the invasion. France was a country that opposed the Iraq

invasion as shown in the phrase Eiffel Towers (6.4), an iconic architecture from its

country. The opposition attitude is showed in the last line: Who criticize your

government (6.5). In fact, France was one of the countries who were against US at

that time, as Taubmann said that “French socialists melted into the national

consensus against the war”, (p. 243). This opposition attitude was the result of US

efforts to maintain their hegemony. Lieberfeld (2005) noted that the Bush


20

administration has been fortright about its goal of global hegemony, a power so

complete that challenging it becomesnearly incoceivable (p. 3).

Overall, in the political context, the analysis from the researcher reveals

that Iraq invasion was suported as well as opposed by political entity. The

supporter of the invasion was the US Republican Party which its majority member

of the house voted for war. In contradict, France was a country which opposed the

invasion, as it was a statement that the world should not be under American

hegemony.

3. True Meaning of Holiday in the Economic Context

The researcher highlighted some stanzas which shows the deeper

meaning of the song in economic context. There is an economic motive behind the

Iraq invasion. US government had lost all faith in Saddam Hussein due to his

erratic and unpredictable energy export policies. It was believed by the U.S.

Government that there was a possibility that Saddam Hussein may removed Iraqi

oil from the market for an extended period of time in order to damage the prices.

The result is the global energy crisis that would increase and affects the

economical stability of the US. Lieberfeld (2005) noted,

The U. S. National interest in guaranteeing its oil supply at a time of

diminishing domestic reserves and increased worldwide demand could

also be achieved by military control of Iraq‟s petroleum reserves, which,

in a Baathist controlled Iraq, would have been exploited instead by

America‟s competitiors (p. 4).


21

This fact revealed that Bush did not care about people‟s lives but

economic stability of his country. This money-oriented president is symbolized

with the phrase president gasman (6.2) in the sixth stanza.

The self-oriented attitude was also found in the group of Bush supporters.

The line Another protester has crossed the line (4.2), refers to Bush‟s supporters

who decided to give support to the invasion based on economic motive. The

economic motive is showed in the next line: To find the money’s on the other side

(4.3). It shows that money had the power to turn people from doing the right thing

into the opposite for the sake of their economic situations.

In the context of economic, this song reveals that economic condition has

great power to encourage people to do bad actions. In this case, Bush sacrificed

many people‟s life for the sake of U. S. economical stability. In the other hand,

Saddam Hussein and the people of Iraq suffered the consequences of the invasion.

Entirely, the true meaning of the song is about Armstong‟s protest about

the Bush‟ war campaign in Iraq invasion. The use of military power to achieve

self-interest goals is considered as wrong. Same thing applied on the US citizens

and Republican Party who support that action. Armstrong made a statement that

Iraq invasion had deep impacts on the social, political and economic aspects of the

people. War never gives good impacts but destructions.


22

CHAPTER III

CONCLUSIONS

This chapter deals with the conclusions of this study. It presents the

answers of the formulated problems from the analysis. The two formulated

problems are: “What is the textual meaning of Green Day‟s Holiday?” and “What

is the true meaning of the song lyric?”. The answers of those two formulated

problems are the conclusions of this study.

The first answer is the textual meaning of Holiday. The textual meaning

of this song lyric is about war which occurs as the result of self-oriented dictator

policies, the war-minded citizens and the hypocritical supports given by the

people to the leader. It is the aspiration of the writer as well as social critics to his

whole nation. The first stanza introduces the visual image of the song: war

happens in a land with so many armies, war vehicles and weapons. The second

stanza shows how evil the people who design the war. The third stanza shows the

writer‟s disappointment of the action of both, the leader and some people who

support him. The fourth stanza reveals that the leader uses anything possible to

convince people to support his action. The fifth stanza shows that freedom is

taken from the innocent people. The sixth stanza shows the stupidity of the people

who support a self-interest-oriented leader. The seventh stanza shows the bad

thing about the dictatorship of the leader as well as shows the disagreement of the


23

writer about the method that the nation used to react on an issue. The eighth

stanza shows the critic from the writer for the people of the nation.

The second answer is the true meaning of the song. The true meaning of

the song is about Armstong‟s protest about the Bush‟ war campaign in Iraq

invasion. The use of military power to achieve self-interest goals is considered as

wrong. Armstrong make a statement that Iraq invasion has deep impacts on social,

political and economic aspects of the people. The war never gives good impact

but destruction.

The true meaning of this song in the social context is about the protest

from Armstrong to notorious Bush administration as well as the people who

supported him. Bush used his power to control the media to did some propagandas

to legitimate his actions. Armstrong also critized the US citizens who thought that

this war was a religion-based war. Armstrong was one of the citizens who were

against Bush and his supporters. It is a clash between the powerful Bush and the

powerless Armstrong.

In the political context, the analysis from the researcher reveals that Iraq

invasion was suported as well as opposed by political entities. The supporter of

the invasion was the US Republican Party which its majority member of the house

voted for war. In contradict, France was a country which opposed the invasion, as

it was a statement that the world should not be under American hegemony.

In the context of economic, this song reveals that economic condition has

great power to encourage people to do bad actions. In this case, Bush sacrificed


24

many people‟s life for the sake of US economical stability. In the other hand,

Saddam Hussein and the people of Iraq suffered the consequences of the invasion.


25

REFERENCES

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Music. Retrieved March 13, 2017 from

www.npr.org/2010/05/27/126395459/billie-joe-armstrong-from-green-day-

to-broadway .

Armstrong, B. J. (2017). Enough time has passed to reveal george w. bush was the

„american idiot‟. Retrieved May 11, 2017 from www.clickhole.com.

Barnet, S., Berman, M., Burto, W. (1993). An introduction to literature (10th

ed).

New York: Harper Collins College Publishers.

Booker, M. K. (2005). Encyclopedia of literature and politics. Wesport, CT:

Greenwood Publishing Group.

Burnham, G., Doocy, S., Lafta, R., & Roberts, L. (2006). Mortality after the 2003

invasion of Iraq: a cross-sectional cluster sample survey. The Lancet.

Conger, K. H. (2007). Moral values issues and political party organization cycles

of conflict and accommodation of the christian right in state-level

republican parties. New York: Iowa State University.

Dallin, R. (1994). Approaches to communication through music. David Foulton

Publishers. Retrieved April 10, 2017 from

http://www.southdowns.nhs.uk/index.cfm?request=c2007985.

Dimmock, M. (2008). Public attitudes toward the war in iraq: 2003-2008. Pew

Research Center. Retrieved April 21, 2017 from

www.pewresearch.org/2008/03/19/public-attitude-toward-the-war-in-iraq-

20032008/.

Eagleton, T. (1976). Marxism and literary criticism. Berkeley: University of

California.

Faulk, O. R. (2002). Tort & insurance law journal. Washington, DC: American

Bar Association.

Gombrich, E. H. (1960). Art and illusion: a study in the psychology of pictorial

representation. London: Phaidon Press.

Jackson, E. L., & Jackson, E. J. (2010). Poetically correct. Indianapolis: Dog Ear

Publishing.


http://www.npr.org/2010/05/27/126395459/billie-joe-armstrong-from-green-day-to-broadway

http://www.npr.org/2010/05/27/126395459/billie-joe-armstrong-from-green-day-to-broadway

http://www.clickhole.com/

http://www.southdowns.nhs.uk/index.cfm?request=c2007985

http://www.pewresearch.org/2008/03/19/public-attitude-toward-the-war-in-iraq-20032008/

http://www.pewresearch.org/2008/03/19/public-attitude-toward-the-war-in-iraq-20032008/

26

Laing, D. (1978). Interpreting punk rock. Marxism Today, 22, 123-128.

Lieberfeld, D. (2005). Theories of conflict and the iraq war. International Journal

of Peace Studies, 10, 3.

Pfiffner, J. P. 2004. Journal article: did president Bush mislead the country in his

arguments for war with Iraq? Retrieved February 18, 2017 from

http:///www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-

5705.200400032.x/abstract.

Schweizer, P. & Schweizer, R. (2004). The bushes: portrait of a dynasty. New

York: Doubleday.

Spitzer, J., & Walters, G. Ronald. (n.d). Making sense of american popular song.

Retrieved June 4, 2017 from

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/songs/questions3.html.

Stefánsson, S. G. (2014). J.R.R. tolkien: a marxist reading. Hugvísindasvið:

University of Iceland.

Tavallaei, M., & Talib, M. A (2010). A general perspective on role of theory in

qualitative research. The journal of international research, 3, 570-577.

Taubmann, M. 2005. A matter of principle: humanitarian arguments for war in

iraq. Oakland: University of California Press.


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http://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-5705.200400032.x/abstract

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/songs/questions3.html

27

Appendix 1

The Lyric of Holiday

"Holiday"

Hear the sound of the falling rain

Coming down like an Armageddon flame

The shame,

The ones who died without a name

Hear the dogs howling out of key

To a hymn called "Faith and Misery"

And plead,

The company lost the war today

I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies

This is the dawning of the rest of our lives

On holiday

Hear the drum pounding out of time

Another protester has crossed the line

To find, the money's on the other side

Can I get another Amen?

There's a flag wrapped around a score of men (Hey!)

A gag


28

A plastic bag on a monument

The representative from California has the floor

Zieg Heil to the president Gasman

Bombs away is your punishment

Pulverize the Eiffel towers

Who criticize your government

Bang bang goes the broken glass and

Kill all the fags that don't agree

Trials by fire, setting fire

Is not a way that's meant for me

Just cause

Just cause

Because we're outlaws yeah!

Adapted from: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/holiday.html


http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/holiday.html

29

Appendix II

The Short Biography of Billie Joe Armstrong

Billie Joe Armstrong was brought into this world on February 17, 1972,

the youngest of six children. His father, Andy, was a part time jazz musician and a

truck driver for Safeway, while his mother was a waitress at a local resturant

named Rod's Hickory Pit. Billie started singing when he was just 5 years old. He

would go around to hospitals and sing to the patients to make them feel better.

Then he got to record his first song, "Look for Love" at a local recording company

named Fiat Records. Billie got his first electric guitar, the infamous "Blue" (a

Fernandes Stratocaster), when he was 11. His mother bought the guitar from his

first guitar teacher. Billie still uses Blue to this day and has several replicas of it.

At the age of 10, Billie's father died of cancer of the esophagus which spread

throughout his body. His mother continued to work at Rod's Hickory Pit in

Vallejo, California, to support herself and her six kids. Billie Joe and Mike later

worked there as busboys. Two years after the death of his father, his mother

remarried.

Billie was 10 when he met Mike Dirnt in the school cafeteria in 1982.

During sleepovers at each other's houses, they played songs by old heavy metal

warhorses such as Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard, and Van Halen. Other influences

would be the "thrash and drang" of the Bay Area's alternative music culture

percolating throughout the eighties. Clubs such as Mabuhay Gardens and

Berkeley's 924 Gilman Street regularly showcased local groups like the Dead

Kennedys and Buck Naked. He wrote his first song, "Why Do You Want Him", a

song about his mother and his step father, when he was 14. At the age of 15,

Billie, Mike, and a drummer named John Kiffmeyer formed a punk band and

named themselves Sweet Children. Their first gig was actually at Rod's Hickory

Pit. One day before his 18th birthday, and halfway through his senior year, Billie

dropped out of high school (Pinole Valley High School) to devote all his time to

Sweet Children. He knew what he wanted to do - play music, and school was just

getting in the way. At this point, Billie had the nickname "Two Dollar Bill",

referring to the price of the joints he sold.

In 1990, Kiffmeyer left the band to attend college. Billie and Mike were

faced with the task of finding a new drummer. They knew the perfect fit, Tre

Cool, a Gilman Street veteran, who was then playing in the Lookouts!. Later,

Sweet Children was renamed Green Day. Before they knew it, they were traveling

all over the country in an old bookmobile with Tre's dad at the wheel. They did all


30

this with little money and staying at fans' houses. It was in Minneapolis in 1990

that Billie first laid eyes on his future wife, a girl named Adrienne Nesser. They

dated for some time and then were married on July 2, 1994, a 5 minute ceremony.

The day after their wedding, Adrienne found out she was pregnant. Their son,

Joseph Marciano Armstrong, was born in March 1995. Three years later on

September 12, 1998, another boy, Jakob Danger was added to the Armstrong

family. Today, Billie, Adrienne, Joseph, and Jakob reside in Berkeley, California.

Adapted from: http://www.greendayauthority.com/band/billie.php


http://www.greendayauthority.com/band/billie.php

31

Appendix III

The Short Biography of George Walker Bush

George W. Bush is the 43rd President of the United States. He was sworn

into office on January 20, 2001, re-elected on November 2, 2004, and sworn in for

a second term on January 20, 2005. Prior to his Presidency, President Bush served

for 6 years as the 46th Governor of the State of Texas, where he earned a

reputation for bipartisanship and as a compassionate conservative who shaped

public policy based on the principles of limited government, personal

responsibility, strong families, and local control.

President Bush was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut,

and grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas. He received a bachelor‟s degree in

history from Yale University in 1968, and then served as an F-102 fighter pilot in

the Texas Air National Guard. President Bush received a Master of Business

Administration from Harvard Business School in 1975. Following graduation, he

moved back to Midland and began a career in the energy business. After working

on his father‟s successful 1988 Presidential campaign, President Bush assembled

the group of partners who purchased the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in

1989. On November 8, 1994, President Bush was elected Governor of Texas. He

became the first Governor in Texas history to be elected to consecutive 4-year

terms when he was re-elected on November 3, 1998.

Since becoming President of the United States in 2001, President Bush

has worked with the Congress to create an ownership society and build a future of

security, prosperity, and opportunity for all Americans. He signed into law tax

relief that helps workers keep more of their hard-earned money, as well as the

most comprehensive education reforms in a generation, the No Child Left Behind

Act of 2001. This legislation is ushering in a new era of accountability, flexibility,

local control, and more choices for parents, affirming our Nation‟s fundamental

belief in the promise of every child. President Bush has also worked to improve

healthcare and modernize Medicare, providing the first-ever prescription drug

benefit for seniors; increase homeownership, especially among minorities;

conserve our environment; and increase military strength, pay, and benefits.

Because President Bush believes the strength of America lies in the hearts and

souls of our citizens, he has supported programs that encourage individuals to

help their neighbors in need.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked our Nation.

Since then, President Bush has taken unprecedented steps to protect our homeland

and create a world free from terror. He is grateful for the service and sacrifice of


32

our brave men and women in uniform and their families. The President is

confident that by helping build free and prosperous societies, our Nation and our

friends and allies will succeed in making America more secure and the world

more peaceful.

President Bush is married to Laura Welch Bush, a former teacher and

librarian, and they have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. The Bush family also

includes two dogs, Barney and Miss Beazley, and a cat, Willie.

Adapted from: https://georgewbush-

whitehouse.archives.gov/president/biography.html


Documents

THE TRUE MEANING OF GREEN DAY’S SONG: …i THE TRUE MEANING OF GREEN DAY’S SONG: HOLIDAY IN THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN FINAL PAPER Presented