DU Album of the Day: Green Day - "American Idiot"

[LynneSin]

I'm in rare form this morning. Before work I cleaned my kitchen and laundry room and I'm damn proud of myself with how clean they came out. Then again it's been 2 months and I'm still not seeing bugs anywhere. That bugman is a MIRACLE worker. For me to do really good cleaning I need really loud music and thought I would go with one of my favorite loud albums "American Idiot" from Green Day.

I have to confess something to you gentle readers. I was never a big Green Day fan. I swore to a friend back in the 90s that one day you'd buy Green Day's "Dookie" in the Kmart Bargin bin for $2.99. So it's official - I was wrong. To me "American Idiot" pulled Green Day well ahead of the pack of 90s grunge/punk/alt bands and has shows that they can adapt and still sell albums to this day. It was also the perfect protest album for a country who was really really annoyed with George W. Bush.

The thing about "American Idiot" is this - it's one of those albums that has had some really massive hits like the title song "American Idiot", "Holiday" and "Wake me Up When September Ends", but the best way to listen to this album is all in one sitting because the album actually tells the store of 'Jesus of Suburbia'. In fact it was a story that was translated into a Broadway Musical, which I got to see on May 15th, 2010 (it was my birthday treat for me). Read more about the musical here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Idiot_(musical). I've read where they are now turning the musical into a movie so this should be interesting. (movie is set to be released sometime in 2013).

BTW LynneSin Green Day Trivia - the day that Katrina hit New Orleans, I was at the Maryweather Post Pavillion outside of Baltimore at a Green Day concert.

My favorite song is "Holiday" which was inspired by the fact that George W. Bush took so much fricking vacation during his presidency.

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

Hear the drum pounding out of time
Another protester has crossed the line (Hey!)
To find, the money's on the other side

Can I get another Amen (Amen!)
There's a flag wrapped around a score of men (Hey!)
A gag, A plastic bag on a monument

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

"The representative from California has the floor"

Sieg Heil to the president gasman
Bombs away is your punishment
Pulverize the Eiffel towers
Who criticize your government
Bang bang goes the broken glass and
Kill all the fags that don't agree
Trials by fire setting fire
Is not a way that's meant for me
Just cause
Just cause
Because we're outlaws yeah!

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

[Denninmi]

1. Thanks, LynneSin.

It is a great album. I wish I had the time and $$ to see the musical, it's playing here in Detroit at the end of January for a couple of weeks. I'll have to wait until the film comes out, and hope they don't change it too much -- Tom Hanks is the producer, so I have faith.

[cyberswede]

2. Excellent album

and I agree that it should listened to all the way through.

That said, I put "American Idiot" and "She's a Rebel" on my kids' iPods, 'cause they like those two songs best. They're 11 and 9, and I'm trying to balance out the Iyaz, Pitbull and other pop stuff they like.

[Brickbat]

3. This album is a favorite of my son's; he's a huge Green Day fan, which I find kind of sweet since

I'm Billy Joe's age. Green Day is actually a great band to use as an opening to talk about all sorts of things with my soon-to-be-surly kid. We've talked about politics (obviously), sexuality (Billy Joe's, as well as references in the songs), literary devices (performing/writing as "someone else," using terms such as "fag" ironically, and so on), musical theory (super easy, with punk-based music), and on and on.

[Liberal Veteran]

4. I love Green Day. I also thought they had no staying power.

Happily, they have proved me so wrong.

[RiffRandell]

5. Oh yeah!

Awesome album from start to finish. Saw them first in 95 then twice on their 21st Century Breakdown tour. They put on a great show.

[ceile]

6. Agreed. I thought "Dookie" was an annoying POS album.

Actually, I still can't stand it. But "American Idiot" is a classic.

[Amaril]

7. American Idiot is my favorite Green Day album

I also have Dookie, Nimrod & 21st Century Breakdown loaded on my iPod. They are my go to group for road trips or just when I need a pick-me-up. Their energy is infectious.