The punk rockers get sentimental in their soundtrack offering, which debuted Tuesday on MTV.
The first anthem for Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 has officially arrived.
Green Day debuted the video for “The Forgotten,” the lead single off the film’s forthcoming soundtrack, Tuesday on MTV. In the clip, footage of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool is intertwined with footage from the film, giving fans their first look inside Bella’s new vampire world.
The film centers on Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) new life as a vampire with her husband, Edward (Robert Pattinson), and their daughter, Renesmee (McKenzie Foy). But the bliss of her new family is put in jeopardy when the Volturi -- the leaders of the vampire world -- set their sights on Renesmee, believing that the Cullens have broken the cardinal rule of vampires: You don’t transform a child.
Green Day’s soft, dreamy ballad touches on the nightmarish battle the Cullens now face -- yet the video shows no evidence of the war they are waging. Instead, all visuals from the film focus on Bella's fascinating new perspective and the love she shared with her new family (plus an appearance from good ol' dad, played by Billy Burke).
“Don’t look away/ From the arms of a bad dream/ Don’t look away/ Sometimes you’re better lost than to be seen,” Armstrong croons in the chorus.
“Where in the world’s the forgotten/ Like soldiers from a long lost war,” he continues. “We share the scars from our abandon/ And what we remember becomes folklore.”
News of Green Day’s contribution to the soundtrack came as a surprise earlier this month. While the Twilight soundtracks have always included a variety of artists and genres, there’s something about the punk rockers that just doesn’t seem to fit with the Twihards. Something reminiscent of Matthew McConaughey's infamous Dazed and Confused line: "That's what I like about these high school girls; I get older, they stay the same age."
It’s nothing short of absurd to see a trio of 40-year-old rock stars (perfoming in front of a packed stadium) juxtaposed with images of the beautiful young stars of the franchise. Though, to be fair, with Armstrong currently in rehab the band may not have been available to fully participate in the video's concept and rollout.
Among the more fitting contributions to the album is a follow-up from Christina Perri, whose “A Thousand Years” became the breakout hit from Breaking Dawn – Part 1’s soundtrack, Ellie Goulding, and star of the film Nikki Reed, whose duet with real-life husband Paul McDonald will be featured.
"When we were asked to be part of the Breaking Dawn -- Part 2 soundtrack, we readily agreed because the films are an insane cultural phenomenon," said Green Day bassist Dirnt in a release. "We have always been impressed with the way the Twilight soundtracks are carefully curated."
