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Don't you mean in Green Day's... basket case?

The change was much more gradual than that. They matured with each album after their first, writing about stuff that affected them at the time. Have you listened to the lyrics of Warning? They were already writing way more outward looking lyrics at that point, talking about the problems of society rather than just personal concerns. American Idiot was a logical next step after that. They've never just stayed the same and kept pointlessly making the same album over and over, they've always had the ambition to change and improve with each album. AI was just an extra big leap of ambition. And it basically tells the story of Billie's youth, set to the political backdrop of the time it was written. It's about the real life issues of Billie's own past and present, so I really don't see how they weren't being true to themselves with it! As for the "stolen" album, they've said it was similar to Warning, the same old stuff and not ambitious. They realized it wasn't good enough so they made something better instead - isn't doing their best instead of settling for something mediocre what a band should do? They don't make music for fans/you. They make music for themselves. If you like it you can listen to it, if you don't like it too bad. If they made music to try to cater to what fans want instead of making the music they're inspired to make it would suck big time.

I think you need to go sit in a darkened room and think a bit about what you have done here.

Misery is an absolutely amazing song. Don't tell me otherwise. Cool lyrics, cool arrangement and its one of the most untypical songs of theirs ever

The best thing about that one is you know if Billie thought of it he'd sing it that way every time they played it live.

Billie doesn't even know the lyrics to every Green Day song.

You honestly think there's such a thing as a sell out? Oh dear.

How come your username isn't AmericanIdiotLamericanIdiot then?

Macy's Day Parade is one of their all-time best songs.

One who conforms to his ideals and his ideals only Blew me away with that reasoning.

No, like it or not, they had to change. Say, it would only has been a bad joke if they had written songs whose topics are merely masturbation, teenage love and weed when they were over 30. Sorry. Thats exactly whats so extraordinary about them. Instead of ripping off their earlier success and repeating the trick until it worns out, they came up with something new. They were nearly written off already before the success of AI. The public would have forgotten them. So like it or not, the path they chose with American Idiot, was the only one that kept them still relevant. They couldn't have continued the way they used to anyway. So like it or not, no matter if you like AI or not, without it Green Day would nowadays be remembered as a mid nimeties punk pop band with a few hits, but they wouldn't be in that position they are now. Also, the younger generations (including for example me) would most likely never had got into them.

Can you use any word other than "bad?" Your vocabulary is apparently limited. "It's a bad album, because it has bad songs and bad production." Enlightening.

How anyone can say Jesus of surburbia is a bad song is beyond me.

bad....... production???????

American Idiot never gets boring, I've heard the song so many times but it's so cleverly written and extremely important in Green Days career.

DBH is probably objectively the best on the album after maybe Castaway.

Best song on Warning is Blood Sex and Booze. Possibly as good as all the other songs put together.

On the subject of Warning, I think it's one of the most overlooked and underrated albums of all time. I guess it is the most un-Green Day album overall, but I don't even think that matters, the songwriting is fantastic. I think they changed up their style at the right time though, as I'd be surprised if they'd have been able to squeeze another decent album out of that style. I just hate how they were written off after putting a genuinely good album out though, and I'll never understand that.

AI (the single) is important. To deny that is simply an individual looking for ways to be controversial. Warning was a commercial flop. The band was on the cusp of retiring. The public simply wasn't interested in Green Day anymore. Then, in the middle of an era where Bush was POPULAR (he got re-elected, btw), Green Day release their first single, American Idiot. The song immediately captured the public's attention, amassing radio play and sales in large quantities. AI was the first GD song to be featured on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 61. Bottom line is, the song made an impact. Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. This line garnered a lot of praise from critics everywhere. AI served it's purpose perfectly. It got GD back on the map, it captured the public's attention. It made a statement.

^ That is so bad joke I repped you only because it is so sad to see you how low you have fallen.

No need to apologize , wasn't only aimed at your comment and I know that wasn't even your main point, I've just noticed it being described that way a few times and disagree. I do agree with everything else you wrote, it's definitely true that he was writing about girls (and stuff in general) in a different way on the trilogy compared to on their early albums. I'd agree there. But I think it applies to both sexes, on earlier albums he was writing about the more serious and complex sides of relationships, but on the Trilogy he wrote more specifically about the idea of going out and partying and having flings, and the good and bad consequences. It's that one dimension of men being explored as well as that one dimension of women, men aren't portrayed with any more complexity. I'd say there are some more creative and understanding lyrics as well, but again that applies to men and women, there's more reflective songs such as Amy, Amanda or Wild One where women have more dimensions just as there's songs like Lazy Bones where the man has more dimensions. The complexity or lack of complexity never seems biased towards one sex or the other to me. Probably both . I'm going by Green Day's account that they realized it wasn't "maximum Green Day" and resolved to push themselves further, whether that realization was influenced by Reprise's reaction and/or tapes being stolen or not I'm not sure but they did arrive at it somehow.

To be fair, Kill the DJ has good verses.

Awww I needed that rep I never said it was a bad song though, I love all the individual little pieces of the song. They just don't flow as well as they do on "Jesus of Suburbia" to me.

At least Seagull lives up to his name as a seagull - shitting on everything.

> loves the albums whose singles were Oh Love, Kill the DJ, Stray Heart and The Forgotten.

There wasn't a mainstream "Fuck Bush" theme. First off, the only song that's "Fuck Bush" is American Idiot itself, the rest has very little to do with him directly, and only Holiday tangentially related by being anti-war. In 2003 when they were writing it, there wasn't a mainstream "Fuck Bush" theme. Bush was still popular enough to win re-election in 2004. I don't like AI as a song either, but the rest of the album doesn't resemble the opening song in anyway.

Well since no one else (besides Tom) is defending the beautiful gem that is Macy's Day Parade I suppose I will. It is hands down one of the best songs in their catalog. It doesn't quite match Good Riddance because Good Riddance has a better riff and lyrics that are timeless. But what it lacks in guitar creativity it more than makes up for in it's absolutely beautiful building resonance. The song begins slowly and in a low key then builds gradually with each verse. Accompanied by these ever so faint strings that are just barely noticeable. But they build with Billie's voice. As does the tempo. It all builds together and creates this wonderfully simple and slightly nostalgic feeling. Then I realized what it took To tell the difference between Thieves and crooks A lesson learned to me and you This^ is probably my favorite vocal moment from Billie ever. The run on "you" is spectacular.

Billie's hair though

Speaking of Macy's Day Parade, it's actually one of my favourite Green Day videos.

We need to bombard his Twitter with that lyric. Let's make this happen, people.

Booooo

Agreed completely. And it is for these very reasons I think that 'don't wanna be an American idiot' as the opening line to that song is the best, if not the most important, line Billie's ever written.

Green Day was sell outs the very second they signed to a major label... Meaning Dookie is a sell out album... Who cares they make music they want to make

You know what else is untypical? Rest.

As is the verse from "Holiday" that he quoted. Doesn't take much to say which is the better use of symbolism.

Don't ask he'll just just substitute bad with shitty

AI is my favorite GD album.

we need that pic of Tom saying "tom says no to name calling" right now.

Name calling is not tolerated in this community. Consider this your verbal warning.

I named my new bong Letterbong

Y'know, it'd be really fantastic if one of these days you actually gave us a reason as to why's that's true that doesn't rely on "true fan" nonsense.

It just wouldn't be right to call any of those fabulous albums "worst"