Customer Reviews

American Idiot [Explicit]

5 star:		(1,322)
4 star:		(257)
3 star:		(115)
2 star:		(102)
1 star:		(363)

 

 

For those of you who are unaware that this is a rock opera, let me fill you in.
My take on the album:

American Idiot: An introduction to the setting and mood of the story; describes the current way of life in America and the issues some have with it.

Jesus of Suburbia:
I. Jesus of Suburbia: We are introduced to the main character, "Jesus of Suburbia," so named because he's a typical suburban kid (there's nothing wrong with me, this is how i'm supposed to be): his parents are divorced, he sits around watching TV, and experiments with drugs. He feels an emptiness in his life.
II. City of the Damned: Jesus' discontentment grows as he realizes the apathy of those surrounding him.
III. I Don't Care: Jesus sees how widespread people's indifference is.
IV. Dearly Beloved: Jesus notes the effect of this indifference on his own personal relationships.
V. Tales of Another Broken Home: Fed up to the point of breaking, Jesus leaves home in search of meaning and a purpose in his life.

Holiday: Jesus meditates on the problems with modern American government and society as he wanders the streets of the city to which he has run away.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Jesus laments his lonliness in this new place. This song hints at the upcoming emergence of St. Jimmy (I'm walking down the line that divides me somewhere in my mind).

Are We the Waiting: Still alone, Jesus wonders what will become of him. He comes to reject his identity (the Jesus of Suburbia is a lie) and decides to create a new one, leading to...

St. Jimmy: The introduction of "St. Jimmy," the punk street kid personality that Jesus invents to go along with his new life. This persona rejects the cushy suburban life led by Jesus; Jimmy is a violent, drug dealing, melevolant criminal. As Jimmy, he falls in with a crowd of like-minded youth in the city.

Give Me Novocaine: In accordance with his new personality, Jesus/Jimmy becomes increasingly reliant on drugs.

She's a Rebel: The introduction of "Whatsername," an anarchist/punk girl that Jimmy meets and falls in love with. Her nonconformist ideals appeal greatly to Jimmy.

Extraordinary Girl: Deals with Jimmy's frustration with his inability to express his true feelings for Whatsername, as well as the sadness and lonliness hidden underneath Whatsername's outwardly tough persona (she sees the mirror of herself, an image she wants to sell to anyone willing to buy ... she's all alone again, wiping the tears from her eyes).

Letterbomb: Perhaps the most complex and important song on the album, as far as the story is concerned. Jimmy's new life and the lives of his new friends settle down into a kind of boring monotony, much like Jimmy's old life as Jesus of Suburbia. Whatsername, however, still longs for the unbridled anarchy (Where have all the b******* gone? ... Where have all the riots gone?). She's become as disillusioned with her current life as Jesus was with his at the beginning of the story. She harshly criticizes Jimmy, telling him--possibly via writing a letter, which would explain the song's title--that his new personality is just as empty as his old one, and neither is his true self (You're not the Jesus of Suburbia, the St. Jimmy is a figment of your father's rage and your mother's love). Fed up, much like Jesus was at the beginning of the story, Whatsername leaves town, leaving Jesus/Jimmy behind.

Wake Me Up When September Ends: Jesus/Jimmy is alone again and depressed about Whatsername's decision to leave.

Homecoming:
I. The Death of St. Jimmy: A conflict between the character's two personalities in his own mind. It ends with the destruction of the "Jimmy" personality (Jimmy died today, he blew his brains out into the bay. In this state of mind is my own private suicide).
II. East 12th St.: The Jesus persona is back, and leading the same kind of empty existence he fled from previously. He holds a boring job (Jesus filling out paperwork now at the facility on East 12th Street). He once again longs to escape, but remains stuck where he is.
III. Nobody Likes You: Overcome once more with loneliness, Jesus sits alone and feels sorry for himself.
IV. Rock and Roll Girlfriend: Once more longing to break free, Jesus has a midlife crisis and goes through a wild, "rock and roll" binge phase.
V. We're Coming Home Again: Unable to find meaning in anything, Jesus returns to his boring, middle class suburban life (their time has come and it's gone nowhere, nobody ever said that life was fair). Basically, Jesus ends up right back where he started, older but not much wiser, unable to find the fulfillment and meaning in his life that he went searching for so long ago. However, even though the character basically ends up as the kind of "loser" he always wanted to avoid becoming, he does find some kind of comfort in returning to his original empty existence.

Whatsername: After all is said and done, Jesus looks back at his life and wonders if Whatsername ever found the fulfillment he was never able to. Although he laments the fact that they did not end up together, and will likely always see her as "the one that got away" (there are strong indications that he misses her more for what she represented than for who she was, but it seems obvious that he does miss her: the regrets are useless, in my mind, she's in my head, i must confess), he takes comfort in remembering the times they shared.

Well, that's just my interpretation of the story. It's probably not entirely right, and perhaps it's completely wrong, but it's what I got out of the lyrics. For what it's worth, I found it to be a compelling and satisfying story.

Although I annually listen to hundreds of albums in my capacity as music director at my University's radio station, I can safely say that this album is the most bracing, rich and rewarding album of the year. Certainly, it is not a superficially original album-the influences that range from the Who's mini-rock opera "A Quick One...", general power pop, punk and pure pop are immediately recognisable. However, Armstrong and company have created an immediately endearing and--surprisingly enough-transcendent work that functions and succeeds on so many levels.

I suspect that those who have matured with this band, and have witnessed the seeming intra-personal, political and intellectual collapse of this nation in the decade since "Dookie"-will find this album to be particularly affecting. (Particularly those of us, such as the reviewer, who have reached a point of their life at which past dreams and illusions are beginning to be elided by the pressing concerns of an exhausting and enervating, if lucrative, professional existence that will come into existence after graduation.)

I must note, however, that this album has been unfortunately vilified by a variety of groups.

Elitist indie-hipsters, who find impossible the prospect of enjoying an album that is not only released on a major label but also is commercially success, castigate the band as trite, mainstream and unoriginal.

Frozen-in-time `punks' castigate the album for not being 'punk' enough (as if a standard, universal definition of punk exists!)

Those with extraordinarily limited capabilities for analytical thought castigate the band for being anti-american or some other nonsense.

However, what these groups fail to realise is that:

(a) this is a work of personal art that rivals any other musical art released this year by ostensibly more trendy and legitimate artists;
(b) that the band only uses the nation's current militarism, paranoia and "red-neck" conservatism for providing the context for a highly individualized narrative that resonates beyond mere politics and imperialism;
(c) and most importantly, Green Day are no longer a simple punk band. Their transformation began with the occasionally awkward "Nimrod," continued with the heavily Kinks-influenced "Warning" and has reached its temporary apotheosis with "American Idiot." Although the band use punk dynamics occasionally, this dynamic is used in a broad context of guitar based pop. Would one consider Godspeed You Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky or Mono heavy guitar bans simply b/c they use hevay guitar dynamics within their epic compositions? Like many `punk' bands, Green Day are a pop band at heart, but unlike so many other bands, they are capable of structuring brilliant pop that is both musically and lyrically effective.

Therefore, if you are interesting in refreshing, abrasive guitar-based pop that perfectly captures a current moment in time and moments that occur in the individual lives of many, buy this album. Now.

I never thought I'd say this about a Green Day album, but man is this a perfect album. From start to finish, there isn't a weak moment. Most bands have a hard time producing one great track on an album, let alone twenty-one.

As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the greatest rock album ever created (The Clash's London Calling), it's pretty incredible that Green Day would come up with this politically and socially barbed rock opera.

The great thing about American Idiot is that it can be enjoyed on the surface for being the rocking "anthem" album that it is. Or, dig into the lyrics and be amazed at the insight of the group that created "Dookie".

ebhp

For those of you that are currently unaware, "American Idiot" is a rock opera and a concept album, much like The Who's "Tommy" or Pink Floyd's "The Wall."
My take on the album:

American Idiot: An introduction to the setting and mood of the story; describes the current way of life in America and the issues some have with it.

Jesus of Suburbia:
I. Jesus of Suburbia: We are introduced to the main character, "Jesus of Suburbia," so named because he's a typical suburban kid (there's nothing wrong with me, this is how i'm supposed to be): his parents are divorced, he sits around watching TV, and experiments with drugs. He feels an emptiness in his life.
II. City of the Damned: Jesus' discontentment grows as he realizes the apathy of those surrounding him.
III. I Don't Care: Jesus sees how widespread people's indifference is.
IV. Dearly Beloved: Jesus notes the effect of this indifference on his own personal relationships.
V. Tales of Another Broken Home: Fed up to the point of breaking, Jesus leaves home in search of meaning and a purpose in his life.

Holiday: Jesus meditates on the problems with modern American government and society as he wanders the streets of the city to which he has run away.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Jesus laments his lonliness in this new place. This song hints at the upcoming emergence of St. Jimmy (I'm walking down the line that divides me somewhere in my mind).

Are We the Waiting: Still alone, Jesus wonders what will become of him. He comes to reject his identity (the Jesus of Suburbia is a lie) and decides to create a new one, leading to...

St. Jimmy: The introduction of "St. Jimmy," the punk street kid personality that Jesus invents to go along with his new life. This persona rejects the cushy suburban life led by Jesus; Jimmy is a violent, drug dealing, melevolant criminal. As Jimmy, he falls in with a crowd of like-minded youth in the city.

Give Me Novocaine: In accordance with his new personality, Jesus/Jimmy becomes increasingly reliant on drugs.

She's a Rebel: The introduction of "Whatsername," an anarchist/punk girl that Jimmy meets and falls in love with. Her nonconformist ideals appeal greatly to Jimmy.

Extraordinary Girl: Deals with Jimmy's frustration with his inability to express his true feelings for Whatsername, as well as the sadness and lonliness hidden underneath Whatsername's outwardly tough persona (she sees the mirror of herself, an image she wants to sell to anyone willing to buy ... she's all alone again, wiping the tears from her eyes).

Letterbomb: Perhaps the most complex and important song on the album, as far as the story is concerned. Jimmy's new life and the lives of his new friends settle down into a kind of boring monotony, much like Jimmy's old life as Jesus of Suburbia. Whatsername, however, still longs for the unbridled anarchy (Where have all the b******* gone? ... Where have all the riots gone?). She's become as disillusioned with her current life as Jesus was with his at the beginning of the story. She harshly criticizes Jimmy, telling him--possibly via writing a letter, which would explain the song's title--that his new personality is just as empty as his old one, and neither is his true self (You're not the Jesus of Suburbia, the St. Jimmy is a figment of your father's rage and your mother's love). Fed up, much like Jesus was at the beginning of the story, Whatsername leaves town, leaving Jesus/Jimmy behind.

Wake Me Up When September Ends: Jesus/Jimmy is alone again and depressed about Whatsername's decision to leave.

Homecoming:
I. The Death of St. Jimmy: A conflict between the character's two personalities in his own mind. It ends with the destruction of the "Jimmy" personality (Jimmy died today, he blew his brains out into the bay. In this state of mind is my own private suicide).
II. East 12th St.: The Jesus persona is back, and leading the same kind of empty existence he fled from previously. He holds a boring job (Jesus filling out paperwork now at the facility on East 12th Street). He once again longs to escape, but remains stuck where he is.
III. Nobody Likes You: Overcome once more with loneliness, Jesus sits alone and feels sorry for himself.
IV. Rock and Roll Girlfriend: Once more longing to break free, Jesus has a midlife crisis and goes through a wild, "rock and roll" binge phase.
V. We're Coming Home Again: Unable to find meaning in anything, Jesus returns to his boring, middle class suburban life (their time has come and it's gone nowhere, nobody ever said that life was fair). Basically, Jesus ends up right back where he started, older but not much wiser, unable to find the fulfillment and meaning in his life that he went searching for so long ago. However, even though the character basically ends up as the kind of "loser" he always wanted to avoid becoming, he does find some kind of comfort in returning to his original empty existence.

Whatsername: After all is said and done, Jesus looks back at his life and wonders if Whatsername ever found the fulfillment he was never able to. Although he laments the fact that they did not end up together, and will likely always see her as "the one that got away" (there are strong indications that he misses her more for what she represented than for who she was, but it seems obvious that he does miss her: the regrets are useless, in my mind, she's in my head, i must confess), he takes comfort in remembering the times they shared.

Well, that's just my interpretation of the story. It's probably not entirely right or perhaps it's completely wrong, but it's what I got out of the lyrics. For what it's worth, I found it to be a compelling and satisfying story.

If you are wondering if this is edited it isn't. This is just the version they sell in Europe ( In Europe they don't have to put warnings on cd's for bad lyrics.)

Who'd have thought it? The same three cartoonish clowns that titled an album "Dookie" and sang about "Pinhead Gunpowder" may have the best album of 2004 on the table with "American Idiot." Green Day suddenly abandons three minute two chord blasters and writes a play in 13 acts. Maybe they decided it was time to show upstart kiddy punkers like Blink, Sum or Avril exactly just how it's done.

All right, I'll admit the "cartoonish clowns" comment might be over the top. After all, I believe the lyric "Do you have the time to listen to me whine about nothing and everything all at once" is one of the most brilliant opening lines to a 90's song. That was almost 15 years ago, and some maturity had to creep in somewhere. Politics would come into play as well, and the title track suddenly ditches the old backdrops of mental wards and tweaking binges to shout at the "subliminal mind-fk America."

As soon as that rant ends, we are thrown into the twin tales of "St Jimmy" aka "The Jesus Of Suburbia" and his battle with his dual personalities. There are plenty of the usual three chord havoc bangers here, but more sophisticated arrangements appear in "Extraordinary Girl" and the ballad "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams." The suites of "Jesus Of Suburbia" and "Homecoming" are the best "Punk Opera" concept pieces since the mighty Husker Du roared forth with "Zen Arcade." Like that classic album, Green Day are out to prove that there is more to the world of punk than the preconceived notions and spiky haircuts.

For those still longing for "Kerplunk" etc, those albums are almost twenty years old. Get over yourselves, the band is grown both artistically and physically since then. They probably identify with the stuck in the past girlfriend who writes Jimmy (in "Letterbomb") "Where have all the (...)gone, where have all the riots gone" just before she walks out on him. For Green Day and Jimmy/Jesus, like the great lot of us, the mohawk cut disappeared when the bald spot became more prominent. But that doesn't mean the Green Day creative brain fell out along with hair. They haven't caved into recording an album of standards, and that is something to be thankful for. Add on that Green Day has managed to crank out an album as diverse and powerful as "American Idiot" without abandoning much of what made them originally great (and Billie Jo just seems to sing better with every album) is cause for celebration.

Four and a half stars.

First of all, I've been listening to Green Day since the time before Dookie and didn't like the last couple of albums...

American Idiot is one of the worst songs on this album and it's a pretty good song. If you're basing your decision on whether or not to buy this album based on that song, you're making a big mistake.

Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday, and Boulevard of Broken Dreams are all completely different songs and take a different approach from their previous albums. Is this album less "punk" than their older stuff? Yes, it is. But, if you want to hear songs like Dookie, listen to Dookie. Get upset with a band when they take a step backward, not when they take a huge step forward and put out an album like this.

Call it maturing, artistic growth, whatever else you want to call it. This band has changed and it's a change for the better. I was a little hesitant to buy it but it was on sale so I picked it up 6 days ago with some other albums. I decided to listen to it first and I haven't listened to anything else since then. I haven't even listened to the other stuff I bought last week. This album is that good and everyone I know that has listened to it agrees with me.

I've never considered myself a "Green Day fan". I've got a few of their albums; I'm a record producer and a musician myself and have performed in front of audiences almost as large as they did at Woodstock in 1994 (which by the way, the "mud event" is one of the greatest bits of rock and roll footage in the last 20 years).

This album is a great album. The ultimate irony is the splattering of shallow critiques saying the band sucks. This is the epitomy of the "American Idiot" metaphor that Green Day is talking about: short-attention-spanned idiots who bounce from one distraction to another in search of life's meaning, when ultimately the pursuit of happiness is a marketing gimmick.

To those who claim the band has changed... DUH! You try playing the exact same music for 15+ years. It's not possible. However, the essence of what Green Day sounds like and their rebellious souls have not changed. And best of all, it's the same, original band, which is pretty atypical these days.

Personally, I think the "American Idiot" referred to is strikingly similar to the conservative Republican movement - it fits right in with them being distracted ("Novacaine") and frustrated. To the guy who says that politics shouldn't be in music, he's a moron... since the dawn of human creation, music and art has been primarily about politics. Sheesh.

This is a good album for anybody, whether you're familiar with Green Day or not, and ironically, even if you are an "American Idiot", if you get a chance to listen to the entire album, you'll be converted.

Yes, that's right. I think this CD is actually better than Dookie. And not by a hair, or a smidge. I genuinely think this is Green Day's greatest. I mean, there are thirteen solid tracks, 21 songs, of some of the best if not THE best songs Green Day has ever written, and they've been arranged into a full on three act opera, making them that much better. Also, given the times, this CD may also have more social significance than Dookie did. Dookie brought Punk into the mainstream, but this CD may do so much more. Yes, this CD attacks our president (and rightfully so), but it is also an attack on the apathetic suburbia that let him rise to power, not to mention stand by as people like Jesus of Suburbia live harsh daily realities that they can only run away from but are doomed to return to. The story itself starts on President's Day and ends some twenty years later where, after finding his confidence in and ultimately destroying his alter ego St. Jimmy and surviving (probably not by choice) his relationship with the rebellious and insightful Whatsername, Jesus of Suburbia is left alone and looking back on what could have been. Musically, this is also Green Day's most, diverse and ambitious record ever. "Holiday" recalls the mid tempo roll of The Clash. My personal favorite "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" channels all that is good and melodic (which, I realize, isn't always much) about emo music. Songs like "St. Jimmy" and "She's a Rebel" recall the fast power chords that made Green Day famous. "Wake Me Up..." may be the most melodic, sombre, beautiful song they've ever penned, save "Good Riddance." The nine minute songs are also sheer brilliance as each new part just seems to build on the one before it, with "Homecoming" bursting in the end with the (by this point in the record) anthemic "Nobody Likes You/Everyone Left You/They're All out without you/Having fun!" Whatsername is the falling action of a third act, being the perfect closer to this album. There are just no weak points on this album. There is no filler. When the energy is high, it is really high. When this record is mellow, it is really mellow. This record is dynamic. It is meaningful. It is flawless. It is Green Day's masterwork.

I read that in a review of American Idiot, and they were right. This is the most important rock album of the year. In a time where its impossible for anyone in the mainstream media to step out of the line, Green Day fires back with American Idiot, filled with the disillusion and anger, among other topics, that we all feel today.

Here are the highlight songs of this great CD.

American Idiot is the title track and first single, which takes a shot at Bush and his adminstration for their "war on terrorism". At the same time it brings back the driving guitars and drums that made Dookie so popular.

Jesus of Suburbia is another standout track, the five parts of this 9-minute epic truly flow together so well, you can barely tell its 5 songs in one.

Holiday is an anthem for our time. Green Day reaches its political height, calling out Bush as nothing but a "gasman".

Boulevard of Broken Dreams is an unbelievably great ballad about being lost and alone.

St Jimmy is another personal favorite of mine. Fast, loud, recalling memories of songs like "Jaded" and "Playtpus"

Letterbomb is my third favorite track on this CD (Behind Jesus of Suburbia and Wake Me Up When September Ends). A perfect punk song that simply asks "where have all the riots gone?". Another memorable line that sums up our apathetic times "this city's burnin', its not my burden".

Wake Me Up When September Ends is simply the best song on this CD and in the Top 5 for greatest Green Day songs of all time. Billie Joe has never been more honest and vulnerable as he is in this song about his fathers death. This is Green Day's zenith.

Simply put, this album is a classic and any fan of rock in general should be picking up this CD.