Awesome Albums – American Idiot by Green Day

Formed in the late 80’s in the East Bay of California and named for the band’s then love of cannabis (they were originally called Sweet Children). Green Day are an American pop punk rock band and with 85 million records sold worldwide, one of the best-selling bands of all time. The band, along with a few other California based punk bands of the 90’s, are considered responsible for a resurgence and re-popularising of the genre. With 13 studio albums, 3 live albums, 5 compilation albums, 1 soundtrack and 4 video albums; there is no shortage of awesome albums that I could have covered for this entry in the series. However, American Idiot specifically stands out in the Green Day catalogue for its politically infused narrative, powerful composition and coming together of the band after a time of disdain.

American Idiot

Released in 2004, American Idiot is described by Green Day themselves as a “punk rock opera”. Preceded by Shenanigans and followed by Bullet in a Bible; their seventh studio album came after a point where band members Billy Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool were all struggling. As the band’s future began to approach crisis point, the eventually managed to refocus themselves and what eventually came to be was something altogether new and more collaborative than previous efforts, which had been largely driven by Armstrong.

As American Idiot took shape, the album was viewed by Green Day as something more akin to a novel, or movie than traditional album. The tracks were chapters that transitioned through the story of an American teen anti-hero, disenfranchised, and disillusioned by society and the politics of the George W Bush administration, such as 9/11 and the Iraq War.

American Idiot

Welcome to a new kind of tension
All across the alien nation
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay
Television dreams of tomorrow
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow
For that’s enough to argue

The title track and first single was nominated for four Grammy Awards and is widely considered one of the band’s best songs.

American Idiot is an indictment of the mass media and its impact on the population of America. It points out the transition from journalism in times of tragedy (such as the Iraq war).

The song is fast, loud and is impossible not to sing along to or fall into the general spirit and tone of the album when hearing it.

Jesus of Suburbia

Born and raised by hypocrites
Hearts recycled but never saved
From the cradle to the grave
We are the kids of war and peace
From Anaheim to the Middle East
We are the stories and disciples of
The Jesus of suburbia

Track 2 is Green Day’s second longest song and the fifth and final single released from American Idiot. Jesus of Suburbia is a multi-part track with different sounds, tone, and an extending narrative. In many ways, it feels like the pop punk rock answer to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

The story is about an adolescent sick of the cynical and destructive world of the suburban lower-middle class and leaving for the city.

Holiday

Hear the sound of the falling rain
Coming down like an armageddon flame (hey!)
A shame
The ones who died without a name

Hear the dogs howlin’ out of key
To a hymn called faith and misery (hey!)
And bleed, the company lost the war today

I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives
On holiday

The third single from the album; intended as a prelude to Boulevard of Broken Dreams, the song stands alone really well (as proven by it being released as a single after Boulevard).

Inspired by Bob Dylan’s style, Holiday was written by Armstrong in retaliation to American conservatism and the Republican tendency to alienate minorities to gain popularity with other voter demographics.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I’m walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the borderline
Of the edge and where I walk alone
Read between the lines

The story goes that Billy Joe Armstrong travelled to New York alone for a while; the singer/songwriter was looking for inspiration for the new album and found it. The song is written about his time feeling both alone and empowered in the city. The finished track is one that both fits the narrative of the album and appeals to new generations of those disenfranchised and abandoned by society.

Are We the Waiting

So far in the album, things have been big and powerful; Are We the Waiting puts the brakes on that in favour of a slow and steady beat.

St Jimmy

As quickly as the previous track hit the brakes, St Jimmy accelerates back into the punk rock opera of before. The tone shifts from the disenfranchise of previous tracks to an anti-establishment rebellion; both lyrically and musically.

Give Me Novacaine

Take away the sensation inside
Bittersweet migraine in my head
It’s like a throbbing tooth ache of the mind
I can’t take this feeling anymore

Drain the pressure from the swelling
The sensation’s overwhelming
Give me a long kiss goodnight and everything will be alright
Tell me that I won’t feel a thing
So give me Novacaine

Once again, the punk vibe is halted. As though reflecting the ups and downs of the plight the protagonist of the story.

The narrative of the album has its protagonist in a bad place; unable to carry on. Beaten by the state of the world and a fight that can’t be won in a world dominated by oppressive media and willing resignation.

She’s a Rebel

Following the flow of the last couple of tracks, She’s a Rebel ups the tempo; the guitars back in full swing.

This is the first track introducing a new character in Jimmy’s story; Whatsername.

Extraordinary Girl

Continuing the narrative of Whatsername; Extraordinary Girl features a somewhat ominous sound which takes a while to get its rock on.

Letterbomb

The underbelly stacks up ten high
The dummy failed the crash test
Collecting unemployment checks
Like a flunky along for the ride

There is something to be said for how 90’s Green Day this track sounds, arguably, the most so of the entirely of American Idiot.

Although I don’t know it is entirely clear; narratively Letterbomb seems to be Jimmy’s failure and hypocrisy to inspire the change he seeked in society, alienating others in the process and delivered to him by Whatsername. This is the beginning of the end for the rebellious spirit of St Jimmy.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

The hit single was the fourth to be released from the album. Written by Armstrong about the death of his father when he was 10. The narrative is largely unrelated to that of the rest of the album beyond being a sombre and natural sounding transition from Letterbomb to Homecoming.

Homecoming

The penultimate track is another four-part track. Undone by the up’s and down’s of his quest to fix the injustices of the world, Jimmy is no longer fighting the good fight, in fact he is no longer the rebellious Jimmy but rather that same kid who left suburbia at the start of the album. He is conformed, has settled into society and eventually heads back to where it all begun.

Whatsername

The final track is the protagonist returned to the start and reminiscent; remembering the journey, his ideals faded from memory and thinking instead about the people as names fade and only faces remain. It’s a sad conclusion to the album overall

Final Thoughts

American Idiot is an album with a strong theme and an overarching narrative reflected in the music with tonal shifts. The success was enough that it inspired a Broadway musical and had a feature film adaptation in the works. It’s frequently listed in Greatest Album lists and no doubt American Idiot is one of the best creative works that Green Day have produced.

The Narrative

The overarching story sees the hero (or maybe anti-hero) go through stages of their life; feeling let down by their lot they head to the city only to see injustices worse than they imagined. They adopt an anti-establishment attitude, become Jimmy to seek and inspire change, only to alienate people and end up alone. Eventually, conforming to society and obsessing over the people they lost.

It’s a sad look at American society because the story implies the systemic conservatism preserves itself by making rebellion unsustainable and reducing non-conformity to states of depression and assured self-destruction.

In Conclusion

The story told has a degree of ambiguity whilst simultaneously lacking subtlety too in some places, the music is varied and full of personality. However, the tone flickers between angry and sad. The reason there is no victory, is because the only win condition in the society presented here is to knuckle under, to conform. This message is what makes American Idiot by Green Day an awesome album. However, there is a joy in the accomplishment here.

American Idiot as a concept, takes a look some issues systemic in the nature of American society at the turn of the millennium. It presents a reason why this is problematic and there is joy to be had in that Green Day took this conclusion and presented the tragedy of it in a way that is accessible. I love that about the album.