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“Horseshoes and Handgrenades” is the fourteenth track off of Green Day’s 2009 rock opera 21st Century Breakdown. It is the title song and first track for Act III of the album, and was originally going to be on their cancelled album, Cigarettes and Valentines, before the lyrics were edited to fit 21st Century Breakdown.
The name references two items that are often thrown: horseshoes, which are often tossed around stakes as a backyard game. They are also seen as a symbol of good luck.
On the other hand, there are hand grenades, that are thrown at something that the thrower wants to be destroyed, and with a pull of a pin and a few ticks, the bomb goes off.
““Horseshoes And Handgrenades” is an older song that Butch Vig was really into. We all looked to him on bringing that song back and it ended up being a lot of people’s favorite song on the record. I kinda think about that song, it’s almost like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Maybe it’s related to like Christian in a lot of ways, and at the end of the song it says “G-L-O-R-I-A”. It’s just kinda one of those songs where it’s kinda fucking shit up. It’s kind of just being an nihilist, but in sort of a sexy way or something. It’s kind of declaring your independence but getting completely fucked up at the same time.“
- Billie Joe Armstrong
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