American Idiot (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Green Day > Reviews > Green Day - American Idiot

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	everything
Disadvantages:	nothing

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I first heard this on MTV’s The Leak, a section of their web page where they preview an album in its entirety the week prior to its official release. Not being one to really take notice of MTV, it took pure luck to come across it, but being the huge Green Day fan that I am, I had to spoil it for myself and have a listen. So, as the tracks went by, my heart raced faster with every minute, listening to the finest music that Green Day have ever made. With the exception of ‘Basket Case’ and ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’, this could easily be Green Day’s very own greatest hits. Being from the UK, it was released a day earlier here than in the US, giving me full opportunity to listen …. and listen …… and listen, before most other people had the chance. Billie, Mike, Tre …………….. thank you very much indeed !

I have to say that a large portion of the media have this down as an Anti-America record, but upon reading the lyrics and really listening to the songs, it turns out this may, in some freakish way, be pro-America. I had a comment on my first review saying that this may be the case as it shows the right to ‘express yourself’ and ‘be different’ and to that person I say well done for making a damn good point. Being British, all this pro and anti-American stuff doesn’t apply, but it is easy to see that there is no better form of expression than through music, and in Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day have a damn good man for the job. Lyrically, musically and mentally ….. ‘American Idiot’ is a masterpiece. What has come before, Dookie, Nimrod etc, was the set-up for an assault on the mind that is just so irresistible that I find it extremely difficult to turn my CD player off at night.

American Idiot

The hype around the album was eventually satisfied with the release of the first single to be taken from it ‘American Idiot’. Lyrically this is probably something that few Americans would appreciate, with the words not sounding particularly kind in parts. Musically it typical Green Day …. Hard hitting drums, typical clean bass from Mike Dirnt and Billie Joe singing his heart out with every word. As far as its placing on the album, its not the best track here, but it would also be my pick to open the album. For adrenaline and feeling, there isn’t much better than American Idiot, but as I said for overall quality, there are better songs here. The great thing with Green Day is that their music takes you in so many different directions, from the hard hitting Basket Case to the fantastically beautiful Good Riddance, that you are always enthralled to know what’s coming next. If you have that felling at the end of this track ….. I warn you …… you ain’t heard nothing yet.

“Don’t want to be an American Idiot
don’t want a nation under the new mania
Can you hear the sound of hysteria
The subliminal mind f**k America …..”

Jesus Of Suburbia

The first of two 9-minute tracks on the album, Jesus Of Suburbia is the main song on the album, in terms of understanding the overall story. The five segments to ‘Jesus Of Suburbia’ are titled Jesus Of Suburbia, City Of The Damned, I Don’t Care, Dearly Beloved & Tales Of Another Broken Home. It kicks off in typical Green Day style, fast paced, energetic and in your face giving great hope to the rest of the song. City Of The Damned slows the pace, allowing Billie Joe to show us that those vocals can still do the business to a high level. Being a sucker for a slower song, I would rate this as the best segment of the track, on the basis that it really gets you into the meat of the song and allows you tp really feel part of the music. Where City Of The Damned gives you a tap on the chin, I Don’t Care gives you a full on right hook. Think Basket Case, but faster. Think Basket Case, but snottier and think Basket Case, but harder …. The result ….. I Don’t Care (yet I do for this song). Dearly Beloved slows the pace again, allowing you to get your breath back from the previous segment, yet delivering great lyrics yet again. Where you would know expect another dose of attitude, Green Day go straight down the middle, delivering something that mixes hard, fast and slow to make ‘Tales Of Another Broken Home’ …….. genius !

“Dearly beloved, are you listening ?
I cant remember a word that you were saying
Are we demented ?
Or am I disturbed ? …..”

Holiday

This, to be the second single, is by far the greatest thing on the album. In fact, yesterday whilst listening to the album in my room (destroying my speakers), my dad came up and pointed out that ‘they sound like The Levellers’ ….. could anyone fill me in on who they may happen to be please. Levellers or not, this is Green Day at their best, the 1,2,1,2 punch of the drums, along with Billie Joe on what I would class as his finest form, gives me my greatest moment from the album, taking me back to Minority, Warning etc, in delivering irresistible hooks that put all modern bands well and truly in their place.

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

Boulevard Of Broken Dreams / Are We The Waiting

For anyone (surely this will be the majority), who found ‘Good Riddance’ and ‘When I Come Around’ to be infectious as hell, then this is for you. Despite being the kings of the up-tempo moments, Green Day are just as well known for their ability to pull off a gem of a slower track and with ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’, they’ve done it yet again. Slow, thoughtful, sad, perfect … all words that describe this song too a tee. The harmonies mixed with Billie Joe’s graceful voice make an absolute stunner that I honestly can’t rate highly enough (then again that applies to all the album also). The track then rolls into another incredible ballad in ‘Are We The Waiting’. Lyrically, at times I’m sure it makes some of you proud to be American, because these two songs in particular give out such a united vibe. Presenting problems then giving the answers through music, truly something special.

“My shadows the only one that walks beside me
My shallow hearts the only thing that’s beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Til then I walk alone……..”

“Starry nights
City lights
Coming down over me
Skyscrapers and stargazers in my head
Are we we are the waiting unknown…..”

St. Jimmy

The star man, St Jimmy, gets his chance to shine. St Jimmy is probably the closest to ‘real’ punk that Green Day have ever come. Raucous tempo whilst delivering fiery lyrics makes for a refreshing change after two back-to-back ballads. I will be honest and admit that this is probably my least favourite on the album, yet its by no means bad. I say my least favourite because I would probably only give this 4 stars compared to the five I’d give every other song, therefore not really making it that bad at all. The number of hidden drug references here is shocking, innocent or not, Billie Joe certainly makes his point. References to needles, a little bag of dope and suicidal cigarettes gives you the feeling that this was written at a bad time in Billie Joe’s life, or he was just having a bad day (lol).

“St. Jimmy’s coming down across the alleyway
Upon the blvd like a zip gun on parade
Light of a silhouette
He’s insubordinate
Coming at you on the count of 1,2,3,4 …….”

Give Me Novacaine

Novacaine, a dental anaesthetic, seems to have inspired Billie Joe to write a damn fine track. Of course that isn’t the case, it is just the continuation of the ‘rock opera’ through the influence of Novacaine. It’s another slow song that sits nicely with ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’ and ‘Are We The Waiting’ as the centrepiece to the downside of the story. Where the punk influenced ‘St. Jimmy’ inspires you to beat along to the tune, ‘Give Me Novacaine’ gets you to really listen to what is being said and understand the complex, yet intriguing story being told here.

“Drain the pressure from the swelling
This sensations overwhelming
Give me a long kiss goodnight
And everything will be alright
Tell me that I wont feel a thing
Give me novacaine ………”

She’s A Rebel

It is my feeling that this song is in some way related to later track ‘Whatsername’ in that I believe this to be about the good part of a past relationship, whilst ‘Whatsername’ is about looking back at the relationship once it has broken down and come to an end. She’s A Rebel, however, is an up tempo Green Day stormer. Despite lasting just over two minutes, it is a two minutes that plays a crucial part in the story, as well as the album. Through reading the lyrics it seems that the ‘she’ in question, was in complete control of the person with who’s perspective we view this from. With the entire album based around the character of St. Jimmy, therefore you would have to assume that it is his perspective with which we view it from. It’s up-tempo, it catchy ….. It’s yet another fantastic attack on your senses.

“She’s a rebel
She’s a saint
She’s the salt of the earth
And she’s dangerous ……”

Extraordinary Girl

Again, just as with ‘She’s A Rebel’ and ‘Whatsername’, you would assume that this is again in reference to the same girl mentioned in those two songs. I may be wrong, and probably am, but that is the vibe I get from the lyrics and overall feel to the record and how these songs match together. In terms of it’s own quality, ‘Extraordinary Girl’ is slightly unique, in that it sounds completely different to anything else on ‘American Idiot’. Luckily it is yet another side of Green Day on display, but on the other hand, it isn’t a great one. The strange Indian style beat at the beginning is an instant off put to me personally and even once it gets into the song, I have the feeling that it could have been a lot better. No, it isn’t bad, yet it isn’t particularly great, especially when compared to the rest of the album. Not one of my personal choices ……

“She’s all alone again
Wiping the tears from her eyes
Some days she feels like dying
She gets so sick of crying ……”

Letterbomb

Letterbomb, along with Holiday, is the finest work present here. The entire album is absolutely fantastic, yet for some reason these two tracks stand above the others. Yes they are similar, but that is why they are both fantastic. Letterbomb itself sounds like a political song, incorporating meaningful lyrics with their typical punk-rock sound to make a fantastic track that I have more than annoyed the neighbours with already. It is definitely one of the angrier songs on the album and seems to have a passionate meaning behind it and does at times mention family dysfunction (remember though that this is through the eyes of St. Jimmy). Regardless, its loud, its angry, its fast ……. Its damn good. Basket Case, as good as it is, may finally have met its match in the modern punk-rock anthem stakes….. Although I wouldn’t bank on that just yet.

“its not over till your underground
Its not over before its too late
This city’s burning
Its not my burden
Its not over before its too late ……”

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Well seeing as we are nearly at the end of September it’s quite an appropriate song really. Ballad, yes. Typical ballad, no. The one thing that makes Green Day stand above all others within the genre, is the ability of their lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, to pen one hell of a tune. Where as others make standard ballads that are instantly forgettable, Green Day make them so they stay with you for years (Good Riddance, When I Come Around etc). ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ is another too add to that list along with a couple of others from this album. An epic, yet graceful song that instantly sticks in the mind and becomes hard to shift. The song is about looking back at past memories, and wishing that it would all just go away, hence the wake me up part. St Jimmy, the central character, is obviously wanting the bad memories to go away and wanting everyone to leave him alone.

“Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends …..”

Homecoming

The second of two nine-minute epics on ’American Idiot’, Homecoming is another beauty. As with Jesus Of Suburbia, it is broken down into five subtitle songs. The Death Of St Jimmy, East 12th St, Nobody Likes You, Rock And Roll Girlfriend and We’re Coming Home, use the same format witnessed on Jesus Of Suburbia …. Pick me up, bring down, pick me up, bring me down again. As with before, it is done to great effect to make another brilliant track that makes you pleased to be a part of it. Rock And Roll Girlfriend, in particular, has the an eerie resemblance to a Meat Loaf tune, with its deliberately lowered tone and driving tempo, makes it a decent part of the picture. The best of the five however, is We’re Coming Home Again, a modern rock anthem for the masses. Almost in army style, the lyrics are expressed in a monotonous, yet fantastic tone. Between this and ‘Jesus Of Suburbia’, I personally give preference to the latter, because the segments just seem to fit together much better than they do on ‘Homecoming’.

“Here they come marching down the street
Like a desperation murmur of a heart beat
Coming back form the edge of town
Underneath their feet, the time has come
And its going nowhere …..”

Whatsername

As said earlier, the character of this particular song, I believe to have been mentioned in a couple of previous tracks. As its own song, Whatsername is another song which starts of as just Billie Joe and his guitar, then picks up during the track, delivering yet another chorus to please any Green Day regular. It’s a fitting end to a great album, and as the closing chapter to this story, it is very pleasing to hear it end on a high note. Whatsername ? ….. I don’t know ….. But what I do know is that Green Day have done it yet again. They’ve defied the critics who said that they couldn’t come back after four years and that they were yesterdays news. American Idiot is an album so unique that it makes ‘Dookie’ look like a piece of trash (of course It isn’t). Rock opera, rock epic, whatever ....

"Thought I ran into you down on the street
Then it turned out to only be a dream
I made a point to burn all of the photographs
She went away and then I took a different path
I can remember the face but I can't recall the name
Now I wonder how whatsername has been....."

PURE GREEN DAY !

www.greenday.com
www.greendayuk.co.uk
www.reprise.com

Track listing

1. American Idiot
2. Jesus Of Suburbia
3. Holiday
4. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
5. Are We The Waiting
6. St. Jimmy
7. Give Me Novacaine
8. She’s A Rebel
9. Extraordinary Girl
10. Letterbomb
11. Wake Me Up When September Ends
12. Homecoming
13. Whatsername

Thankyou