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Should Green Day Be a "Mature" Band?


Mayonaise

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I was just thinking about this today, and I'm not exactly sure what to think.

I am, of course, talking about the music itself.

For me, personally, 39/Smooth, Kerplunk, and Dookie all fall under that "immature, but they're excusable because they're early releases". Nimrod and Warning are the complete opposites for me. With songs discussing suicide, growing up, and hardships of a relationship (whatever you wanna say "Redundant" is about).

Insomniac and American Idiot fall right smack dab in the middle. Insomniac showed that they could mature, it still had songs like "Brat" and I just can't call it mature or immature. American Idiot, on the other hand, while tells a very serious message, has a sense of humor to it. The title track portrays this. While "American Idiot" has some very foul language in it and vocabulary which seriously made me question if this was a "serious song". It does, however, have a big message to it. And of course, the rock opera which I won't get into because we all know about it.

And then, 21st Century Breakdown. This album is pretty much all serious. All serious, all the time. It's so serious even the jokes it tells are serious. Anyways, on a more serious note, this album in general is just serious. Quite mature. It's basically American Idiot, but with all the humor taken out and replaced with some different instrumentation.

And then, of course, the trilogy. None of these albums were exactly "mature" if you ask me. Uno and Dos? HA! Yeah, the various topics of sex, drugs and violence (ba dum, toss!) really shows that Green Day can just write some great songs! (SARCASM) But then, Tré is another note for me. Tré starts off as this very serious album with "Brutal Love" and "Missing You" but then it just sort of fades.

But then there is another question: What do YOU think of the albums themselves? This is a very subjective topic.

For me, everything from 1990-2004 (39/Smooth, Kerplunk, Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod, Warning, and American Idiot) are great albums, and then everything after (21st Century Breakdown, Uno, Dos, and Tré) is either garbage or I'm mixed on it (The only one I'm mixed about being Tré).

So, the thing is, if I were to say "Green Day's immature side is their best!" I would basically be comparing their first three albums, masterpieces in my opinion, to Uno and Dos.

Fuck no.

But if I were to say "Green Day was best when they were mature!" I'd be comparing Insomniac, Nimrod, Warning, and AI to 21CB and Tré.

Again, I'd rather avoid that.

Now that I think about it, compilation and live albums could even apply here. International Superhits! could show how they have matured overtime by having all the hits on there in order, Shenanigans could do the same thing but with new songs, and live albums could portray maturity by how the musicians act on stage (Billie Joe moaning in BIAB tho).

So, should Green Day be a mature band? I guess what the question is really asking: "Based on what you think of the Green Day albums, should they act a particular way?"

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But they always have been a mature band? A few swear words makes no difference with regards to maturity. Probably the least mature album they've ever released was Dos, and it was shit. Even when they were younger Billie Joe excelled at writing about teenage issues and angst from a very clever perspective, hence Kerplunk and Dookie's widespread and cross-generational appeal.

They are (or they used to be) excellent at writing actual good songs, something that sets them apart from most other bands of the genre.

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But they always have been a mature band? A few swear words makes no difference with regards to maturity. Probably the least mature album they've ever released was Dos, and it was shit. Even when they were younger Billie Joe excelled at writing about teenage issues and angst from a very clever perspective, hence Kerplunk and Dookie's widespread and cross-generational appeal.

They are (or they used to be) excellent at writing actual good songs, something that sets them apart from most other bands of the genre.

Oh shit, you're right. This thread's pointless.

Mod, delete it at once. jk I wanna see what happens.

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i wouldn't say that their earlier albums (with the exception of 39 smooth, lol) are immature, but i definitely think that part of the reason the trilogy didn't work is because they were trying to be immature on purpose, if that makes sense. it just doesn't feel authentic like their other albums do. i don't have a problem with them writing about drinking or fucking or other ~immature stuff or doing any of the ""back to basics"" stuff they tried for as long as they do it well, which it seems like they've almost forgetten how to do.

Immature was the wrong way for me to put the earlier releases. More like "have not grown up yet, but are getting there".

I have a problem with them writing songs about fucking and drinking. But that really depends on the lyrics and overall if I just like the song. "Blood, Sex, and Booze" is one of my favorite Green Day songs of all time. But songs like "Fuck Time" I always thought were total shit.

But they always have been a mature band? A few swear words makes no difference with regards to maturity. Probably the least mature album they've ever released was Dos, and it was shit. Even when they were younger Billie Joe excelled at writing about teenage issues and angst from a very clever perspective, hence Kerplunk and Dookie's widespread and cross-generational appeal.

They are (or they used to be) excellent at writing actual good songs, something that sets them apart from most other bands of the genre.

Me replying to this earlier was a failure, sorry. You're right, swearing has nothing to do with maturity. But I was talking about the overall lyrical content of AI. It pushes this message to its listeners, but has this humor to it while still maintaining that message.

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They already are, just they forgot that sometimes.

The OP, read it.

But if you did read it, yeah. The trilogy agrees with that statement.

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And then, 21st Century Breakdown. This album is pretty much all serious. All serious, all the time. It's so serious even the jokes it tells are serious. Anyways, on a more serious note, this album in general is just serious. Quite mature. It's basically American Idiot, but with all the humor taken out and replaced with some different instrumentation.

But is the album serious

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But is the album serious

Your thumbnail makes it even more perfect.

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I think a lot of their charm comes from being a mix of both. They've always written thoughtful, clever, mature lyrics, but also had a great sense of humour. They take their music seriously but they don't take themselves too seriously to include some humour and silliness in it on occasion, whether in the form of biting wit or just moments of flat out silliness. For me that mix is probably what drew me to the band more than anything else.

Oh shit, you're right. This thread's pointless.

Mod, delete it at once. jk I wanna see what happens.

Not pointless at all! It's an interesting subject.

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Maturity doesn't mean leaving your sense of humor behind and being serious all the time. For me it's more about the music. A mature band doesn't have to write about serious subjects but plays more complex music. It's a long process and Green Day's development is clearly noticeable. So yes they are mature in terms of music. If their behaviour matches depends on the level of their personal maturity.

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I think with their earlier albums, they were "immature" and humorous but still cleverly and brilliantly written. You can feel the passion and energy they put in their tracks. Whereas the trilogy was silly, poorly written and quite frankly, lacking depth.

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The OP, read it.

But if you did read it, yeah. The trilogy agrees with that statement.

In the other side, you're taking too serious if Green Day are mature or not. It's obviously that you dislike Fuck Time or Makeout Party for its lyrics, but I think you don't need to worry about that. If Armstrong and Co. likes the caos and drugs, leave them. They use (or used) to live like that because is that kind of life they come from.

Also, you have to think what the band perspective of the music and I remember to say Armstrong that he wants to do anything he wants to do, there is no limits for his songwriting. Is not like other artists who want always clever or straight-to-face lyrics.

For the Trilogy.... I know there some poorly written tracks, that was a fiasco in general with the Iheart radio incident, but is not that inmature, because is a long story of a man with a lousy life going to the drain, exactly like BJ felt in that moment. Is inmature writing about how you feel? I don't think so.

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But is the album serious

That ava tho...

Are there Asian girls here? Minority Report.

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I think that Green Day expresses a higher level of maturity in each new album, except the trilogy. I agree with others that Dos is complete shit, except for Stray Heart. (in my opinion) I mean, through the years, each album highlights where they are in their life and their career, and also the things they have learned from making mistakes or any other hardships. They starting out writing angry teenage melodies about love and getting high, and then eventually progressed into singing about politics. Therefore I think that takes a lot of experience and adulthood. (But what do I know I'm a fucking teenager?) I believe that including these life elements into songwriting shows maturity. However, I don't think that Green Day should be called a "mature" band. Only because their attitude and political angst (which I love about them) keeps them from portraying a "mature" image.

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I'd say the band is rather mature. Well, it also depends on everyone's personal interpretation of what mature stands for exactly.. But I think that it takes some wisdom and age to actually get the lyrics and interpret them in a way that they were meant to be understood.

At least for me, it takes a lot of retrospective and analyzing for some songs. Sure, some are downright silly and easy, but that doesn't change the overall thematic of the band.

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At least for me, it takes a lot of retrospective and analyzing for some songs. Sure, some are downright silly and easy, but that doesn't change the overall thematic of the band.

Does it mean, the more complicated the more mature? Or would it be more mature to have the ability to let everybody understand a meaning clear and immediately?

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Does it mean, the more complicated the more mature? Or would it be more mature to have the ability to let everybody understand a meaning clear and immediately?

Didn't say 'the more complicated, the more mature'. It's just some ideas that you cannot perceive (in the right way) when you're younger compared to a later self that has matured some more. In my case at least. You know, it's like the situation with cartoons - when the creators throw in some dialogues that you just don't get or can't relate to when you're a kid (a very lame, but still an example: in powerpuff girls, where they bring a friend home and say "professor made us by accident", and their friend says, "oh, my parents say i was an accident too". you wouldn't get that as a kid, but when you're a teenager/young adult all of sudden it just makes sense.)

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I prefer the more immature Green Day, if immature is albums like dookie.

That said, I love American Idiot (don't we all?) and that was one of green days most mature albums.

The trilogy had immature elements, but stupid immaturity, unlike dookie, which was just teenage angst.

The boys can't write an album like Dookie any more, they've grown up, so naturally they're going to become a mature band.

The choice they have is whether future albums are more light hearted (dookie etc.) or take a more serious viewpoint.

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I prefer the more immature Green Day, if immature is albums like dookie.

That said, I love American Idiot (don't we all?) and that was one of green days most mature albums.

The trilogy had immature elements, but stupid immaturity, unlike dookie, which was just teenage angst.

The boys can't write an album like Dookie any more, they've grown up, so naturally they're going to become a mature band.

The choice they have is whether future albums are more light hearted (dookie etc.) or take a more serious viewpoint.

That's a very one-dimensional approach you have here...

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Elaborate?

Just the fact that you fall into the thinking pattern that's preached everywhere - that Dookie is immature because it discusses teenage angst mainly, meanwhile AI is mature because of the political element. Dookie may be more straightforward that AI is, but that's not all that there is to (at least my) definition of maturity. In my opinion, JOS might just be one of the most immature tracks (content wise) in their catalogue (let's not go into trilogy much, as I don't know the lyrics impeccably to that).

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Just the fact that you fall into the thinking pattern that's preached everywhere - that Dookie is immature because it discusses teenage angst mainly, meanwhile AI is mature because of the political element. Dookie may be more straightforward that AI is, but that's not all that there is to (at least my) definition of maturity. In my opinion, JOS might just be one of the most immature tracks (content wise) in their catalogue (let's not go into trilogy much, as I don't know the lyrics impeccably to that).

How is JOS immature??

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Just the fact that you fall into the thinking pattern that's preached everywhere - that Dookie is immature because it discusses teenage angst mainly, meanwhile AI is mature because of the political element. Dookie may be more straightforward that AI is, but that's not all that there is to (at least my) definition of maturity. In my opinion, JOS might just be one of the most immature tracks (content wise) in their catalogue (let's not go into trilogy much, as I don't know the lyrics impeccably to that).

Dookie has some more serious undertones (dealing with sexuality in coming clean etc) but it is essentially immature.

American Idiot is the other way round, mature with immature undertones

Out of interest why is JOS immature? It deals with some very serious content

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I think the fact that they started out as a sloppy punk band writing songs about unrequited love and smoking pot and now have a reputation (for better or for worse) as a sociopolitical punk band just goes to show that GD have always had a more mature mindset, especially compared to other bands of the genre.

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