Ten Year Anniversary of Green Day's AMERICAN IDIOT album

[Subtle Signs]

How will you celebrate the ten year anniversary of this great album?

Don't wanna be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new media.
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
Well that's enough to argue.

Well maybe I'm the fagot America.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along in the age of paranoia.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
Well then that's enough to argue.

Don't wanna be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information nation of hysteria.
It's going out to idiot America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
Well that's enough to argue.

[Bobbo]

I won't

[GUNSNROSES513]

now i feel old

[Facekicker]

I'll celebrate by continuing to not listen to such an awful band.

[Gordon Comstock]

I still listened to the radio when this album came out, so I fucking hate "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" with a passion. My brother used to play this album a lot. I hated it then and I still do. Weird that it's been 10 years though

[bacardimayne]

Never understood why this album gets so much hate. Solid pop rock album.

[Ricky_Rose]

I really love this album. It meant a lot to me back in the day. And apparently back in the day has now turned into 10 years.

[Subtle Signs]

American Idiot is my second favorite Green Day album behind Kerplunk.I can listen it to it start to finish without skipping any songs. It's tough to pick a favorite track but I think I'd go with Watsername.

When the album came out Green Day did four shows where they played the album live in it's entirety & then came back out to do a few classics.I was lucky enough to see two of the four in New York City and Toronto.I can't believe it's been ten years since American Idiot and twenty years since Dookie.

[hausofaxl]

Great album. Haven't listened to it in a long time..

[gunsfanoldie]

I guess it won't be a popular opinion, but then I didn't really expect a GNR forum to be big Green Day fans.

IMO, its one of the best albums since 2000, if not the best. And I say that having never been a Green Day fan before this album, and still really aren't. When you hear good music, thats all that matters. I still vividly remember my father picking me up from school and listening to this album the day it came out. I was like "what are you, 16?" He's like "no, you don't get it. This album is GREAT."

I got it pretty quickly once I listened to it. Its one of the most solid albums, certainly since the end of actual 40 minute records, and there truly isn't a bad song on it. Overplayed ones like Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Holiday, but all the songs really are an 8 out of 10 or better. The title track is one that gets me pumped up whenever I hear it, and Jesus Of Suburbia is a 9 minute song of perfection. Doesn't feel overly long and just sets the tone for the epicness of the album. Give Me Novacaine, Letterbomb, Extraordinary Girl, Whatsername. All GREAT pop rock songs. Mix those in with the all out rockers like St. Jimmy and She's A Rebel, and another epic in Homecoming, and you have the makings of a one of a kind album.

I don't mean to overhype it. I really don't. It just IS note perfect. Albums don't make that kind of impact anymore, and whats crazy is that was Green Day 15 years or so into their career. 10 years after Dookie which put them on the map, but Idiot was a whole other level. So they certainly paid their dues. It skyrocketed them and it either became their trademark, or it was the second coming for older fans (whether they liked it or not). It solidified Green Day and became kind of the quintessential modern punk rock album. I think my favorite thing about it is that it just feel so pure. None of it feels forced and it just happened to be their epic masterpiece. They didn't know the great thing they had, it was just what they had at the moment and it didn't feel reaching or anything. That was the problem with their follow up, which is admittedly a great album, but from the first second you hear its striving to feel important. To be epic. They shot themselves in the foot cause they couldn't possibly live up to that without trying to hard.

IMO its a very important record, and the reason I write so much about it is there really aren't that many landmark albums anymore. For me it reminds me of My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade. Again, not a band I had anything to do with before that album, but that record just works and it feels retro and modern all at the same time. And it felt natural and just happened to be a success for them. Everything else of theirs could be shit, but American Idiot is just one of those records. It really is kind of like Appetite. Just heard it a few days ago because of the anniversary and every part of it still holds up. Obviously, it holds specific weight cause its a part of my youth, but its one of the few albums that I think will, and if its not it should be, written about in future decades as an example of just everything falling into place perfectly.

[Rovim]

I don't like it. I gave it a listen 10 years ago. It's good, just not my cup of tea.

[Bono]

I guess it won't be a popular opinion, but then I didn't really expect a GNR forum to be big Green Day fans.

IMO, its one of the best albums since 2000, if not the best. And I say that having never been a Green Day fan before this album, and still really aren't. When you hear good music, thats all that matters. I still vividly remember my father picking me up from school and listening to this album the day it came out. I was like "what are you, 16?" He's like "no, you don't get it. This album is GREAT."

I got it pretty quickly once I listened to it. Its one of the most solid albums, certainly since the end of actual 40 minute records, and there truly isn't a bad song on it. Overplayed ones like Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Holiday, but all the songs really are an 8 out of 10 or better. The title track is one that gets me pumped up whenever I hear it, and Jesus Of Suburbia is a 9 minute song of perfection. Doesn't feel overly long and just sets the tone for the epicness of the album. Give Me Novacaine, Letterbomb, Extraordinary Girl, Whatsername. All GREAT pop rock songs. Mix those in with the all out rockers like St. Jimmy and She's A Rebel, and another epic in Homecoming, and you have the makings of a one of a kind album.

I don't mean to overhype it. I really don't. It just IS note perfect. Albums don't make that kind of impact anymore, and whats crazy is that was Green Day 15 years or so into their career. 10 years after Dookie which put them on the map, but Idiot was a whole other level. So they certainly paid their dues. It skyrocketed them and it either became their trademark, or it was the second coming for older fans (whether they liked it or not). It solidified Green Day and became kind of the quintessential modern punk rock album. I think my favorite thing about it is that it just feel so pure. None of it feels forced and it just happened to be their epic masterpiece. They didn't know the great thing they had, it was just what they had at the moment and it didn't feel reaching or anything. That was the problem with their follow up, which is admittedly a great album, but from the first second you hear its striving to feel important. To be epic. They shot themselves in the foot cause they couldn't possibly live up to that without trying to hard.

IMO its a very important record, and the reason I write so much about it is there really aren't that many landmark albums anymore. For me it reminds me of My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade. Again, not a band I had anything to do with before that album, but that record just works and it feels retro and modern all at the same time. And it felt natural and just happened to be a success for them. Everything else of theirs could be shit, but American Idiot is just one of those records. It really is kind of like Appetite. Just heard it a few days ago because of the anniversary and every part of it still holds up. Obviously, it holds specific weight cause its a part of my youth, but its one of the few albums that I think will, and if its not it should be, written about in future decades as an example of just everything falling into place perfectly.

I kinda have to agree with all of this despite not being much of a Green Day fan and I never really cared for that album. Aside from personal tastes though what you say is true in regards to Green Day and the impact this album had on their career. It introduced them to a new generation of fans as well as reminding old fans who they were. I'd actually say a better comparison than the AFD comparison would be U2's Achtung Baby. An album mid career that tuned out to be an absolute classic and was in essence completely different from their past albums while still remaining true to who they were.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Bono

[Subtle Signs]

I'm right below Billie Joe. This was one of the American Idiot release shows that I mentioned in an above post. This photo was taken ten years ago today.

1. American Idiot (Intro)
2. American Idiot
3. Jesus of Suburbia
4. Holiday
5. Boulevard of Broken Dreams
6. Are We the Waiting
7. St. Jimmy
8. Give Me Novacaine
9. She's a Rebel
10. Extraordinary Girl
11. Letterbomb
12. Wake Me Up When September Ends
13. Homecoming
14. Whatsername
15. Encore:
16. Longview
17. Brain Stew
18. Jaded
19. Basket Case
20. When I Come Around
21. We Are the Champions
    (QUEEN cover)

Edited September 24, 2014 by xGNRxSTARx