Perusing the MTV Video Yearbook for 1999 a few things jump out at you. One, several artists who were on top of the world ten years ago are now in the throes of their comebacks (Eminem, Blink-182). Two, some artists who were on top then never made it back to those pre-millenial glory days (Len, 702). But the most striking thing about this year was clearly the fact that bands wore fake mustaches in their music videos and, perhaps more perplexing, we found it hi-lar-i-ous. Like...it's funny. But it's not so funny that you'd say, "let's hang the the success or failure of this expensive music video on the humorous effect cause by a dude wearing fake facial hair." Oh, "Sabotage," you have so much to answer for.

To help you properly enjoy this clip of Green Day's brand-new video, "Know Your Enemy," which premieres on MTV on Friday, I've had my ear to the speaker all morning decoding lyrics. Here's what I've come up with:

Bringing on the fury/ The choir infantry/ Revolt against the honor to obey

Overthrow the effigy/ The vast majority/ Burning down the foreman of control

Silence is the enemy/ Against your urgency/ So rally up the demons of your soul

Do you know the enemy/ Do you know your enemy/ Well, gotta know the enemy

At first I wasn't sure that I did know my enemy. Or at least, I wasn't sure who Billie Joe Armstrong was shouting about. Clearly American Idiot railed directly against George W. Bush with every ounce of spit it had. It's widely accepted to be the protest album of the Bush era. But he's gone now. Then I was considering the possibility that Green Day were anti-Obama, too, until I remembered this Billie Joe Armstrong quote from a Rolling Stone interview:

"After his acceptance speech, I have to admit, it took me an hour to get the lump out of my throat. Obama inspires people, and this country needs inspiration. People are jaded, pissed off and embarrassed."

So who could the enemy be? The big clue in this exclusive 30-second "Know Your Enemy" preview comes in the third stanza. Look: "Silence is the enemy/ Against your urgency." Silence is the enemy! Billie Joe is suggesting, like Lit before him, that our enemies are... ourselves! "Revolt against the honor to obey," he snarls. Do what you believe is right -- make noise -- even if it's not what you're "supposed" to do.

The enemy is your instinct to go along quietly in the name of comfort. Green Day hasn't turned on Obama. They've written him a rallying cry, reminding the world that it wasn't a president that put us where we are. It was our own silent apathy. And on top of that, no president -- no matter how inspiring -- can get us out of our mess if we continue to choose complacency over responsibility.

"Know Your Enemy" they scream, before a wall of flames. Do what's right, not what's easy. DO. Do your part to make sure that this 21st Century Breakdown has a happy ending. Course all that's just one man's opinion. What do you think?

"Know Your Enemy" premieres on MTV.com at the stroke of midnight, Friday, April 24. Be here.

+ Go behind the scenes of Green Day's "Know Your Enemy."

+ Watch the ultimate Green Day video playlist!

+ Green Day video director reveals details of "Know Your Enemy.

The All-American Rejects' new video, "Gives You Hell," (did you see them tearing the set apart on the last-ever afternoon episode of TRL yesterday?) takes all of the most glorious aspects of pop-punk and pop-rock videos of the late '90s and early oughts and parlays them into a nostalgia-packed, fun-filled hatefest with the added benefit of a shirtless Tyson Ritter. (W00t!!1!)

Suburban streets, retro decor, blindingly bright color treatments, the band role playing, sporting bad hair and throwing stuff at the neighbors? Is this blink-182's "First Date" (watch it below the jump) meets Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy" meets The Offspring's "Pretty Fly For a White Guy", with a little Weezer thrown in for good measure (because that chorus definitely echoes "Beverly Hills" and "Say It Ain't So.")

I still love the '90s!

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