Unpopular Green Day Opinions

[Hermione]

i feel like im gonna say this to see what you guys have to say to him. my dad said know your enemy is the best song on 21CB when it came on at the fox theater show.

Well it's really catchy and gets the crowd pumped up, nothing wrong with thinking that!

[walking_c0ntradicti0n]

well that wasnt the response i was expecting at all

[Spike]

It does get the crowd going live, it is great in that respect. But the best song on the album? That's just offensive.

[Akshat]

I really love American Idiot, but I'm not a fan of Billie singing it in UK or elsewhere outside US . Not that I'm american or a fan of brandon flowers, and I also know that the song is NOT anti American, but calling your countrymen idiots to a foreign audience is not cool.Maybe people don't notice it that much or don't care. I bet brits would get angry if they made a song called British Scumbags and played it in the US(no offence to anyone) . Many people here were deeply offended when India was potrayed in a bad light in slumdog millionare. Maybe it's not a relevent example and I know what I said absolutely makes no sense for a lot of people here, but there might be sections of people in the US who hated him singing AI in the uk in front of 65000 people. The points he made in AI are relevant in all countries though. And he never meant to offend anyone. But people do get butthurt for no reason

I wouldn't hesitate to call it the best song on the album if the only other one I'd heard was "Christian's Inferno"

I believe its a better song than 21 guns.My top 5 21st cb songs would be

1.Before The Loboctomy

2.21st CB

3.Know Your Enemy

4.Last of The American Girls

5.American Eulogy

[Akshat]

I do feel that way as well. It's one thing for a bunch of Americans to sing it, it's another for a bunch of non-Americans to sing it. Gives the song a whole different flavor. However, I obviously have no problem with them performing one of their most popular songs ever in other countries

No doubt the song is awesome. But he HAS to make a song called British Idiot if he has has a desire to be fair and impartial with the fans of the two countries

All this wouldn't have happened if he just named it Canadian Idiot. Wierd Al saw that comin...

[Guest]

Right, I'm late to this, but if you honestly think that Back In Black is AC/DC's only good album, I have three words for you. Bon. Fucking. Scott.

Also Billie is a brutally average guitarist when placed in context, but in terms of punk/pop-punk he's pretty good. Definitely not as good as many hardcore punk guitarists, but he's still fairly handy with an axe.

As for the American Idiot thing, I think there's a reason it was such a huge hit worldwide, not just in America. It tapped into a very strong vein of anti-Americanism that existed and still does exist in a great many countries. It didn't really say anything new or portray America in a new light, it simply gave a catchy and accessible voice to all the thoughts that had been bubbling for a long time worldwide. It didn't make America look bad: it simply let us know that Americans knew they looked bad, and that they weren't happy about it either.

[Spike]

So yeah, patriotism is overrated. America as an institution have done some awful shit over the years, especially the government in charge at the time of American Idiot, and any Green Day fan would know that. Therefore, anyone who goes to a Green Day gig would know that. It's quite clear from the lyric that it's not an anti-American song, if anything it's anti-American government, as so many people were at the time. I don't think it can be compared to something like Slumdog Millionaire, because that portrayed India in a negative light - American Idiot portrays the institution in a negative light, which was perfectly justified. The way I see it, the only people who could be offended by it are those who believed in the shit the relevant government did - y'know, if the cap fits wear it. If anyone is offended by American Idiot being sung by non-Americans, then you're either not looking at the lyrics properly or you're one of the people it's referring to.

[Z J]

A couple of great responses to the American Idiot thing already, but I'll throw my hat in to the ring as well.

I think the song, when it was sung on American soil to Americans during the time the album was released, had a special sort of message to convey. Their performance of AI at the Grammy's and on Letterman were not only tight performances but they were sung to a crowd who may not have yet realized how absurd the Bush administration and the media had gotten at the time. I think it says a lot that Bush was re-elected in 04. So a majority of Americans at the time of AI still fell in to the category of people Green Day railed against. That makes the performances in that time period all the more galvanizing. Everyone now realizes how absurd the Bush Adminstration and the media was, but during the time people didn't realize it (or at least the majority didn't) He's singing to these people in the audience and on tv and he's speaking directly to the source of the problem. I love it.

Nowadays the song is more a cautionary tale of how blind nationalism can make a country. It applies to all countries.

[UNICORN VOMIT]

To me inspired just means it came from a real place and was written for artistic reasons rather than to please anyone or fill an album (which seems particularly unlikely in this case since they could've just stopped at one album's worth of songs!), and going by everything they've said and done regarding the albums and knowing what they're like I'd say they're definitely inspired in that sense. The rest (whether it has witticism, creativity etc) is much more a matter of taste and opinion and where a lot of people clearly disagree haha. I don't think whether it turned out people thought it was good or liked it or not has much bearing on whether it came from an inspired place or not though. even if something turns out terribly it doesn't mean it wasn't inspired.

I always thought that billie wrote most of the songs around the time he was in the musical. I thought I read somewhere he said he would go out for a walk in the morning get a coffee and write a song - saying it was easy. He said that he was inspired by everyone in the production.

[Z J]

To me inspired just means it came from a real place and was written for artistic reasons rather than to please anyone or fill an album (which seems particularly unlikely in this case since they could've just stopped at one album's worth of songs!), and going by everything they've said and done regarding the albums and knowing what they're like I'd say they're definitely inspired in that sense. The rest (whether it has witticism, creativity etc) is much more a matter of taste and opinion and where a lot of people clearly disagree haha. I don't think whether it turned out people thought it was good or liked it or not has much bearing on whether it came from an inspired place or not though. even if something turns out terribly it doesn't mean it wasn't inspired.

See we have different interpretations of what it means to write inspired lyrics. When Billie writes with anger, somberness, passion, bitterness, confusion etc. it comes through in the creativity and the overall quality of the lyrics. Examples: Holiday, American Idiot, Jesus Of Suburbia, Brutal Love, Walking Contradiction, She, Basket Case, Panic Song, J.A.R. (Mike in this case), Castaway, Last Night on Earth, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Minority, Macy's Day Parade, and so many others.

That's not to say the material can't be light-hearted or humorous. Longview, for example, has lyrics about being so uninspired, yet it comes at a time in his life where that is reasonable. Or Blood Sex and Booze, a great example of how you can be sexual and not serious in a lyric but still show some creativity. Whereas Makeout Party just doesn't have anything like that.

It is about personal preference, although it is pretty obvious that lyrical quality on the trilogy is widely regarded as lower when compared to previous works.

[Slydren]

I don't think "Lazy Bones" is all that great.

Honestly, I like it, but it's on the bottom half of my trilogy favorites. Down there with Amy, Kill The DJ, and See You Tonight

[JOE THE X-KID]

The lyrical quality on the trilogy is obviously not their best compared to previous efforts (although it does have some brilliant lyrics occasionally) but they're are just fun albums to me, despite having a dark underlying theme. But I'll always remember the trilogy, I don't think I've ever been so excited for music to be released in my life, such an exciting time and ill always remember it.

[Hermione]

I do feel that way as well. It's one thing for a bunch of Americans to sing it, it's another for a bunch of non-Americans to sing it. Gives the song a whole different flavor. However, I obviously have no problem with them performing one of their most popular songs ever in other countries

No doubt the song is awesome. But he HAS to make a song called British Idiot if he has has a desire to be fair and impartial with the fans of the two countries

All this wouldn't have happened if he just named it Canadian Idiot. Wierd Al saw that comin...

The thing is, like you said, the song isn't anti American. It's not only Americans who understand that, we understand it too. So when we sing it we're not singing it to be anti American either, we understand the meaning of the lyrics just as well. There's also plenty of non Americans AND Americans who don't get it of course, who think it is anti American (possibly even more of the latter judging by some of the reactions to the song over there). But unless you're one of those people I don't see why it would make a difference who sings it. We're not offended by Americans singing Sex Pistols songs, for example, because we know they're not anti British but just anti some aspects of the British establishment. Same with American Idiot just the other way round.

[Akshat]

Some good legitimate points raised about American Idiot. I still feel that they should have given it a different title, not because people might say its Anti American but because the song talks about issues that are not local to America. The media controls a lot more than we perceive it does. News of the world is a classic example. Not that it does not, but AI would have a much wider appeal if it had a different title because people wouldn't see the song from an anti american point of view anymore, but something they could relate to themselves. And if that happens then I guess Green Day would owe the world a huge favour.

And as I said before, people get butthurt easily and the wiser people should avoid giving such people a chance, something I learnt from this website.

[Guest]

Some good legitimate points raised about American Idiot. I still feel that they should have given it a different title, not because people might say its Anti American but because the song talks about issues that are not local to America. The media controls a lot more than we perceive it does. News of the world is a classic example. Not that it does not, but AI would have a much wider appeal if it had a different title because people wouldn't see the song from an anti american point of view anymore, but something they could relate to themselves. And if that happens then I guess Green Day would owe the world a huge favour.

And as I said before, people get butthurt easily and the wiser people should avoid giving such people a chance, something I learnt from this website.

Like I said before, the reason it resonated throughout the world is because America is seen as the pinnacle of all these problems in society. It's the epicentre of the capitalist society, and as such is very important in the whole media circus.

And the even wiser people laugh at the butthurt

[The Disappearing Boy]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Lazy Bones is one of the best songs they've ever written, even if it is so simple

[Guest]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Lazy Bones is one of the best songs they've ever written, even if it is so simple

Tré's finest tambourine solo, without a doubt.

[The Disappearing Boy]

Tré's finest tambourine solo, without a doubt.

The highlight of the song, naturally.

[Ham Pascale]

I have stopped listening to Insomniac quite recently. The atmosphere is all like - WE'RE PUNK GODDAMIT, THIS ALBUM IS FOR DIEHARD REAL FANS ONLY - I'm feeling disgusted while listening to it. But Green Day had to remain straight to their audience and themselves, so I think there wasn't another way.

[Spike]

I have stopped listening to Insomniac quite recently. The atmosphere is all like - WE'RE PUNK GODDAMIT, THIS ALBUM IS FOR DIEHARD REAL FANS ONLY - I'm feeling disgusted while listening to it. But Green Day had to remain straight to their audience and themselves, so I think there wasn't another way.

This seems to be quite a common opinion, and I don't think I'll ever understand it. They made the record they wanted to at the time. I know it's very common for bands to lose their edge when they get signed to a major label and try to be more marketable to the mainstream, but that doesn't mean they have to. I get that Dookie was more poppy, but that album was written before they were signed to a major, so I have to believe that Dookie was entirely authentic. The same goes for Insomniac by extension. They started out as a punk band, it can't be surprising that they released a punk album. It might be rougher and more raw than any of their other post-Dookie records, but it seems to be the most honest, and is easily their best work in my opinion.

Did they ever actually say the album is for diehard fans only? That seems to be a common misconception that is projected onto them just because it's a less pop-based album than their others.

[Hermione]

Did they ever actually say the album is for diehard fans only? That seems to be a common misconception that is projected onto them just because it's a less pop-based album than their others.

I highly doubt it! I totally agree with what you wrote. I think it was honest at the time because at the time they were hurt and angry at the backlash they received from the scene they came from and cared about. Dealing with the huge changes to their lives that came with becoming successful, many of them not so positive. They were in an aggressive, let's show them mood and wanted to get those feelings out as well as proving exactly how hard they could go. And the result is brilliant!

[Clockwise]

I really think Kerplunk and 39/smooth are way poppier than Dookie and Insomniac. Probably their poppiest two records. The recording quality is lesser, but the songs are straight up pop rock.

[Mar]

I have stopped listening to Insomniac quite recently. The atmosphere is all like - WE'RE PUNK GODDAMIT, THIS ALBUM IS FOR DIEHARD REAL FANS ONLY - I'm feeling disgusted while listening to it. But Green Day had to remain straight to their audience and themselves, so I think there wasn't another way.

I enjoy the album but I totally know what you mean ... I often feel like Insomniac is TOO COOL for my ass

I know that it wasn't written with that intention (in fact, more of the opposite, I'd argue, with songs like 86 which, to me, is about coming to terms with being famous and being what you are, it's about not caring what people think about your success), but it is intimidating.

[Guest]

Insomniac is one of the few GD albums I still listen to all the way through. I likes me some anger.

[UNICORN VOMIT]

Insomniac is one of the few GD albums I still listen to all the way through. I likes me some anger.

The only album I don't listen to all the way through is UNO.