Green Day has been a extremely popular band since the 90s and have had many influential albums that have helped to build the music scene that we see today. Formed in East Bay, California in 1987, Green Day would go on to be one of the most pivotal punk rock bands who helped bring the genre into the mainstream.
The band was originally formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Joe Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt and were later joined by their drummer Tré Cool in 1990. Green Day blends the rebellious spirit of punk rock with catchy melodies of pop-punk which would help them to become accessible to a wide audience.
Throughout the 90s they would become known for revitalizing the punk rock scene, inspiring major bands like Blink-182 and Sum 41. In 2015 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in their time together have won five Grammy awards, three of which pertain to their hit album American Idiot. These awards are “Best Rock Album” in 2004, “Record of the Year” for “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, and “Best Musical Show Album” for “American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording.”
American Idiot (2004) is a punk rock opera that tells the story of the anti-hero “Jesus of Suburbia” as he goes through a life of disillusionment and rebellion. The album follows themes of social and political unrest which were majorly influenced by the events of the Iraq War and the dissatisfaction of George W. Bush’s administration.
The album spoke on criticisms of American society and became a voice for a generation of unsatisfied youth. Its lyrics resonated with fans worldwide and became a commercial success by emphasizing the bands anti-establishment mentality.
American Idiot strayed away from Green Day’s early work and used reoccurring themes and characters to tell a continuous narrative. This punk rock opera can be compared to other classic albums, including “The Wall” by Pink Floyd and “Tommy” by The Who.
Many songs from the album are widely known for being some of Green Day’s biggest hits. The songs “American Idiot” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” are so popular that it can be hard to find those who haven’t heard of them, and the album consists of other major, but not as popular, hits like “Holiday” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”
American Idiot was such a success that the band decided to adapt it into a Broadway musical in 2010, allowing for it to become accessible to many new audiences and those who wanted to experience the album in a new light. This musical won two Tony awards and a Grammy. It followed three friends living in the suburbs and their journey through love, loss, and violence.
The album was a major success, selling over 16 million copies worldwide and some would call it one of the most defining albums of the 2000s.
I recently spoke about the album on “In Tune”, a podcast for Cortland’s WSUC 90.5 FM radio station, with some friends where we chose a few songs and broke down our thoughts on them and the album as a whole. Overall I love this album and recommend it to anyone who hasn’t had a chance to listen to it.