99 Revolutions
Song Meaning
This song was written about the Occupy movement, for which Oakland was a major stage. Here are some excerpts about "99 Revolutions" from a November 2012 Guitar World interview with Billie Joe:
"My idea of the Occupy movement goes beyond just left-wing radicals. I think 99-percenters go all the way from that to cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers and lots of people in my own family. My mom�s worked at a diner her whole life. My dad was a truck driver. My brother works as a plumber. So I think there�s a really broad idea of what the 99 percent is. I�m just tapping into my working-class background in that song and then thinking about what is fair and what is not fair. And how the one percent should be taxed more, and how corporations should be taxed more, and how we should have things like free health care and building an infrastructure of schools and bridges and fixing roads. And by doing that, giving people more work."
"And it�s interesting to see some of the Tea Party people. It�s like, 'You don�t understand: you are a part of that.' This directly affects you. With free health care you�re able to start your own independent business. You don�t have to worry about paying certain bills if you get sick, or having to deal with some fucked-up corrupt insurance company. You can be more independent and you can have that load lifted off you and your family a little more."
[In response to the militant Occupy groups who smashed windows of Oakland small businesses in protest]: "It�s like, 'You�re bashing store fronts in Oakland? Doesn�t Oakland have enough problems as it is?' But the core of the movement�there are some smart people who are pushing it in the right direction."
Lyrics
There’s trouble in the air
A rumble in the streets
A goin’ out business sale
In a race to bankruptcy
It’s not 1 to 99
It’s 99 to 1
A common cause, and a call to arms
For the health of our daughters and our sons
It’s 99 revolutions tonight
There’s a rat in the company
A bail out on Easy Street
How the fuck did the working stiff
Become so obsolete?
Hit the lights, and bang the drum
And let your flag unfold
‘Cause history will prove itself
In the halls of justice, and lost souls
It’s 99 revolutions tonight
We live in troubled times
From the ghetto, to an empty suburban home
We live in troubled times
And I’m 99% sure that something’s wrong
It’s all wrong
It’s 99 revolutions tonight
It’s 9, 9 to 1
To one
Live Performances
"99 Revolutions" has been played 70 times live:
- May 17, 2015 - Berkeley, CA, USA at 924 Gilman Street
- Apr 16, 2015 - Cleveland, OH, USA at House Of Blues
- Nov 06, 2014 - Oakland, CA, USA at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records
- May 15, 2014 - San Francisco, CA, USA at Acoustic 4 A Cure, The Fillmore
- Mar 03, 2014 - Perth, WA, Australia at Soundwave Festival, Arena Joondalup
- Mar 01, 2014 - Adelaide, SA, Australia at Soundwave Festival, Bonython Park
- Feb 28, 2014 - Melbourne, VIC, Australia at Soundwave Festival, Flemington Racecourse
- Feb 23, 2014 - Sydney, NSW, Australia at Soundwave Festival, Sydney Olympic Park
- Feb 22, 2014 - Brisbane, QLD, Australia at Soundwave Festival, RNA Showgrounds
- Feb 20, 2014 - Paddington, QLD, Australia at Captain Cook Hotel
- Nov 19, 2013 - San Francisco, CA, USA at Dreamforce Gala, AT&T Park
- Aug 24, 2013 - Leeds, , England at Leeds Festival, Bramham Park
- Aug 23, 2013 - Reading, , England at Reading Festival, Richfield Avenue, Little John's Farm
- Aug 21, 2013 - London, , England at O2 Academy Brixton
- Jul 13, 2013 - Bilbao, , Spain at Bilbao BBK Live, Kobetamendi
- Jul 12, 2013 - Lisbon, , Portugal at Optimus Alive, Passeio Marítimo De Algés
- Jul 10, 2013 - Nîmes, , France at Festival De Nîmes, Arena Of Nîmes
- Jul 08, 2013 - Locarno, , Switzerland at Moon and Stars Festival, Piazza Grande
- Jul 07, 2013 - Montreux, , Switzerland at Montreux Jazz Festival, Audtorium Stravinski
- Jul 05, 2013 - Arras, , France at Main Square Festival, Citadelle Vauban
- Jul 04, 2013 - Werchter, , Belgium at Rock Werchter
- Jul 02, 2013 - Copenhagen, , Denmark at Refshaleøen
- Jun 30, 2013 - Oslo, , Norway at Ullevaal Stadion
- Jun 28, 2013 - Norrköping, , Sweden at Bråvalla Festival, Bråvalla Flygfottilj
- Jun 26, 2013 - Helsinki, , Finland at Rock The Beach, Hietaniemi Beach
- Jun 25, 2013 - Tallinn, , Estonia at Tallinn Song Festival Ground
- Jun 23, 2013 - St. Petersburg, , Russia at SKK Peterburgsky
- Jun 21, 2013 - Moscow, , Russia at Olympic Stadium
- Jun 18, 2013 - Łódź, , Poland at Atlas Arena
- Jun 16, 2013 - Landgraaf, , Netherlands at Pinkpop Festival
- Jun 09, 2013 - Nürburg, , Germany at Rock am Ring
- Jun 08, 2013 - Nürnberg, , Germany at Rock im Park
- Jun 06, 2013 - Bologna, , Italy at Unipol Arena
- Jun 05, 2013 - Rome, , Italy at Ippodromo Capannelle
- Jun 01, 2013 - London, , England at Emirates Stadium
- May 29, 2013 - Vienna, , Austria at Krieau Rocks
- May 27, 2013 - Belgrade, , Serbia at Kalemegdan Park
- May 25, 2013 - Trieste, , Italy at Piazza Unità D'Italia
- May 24, 2013 - Rho, , Italy at Fiera Milano Live
- May 22, 2013 - Milan, , Italy at Ohibo Club
- Apr 18, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA, USA at Los Angeles Sports Arena
- Apr 16, 2013 - Berkeley, CA, USA at Berkeley Greek Theater
- Apr 12, 2013 - Quebec City, , Canada at Quebec Colisee
- Apr 11, 2013 - Toronto, , Canada at Air Canada Centre
- Apr 09, 2013 - Providence, RI, USA at Dunkin Donuts Center
- Apr 07, 2013 - Brooklyn, NY, USA at Barclays Center
- Apr 06, 2013 - Uncasville, CT, USA at Mohegan Sun Arena
- Apr 04, 2013 - Fairfax, VA, USA at Patriot Center
- Apr 03, 2013 - Philadelphia, PA, USA at Liacouras Center
- Apr 01, 2013 - Rochester, NY, USA at Blue Cross Arena
- Mar 31, 2013 - Pittsburgh, PA, USA at Consol Energy Center
- Mar 29, 2013 - Moline, IL, USA at Wireless Center
- Mar 28, 2013 - Rosemont, IL, USA at Allstate Arena
- Mar 15, 2013 - Austin, TX, USA at SXSW, Moody Theater
- Mar 13, 2013 - El Paso, TX, USA at Tricky Falls
- Mar 11, 2013 - Tempe, AZ, USA at Marquee Theatre
- Mar 10, 2013 - Pomona, CA, USA at Fox Theater
- Sep 15, 2012 - New York, NY, USA at Irving Plaza
- Sep 12, 2012 - New York, NY, USA at The Bowery Electric
- Sep 01, 2012 - Konstanz, , Germany at Rock Am See, Bodenseestadion
- Aug 30, 2012 - Berlin, , Germany at Kindl-Bühne Wuhlheide
- Aug 29, 2012 - Mönchengladbach, , Germany at Warsteiner HockeyPark
- Aug 26, 2012 - Paris, , France at Rock En Seine, Domaine National De Saint-Cloud
- Aug 23, 2012 - London, , England at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
- Aug 19, 2012 - Osaka, , Japan at Summer Sonic, Makuhari Messe
- Aug 18, 2012 - Tokyo, , Japan at Summer Sonic, QVC Marine Field
- Aug 17, 2012 - Tokyo, , Japan at Music Station
- Aug 16, 2012 - Tokyo, , Japan at Shibuya-AX
- Nov 17, 2011 - Austin, TX , USA at Red 7
- Nov 01, 2011 - San Francisco, CA, USA at Rip Curl Pro Search Party, Mezzanine
Other tracks from ¡TRÉ!
| 1 | Brutal Love |
| 2 | Missing You |
| 3 | 8th Avenue Serenade |
| 4 | Drama Queen |
| 5 | X-Kid |
| 6 | Sex, Drugs & Violence |
| 7 | Little Boy Named Train |
| 8 | Amanda |
| 9 | Walk Away |
| 10 | Dirty Rotten Bastards |
| 11 | 99 Revolutions |
| 12 | The Forgotten |
