Unpopular Green Day Opinions

[99-revolutions]

it's not that we hate it's just that there are some songs we just prefer. don't tell me you share the same amount of love for every songs.

To varying degrees of course but I don't have songs that don't like. It's the same for all of my favourite artists.

Edit: also I don't this to sound like a 'I am holier than thou' comment but because I'm a new fan, 4 or 5 months, I can look at their discography and not have a certain album blurred with nostalgia (Dookie, American Idiot for example) which helps me look at each album equally. Seeing as, to me, its all new Green Day.

[UNICORN VOMIT]

I was in the same boat before the trilogy, save for a few 1,039 smooth songs and the end of kerplunk.

I just can't get into Makeout Party, Kill the DJ, Nightlife, Lady Cobra, etc

4 of my favourites. Just goes to show how people's tastes differ. I literally loved lady cobra from the first listen.

[Awesompawsome]

how can you hate any of them? this makes me sad

I don't hate them as much as I used to "hate" Dookie and 1039 but now I just really don't like insomniac and don't care for the singles at all (expet live but everything's good live) and kerplunk is just meh, but more recently I've listened to Dookie and 1039 more and really like them but if I had a list for favourites insomniac would be at the bottom

[GenesisJames]

I don't hate them as much as I used to "hate" Dookie and 1039 but now I just really don't like insomniac and don't care for the singles at all (expet live but everything's good live) and kerplunk is just meh, but more recently I've listened to Dookie and 1039 more and really like them but if I had a list for favourites insomniac would be at the bottom

Oh man, I thought I was the only one who doesn't care for Insomniac!

[WhiteTim]

Besides Billie's vocals being mixed too low whats wrong with Insomniac?

[Asa.]

Besides Billie's vocals being mixed too low whats wrong with Insomniac?

For me, it took me a LONG time to get into that album. All of the songs that hadn't gotten single releases just kinda sounded the same to me.

[BullwinkleCheech]

Of the Trilogy, I think Green Day matured with a few songs and played it safe with a few others. I know it was going back to the basic, but Green Day is best when they're not comfortable. There's a maturation pattern to their music. Some Trilogy songs, once again, play it safe and don't really add anything new to Green Day's catalog. Here's my list of Trilogy songs that I think fit what Green Day should be doing after making two rock operas and growing in music wisdom.

1. Nuclear Family - Probably the closest there is to a Dookie song on the Trilogy, but with a modern take and sound.

2. Stay the Night - A great blend of the arena- ready songs of AI and the simplicity of old school Green Day.

3. Kill the DJ - An experimental rock/dance track. Something cool to add; something different.

4. Oh Love - Though hated by fans, it's a great track that is pure rock and roll. Something I'd expect from a followup to a rock opera.

5. Lazy Bones - While not groundbreaking or different, still has a mature power behind it.

6. Wild One - Not a great track, but definitely a more mature sound.

7. Stray Heart - Catchy and unique (Forget Mother Mary)

8. Amy - A good electric guitar ballad that is like a stripped down take on a 21CB ballad.

9. Brutal Love - Another experimental track with blues elements. Something unique and different from Green Day.

10. X-Kid - Similar to Stay the Night, a simpler sound that is arena ready.

11. 99 Revolutions - Simple but a good tie in to the AI sound.

Let me analyse this according to my point of view:

1. Nuclear Family - Cool song. Doesn't reach the level of Dookie, but is indeed (off all trilogy songs) the most Dookie-ish

2. Stay the Night - I'm going to have to agree on this one

3. Kill the DJ - A good attempt at a disco dance track. They should have worked on the variety more, it gets boring after a few listens. Cool to hear Green Day play this song though.

4. Oh Love - FAR from Rock N Roll. It's more of an epic anthem but faaaaar from rock n roll.

5. Lazy Bones - Lacks inspiration. With these lyrics, they should've come up with something better

6. Wild One - Shows no maturing whatsoever if you ask me. It's a weak rip-off of what has been done before sooo many times.

7. Stray Heart - If you think this is unique you have probably never listened to anything else than Green Day. The most predictable song on the trilogy. On my first listen, I knew the chord progressions before hearing them. Nothing unique about it.

8. Amy - Indeed a stripped version of a 21CB ballad. One of the better songs on the trilogy

9. Brutal Love - Again, if you think this is unique, go and fetch yourself some records other than Green Day. If you're telling me a song with G. C and D chords is UNIQUE, you probably don't know much. The fact that they had to credit Sam Cooke on this one shows how stupid it actually is to just change around the lyrics. For me, the most useless song of the trilogy.

10. X-Kid - Indeed, it's an easy listening song. Good for arena shows.

11. 99 Revolutions - Not original in any form, but good. I like it, and it's a great show opener.

If you ask me, the trilogy is in no way better dan 21CB. It lacks originality. 21CB had some real surprises, it showed some real musicianship. The trilogy, to me, sounds like 36 ripped-off songs that they wrote for the sake of writing. They could've done so much better. Green Day can do better than this. Admit it.

[JOE THE X-KID]

Not sure how unpopular this is but I like every song from every album. Everyone here always seems to hate at least 1 or 2 song from each album.

I'm with you there isn't a single song I dislike but obviously I prefer some to others

[99-revolutions]

Brother come forth and the ritual will be complete

[Hermione]

Some of those takes on the lyrics are a bit of a stretch to me. Obviously I had to cherry pick lines from songs because quite frankly it isn't reasonable for me to sit here and go over every song. Also, I never once said that lyrics have to be serious and complex to be good, did I? So why do you assume that I believe it to be true? Dookie was far from serious but it is great lyrically. Those lines are not the only ones that aren't good. Since you won't allow me to use individual lines from songs, I will expand to whole songs. Stop when the red lights flash, Baby Eyes, and A little boy named train don't seem to have any meaning. And songs like Makeout Party and Nightlife have obvious meanings but the lyrics aren't really creative or witty IMO. So since you have the answer to everything with no room for debate....explain some of the songs I listed then. Because on my own I can't really figure them out

Note: There are lyrics on the trilogy that I love. Brutal Love at the top of that list.

I didn't say there was no room for debate, I'm just stating my opinion of the lyrics in response to yours. You're saying "the lyrics have no meaning and/or are bad". And I'm saying that just because you can't see the meaning or think they're bad it doesn't mean there isn't a meaning or that they're objectively bad. I'll give the ones you mentioned a go!

I think Stop When The Red Lights Flash is about picking someone up to "make them surrender" ie to charm them into having sex with them. I think the title is a reference to "red light districts", areas of towns known as places where people pick up prostitutes. It's about going out to have meaningless sex with someone.

I think Baby Eyes is just about a dangerous, badass character. Someone who does bad things, but who's cool so you really might secretly want to be like him. Kind of a St Jimmy character really.

And I can't add anything to fromdecimateddreams' (sorry I don't know your name) excellent explanation of Little Boy Named Train, but Billie gives some interesting insight into the inspiration for the song and the title at the bottom right of this page.

I'm not saying you personally have to like the lyrics btw, I'm just saying why I like them and giving my interpretations of the meanings of them. I really hope the band ends up doing some interviews where they talk about the lyrics more in depth because I think there's loads of meaning in them and I'd love to hear more from them about it. I don't think they're a band who'd just write throwaway songs without inspiration and meaning behind them.

[munns6691]

I don't get it. The people that love Nightlife, Kill the DJ and makeout party know that Green Day sounds nothing like this on most songs right?

[Hermione]

I don't get it. The people that love Nightlife, Kill the DJ and makeout party know that Green Day sounds nothing like this on most songs right?

Yeah! And that's one of the cool things about Green Day, they're not afraid to experiment and have a bit of variety in their songs. If they all sounded the same it'd be boring.

[Z J]

I didn't say there was no room for debate, I'm just stating my opinion of the lyrics in response to yours. You're saying "the lyrics have no meaning and/or are bad". And I'm saying that just because you can't see the meaning or think they're bad it doesn't mean there isn't a meaning or that they're objectively bad. I'll give the ones you mentioned a go!

I think Stop When The Red Lights Flash is about picking someone up to "make them surrender" ie to charm them into having sex with them. I think the title is a reference to "red light districts", areas of towns known as places where people pick up prostitutes. It's about going out to have meaningless sex with someone.

I think Baby Eyes is just about a dangerous, badass character. Someone who does bad things, but who's cool so you really might secretly want to be like him. Kind of a St Jimmy character really.

And I can't add anything to fromdecimateddreams' (sorry I don't know your name) excellent explanation of Little Boy Named Train, but Billie gives some interesting insight into the inspiration for the song and the title at the bottom right of this page.

I'm not saying you personally have to like the lyrics btw, I'm just saying why I like them and giving my interpretations of the meanings of them. I really hope the band ends up doing some interviews where they talk about the lyrics more in depth because I think there's loads of meaning in them and I'd love to hear more from them about it. I don't think they're a band who'd just write throwaway songs without inspiration and meaning behind them.

Yep I already conceded A Little Boy Named Train wasn't a song with no meaning. These lyrics still aren't better to me than anything from the rest of their catalog, even if meaning can be drawn from them. And that's not the only reason the Trilogy is beneath their other albums, in my eyes anyway. The rhythm section only had a few really stand out songs (Stray Heart for one) and the effect they put on BJA's vocal I'm not a fan of. But, each to his own. I actually have no clue if you like the trilogy more than any other Green Day albums, but I'm pretty sure that's how this back and forth started, and I got a lot of different replies so I've lost track of who likes what. Oh well, this is the type of debate that this forum is supposed to stir up.

One more thing, are there any lyrics you DON'T like? From Green Day that is

[Strayheart1219]

Would you have AI above Dookie?

YES. I can't help but agree that dookie is very overrated as well. In my opinion american idiot is so much better.

[Hermione]

Yep I already conceded A Little Boy Named Train wasn't a song with no meaning. These lyrics still aren't better to me than anything from the rest of their catalog, even if meaning can be drawn from them. And that's not the only reason the Trilogy is beneath their other albums, in my eyes anyway. The rhythm section only had a few really stand out songs (Stray Heart for one) and the effect they put on BJA's vocal I'm not a fan of. But, each to his own. I actually have no clue if you like the trilogy more than any other Green Day albums, but I'm pretty sure that's how this back and forth started, and I got a lot of different replies so I've lost track of who likes what. Oh well, this is the type of debate that this forum is supposed to stir up.

One more thing, are there any lyrics you DON'T like? From Green Day that is

I actually do like them more , but I like all the rest a lot too so it doesn't really matter haha. And I agree with to each their own when it comes to musical preferences! What's your favourite just out of interest?

Yep there's some I don't like, and a lot I like less than others. It's mostly when it's a phrase that just makes me cringe a bit , the first one that springs to mind is "She's an extraordinary girl in an ordinary world". I know it makes sense within the song, but it's just a cliched phrase so I can't help but cringe slightly at it. I'm also not a huge fan of the lyrical style and content of Warning compared to their other albums. There's loads I love on there, but something about the word choice or the turn of phrase just doesn't grab me the same as the others. And I just can't relate to the more outward looking lyrics about society that are prevalent on there as emotionally as the more inward looking lyrics of other albums.

The thing is I enjoy analyzing Billie's lyrics so much that even if I don't particularly like one set or another I still love hearing interpretations of them so I still enjoy them that way . And I still wouldn't want them to change any of them because I know they all come from an inspired place. I have my preferences but I wouldn't draw the conclusion that the ones I like or "get" more are necessarily any more meaningful than the others.

[Hermione]

Frankly, I wish they would stop trying to recreate Dookie and would do some more of that grandiose 21CBD stuff.

I don't think they've ever tried to recreate Dookie, every album since has sounded different to it. The retro rock n roll-like sound and lyrical content of the Trilogy is far from Dookie.

[Asa.]

1. Nuclear Family - Cool song. Doesn't reach the level of Dookie, but is indeed (off all trilogy songs) the most Dookie-ish

if you think Nuclear Family sounds more like Dookie than Angel Blue, then I dunno what you're smoking

[DookieLukie]

Frankly, I wish they would stop trying to recreate Dookie and would do some more of that grandiose 21CBD stuff.

Why?

if you think Nuclear Family sounds more like Dookie than Angel Blue, then I dunno what you're smoking

Angel Blue sounds like nothing on Dookie...

Let me analyse this according to my point of view:

1. Nuclear Family - Cool song. Doesn't reach the level of Dookie, but is indeed (off all trilogy songs) the most Dookie-ish

2. Stay the Night - I'm going to have to agree on this one

3. Kill the DJ - A good attempt at a disco dance track. They should have worked on the variety more, it gets boring after a few listens. Cool to hear Green Day play this song though.

4. Oh Love - FAR from Rock N Roll. It's more of an epic anthem but faaaaar from rock n roll.

5. Lazy Bones - Lacks inspiration. With these lyrics, they should've come up with something better

6. Wild One - Shows no maturing whatsoever if you ask me. It's a weak rip-off of what has been done before sooo many times.

7. Stray Heart - If you think this is unique you have probably never listened to anything else than Green Day. The most predictable song on the trilogy. On my first listen, I knew the chord progressions before hearing them. Nothing unique about it.

8. Amy - Indeed a stripped version of a 21CB ballad. One of the better songs on the trilogy

9. Brutal Love - Again, if you think this is unique, go and fetch yourself some records other than Green Day. If you're telling me a song with G. C and D chords is UNIQUE, you probably don't know much. The fact that they had to credit Sam Cooke on this one shows how stupid it actually is to just change around the lyrics. For me, the most useless song of the trilogy.

10. X-Kid - Indeed, it's an easy listening song. Good for arena shows.

11. 99 Revolutions - Not original in any form, but good. I like it, and it's a great show opener.

If you ask me, the trilogy is in no way better dan 21CB. It lacks originality. 21CB had some real surprises, it showed some real musicianship. The trilogy, to me, sounds like 36 ripped-off songs that they wrote for the sake of writing. They could've done so much better. Green Day can do better than this. Admit it.

I would have to agree that the Trilogy seems rather uninspired. But I'm not sure if it's because it flopped that I feel this way. I do actually listen to music outside of Green Day, so there's no reason to throw a dig out at me. When I said UNIQUE, I mean that Green Day hasn't experimented with a blues sound. But you're right, most of the Trilogy seems like a mailed in rehash of songs they've already done.

[ChelseaDagger]

Because I freaking love 21CBD and the pageantry/epic scale of the live shows they put on when they were touring to support the album. I miss all of that. I miss the pyrotechnics and the light displays and the drama of the live shows. I miss the lyrics driven by a mix of social commentary and the deeply emotional combined with the powerful, dramatic instrumentals, all of it connecting to an over-arching album theme. I miss it way more than I normally care to admit and I'd like it back, please.

YES YES YES ALL THIS.

[Hermione]

Because I freaking love 21CBD and the pageantry/epic scale of the live shows they put on when they were touring to support the album. I miss all of that. I miss the pyrotechnics and the light displays and the drama of the live shows. I miss the lyrics driven by a mix of social commentary and the deeply emotional combined with the powerful, dramatic instrumentals, all of it connecting to an over-arching album theme. I miss it way more than I normally care to admit and I'd like it back, please.

Ahh I get that, it was awesome. I like both their simpler stuff (whether their older simpler stuff or their new kind of simpler stuff) and the epic theatrical stuff though so I don't mind either way. But I think they do still have a fair bit of theatrical flair when they play live. Aside from the lights and pyro etc (that I hardly noticed anyway since I'm so unobservant ) being cut back they're still putting on pretty grandiose shows.

[Z J]

I would love if Green Day's next album is either acoustic (BJA could do it solo, like his encores) or another concept album that is more stadium rock oriented, with some smash singles. A pipe dream of mine would be a more punk album like insomniac, but I get the feeling that if UNO was sort of their return to short pop-punk songs, that they really don't have a good punk album in them any more. So acoustic or concept. Extreme grandiosity or extremely stripped down

[fromdecimateddreams]

I really wish people would stop trying to compare everything to Dookie.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Dookie just as much as the next person. But it's one album out of eleven, or even twelve if you count Shenanigans. Was it amazing and influential and huge in GD's career? Yes. But bands change and the members evolve, and with that, their music evolves. We can't hold on to 1994 forever. Green Day isn't going to make an album that sounds like Dookie, because that was something they already did and it's been almost twenty years since then. They're going to experiment with other sounds and continue to evolve and do what they do.

I mean, this is basically the reason why I don't like it when people do that "Dookie-fying" thing to the newer material. It's a cool idea for covers and whatnot, but I just feel like people spend way too much time dwelling on the fact that GD's new stuff isn't just like Dookie~! and not enough time actually appreciating what this amazing band has already given us.

[Z J]

I really wish people would stop trying to compare everything to Dookie.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Dookie just as much as the next person. But it's one album out of eleven, or even twelve if you count Shenanigans. Was it amazing and influential and huge in GD's career? Yes. But bands change and the members evolve, and with that, their music evolves. We can't hold on to 1994 forever. Green Day isn't going to make an album that sounds like Dookie, because that was something they already did and it's been almost twenty years since then. They're going to experiment with other sounds and continue to evolve and do what they do.

I mean, this is basically the reason why I don't like it when people do that "Dookie-fying" thing to the newer material. It's a cool idea for covers and whatnot, but I just feel like people spend way too much time dwelling on the fact that GD's new stuff isn't just like Dookie~! and not enough time actually appreciating what this amazing band has already given us.

I feel like a lot of critics do this. Especially the ones that didn't like AI/21 CB. They say things like "Instead of 3 punks who were honest and exciting, we now have 3 old men wearing make up and striped pants singing about politics." That's a paraphrase of a review I read of BIAB and it pissed me off to no end that people didn't like what they were doing because "it wasn't the same."

[fromdecimateddreams]

I feel like a lot of critics do this. Especially the ones that didn't like AI/21 CB. They say things like "Instead of 3 punks who were honest and exciting, we now have 3 old men wearing make up and striped pants singing about politics." That's a paraphrase of a review I read of BIAB and it pissed me off to no end that people didn't like what they were doing because "it wasn't the same."

Yes, exactly. And they're totally missing the point when they do that. They can say that "Green Day sold out" as much as they want, but quite frankly, if Green Day was still doing the exact same thing they did in the early 90s, they absolutely would not be where they are today. People would have gotten really tired of them really easily.

[Guest Trotsky]

I'm not saying you personally have to like the lyrics btw, I'm just saying why I like them and giving my interpretations of the meanings of them. I really hope the band ends up doing some interviews where they talk about the lyrics more in depth because I think there's loads of meaning in them and I'd love to hear more from them about it. I don't think they're a band who'd just write throwaway songs without inspiration and meaning behind them.

This x 1000000000 times. If we had more information about the songs we would understand them better to be able to comment on them as they deserve.