Since this past Friday was the release of the new Green Day album "21st Century Breakdown", I thought it would be interesting for me to look back on how much Green Day has been a part of my life. I warn you, this could be a long and boring read.
Believe it or not, I got my first taste of Green Day back when Dookie came out in 1994. I might have been only 6 years old but I can distinctly remember seeing the Basket Case video on MTV. MTV was a channel that my parents forbid me to watch, so I did what any young kid would do and watched it anyway when my parents weren't looking. Of course being 6 years old I wasn't really able to grasp what was going on, as I had never heard music like Green Day's before; I had been raised on oldies from my parent's lifetime, like Beach Boys, Beatles, and Stones. But nevertheless I found Green Day interesting, but couldn't consider myself a fan just yet because I was so young. And besides, the only real reason why I could have like them when I was 6 was because of their name; green was my favorite color.
Fast forward to 1997, when I was 9 and finishing up elementary school. By then I was starting to get into popular music. 1997 was when Nimrod came out, and that album, along with Dude Ranch, were to first two albums I can remember getting. I was really into Nimrod when I first got it, listening to it whenever I got the chance. Of course I learned some new naughty words from the record too, but I had the common sense to not say them out loud. It was through Nimrod that I started to get into different music; to put it into a totally cliched light, Nimrod opened my "musical doors". After a while I went back and got both Dookie and Insomniac and listened to them religiously. Now my Green Day fandom had begun.
Fast forward again to 2000 when Warning was released. I was 12 and in middle school trying to figure out my place in the world. To say I was a little lost in middle school was an understatement; I didn't fit in and had few friends. You see 80% of the kids I knew were doing sports while myself and the remaining 20% were in band. You see it was here when my interest in music began, thanks in most part to both Green Day and Blink-182. Anyway, I can remember being really excited when I saw a magazine insert advertising Green Day's new album Warning. I rushed out and got it when it came out (2 days before my birthday) and, once again, didn't stop listening to it for the longest time. The slower and more acoustic sound of the album was something I really liked. I still feel that Warning is vastly under appreciated and deserves more credit than it gets. Sure it wasn't a huge hit like Dookie, but it did pave the way for what Green Day was going to accomplish next.
It would be 4 long years before I got to hear some new Green Day music. Sure there was Shenanigans but that didn't spend too much time in my CD player (this was long before I got an iPod). After Warning, I kind of forgot about Green Day, and Blink-182 took over to fill in my need for pop-punk music. Don't get me wrong, I always had loved Blink, but I had been listening to Green Day longer. So while Green Day faded Blink released 2 great albums (Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and Untitled) that shaped my early high school years. But finally when I was halfway through high school the amazing American Idiot came out changing everything for me. Blink-182 fell by the waste side (that was when they broke up too) and American Idiot didn't leave my CD player for a year and a half. Every chance I got at school I would take out my CD player and listen to it. I bought everything that had to do with American Idiot: shirts, wallets, posters; you name, it I had it. Aside from some really amazing songs and music videos, American Idiot also gave me something new to think about: politics. This was right before the 2004 election, so I guess you could say that American Idiot jump-started whatever interest I have in politics (it's not a lot, but better than nothing). More importantly, this record came to me in a very important time in my life. I was in high school trying to decide what I was going to do with my life and there was this record that told me to not do what everyone told me to do and to fight for my right to be myself. No other piece of music had done that before, and for that, American Idiot will remain one of my favorite albums ever.
It has been a long wait for some new Green Day tunes, but I realized that after the monumental achievement that American Idiot was, Green Day needed some time to decide what to do next. And what they have done with 21st Century Breakdown is outstanding; they have made a better record than American Idiot. Yes I may be stretching things a bit; after all it only has been out for a few days, but once again, it has been in heavy rotation on my iPod since it came out. Their new record is a towering achievement, in which the guys didn't cop out and make a little album to get some money; they made a huge record with songs that they wanted to make. And you don't get that much in music today.
So thank you Green Day. Thanks for everything.
2 comments:
hey,I was reading your blog and I found It really interesting, i very much agree with you that warning is underrated,People don't give it as much credit because its a little more folk then they were used to at the time.I have 9 of Green Days Albums and I am currently in High school now,and green Day and blink 182 are some of my favorite bands too,anyway I thought your blog was very interesting,thanks.
Hey! Great blog. Yes, Green Day has been very inspiring to me too. I hear they're releasing a new album soon, so I can't wait for it! I alreay heard some instrumental of the album, but of course I hope it will be in the shops as soon as possible!
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