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American idiot by green day is an album that tells the story of the life of “jimmy” (a character loosely based off the actual life of billy joe growing up). The album starts off with the most well know green days song “American idiot” - https://twitter.com/jughln/status/1324352199313379328
American idiot to put it simply is a piss take on America as a whole. Billy joe remarks about how brainwashed and controlled the whole of society is by things like the media and propaganda and he states how he doesn’t wish to be like the rest with the lyrics -
“Don't wanna be an American idiot
One nation controlled by the media
Information Age of hysteria
It's calling out to idiot America”
One nation controlled by the media
Information Age of hysteria
It's calling out to idiot America”
After billy joe has layed the ground work down for the society this piece takes place in he takes us in with the next song “Jesus of suburbia” as it chronicles the “birth” of Saint Jimmy. This song also establishes how out of place and abnormal jimmy feels in this environment-
With lyrics like “At the center of the earth
In the parking lot
Of the 7-11 where I was taught
The motto was just a lie
It says home is where your heart is
But what a shame
Cause everyone's heart
Doesn't beat the same
It's beating out of time”
In the parking lot
Of the 7-11 where I was taught
The motto was just a lie
It says home is where your heart is
But what a shame
Cause everyone's heart
Doesn't beat the same
It's beating out of time”
It all adds up onto jimmy till he lashes out in the 3rd act stating “Everyone's so full of shit
Born and raised by hypocrites
Hearts recycled but never saved
From the cradle to the grave” it all builds till jimmy has his breaking point when we transition into the 4th act-
Born and raised by hypocrites
Hearts recycled but never saved
From the cradle to the grave” it all builds till jimmy has his breaking point when we transition into the 4th act-
“Dearly beloved” starting off with the lyrics “Are we demented or am I disturbed?
The space that's in between insane and insecure” this is jimmy trying to understand everything and come to the conclusion of what to do with his life. We transition with into the 5th act with-
The space that's in between insane and insecure” this is jimmy trying to understand everything and come to the conclusion of what to do with his life. We transition with into the 5th act with-
A jimmy who knows what he wants to do As he states
“To live, and not to breathe
Is to die, in tragedy
To run, to run away
To find, what you believe
And I leave behind
This hurricane of fucking lies
I lost my faith to this
This town that don't exist
So I run, I run away
To the lights of masochists”
Is to die, in tragedy
To run, to run away
To find, what you believe
And I leave behind
This hurricane of fucking lies
I lost my faith to this
This town that don't exist
So I run, I run away
To the lights of masochists”
Jesus of suburbia ends with jimmy deciding what he wants to do as he sets out to leave this shit hole he used to fall home. Which takes us into the next song on the album “Holiday” which features an angry and angsty jimmy lashing out at those in higher power of him
He clearly mocks the people in power over him with lyrics like
“Sieg Heil to the president gasman
Bombs away is your punishment
Pulverize the Eiffel towers
Who criticize your government
Bang bang goes the broken glass and
Kill all the f*gs that don't agree
Trials by fire setting fire
Is not a way that's meant for me”
Bombs away is your punishment
Pulverize the Eiffel towers
Who criticize your government
Bang bang goes the broken glass and
Kill all the f*gs that don't agree
Trials by fire setting fire
Is not a way that's meant for me”
This then leads to a more solemn and lonely jimmy with the classic “boulevard of broken dreams”. This song is basically Jimmy’s sad moorings as life isn’t as peachy as he would’ve hoped for.
“My shadow's only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone”
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone”
Next is are we the waiting but that one just sucks and doesn’t add much it’s stupid and it’s not needed. It’s just about how a whole generation of kids feel disconnected
Next is the fastest song in tempo “saint jimmy” when Jimmy’s angst and sadness lead to the creation of this persona known as saint jimmy. Saint jimmy introduces himself claiming he’s the “suicide commando that your momma warned about” and that he’s the needle in the vein of-
The establishment. He ends the song with the line “I’m the resident leader of the lost and found
It’s comedy
And tragedy
It’s saint jimmy
And that’s my name”
It’s comedy
And tragedy
It’s saint jimmy
And that’s my name”
Next up is my personal favourites of the album give me novacaine and she’s a rebel. Give me novacaine brings us back to the real jimmy as he’s struggles to cope with life and just wanting the pain to stop
“Take away the sensation inside
Bitter sweet migraine in my head
It's like a throbbing tooth ache of the mind
I can't take this feeling anymore”
Bitter sweet migraine in my head
It's like a throbbing tooth ache of the mind
I can't take this feeling anymore”
“ Drain the pressure from the swelling
The sensation's overwhelming
Give me a long kiss goodnight and everything will be alright
Tell me that I won't feel a thing
So give me Novacaine” novacaine in this song simply refers to anything to stop the pain.
The sensation's overwhelming
Give me a long kiss goodnight and everything will be alright
Tell me that I won't feel a thing
So give me Novacaine” novacaine in this song simply refers to anything to stop the pain.
At his lowest point jimmy meets “whatsername” the spark he needed to get up and sing for the revolution again stating “She's the symbol
Of resistance
And she's holding on my heart like a hand grenade” and “She brings this liberation
That I just can't define
Nothing comes to mind
Of resistance
And she's holding on my heart like a hand grenade” and “She brings this liberation
That I just can't define
Nothing comes to mind
“Extraordinary girl” tells us more about whatsername. She’s just as deeply troubled as jimmy with the chorus stating “She's all alone again
Wiping the tears from her eyes
Some days he feels like dying
She gets so sick of crying”
Wiping the tears from her eyes
Some days he feels like dying
She gets so sick of crying”
Letterbomb narrates the letter whatsername leaves to jimmy when she leaves him in the night. It starts off with the vocals in the background calling out to jimmy “Nobody likes you
Everyone left you
They're all out without you
Having fun”
Everyone left you
They're all out without you
Having fun”
She then precedes to state how unhappy she is with this supposed revolution stating “Where have all the riots gone?
As your city's motto gets pulverized”
And “Where will all the martyrs go when the virus cures itself?
And where will we all go when it's too late?”
As your city's motto gets pulverized”
And “Where will all the martyrs go when the virus cures itself?
And where will we all go when it's too late?”
She then turns her aggression to jimmy himself with the words “You're not the Jesus of Suburbia
The St. Jimmy is a figment of
Your father's rage and your mother's love
Made me the idiot America” and
The St. Jimmy is a figment of
Your father's rage and your mother's love
Made me the idiot America” and
“The town bishop is an extortionist
And he don't even know that you exist
Standing still when it's do or die
You better run for your fucking life”
And he don't even know that you exist
Standing still when it's do or die
You better run for your fucking life”
And Next we have a song that has no real meaning to American idiot but it’s actually a really good one so I’ll talk about it anyway. Wake me up when September is all about the death of billy joes father.
When billy joe heard the news of his father passing all he was able to say was “wake me up when September ends” as he proceeded to lie in his room.
Homecoming marks the death of saint jimmy. With the line “Jimmy died today
He blew his brains out into the bay
In this state of mind, it's my own private suicide” this symbolical marks the death of that side of jimmy. Jimmy killed off this angry and violent persona of his.
He blew his brains out into the bay
In this state of mind, it's my own private suicide” this symbolical marks the death of that side of jimmy. Jimmy killed off this angry and violent persona of his.
The next act is all about how he’s forced into a boring life he doesn’t want but it’s the only way he can live
“Jesus is filling out paperwork now
At the facility on East 12th Street
He's not listening to a word now
He's in his own world and he's daydreaming
He'd rather be doing something else now
Like cigarettes and coffee with the underbelly
His life's on the line with anxiety now”
At the facility on East 12th Street
He's not listening to a word now
He's in his own world and he's daydreaming
He'd rather be doing something else now
Like cigarettes and coffee with the underbelly
His life's on the line with anxiety now”
“Somebody get me out of there
Anybody get me out of there
Somebody get me out of here
Get me the fuck right out of there
So far away
I don't wanna stay
Get me out of here right now
I just wanna be free
Is there a possibility?
Get me out of here right now”
Anybody get me out of there
Somebody get me out of here
Get me the fuck right out of there
So far away
I don't wanna stay
Get me out of here right now
I just wanna be free
Is there a possibility?
Get me out of here right now”
After this he reminisces his life with whatsername wondering “where did you go” but all the while those haunting words from her letter echo in his head “ nobody likes you everyone left you they’re all off without you having fun”
This is then proceeded by a verse from one of Jimmy’s friends who is now a rockstar. This part uses multiple motifs from American idiot to help you understand that the person singing is the quintessential American idiot.
He says about his multiple children with different woman all across America and his rock and roll band and his rock and roll house. After this jimmy finally realises what’s important to him and decides the only thing to do is head home
With a chorus of “Home
We're coming home again
Home
We're coming home again” marking his return to the place that made him who he is.
We're coming home again
Home
We're coming home again” marking his return to the place that made him who he is.
All that’s left now is the final song in the album and in my opinion one of the most powerful song on the album “whatsername”. The song stars with jimmy remarking he thought he saw her somewhere on the streets but it turned out to only be a dream.
He states about how he burned everything that reminded him of her and that she left and he took a different path. He then stated about how he remebers the face but he can’t recall the name and now he wonders how whatsername has been.
He ponders if she ever married old what’s his face. He try’s as hard as a can to forget her but he’s simply unable stating “the regrets are useless in my mind she’s in my head”
He ends off the song by stating
He ends off the song by stating
“And in the darkest night
If my memory serves me right
I'll never turn back time”
If my memory serves me right
I'll never turn back time”
“Forgetting you, but not the time”
Uhh anyways so yeah listen to American idiot https://open.spotify.com/album/5Qhn2FpGWmTjCuntF09j7g?si=5Y4JYF4-RGmXafYzUcPLuQ
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXuIvjrZxFRHrpoynSdvJAd2sV0zKfsaj
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXuIvjrZxFRHrpoynSdvJAd2sV0zKfsaj
