vvvvlovesmusic: American Idiot by Green Day

This album is my second favorite project from the beloved pop-punk band Green Day. If I am being completely honest, even when I was really big into Green Day, this album always seemed very daunting. I avoided it for a long time because of my TikTok pea brain with a non-existent attention span. I think this album has grown on me the most as time passes out of their entire discography. There’s not a whole lot of lore for this one other than that, but I promise I will have more interesting things to talk about in the coming posts. Anyway, I love this album sonically and lyrically. I think this album probably displays their best songwriting, with bigger sounds and concepts than they have ever attempted since this album. This album also has some of the most emotionally mature and nuanced writing that we have seen from this group to this date. As a whole, this project also has an incredible nonstop and entertaining flow for having two 10-minute songs and clocking in at just under an hour. I also firmly believe that this is their most grand and ambitious ever, even though the following project, ‘21st Century Breakdown’ tries to be that too. This album is one of few that makes an hour feel like 10 minutes with such incredible writing. Front to back, this album is a masterpiece, with so many hits and classics found in the tracklist. Beyond that, it’s a great and cohesive piece of music that will always be a staple in not only the pop-punk scene, but the rock scene in general. The album starts out with the iconic title track, ‘American Idiot’. This song sets the mood and theme of the album perfectly with punchy, loud guitar riffs and political bars. This track is obviously calling out post-9/11 American media for fear-mongering, as well as the American people for racism. One line I also take away from this song is the “all across the alienation” bar. This is an amazing double entendre touching on the hypocrisy of Americans’ depiction of immigrants and undocumented people, while most come from immigrant backgrounds, and living in an “alien nation”, where Americans are isolated from the rest of the world culturally. Moving on to ‘Jesus of Suburbia’, we have an epic, hard-hitting 9 minute track with several beat switches parts. The first verse touches on the backwards mindset of an ignorant middle-class American. The song starts with the line “I’m the son of rage and love, the Jesus of Suburbia” which is a clear reference to the political climate around the time this was released. “Rage” representing those who encouraged the war and “love” representing those who didn’t. This verse also has lines showing the clear christ complex that the narrator has, with lines like “get my television fix, sitting on my crucifix” and “there’s nothing wrong with me, this is how I’m supposed to be, in a land of make-believe that don’t believe in me” comparing himself to Jesus because of the societal and economic pressure to contribute. This is clearly meant to be an ironic verse pointing out the ignorance and backwardness of the mindset some people who are privileged enough to not have to work have. The second part of this track is an allegory for the bible, using graffiti on the walls of a gas station as a literary device to represent scriptures by essentially saying that people resonate with words that have been written long before them and will most likely outlive them because it makes them feel comfortable. I think the reason the gas station represents it is a subtle dig at how easily people will believe something without using logic to cherry pick and use it against people, which would make sense considering the theme of the album is more broadly about people’s misunderstandings of other cultures that results in violence. Moving on, in part 3, we see the bigger picture, with the lead singer directly calling out the hypocritical ideas mentioned earlier as well as comparing all of America to the “disciples of The Jesus of Suburbia” or in more blunt terms, the people who misconstrue things in the bible to justify their hate for others or the people who have a christ complex and consider themselves an exception. The last part I want to touch on in this song is the section where this character is reflecting on his actions. “Oh, therapy can you please fill the void... nobody’s perfect and I stand accused” again showing the mindset of a “disciple of the Jesus of Suburbia” by showing how little remorse they have for their ignorance. I also love how this message corresponds with the music, as when the verse starts, the music slows down, but when the verse ends it abruptly ramps up again. This highlights the brief moment of regret before the narrator quickly consoles himself by convincing himself he’s done nothing wrong and that he’s “only human”. Moving on to the next track, ‘Holiday’ with another political anthem, this time way less figurative and much more in your face. The chorus “I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies, this is the dawning of the rest of our lives” clearly represents the individual’s thoughts with so much misinformation and propaganda surrounding the war. One of my favorite moments on this whole album is found in the bridge. I won’t quote this song, as I would basically quote the whole bridge, but the way it compares America to N*zi Germany is nothing short of genius. The whole verse is not too far off from the way American culture villainizes other ways of life while we have our own issues. The song ends with guitar feedback that transitions into the second part, ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’. This song is one of the most iconic and well known Green Day songs there is, but honestly I don’t have a whole lot to say about it. I love it, but there’s less to talk about compared to the others, so I am going to move on. The next song, “Are We The Waiting” is another grand and emotional song in the already stacked tracklist. The lyrics are about the narrator’s desire to leave his hometown. I love the song, but in my opinion, its second half carries it. The song abruptly ends into ‘St. Jimmy’, the loud, fast-paced better half to ‘Are We The Waiting’. I believe St. Jimmy is the Jesus of Suburbia’s alter-ego, because the whole song is full of over the top self-gloating and confidence. I love ‘St. Jimmy’ because it is so needed after two slower paced songs, and it’s also very funny, while keeping the same aesthetic and story moving. Next, we have ‘Give Me Novacaine’. If I had to choose a slow song on this album, it would be this one or ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’. It’s so emotional and at times, uplifting to hear. The way it conveys its message is beautiful because it starts off with a lot of self-pity but evolves into a hopeful song, even with the same chorus. The musical context brings it to have a different meaning. The second half of this song, ‘She’s A Rebel’ is not my favorite, but it’s grown on me a lot. I love the way it paints a picture and makes a reference to the album cover with the line “she’s holding on my heart like a hand grenade”. Also, I believe this song also adds to the story because she is Jesus of Suburbia/St. Jimmy’s love interest. However, this relationship is short, as the next song, ‘Extraordinary Girl’ goes through their troubles in their relationship. I love the different guitar textures and riffs going on in this song, and I also love the drum fills during the end of the hook. This song is truly an anthem and the message can really be applied universally even outside of this album. I love the emotion that went into this song and I love the second half as well. The next track, ‘Letterbomb’ follows the Jesus of Suburbia’s breakup with his girlfriend while also going back to the political themes explored earlier in the album. The song opens with the lines “nobody likes you, everyone left you, they’re all out without you, having fun”. This line is revisited in the next track as well, but there are some lines I want to highlight in the verse. “The town bishop’s an extortionist, and he don’t even know that you exist” is a brilliant line referring to religion in medieval times and even today with televangelists asking for funds. The hook, “It’s not over til you’re underground, it’s not over before it’s too late” is given different meaning by the end of the track as well, by showing how the Jesus of Suburbia is in denial and grasping desperately to whatever is left of his relationship once it is revealed that his love interest is leaving him. The last few lines from this song I want to talk about is “You’re not the Jesus of Suburbia, the St. Jimmy is a figment of, your father’s rage and your mother’s love, made me the idiot America”. These lines give me chills every single time because of the way it puts the entire album into a new perspective. The line about St. Jimmy proves my point earlier about it being an alter-ego, the Jesus of Suburbia line puts him in place, saying that he is not an exception and needs to get his life in order, and the line about idiot America completely shifts the blame from others to Jesus of Suburbia as an individual for complying and conforming. This song is a complete turning point in the album as well, with the follow-up track, ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ reflecting on his life and relationship. The pure emotion that went into this track is undeniable, and it goes from something sad to something inspiring and hopeful towards the future, as well as showing that Jesus of Suburbia has changed because of his experience with his relationship. This nearly 10 minute penultimate track displays the band’s easily be their own standalone songs. This song in my eyes is Jesus of Suburbia’s way of distracting him from his life collapsing around him. This song is one of, if not my favorite Green Day song they have ever released. The lyrics pick up at the very end of the song after Tre’s verse. The rest of the song is him finally confronting his breakup and reflecting on the events of the album in an extremely grand and entertaining way. The song ends the same way that ‘Letterbomb’ began, with the lines “Nobody likes you, everyone left you, they’re all out without you, having fun”. A truly symbolic and epic way to end an incredible track. The last chemistry and technical ability with several beat switches and parts that could easily be their own standalone songs. This song in my eyes is Jesus of Suburbia’s way of distracting him from his life collapsing around him. This song is one of, if not my favorite Green Day song they have ever released. The lyrics pick up at the very end of the song after Tre’s verse. The rest of the song is him finally confronting his breakup and reflecting on the events of the album in an extremely grand and entertaining way. The song ends the same way that ‘Letterbomb’ began, with the lines “Nobody likes you, everyone left you, they’re all out without you, having fun”. A truly symbolic and epic way to end an incredible track. The last track, ‘Whatsername’ follows Jesus of Suburbia settling with his breakup by trying to make himself forget his love’s name. The bare bones track quickly blows up into Jesus of Suburbia admitting that he can’t forget her in one of my favorite album closers ever. All in all, this album is amazing, and seeing it live was mind-blowing. This whole project is an experience that is undeniably important and influential to pop-punk and rock as a whole, and it truly makes their legacy that much greater.

American Idiot

9/21/2004