Green Day - American Idiot
Released September 20th, 2004
Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool
Genre: Punk Rock
Green Day is joining the club of bands with multiple S+ ranks. However this is their only other one than Dookie, but trust me this is a CLOSE fighter to Black Parade. The story, the music, the history, the art, everything about this album is iconic. This is Green Day's best work and that will never change. Enough with this though, lets actually review this masterpiece.
Thoughts & Feelings
This album makes me feel like I'm watching 2000s America through the lens of someone who went on vacation and stumbled into the dirt of American cities. The imagery of every setting and character in this album is amazing, and you can easily see how this influenced Black Parade among many other Rock operas. The cultural influence of this album can not be overstated. Even today this album is still used as a political message for American politics and social issues. Not to mention the countless bands that formed after listening to this album.
Smash or Pass?
American Idiot- SSSSSSSSSSSSMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. You know this song. Everyone knows this song. Yes the guitar riff is iconic, and the lyrics are STILL used during political protests, but the most underrated part of the song is 100% Tre's drumming. The raw and angry punk sound he can get while somehow giving a feeling of tribal rage is incredible.
Jesus Of Suburbia- SSSSMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH. The first song in the story. Unlike Black Parade I wont be doing a story breakdown as this album literally became a Broadway musical, so if you are that interested watch that. This song is broken into sections so its quite hard to review. The absolute endurance test this song is to play all the way through is insane, its 9 minutes long with no down time. This song is a perfect intro to the main character and his conflict, and sets up the recurring themes for the album. The metal portion of this song is by FAR the best. This song is EXTREMELY hard to review so just listen to it. "Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed" is one of the hardest lines in ANY song on this album, not just in the context of this song.
Holiday- SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Another one almost everyone knows. The song known as the middle finger to Bush, and can be used against almost every politician of all time. The bass in this song is funky as fuck and PERFECTLY fits with the tribalistic drums and Billie's angsty vocals. The chorus is catchy as fuck and memorable. And of course, PERFECT TRAN-
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams-SSSSSMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH. -SITION BABBBBBYYYYYYYY. EVERYONE knows this song. If you don't you are lying. The first "ballad of the album and it is executed PERFECTLY. The chorus of this song is tattooed on more millennial women than fish in the ocean. This is also 99% of guitar players first song. The breakdown at the end sets up the rest of the album perfectly.
Are We The Waiting- SSSSSMMMMMMMAAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHH. A slow melodic realization that maybe running away wasn't the best idea. The guitar in this song is so aethereal with the clean and gentle tones mixed with distortion and reverb. This was one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar. The vocal harmonies in this song are both calming and meaningful. Great slo-
St. Jimmy- SSSSSSSSSSMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. SPEEEEEEEEEDDDDDD. BLINK AND YOU MISS IT TRANSITION. This is the first "classic" punk song on the album. nothing but fast angry and heavily distorted guitars. Even the slow part of the song keeps the intensity going.
Give Me Novacaine- SSSMMMMMASSSSSSHHHHH. Slow melodic opening, a complete 180 after St. Jimmy. Picks up a bit but never really becomes as heavy as most songs on this album, but not quite a ballad. Almost sounds like a country song at some points. Perfect song to transition the story's themes.
She's A Rebel- SSSSSSMMMMMAASSSSSHHHHH. The first meetings of Whatsername. This song is also the inspiration for the album cover with the line "She's holding on my heart like a hand grenade". As for the musical review, its a fast traditional punk song about a girl.
Extraordinary Girl- SSSSSSSSSMMMMMMMAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHH. The dry, tribal drums at the beginning sets the themes and tones perfectly for this song. The way this song makes Whatsername sound like both a goddess and a devil is incredible. Perfectly sets up the next song and the haunting, echoing message that is the intro to it.
Letterbomb- SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.THE BEST FUCKING GREEN DAY SONG EVER WRITTEN. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SONG IS PERFECT, THE OPENING, THE LYRICS, THE INSTRUMENTAL, EVERYTHING. The way this song is both depressing, angry, hopeless, hopeful. Written as a letter sent from Whatsername to St. Jimmy, both telling him to give up and move on, while also saying that he needs to keep trying. The lyrics of this song perfectly convey that theme, and this is the PERFECT way to set up the next song. A song about loss. THE MELODIC VOCALS TO END IT ARE AMAZING. This is the song that makes this album come even CLOSE to Black Parade.
Wake Me Up When September Ends- SSSSSSSSSSSSSMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAASSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH. You know this song. This song was written as a tribute to Billie Joe Armstrong's father. It just happened to work perfectly as a message of loss and passing time. This song is the reason I waited until now to do this review. Its September 2nd at the time of writing this and knowing my schedule this will be the only review of the month most likely. Great ballad and fits perfectly.
Homecoming- SSSSSSSSSMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. The final song in the main story. This song is the 2nd "medley" song, and is even longer than Jesus of Suburbia. This song marks the end of the St. Jimmy/Jesus of Suburbia character, symbolizing the growth of the main character and him moving on from Whastername and moving back home to Suburbia. Depicting him getting a normal job, watching TV, drinking coffee, and settling down. However the scraps of his past punk attitude still shine through. And it all comes to a breaking point after falling asleep and still having the echoes of Whatsername's letter appear in his mind. "Nobody Likes you, Everyone Left You, They're All Out Without You, Having Fun". THEN IT BREAKS INTO A CLASSIC ROCK BALLAD ABOUT HIS PAST LIFE. Despite the sparks of the punk attitude remaining, He still chooses to go home and ignore the past. Even mentioning sending a Letterbomb of his own, mostlikely to Whatsername. Musically this song is incredible. The medley of punk, classic rock, pop, and even emo elements shine and the fact that all 3 members have vocal parts on this song is amazing. The angry yelling at the end, although unscrpited, fits perfectly, and almost seems like Jimmy's last message.
Whatsername- SSSSSSSMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH. Years after the last song the main character remembers Whatsername and his past. This song is a punk rock ballad, slower but still has that punk punch that Green Day is famous for. The way Billie makes the vocals sound both depressed but bored is amazing. The way he can portray that feeling when you remember the good times with someone who you haven't talked to in years is incredible. The perfect closing track to a perfect album.
Conclusion
This album is one of the greatest albums ever made. Every song is amazing and the under appreciated songs are still well known. For an album 20 years old, it still holds up incredibly. Although the "recent events" mentioned in the album (9/11) are no longer recent, the political messages still hold up amazing. The title track is still one of the most used protest songs of all time. Listen to this album if you haven't already. I guarantee you know at LEAST 4 songs from this album.
RANK: S+
That's it for todays review. Thanks for reading and please leave feedback in the comments. I know that I barely did any reviews this summer, but I promise that reviews will become more common soon. Anyways that about all I have for this review. As always thanks for reading.
-Jake (JunosBestFriend)
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