Green Day
American Idiot
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Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ was a blast when it was first released, it’s been a staple from there on and is still super relevant even today. Now more than ever. Why?
Let’s be proper punk and not start from the beginning as you often do, but, quite fittingly, twenty years later, in 2024.
Twenty years later, not twenty years ago
In ‘The American Dream is Killing Me‘, the opening song from the recently released album Saviours (2024), Green Day contemplate the state of our society, not just the American one. When he sings ‘We are not well / Are we not well?’, we know he’s onto something deep, something rooted, which the song quickly confirms by ‘People on the street / Unemployed and obsolete / Did you ever learn to read the ransom note’.
In ‘The American Dream is Killing Me’, the opening song from the recently released album Saviours (2024), Armstrong contemplates the state of our society, not just the American one. When he sings ‘We are not well / Are we not well?’, he expresses uncertainty because there’s something wrong, which the song quickly confirms by ‘People on the street / Unemployed and obsolete / Did you ever learn to read the ransom note’.
The song parallels ‘American Idiot’ that came twenty years later. In a way, the song could be titled ‘America Idiot Vol. 2’.
So, ‘American Idiot’, finally
How do you know a song is relevant even after twenty years of being out there? How do you the song’s author is also still relevant? There are signs.
When Green Day released their seventh album American Idiot in 2004 – with a song of the same title – they were not expecting to return to the same themes twenty years later on their fourteenth album, Saviours, which was released just a few weeks ago.
Like the idea or not, ‘American Idiot’ has become a gospel of sorts to us all.
‘American Idiot’, meaning, background, emotions, and a bit of history
As mentioned above, ‘American Idiot’ was released twenty years ago, in 2004. Surprisingly little has changed in that time
The sound is pretty much what you remember and know pop-punk, melodic punk, or punk rock sounds.
The song reflects the disillusionment of Armstrong’s generation from the first term of George W. Bush in the presidential office. He did not know Bush would be re-elected and the xenophobia, that blossomed after the 9/11 attacks, would help sow even worse seeds than anyone anticipated. All the fear, planted and spread by the media, was used and abused for clear reasons.
Fear and self-preservation are the two most powerful emotions.
Armstrong was brought up by the liberal 924 Gilman Street Club, now known as the Alternative Music Foundation, and its environment. The club was run by Tim Yohannan, who was against racism, sexism, or homophobia. Values dear not only to Green Day.
The seeds of the post-9/11 atmosphere bloomed and paved the way for none other than Donald J. Trump’s election, far-right media, and opportunistic populism.
When the lyrics of ‘The American Dream is Killing me’ mentions ‘When it’s all double-talk of conspiracy’, it immediately draws the line between itself and ‘American Idiot’ and it’s ‘Don’t want a nation under the new media / And can you hear the sound of hysteria?’
To reflect that, the band decided to update the lyrics for their New Year’s performance, and tweaked the lyrics from:
Well, maybe I’m the faggot, America
I’m not a part of a redneck agenda
Now everybody, do the propaganda
And sing along to the age of paranoia
to
Well, maybe I’m the faggot, America
I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda
Now everybody, do the propaganda
And sing along to the age of paranoia
MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again“.
The song certainly didn’t need the change to stay relevant, it helps though.
Our societies are being constantly fed lies, populists have been spreading fear, and easy fixes to problems that transcend nations are being offered by alternative – often pro-Russian – voices.
Are our democracies under siege? The answer is yes if we circle back to ‘The American Dream is Killing Me’. And there are hints but that’s for another time.
Let’s catch up in twenty years, in 2044, to see if ‘American Idiot’ is still relevant.
Until then!
Original Green Day ‘American Idiot’ music video
Green Day – American Idiot [Official Music Video]
Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ Lyrics
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 mindfuck AmericaWelcome to a new kind of tension
All across the alien nation
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay
In television dreams of tomorrow
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow
For that’s enough to argueWell, maybe I’m the faggot, America
I’m not a part of a redneck agenda
Now everybody, do the propaganda
And sing along to the age of paranoiaWelcome to a new kind of tension
All across the alien nation
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay
In television dreams of tomorrow
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow
For that’s enough to argueDon’t wanna be an American idiot
One nation controlled by the media
Information age of hysteria
It’s calling out to idiot AmericaWelcome to a new kind of tension
All across the alien nation
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay
In television dreams of tomorrow
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow
For that’s enough to argue
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Written by Vinklarek on
