One of the greatest comebacks in rock history, American Idiot captured the fascination of a post-9/11 United States with its potent but unspecific rebellion against “redneck agendas” and “paranoia.” The self-described “punk rock opera” is the closest Green Day ever got to a political album, not directly attacking President George Bush or the war in Iraq but pretty clearly being about it. But many of the hits on this record follow a fictional teenage character, “Jesus of Suburbia,” who goes through many personal journeys like falling in love and leaving home only to find a society that rejects and hates him. Super melodramatic, but what more could you expect from a Green Day opera.
When Lookout Record founder Larry Livermore discovered Billie Joel Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, they weren’t quite the Green Day that would go on to rule the world’s radio waves. They weren’t even Green Day. They were called Sweet Children but Livermore knew there was something special about the band, so he convinced them to join his tiny label and change their name. Hints of the band’s greatness would appear on early demos, especially on their debut album “Kerplunk!”. Green Day’s sales quickly outpaced what Lookout could do, priming the band to sign with Reprise Records for their smash sophomore hit “Dookie.” The rest is history, you could say, but the punk sellouts would not only breach the mainstream for themselves but the genre of punk as a whole.
Tracklist:
- American Idiot
- Jesus of Suburbia
- City of the Damned
- I Don't Care
- Dearly Beloved
- Tales of Another Broken Home
- Holiday
- Boulevard of Broken Dreams
- Are We the Waiting
- St. Jimmy
- Give Me Novacaine
- She's a Rebel
- Extraordinary Girl
- Letterbomb
- Wake Me Up When September Ends
- The Death of St. Jimmy
- East 12th St
- Nobody Likes You
- Rock and Roll Girlfriend
- We're Coming Home Again
- Whatsername
