21st Century (Digital Boy)

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"21st Century (Digital Boy)"
Single by Bad Religion
from the album Stranger Than Fiction
Released	1990 (1994 rereleased)
Format	vinyl record 7"
Recorded	Original version: May 1990 at Westbeach Recorders, Hollywood, California Later version: 1994
Genre	Punk rock
Length	2:47
Label	Epitaph Records
Writer(s)	Brett Gurewitz
Producer(s)	Andy Wallace Bad Religion
Bad Religion singles chronology
"Struck a Nerve"	"21st Century (Digital Boy)"	"Infected"

"21st Century (Digital Boy)" is a song written by Mr. Brett from the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was originally recorded in 1990 on their fifth full-length studio album Against the Grain and rerecorded on the 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction.

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. It is possible the song is at least a respectful parody of "21st Century Schizoid Man", a song by progressive rock legends King Crimson. Towards the end of the Bad Religion song, lyrics from King Crimson's song are sung in the background:

Cat's foot iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
Innocents raped with napalm fire

Although the Against the Grain version did not receive radio airplay when it was released, the Stranger Than Fiction version was a popular hit. The song was covered in 2006 as "21st Century Digital Girl" by German trance/dance group Groove Coverage.

[edit] Charts

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1994	"21st Century (Digital Boy)"	Modern Rock Tracks	11

Bad Religion
Greg Graffin | Brett Gurewitz | Greg Hetson | Brian Baker | Jay Bentley | Brooks Wackerman
Past members: Paul Dedona | Tim Gallegos | Jay Ziskrout | Davy Goldman | John Albert | Lucky Lehrer | Pete Finestone | Bobby Schayer
Discography
Full-lengths: How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (1982) | Into the Unknown (1983) | Suffer (1988) | No Control (1989) | Against the Grain (1990) | Generator (1992) | Recipe for Hate (1993) | Stranger Than Fiction (1994) | The Gray Race (1996) | No Substance (1998) | The New America (2000) | The Process of Belief (2002) | The Empire Strikes First (2004) | New Maps of Hell (2007)
EPs: Bad Religion (1981) | Public Service (1981) | Back to the Known (1984)
Live and compilation albums: 80-85 (1991) | All Ages (1995) | Tested (1997) | Punk Rock Songs (2002)
Videos and DVDs: Along the Way (1992) | Live at the Palladium (2006)
Concert Tours
Early Shows (1980-85) | Suffer Tour (1988-89) | No Control Tour (1989-90) | Against the Grain Tour (1990-91) | Generator Tour (1992) | Recipe for Hate Tour (1993-94) | Stranger Than Fiction Tour (1994-95) | The Gray Race Tour (1996-97) | No Substance Tour (1998-99) | The New America Tour (2000-01) | The Process of Belief Tour (2002-03) | The Empire Strikes First Tour (2004-06)
Related articles
The Epitaph Records Portal Black President | Circle Jerks | Dag Nasty | Minor Threat | Epitaph Records | California punk scene | Hardcore punk
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