AleKerplunk Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 oh American Idiot is perfect, a great song, that song means too much for me and i think a lot of us knew Green Day for this song. i really enjoy playing on the guitar and sing it.and now, specially now this song rmakes me think in the new goverment in Chile, with our new president (Fuck you, Sebastian Piñera) and well, every time i listen American Idiot i feel great ^^ has so much energy, the lyrics are awesome... great choice, Jnet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eirik Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 ^that was a really nice almost essay on the song. Thanks! I realized that I used to take the lyrics "The subliminal mind fuck America" as 'the subliminal mind - fuck America' instead of 'the subliminal mindfuck America'. I wonder if 'my version' would make sense too, because in some way it sounds logical to me, but that might be because I thought of it that way for months. What exactly would a subliminal mind be? The media, telling you what to do in a way you don't notice they do? I don't know if I'm making sense here, but the thought just occurred to me and I figured, let's post it. You have a point, and I think it is correct to interepet that line both ways. As with the line "All across the alienation", which could be heard as "All across the alien nation", both of which fit perfectly. That's one of the great things about this song, and most GD tracks for that matter, all the double-meanings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isabel Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Another awesome pick. Where to begin........ The narrator proclaims, in an explosion of anxiety, rage, and even love, that he doesn't want to be just another media and mass-marketing-directed robot -- what he defines to be the "American idiot." He observes how the country he so desperately wants to be proud of again is falling apart around him...engaged in multiple wars, with standards of living falling for everyone, while a gridlocked, impotent political structure led by one of the biggest jerkoffs the world has ever known sits back and shrugs. He's disgusted at the orchestrated "mind fuck" being worked on us all -- the politicians and the media telling us that everything is OK, just keep borrowing and spending and enjoy the latest bling (just as the government keeps borrowing from China and spending money it no longer has to finance a war that can't be justified under international law). "And while you're at it, don't pay any attention to the bodies coming home from the battlefield," they say. "There's no need for any personal sacrifice. So terrorists blew up the World Trade Center? No worries, just do your patriotic duty and go shopping!" In truth, the undercurrent of anxiety we feel is real. It's the real truth, and no matter how much we want to wish it all away it's not going anywhere -- and the younger generation is going to pay a dear, dear price for it. This was the perfect intro to a great album. It frames the environment that Jesus of Suburbia was forced to grow up in, explaining if not justifying why the poor little guy turned out to be as fucked up of a character as he is, and why he decided to run away, invent his St. Jimmy persona, and turn to drug addiction as a way of (not) dealing with it all. It forced the older generations to look at what they were doing to their kids. And in creating this song and the album, Green Day somehow wound up writing our generations' equivalent of The Who's "Tommy". I wonder if the band really knew what they were getting themselves into when they wrote this song -- it was truly a defining moment for them, elevating their maturity and their own standards well beyond the teen-angst and "let's sing about masturbation" days of Dookie and Insomniac that they had now so clearly left behind. American Idiot -- both the song and the album -- was a tremendously bold statement for anyone to make, especially at a time when their contemporaries (the Dixie Chicks come to mind) and liberal politicians were being villified by the right-wing neoconservatives, wingnut radio talk show hosts, and other elements of the media....but it also made another bold statement: "Remember us? We're back, we're pissed, and we're going to tell it like it is." On my way in to work this morning, the iPod coughed up the band's 2005 Milton Keyes performance (the Bullet In A Bible CD)...65,000 fans in the UK screaming "Going out to Idiot America" all at once....sent a chill up my spine, it did. Next week I hope we can talk about "Letterbomb," which drops the other AI bookend into place. P.S. J'net - can't wait to read your recap of the musical! From the looks of the news blurb on GDA it sounds like it was just phenomenal! I swear, I read this thread mainly because of your wonderful interpretations! but it also made another bold statement: "Remember us? We're back, we're pissed, and we're going to tell it like it is." That's exactly what I felt when I heard it for the first time. That's why the American Idiot video is my favourite out of them all. I think it's the most representative. It's so aggressive, so passionate, so thought provoking. It's like "We're back. This is who we are and don't ever forget that." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farley drexel hatcher Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 I wouldn't be into any of the music I am today, if it wasn't for this song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae'n'shine Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Ah, American Idiot. The song that started my love affair with Green Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christycard Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 This is the song that made people take Green Day seriously. Sure, they had some powerful ballads (Good Riddance) but nothing that made a statement the way this song does. American Idiot is fast and angry and honest. A brilliant piece of literature as well as music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAR Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 American Idiot is really the song that hooked me on Green Day, so I think I'll always find it special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest x-Green Day-x Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 This song was probably one of the 1st Green Day songs I ever heard Loved it then and love it now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuropeanIdiot Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 I think this song will forever be *the* Green Day song. I find it so special and powerful and it just... works. One of my absolute faves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of 1967 Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 I swear, I read this thread mainly because of your wonderful interpretations! Awwwwww, flattery will get you everywhere m'dear........... I can't believe this slipped my mind when I wrote my earlier post -- I totally forgot to note the percussion change right at the "now everybody do the propaganda" lyric. It's like the band is sticking a little "sub-song" right in the middle of AI itself. Remember back in the 50s when Chubby Checker came out with "The Twist"? Now here we are in the zeros and G.W. Bush comes along with this hot new dance called "The Propaganda" ...so come on everyone, dance right along with it -- and here's a neat little syncopated change-up in the rhythm to set it apart from the rest of the song and emphasize it. [i HOPE I'm making sense here!] I just LOVE how Green Day can do that so well in so much of their music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conspiracy. Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Almost every time I tell people I like GD they start singing American Idiot at me. I have no idea, but it's hilarious. xD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorty13 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Almost every time I tell people I like GD they start singing American Idiot at me. I have no idea, but it's hilarious. xD I know! That's what most people know I guess This is the song that got me liking Green Day. I was humming it for a couple of weeks and finally looked it up, found GD, and the rest is history Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anette Leone Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 that song have touched me by the first heard.. it was strong like a punch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraHsunshine Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Dear American Idiot, I am still madly in love with you after all these years. <3 Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J'net Posted March 29, 2010 Author Share Posted March 29, 2010 Just to let everyone know ... I'm going to be traveling all day tomorrow, so it will probably be Tuesday again before I can post the new SotW. However, I'm loving the discussion in this thread, so keep it up for another day . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trina Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I really love the double meaning/whatever of "all across the alien nation" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmrnmrphy Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I remember when this song first came out I kinda did a double take as i watched the video "Who the fuck is that pretending to be billie joe" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmonator. Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I love this song, and the music video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eeefaa. Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I remember when this song first came out I kinda did a double take as i watched the video "Who the fuck is that pretending to be billie joe" :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 When i first heard it loved it but since kerrang and scuzz has just totally overplayed in the last 5 years its got a bit boring, though i do still like it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayfabe Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 (would like new es oh tee dubya) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J'net Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 (would like new es oh tee dubya) Coming up soon ... sorry I've been challenged with all the travel, etc. Won't be long now . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hydrozoid Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 one of my favourite song love it <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diloss Posted May 16, 2010 Share Posted May 16, 2010 This song is one of my favorites too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack96 Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Cool i haven't listened to this song in soooooo long Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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