 Green Day commenced work on the record in January 2006 . The writing and recording process spanned three years and four California recording studios , and it was finished in April 2009 . On February 9 , 2009 , Green Day announced the album title and that the record would be split into three acts : " Heroes and Cons " , " Charlatans and Saints " , and " Horseshoes and Handgrenades " . On March 17 , a teaser trailer for 21st Century Breakdown was posted on the band 's website . The international release date of May 15 was announced on March 25 . In early April 2009 , Green Day premiered " Know Your Enemy " on television ; a portion of the song was used as introductory music to the 2009 NCAA Men 's Basketball Tournament Championship game . The band first performed 21st Century Breakdown in full during a string of California club shows in April 2009 . At each show , concertgoers were given programs containing all of the album 's lyrics . The first single , " Know Your Enemy " , was released on April 16 , 2009 , and soon after the world premiere of the song 's music video occurred on April 24 on the MTV UK website . 
