Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt.
For much of the band’s career, they have been a trio with drummer Tré Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before the recording of the band’s second studio album, Kerplunk (1991).
Touring guitarist Jason White became a full-time member in 2012, but returned to his role as a touring member in 2016.
Green Day was originally part of the late-’80s/early-’90s punk scene at the DIY 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California.
The band’s early releases were with the independent record label Lookout! Records.
In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. Green Day is credited alongside fellow California punk bands NOFX, Sublime, Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, and Jawbreaker with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.
Though the albums Insomniac (1995), Nimrod (1997), and Warning (2000) did not match the success of Dookie, they were still successful with the former two reaching double platinum status while the latter achieved gold.
Green Day’s seventh album, a rock opera called American Idiot (2004), found popularity with a younger generation, selling six million copies in the U.S. Their next album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released in 2009 and achieved the band’s best chart performance. It was followed by a trilogy of albums, ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!, released in September, November, and December 2012, respectively. The trilogy did not perform as well as expected commercially in comparison to their previous albums largely due to lack of promotion and Armstrong entering rehab. Their twelfth studio album, Revolution Radio, was released in October 2016 and became their third to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The band’s thirteenth studio album, Father of All Motherfuckers, was released on February 7, 2020.
Green Day has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
The group has been nominated for 20 Grammy awards and has won five of them with Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, Record of the Year for “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, and Best Musical Show Album for American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording.
In 2010, a stage adaptation of American Idiot debuted on Broadway. The musical was nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design, and Best Lighting Design, winning the latter two.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, their first year of eligibility.
Members of the band have also collaborated together on the side projects Pinhead Gunpowder, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Longshot and The Coverups.
American Idiot – A concept album, dubbed a “punk rock opera” by the band members, American Idiot follows the story of Jesus of Suburbia, a lower-middle-class American adolescent anti-hero.
The album expresses the disillusionment and dissent of a generation that came of age in a period shaped by tumultuous events such as 9/11 and the Iraq War.
In order to accomplish this, the band used unconventional techniques for themselves, including transitions between connected songs and some long, chaptered, creative compositions presenting the album themes.
Following the disappointing sales of their previous album Warning (2000), the band took a break before beginning what they had planned to be their next album, Cigarettes and Valentines. However, recording was cut short when the master tapes were stolen; following this, the band made the decision to start their next album from scratch. The result was a more societally critical, politically charged record which returned to the band’s punk rock sound, with additional influences that were not explored on their older punk albums. Additionally, the band underwent an “image change”, wearing red and black uniforms onstage, to add more theatrical presence to the album.
American Idiot became one of the most anticipated releases of 2004. It marked a career comeback for Green Day, charting in 27 countries, reaching for the first time the top spot on the Billboard 200 for the group and peaking at number one in other 18 countries. It has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling album for the band and one of the best-selling albums of the decade. It was later certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2013. The album spawned five successful singles: “American Idiot”, “Holiday”, “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, “Jesus of Suburbia” and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year winner “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.
American Idiot was very well received critically. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won the Award for Best Rock Album at the 2005 Grammy Awards.
It was also nominated for Best Album at the Europe Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards, winning the former.
Its success inspired a Broadway musical, a documentary and a planned feature film adaptation.
It is considered a defining rock album of the decade and one of the greatest albums of all time, as it has appeared in several lists of the best albums; in 2012, Rolling Stone placed it at 225 on their list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, and again in 2020, at 248.
Tracklist:
A1 American Idiot 2:54 Jesus Of Suburbia (9:08)
A2.1 Jesus Of Suburbia
A2.2 City Of The Damned
A2.3 I Don’t Care
A2.4 Dearly Beloved
A2.5 Tales Of Another Broken Home
B1 Holiday 3:52
B2 Boulevard Of Broken Dreams 4:20
B3 Are We The Waiting 2:42
B4 St. Jimmy 2:55
C1 Give Me Novacaine 3:25
C2 She’s A Rebel 2:00
C3 Extraordinary Girl 3:33
C4 Letterbomb Guest, Vocals – Kathleen Hanna 4:06
C5 Wake Me Up When September Ends 4:45 Homecoming (9:18)
D1.1 The Death Of St. Jimmy
D1.2 East 12th St.
D1.3 Nobody Likes You Words By – Mike Dirnt
D1.4 Rock And Roll Girlfriend Words By – Tré Cool
D1.5 We’re Coming Home Again
D2 Whatsername 4:12
Members:
Billie Joe Armstrong
Mike Dirnt
Tré Cool
Also known as: Sweet Children (1987–1989)
Associated acts:
Pinhead Gunpowder, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Coverups
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.