American Idiot (album)
For other uses, see American Idiot. Album |
Name = American Idiot |
Type =
Album | Artist =
Green Day |
Cover = Greenday_americanidiot.png |
Background = Orange |
Released =
September 21 2004 | Recorded =
February 23 2003 â€" January 2004 | Genre =
Pop punk,
Punk rock,
Alternative rock |
Length = 57:16|
Label =
Reprise Records | Producer =
Rob Cavallo Green Day | Reviews =
*
All Music Guide link*
IGN (10/10)
link*
Pitchfork Media (7.2/10)
linkPopMatters (Favorable)
linkRolling Stone link | Last album =
Shenanigans(2002) | This album =
American Idiot (2004) | Next album =
American Idiot EP(2005) |}}
American Idiot is
Green Day's ninth studio
album and first
rock opera, and was released in 2004. It is the first #1 album for
Green Day on both sides of the
Atlantic. It is also the sixth Green Day studio album that producer Rob Cavallo has produced.
The theme of the album largely deals with the nature of individuality and rebellion. Some allusions to contemporary political issues are included, but the story is focused on the life of a troubled teenager struggling for identity in the midst of an uncaring world.
American Idiot was nominated for seven
Grammy Awards, and won the
Best Rock Album of 2005. The opening track of the album, "American Idiot", won an award for best song in a video game in EA Sports'
Madden NFL 2005. Green Day also won seven MTV Video Music Awards for the "
Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "
American Idiot" videos.
This album marked the end of a commercial slump for Green Day. Many had speculated that they would find it difficult to follow up
Warning, which in itself had proved slightly less popular than
Nimrod. This is also hinted at with the long gestation time of this album, filled in with a greatest hits album and a B-Sides album (
International Superhits! and
Shenanigans). This is likely another reason for the band's decision to completely re-invent their style with this conceptual work. All of the album's singles proved very popular, a feat not matched since
Dookie.
American Idiot has also met with critical acclaim, with critics praising its ambition and politics.
There are five videos from the album, "American Idiot", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Holiday", "
Wake Me Up When September Ends", and the 9-minute "
Jesus of Suburbia".
American Idiot has sold 5.6 million units in the US as of April 2006,[
1] excluding that American Idiot has sold 1 million digital albums over the internet, and has been certified as a platinum digital record. It has not yet, however, been certified 5x Platinum for physical CD sales. The album was Green Day's second best-selling after thier major-label debut,
Dookie. As of August, 2006 it trails
Dookie by 2 million copies worldwide, with 13 million copies sold worldwide, and
Dookie at a secure 15 million. [
2]
After the release of
Shenanigans, Green Day started recording an album called
Cigarettes and Valentines. However, near the end of the recording sessions, someone stole the master tracks to the album. After this happened, the band was inspired into writing
American Idiot. They felt their writing process had become mechanical and that they needed to release something more relevant. It is a
rock opera, similar to
The Who's
Tommy.
Two of the tracks, "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming", composed in 5 different parts, are multi-movement suites that are both more than nine minutes long. In lead singer
Billie Joe Armstrong's words, "One day, Mike [ bassist
Mike Dirnt ] was at the studio and he wrote a thirty-second song. I don't know, I liked it so I wanted to do one too. The one that I did, I connected to his and then Tré [ drummer
Tré Cool ] did one and he connected it to mine and so on and so forth until we had about ten minutes. It was just purely out of having a good time." These thirty-second song sessions were started in frustration when the band was trying to decide what to do after the master tapes of their originally planned album were stolen. "This sounds like a rock opera," Armstrong jokingly remarked during this session. The song "
American Idiot" has been described by the band as their public statement in reaction to the confusing and warped scene that is American pop culture since
9/11. Armstrong has said that they chose to write this way because the band has obtained respect and sway in the music world, and that this social commentary is part of their natural evolution as a band.
American Idiot single B-Sides "Shoplifter," "Governator," and "Too Much Too Soon," along with the song "Favorite Son," released on the
Rock Against Bush Vol. 2 compilation were recorded in 2003 during the same sessions where they recorded the iTunes-only single
I Fought The Law. This was before the American Idiot recording sessions and have no connection to the storyline of the album like many believe. They are clearly the sounds of the band experimenting and finding their post-
Warning sound. Further proof they are not from the American Idiot sessions is that the tracks are not produced by American Idiot producer Rob Cavallo. They are also possibly the missing link in the connection between Green Day and
The Network, as the tracks were recorded at the same studio around the same time as The Network recorded their album
Money Money 2020.American Idiot features two singles that have been a subject of controversy among fans of certain bands. The single that the album was named after, "American Idiot", has often been accused of stealing the main guitar riff from a Dillinger Four song "DoubleWhiskeyCokeNoIce". If you listen to both songs, you'll notice the "American Idiot" guitar riff, is identical to the guitar riff found in the Dillinger Four song. Members from the Dillinger Four have often been quoted to saying that Green Day ripped off their song. Allthough the other song isn't quite as noticable, if you listen closely you'll notice that Green Day has also ripped off the song "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop, with their song "Holiday".
All tracks by
Billie Joe Armstrong (lyrics) and
Green Day (music), except where noted.# "
American Idiot" â€" 2:54# "
Jesus of Suburbia" â€" 9:08#* I. "Jesus of Suburbia" #* II. "City of the Damned" #* III. "I Don't Care" #* IV. "Dearly Beloved"#* V. "Tales of Another Broken Home"# "
Holiday" â€" 3:52# "
Boulevard of Broken Dreams" â€" 4:20# "
Are We The Waiting" â€" 2:42# "
St. Jimmy" â€" 2:55# "
Give Me Novacaine" â€" 3:25# "
She's a Rebel" â€" 2:00# "
Extraordinary Girl" â€" 3:33# "
Letterbomb" â€" 4:06# "
Wake Me Up When September Ends" â€" 4:45# "
Homecoming" â€" 9:18#* I. "The Death of St. Jimmy" #* II. "East 12th St."#* III. "Nobody Likes You" (Mike Dirnt/Green Day)#* IV. "Rock and Roll Girlfriend" (Tré Cool/Green Day)#* V. "We're Coming Home Again"# "
Whatsername" â€" 4:12
Songs recorded shortly before American Idiot and released as the album's B-Sides
#"
I Fought the Law" - a
The Bobby Fuller Four cover released on iTunes only#"
Favorite Son" - released on
Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2#"
Shoplifter" - released on the American Idiot ep#"
Governator" - released on the American Idiot ep# "
Too Much Too Soon"
iTunes*
The Following Listing is the listing that the iTunes Music Store gives, possibly to reduce the skipping that occurs when iTunes changes from one segued song to another, and to give the same effect as the album.# "
American Idiot" â€" 2:53# "
Jesus of Suburbia" â€" 9:08# "
Holiday/
Boulevard of Broken Dreams" â€" 8:13# "
Are We The Waiting/
St. Jimmy" â€" 5:38# "
Give Me Novacaine/
She's a Rebel" â€" 5:26# "
Extraordinary Girl/
Letterbomb" â€" 7:40# "
Wake Me Up When September Ends" â€" 4:45# "
Homecoming" â€" 9:18# "
Whatsername" â€" 4:12
In some countries, bonus versions of the album were released.
*The most common version can be found in the
United States,
United Kingdom,
Canada,
Australia and
New Zealand. It features "
Too Much Too Soon", one of the album's
B-sides, at the end of the album.
*In the
Japanese[American Idiot + Live in Tokyo] version, there are 14 tracks, the last track is "
Favorite Son", another B-side to the album. Another Japanese version includes a bonus CD, recorded live in
Makuhari Messe on
March 19,
2005. The
Enhanced CD contains live footage and behind-the-scenes featurette from the Japan tour.
*In the
French version, there are 16 tracks, featuring three of the album's B-sides: "
Too Much Too Soon", "
Governator" and "
Shoplifter". The French version combines "
Holiday" and "
Boulevard of Broken Dreams" into one track and does the same with "
Are We The Waiting" and "
St. Jimmy", "
Give Me Novacaine" and "
She's a Rebel", and "
Extraordinary Girl" and "
Letterbomb".
*In some versions, a DVD featuring a 'Making of' and music videos of "
Holiday" and "
Boulevard of Broken Dreams" can be found.
| Cover | Information | | American Idiot
*Released: 31 August 2004
*Chart positions: #61 (USA), #3 (UK), #1 (CAN), #7 (AUS), #28 (GER) |
| Boulevard of Broken Dreams
*Released: 29 November 2004
*Chart positions: #2 (USA), #5 (UK), #1 (CAN), #5 (AUS), #13 (GER) |
| Holiday
*Released: 14 March 2005
*Chart positions: #19 (USA), #11 (UK), #21 (CAN), #24 (AUS), #50 (GER) | Wake Me Up When September Ends
*Released: 13 June 2005
*Chart positions: #6 (USA), #8 (UK), #8 (CAN), #13 (AUS), #22 (GER) | | 'Jesus of Suburbia
*Released: 14 November 2005
*Chart positions: #17 (UK), #24 (AU), #26 (NZ), #82 (GER) | |
*
Billie Joe Armstrong - vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar;
*
Mike Dirnt - lead vocals on "Nobody Likes You", backing vocals on all other songs, bass guitar;
*
Tré Cool - lead vocals on "Rock and Roll Girlfriend", drums and percussions;
*
Rob Cavallo - piano (album only)
*
Jason White - backing vocals, second guitar, lead guitar (live only);
*
Jason Freese - saxophone (album and live) backing vocals, piano, and timpani (live only)
There are a number of words subject to high repetition in the lyrics, giving shape to the album's themes. Examples:
Lost and Found Lie or
Lies Care Dope Rage and
LoveMain article: American Idiot (movie)
Shortly after the album was released there was speculation that
American Idiot might be made into a movie.
VH1 quoted Armstrong as saying "We've definitely been talking about someone writing a script for it, and there's been a few different names that have been thrown at us. It sounds really exciting, but for right now it's just talk." [
3]Later, however, it was confirmed by
Billie Joe Armstrong that shooting would begin for
American Idiot: The Motion Picture in 2006. A fact that
Armstrong stressed was that, "We want to see how it turns out first so that it doesn't suck." [
4]
*
American Edit, a
mash-up version of the album that became a cause célèbre
*
Amazon.com's Top 100 Editors' Picks of 2004
*
Official Green Day website*
Lyrics*
GeekStinkBreath.net*
Different versions of "Whatsername"*
Green Day Authority.com
