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Basically, the title says it all. From my Green Day library, which I have been working on for many, many years, I have narrowed down all of their songs to a list of ten; ten songs that, to me, have made me a Green Day fan and have a special place in my heart when it comes to their music. So, without further adieu, here is my list:
10: Starting this countdown, I start with one of Green Day's first hits off of Dookie, which is "Longview". The song is basically compared to schizophrenia, if you think about it. The song starts off very mellow with a bass line, which, to me, is one of the best bass lines in rock music, that Mike delivers so well. Billie chimes in with his voice and lyrics that really set the mood. When I first heard it, I thought it was going to be like that the entire song... then the chorus happened and I was blown away, so to speak. The song is the perfect exploitation of what the average teenager goes through - being bored, masturbating because of the boredom and just being locked up in your room with nothing to do. The teenage version of me listened to this song religiously, as if there was no other song on this planet that spoke to me more than this. Now, being twenty, I still listen to it daily, but nothing will impact me like "Longview" did when I first heard it and when I went through adolescents.
9: A very underrated song, in my honest opinion, off of Insomniac, "Tight Wad Hill" lands my number nine spot on this countdown. Insomniac was never as popular as Dookie and critics really believed it was inferior, but I always felt the anger and angst in Insomniac was some of the best work they have put out. I felt Insomniac was their angriest album yet and also one of their bests, but to me, the song that made me love it was Tight Wad Hill. I know a lot of people would say that Jaded or Brain Stew would be the best representation of the album, but I always thought Tight Wad Hill was just superb. "Drugstore hooligan, another white trash mannequin on display to rot above the hill. Living out a lie but having the time of his life; hating every minute of his existence." is some of the best lyrics I recall in early-ish Green Day. There is no denying that the further they came, the more diverse and expansive their lyrics grew, but I just adore this song, so it lands as number 9 on my list.
8: A more recent song lands on the list and this is off Green Day's second album in their trilogy, ¡Dos! and that song is "Amy". I first heard this song from a link a friend sent me over MSN. The quality was horrendous, but I listened anyway and I was blown away. Soon after, I read about the trilogy and I hoped to God that Amy made it on one of the albums. When ¡Uno! came out and it wasn't on it, I hoped for it to be on one of the other two... and then ¡Dos! came out and I was just happier than a pig in fecal matter. The song is so beautiful and sad at the same time. I don't know the relationship between Billie Joe and Amy Whinehouse (if there ever was one), but this song is a beautiful dedication to a woman who, I personally, didn't like, but respected musically. I listen to it all the time and it never ceases to amaze me.
7: Number seven on my list is off of Warning and that song is "Church on Sunday". This is one of the catchiest Green Day songs they have released and it was one of the first Green Day songs I learned on guitar. I love the chorus to death and I really feel that this was one of the best songs off of Warning. People may not agree with this song being one of their bests, but to me, it was my favorite off of Warning.
6: Clocking in at number six is a rather old Green Day song and it is off of Kerplunk. "No One Knows" is possibly the saddest Green Day song they have released; Mike's bass line in it was a perfect way to open the song and really set the mood for the entire song. Billie Joe's somber voice and lyrics really spoke to me. There was a dark time in my life for a while when I really secluded myself from others and felt really depressed for the longest time and every day, I would indulge myself in this song and just get lost in its wave of brilliance. I got out of that rut on my own, but I know that this song somewhat helped me, even if it was in the slightest.
5: Number five is off of arguably Green Day's best album, American Idiot. There is no doubting that American Idiot was probably the last thing people expected when it was first announced almost ten years ago, but like The Who before them, Green Day's rock opera American Idiot was merely flawless. "Jesus of Suburbia" is a nine minute epic that is basically four songs in one. One of their most powerful tracks ever, Jesus of Suburbia was one of the biggest risks the band has ever made. No one thought of Green Day as a band capable of making a near 10 minute song and being able to capture the listener throughout, but when they matured to the level of American Idiot, they put out a masterpiece. Jesus of Suburbia will go down as one of their best songs of all time, in my mind.
4: We have reached the top four, and clocking in at number four is a very early Green Day song off of their "first" album, 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, which was an album consisting of their first three EPs, 1,000 Hours, 39 Smooth and Slappy. "Paper Lanterns" is basically the 'friendzone' and/or 'ex-girlfriend/boyfriend' song to all Green Day fans in my opinion. "To this day I'm asking why I still think about you..." is a line that really hit home. I just got off a bad relationship and yet, after her cheating on me, I still thought about her and I didn't know why. It reminded me of this song and I can't help but feel the emotion in it. Really great song and one of my favorites, hence its placement at number four.
3: The final three. I applaud anyone who has read through the first seven and make it to number one; I put a lot of thought into this countdown. Number three is actually not off of a studio album, but rather a compilation album. "J.A.R (Jason Andrew Relva)" is another song that spoke to me. Freshman year, I lost a good friend to a car accident. He wasn't drunk, but he turned a corner too fast and swerved to hit a car and hit a tree, dying on impact. As far as I know, J.A.R is about Mike's good childhood friend, Jason Relva, who died in a car accident too. I applaud Mike's lyrics in this song, as well as the ending that always gets me. "Gotta' make a plan, gotta' do what's right. Can't run around in circles if you wanna' build a life, but I don't wanna' make a plan for a day far away. While I'm young and able all I wanna do is.." Now, this could just be my opinion, but the abrupt ending to the song could be symbolism to Jason's untimely death, as if all he wanted to do was have fun, but died before he could finish the line. Really moving song.
2: Number two. My second favorite Green Day song of all time and it happens to be off of their breakout album, Dookie. The last track (not counting All By Myself), "F.O.D" was a fitting end to this great album. The acoustic start was great and I compare it to Longview, as it started off very slow and quiet, then kicked in with a great riff. "You're just a fuck... I can't explain it cus' I think you suck. I'm taking pride in telling you to fuck off and die." A very hateful song and it is one of, if not the best "fuck you" song Green Day has released. I can't explain why I love this song so much, but this list is my opinion and I am sure most of you will not agree with these listings, but hey, it's just me lol.
1: And now, we reach number one. Drum roll please? ... okay, no drum roll, but here it is! Off of Green Day's epic rock opera American Idiot, "Homecoming" takes the spot of number one on my list of top ten favorite Green Day songs. Why? Well, when I first heard Jesus of Suburbia, I thought they really out-did themselves... and then I heard Homecoming and I just dropped to the floor. Seriously, this song defines the word epic. All three members have their voices heard and shine in their own light, but the ending is what gets me. Nobody Likes You was first referenced in Letterbomb and then in Homecoming in Mike's verse, but was also the last line at the end of the song. The perfect way to end this song and it really sets the tone as to who Green Day are as a band. They're no longer 22 years old, drinking beer and singing about teenage angst and masturbation. No, they're grown men who have experienced life first hand and continue to make brilliant music. So, "Homecoming" is my all-time favorite song!
I hope you all stuck through this and read it in full, as I did put a lot of thought into this. Here are some honorable mentions:
- Minority
- American Eulogy
- Christian's Inferno
- Christie Road
- Brain Stew
- Whatsername
- Stuart and the Ave.
- Brat
- Too Much Too Soon
Edited by ¡Zach!, 19 December 2012 - 02:31 AM.
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