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American Idiot

Green Day

2004

Buy At Rough Trade
American Idiot
Album Summary

American Idiot is the seventh studio album by American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with Green Day, an arrangement the group have been using since they signed with a major label. Recording sessions for American Idiot were made at Studio 880, in Oakland and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, both in California, between 2003 and 2004. A concept album, dubbed a "punk rock opera" by the band members, American Idiot follows the story of Jesus of Suburbia, a lower-middle-class American adolescent anti-hero. The album expresses the disillusionment and dissent of a generation that came of age in a period shaped by tumultuous events such as 9/11 and the Iraq War. In order to accomplish this, the band used unconventional techniques for themselves, including transitions between connected songs and some long, chaptered, creative compositions presenting the album themes. Following the disappointing sales of their previous album Warning (2000), the band took a break before beginning what they had planned to be their next album, Cigarettes and Valentines. However, recording was cut short when the master tapes were stolen; following this, the band made the decision to start their next album from scratch. The result was a more societally critical, politically charged record which returned to the band's punk rock sound following the more folk and pop insired Warning, with additional influences that were not explored on their older punk albums. Additionally, the band underwent an "image change", wearing red and black uniforms onstage, to add more theatrical presence to the album. American Idiot became one of the most anticipated releases of 2004. It marked a career comeback for Green Day, charting in 27 countries, reaching for the first time the top spot on the Billboard 200 for the group and peaking at number one in 18 other countries. It has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling album for the band and one of the best-selling albums of the decade. It was later certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2013. The album spawned five successful singles: the titular track, "American Idiot", "Holiday", "Wake Me Up When September Ends", "Jesus of Suburbia" and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year winner "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". American Idiot was very well received critically. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won the Award for Best Rock Album at the 2005 Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Album at the Europe Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards, winning the former. Its success inspired a Broadway musical, a documentary and a planned feature film adaptation. Rolling Stone placed it at 225 on their 2012 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and again in 2020, at 248.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.73

Votes

12472
Genres
Punk
Rock

Reviews

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Wed Feb 16 2022
5

Expert witness account of this album incoming. It is easy to forget how big this album was, and Green Day were after this one hit. Going into it though in 2004, popular culture had passed them by. Dookie had hit 10 years earlier and while the following Green Day albums were hits, they were never going to reach the heights their breakthrough did. At the start of the 2000s, Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Sum 41 and Simple Plan had taken what Green Day were doing in the 90s and replicated it (to lesser artistic success) and dominated the charts, MuchMusic airtime (yes I’m Canadian) and magazine covers. At the same time, a narrative had been going on in music conversations that rock and roll was dying, the pendulum had swung to pop and hip hop (very short sited and mostly perpetuated by people who only get music through TV and top 40 radio, of which I was mostly too) which had contributed to the overall decline in relevancy of guitar-bass-drum acts. By time fall 2004 had come around there already were the next generation of popular rock acts coming up (The Killers and Frank Ferdinand had hit earlier in the summer, Arcade Fire would hit mainstream this fall). So here came Green Day with a new album, and it had been a few years since they had put out new music. I think there was some level of hype, and it was known this was going to be a concept album. People forget though, Green Day had changed their image in preparation of this album. For a band that had been at the height of their relevancy 10 years earlier, the refreshed look absolutely helped their appeal, as they somehow looked cooler and ahead of the curve than the other bands that had surpassed them. This was sort of a clean entry point for new fans too as they’re visually striking at this point, sound as good as they ever have and are riding this Anti-Bush wave that’s happening right before the 2014 US election. So when the American Idiot single came out, I remember the music video had gotten a lot more play than singles from previous Green Day had been. But this album just kept growing with each successive single. Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends we’re all massive hits and had endless radio play. This album landed like nothing else in rock had. They stayed in the public spotlight for at least 2 years off the strength of this record. I remember seeing them on the cover of Entertainment Weekly in 2016 still promoting American Idiot, and the band won the Grammy a few weeks later which kept them going. Now this album has been adapted into a Broadway show and Green Day is the only other band that got a Rock Band game besides the Beatles (AC/DC had a disc, but that was just songs, no band representation) So I say all of this because looking back at the 2000s decade because of when American Idiot hit, the case could be made Green Day was at the top of the rock pile, along with U2, RHCP, Coldplay and I suppose the Killers. So while people had this conversation that rock was dying in the 2000s we have to count ourselves pretty fucking lucky we had Green Day that rode the mainstream. You may hate this album but it’s better than most of the other slush pile the 2000s had to offer. The album itself though; it is still absolutely killer and it’s obvious why they became the biggest band in the world again because of this. There’s nothing challenging here about the music; it’s immediate, every song is catchy, lyrics are great (if dated criticism of America in the 2000s). So many of the songs have been ridden into the ground (anything released as a single) so the real winners here are the longer concept album saga songs (Jesus of Suburbia, Homecoming). What I have had to contend with doing this 1001 album project is putting into perspective when I would have been listening to this album before. American Idiot doesn’t seem like it’s that old. Im assuming this is because the songs in this have been played to death on the radio as well as movies and video games. I’ve also been thinking about Green Day lately as I listened to the excellent episode of the podcast Bandsplain did on Green Day a few months ago. But to place it, I would have been listening to this one when I started university. I would have listened to it on my 3rd Gen iPod (the one with the four red action buttons across the top and the first touch click wheel). I wouldn’t have even had a laptop yet, I would have still had my Compaq desktop PC. In terms of where this lands in Green Days legacy I have the unpopular opinion that this is their best album. Still incredible that this is a comeback on the level it was considering how they had fallen out of fashion, but listening to the album, it seems obvious. Could Green Day make another comeback? Sure. Apparently Green Day is hot with teenagers. They make music that sounds like what it’s like to be a teen. Among the best albums of this decade, deserved all of its sales and the success the band had from it.

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Tue Dec 29 2020
5

Look. I know the rating should be lower. But I fucking love this album. I love it. Its a no skip album for me. I remember loving it since I was four. So many great tunes. 9/10 F. T. : A tie between Holiday and Are we the Waiting. I can't choose among my children.

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Mon Feb 22 2021
4

“American Idiot” by Green Day (2004) Not familiar with this album or this group. Punk political opera - intriguing. Good music, shallow politics. But the music is good enough to persuade the listener to overlook the political naivety. These gentlemen would have been well advised to read a few lines of Zbigniew Brzezinski on the Iraq War before writing this opera. They still would have been wrong, but at least they would have sounded intelligent. Or are they affecting intentional unintelligence? Are they just joshing? Anyway the music is very entertaining. Head banging punk rage, with a unifying operatic theme. Plenty of creative innovations. Some real gems here. “A steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin” is a great line. Conceptually this album follows the line of “Tommy” by The Who, without being overly derivative. “Dearly Beloved” is truly good music. Integrating acoustic guitar in this genre is a stroke of genius. And the glockenspiel! Ya-ya. But check out this quatrain: Oh, therapy, can you please fill the void? Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed? Nobody's perfect and I stand accused For lack of a better word, and that's my best excuse One could step back and reflect on that for awhile. Very good drum work. Bass contributes much counterpoint. Vocals appropriate for the genre. Billie Joe Armstrong can really sing. Extraordinary musical range for punk (admittedly, my experience with punk is limited), reminiscent of what The Beatles did for rock ‘n roll on “Sgt. Pepper” and “Abbey Road”. I enjoyed this one. 4/5

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Thu Oct 14 2021
2

Billie Jo doesn’t care if I don’t care. Well that’s lucky... Anodyne, over polished, facile, faux outrage, mock punk, unit shifting, safe rebellion, fake, fake, fake.

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Wed Feb 03 2021
2

A protest rock opera that protests... something? I understand the thrust of songs like "American Idiot" and "Holiday", but "Jesus of Suburbia" seems like a protest song without a cause and more of the album resembles the latter than the former. An album that claims to protest the state of America, but magically omits any mention of race or gender or class is probably not a very effective protest album. The protagonist (the aforementioned Jesus of Suburbia) just comes off as an edgy kid with no political consciousness. At the very least, it sounds a lot better than The Offspring.

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Mon Jun 20 2022
4

When this album came out, I was listening to "real" punk, metal, and hardcore and couldn't be bothered with Billie Joe's pop nonsense. I like to think I've mellowed a bit since then. And I must have because I enjoyed this WAY more than I expected to. It's fun. "American Idiot," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and "Wake Me Up When September Ends" are great but none of the tracks are snoozers. Every song seems to have a thesis and each track makes its point well. That said, I am not here for 9-minute punk songs. And I'm not talking about the four tracks that are two songs mashed. Those get a pass because of the format. None of them break 9 minutes anyway. No, I'm talking about "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Homecoming" here. There's no excuse for that. You're padding your term papers, fellas. Just make the point and move on.

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Tue Feb 02 2021
2

Of all the pop punk bands, I think Green Day is the only one I actually enjoy on some level. I've only heard Dookie through Nimrod before though. I've seen this album get alot of praise and I wanted to give it a 3 when I first started listening but as the album goes on I feel like it collapses under its own weight. I respect the ambition but it was a bit of a chore to get through.

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Tue Feb 08 2022
5

I might be biased, but this album marked a generation. I've always enjoyed it as a decent rock/punk album. It's fun and full of energy, but manages to express quite well the frustration and disillusionment felt at that time.

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Wed Apr 27 2022
3

Parts of this are dated, and I don’t like this album as much as Dookie, but I’ll be damned if Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Holiday aren’t just as great as they’ve always been. I will say that the second half feels like a bit of a letdown, at least musically.

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Wed Jul 21 2021
2

A punk rock opera concept album? Johnny Rotten would be rolling in his grave, if he were dead. Shame he's not dead really, rather than selling his soul on I'm A Celebrity and butter adverts.

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Tue Feb 02 2021
1

Thought it was purile and shite when it came out and was “pleased” to be proved right. Horrendous listening experience and I curse myself for not having enough self respect to have turned it off.

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Thu Jan 14 2021
5

Used to listen to this all the time back in the emo kid days. I still know every single word.

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Wed Aug 25 2021
5

Look, we all loved some "Dookie." It was dumb punk fun. But we're not gonna pretend that Green Day didn't go gradually downhill from there in their next several albums. There were some hits in there, but nothing that hinted that they had "American Idiot" in them. I don't think Green Day was taken very seriously before "American Idiot." They were a raucous punk band, but mainstream enough to be MTV darlings and probably the band most responsible for the unfortunate wave of pop-punk of the late 90s and early 00s. (Take a star off for that if you want.) But holy crap was "American Idiot" ambitious. And I think it's the best they've ever sounded. (Who knows, maybe I would eat my words if I went back and listened to all of "Insomniac" or "Nimrod.") They cleaned up and polished their sound, and while that may sound bad for a punk band, they pulled it off so well. Regardless of any concept in the story or lyrics, Green Day really matured sonically. The punk is still there, but the songs are varied, well-structured, with great build and rise-and-fall throughout. You may not love Billy Joe's voice - it's nasally and a bit whiny - but I think you can tell here that he is becoming a better singer. It's really a great album, start to finish. It may not be the Great American Novel of the 21st century, but it's a solid concept with good lyrics for a vaguely political punk album. And it became a musical! Are Green Day sell-outs? Or did they just perfect what they do and be accepted for it?

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Sat Apr 03 2021
4

This is how a band does a sound change and comes out on top for it. Excellent pop rock fun.

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Wed Aug 30 2023
3

This isn’t a bad album, just not for me. The constant power chords and unsubtle social commentary got boring after a couple of tracks. The album is too long and I didn’t like the rock opera elements. They never produced anything better than Dookie in my opinion.

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Mon Nov 29 2021
2

Pretty formulaic stuff here. Well produced vanilla indie schmindy punky rocky stuff.

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Thu Mar 04 2021
1

I'm too old for this, and so are they. Singles are fine, but the rest is filler. Teen punk rock for people who think the Matrix is 'deep'.

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Sat Oct 16 2021
1

We already had a Green Day album. What do I get for being polite the first time? A concept album. If that's not bad enough, they have a character named St. Jimmy? Doesn't at all sound like Dr. Jimmy. Pete Townshend at 80 y.o. is still infinitely cooler than these nerds with tats.

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Thu Jan 14 2021
5

A rock opera in everything but intention, this segued album is easily one of the best of the punk-pop-idiot rock that came about in the era of the Iraq war. Easily one of the best albums of the 2000's

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Sat May 15 2021
5

I'm dating myself here, but American Idiot is the first album I ever owned. There are legitimate criticisms that can be made about it - it's firmly rooted in the Bush era and hasn't aged particularly well; it's a whiny sort of pop-punk for white kids in the 'burbs - but none of that is enough to detract from my rose-tinted nostalgia. Even today, I find the album's pure sincerity a very charming break from the 2010s ever-present air of irony.

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Wed Mar 17 2021
5

The first album we have gotten that I have listened to all the way through before this project. The way they pair two songs for the middle four tracks(plus Jesus and Homecoming both have 5 subtracks in them) is a cool concept and helps underline the bands desire to put out something they enjoyed creatively rather than something that would necessarily do well commercially - luckily this did both. I mean Punk Rock Opera? Nostalgia+Strong Songs+Creativity= 5 stars

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Wed Mar 17 2021
5

I went into this fully expecting for it to not have aged well. I was wrong. This album still bangs.

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Wed Nov 24 2021
5

This album already has three hits that absolutely blew up. Then I listened to the rest of the album. It didn't disappoint. I learned that this album "expresses the disillusionment and dissent of a generation that came of age in a period shaped by the tumultuous evens such as 9/11 and the Iraq War." And i'm a sucker for a politically charged album. This one hits just right.

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Thu Aug 31 2023
4

wake me up when september ends

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Fri Dec 22 2023
4

No. 74/1001 American Idiot 5/5 Jesus of Suburbia 4/5 Holiday / Boulevard of Broken D. 5/5 Are We The Waiting / St. Jimmy 4/5 Give Me Novacaine / She's a Rebel 4/5 Extraordinary Girl / Letterbomb 4/5 Boulevard of Broken Dream 5/5 Homecoming 4/5 Whatsername 4/5 Average: 4,33 Musically this is nothing revolutionary. It's just so damn fun to listen to.

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Fri Jan 12 2024
4

I'd never heard of Green Day prior to the release of "American Idiot" as a single and it was massive. The rest of the album is quite good, especially "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", but it comes nowhere near the title track.

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Mon Jul 31 2023
3

i was really not looking forward to this. i do not like green day and i told myself i would never listen to an album of theirs. it's not as bad as i thought it would be, but jesus fucking christ its so corny. im 18 and i feel like im too old for this album. best track is whatsername 6/10

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Tue Sep 12 2023
3

Not a fan of the genre, but there were a couple good hits. Rest of the album didn't change my opinion of the genre.

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Tue Sep 29 2020
5

Nostalgia bomb. Awesome album, and the slow/fast song double features are pretty fun, I kind of forgot about that format

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Thu Sep 24 2020
5

Already heard this one, very many times - great project; one of the best pop punk works of art there is. Relevant even today.

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Tue Apr 06 2021
5

Still great and fun to listen all the way through. S/o to my cousins and their Limewire plug

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Wed Mar 29 2023
3

Proof that the the old axiom, “no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people” is not only true, but that you can turn a buck (quite a few, as it turns out) calling them idiots to their face.

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Fri Sep 08 2023
3

-I KNOW THIS ALBUMMMM -AND this band! -i have only listened to american idiot tho -so very excited to have a fresh listen -forgot how good this song is -remembering the cover 5sos did of this song -liking the switch up in jesus of suburbia -i do really like his voice i’ll be honest -i Do know wake me up when september ends -i honestly think the slurs are the only reason this album isn’t a 4 or a 5, but a 3 (but also because idk if this album is that amazing but it is legendary and very good

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Wed Mar 03 2021
2

I like their other records more. I know this was caught up in the hysteria of a rock opera but for the NEW MILLENNIUM, but I don't think it was quite as amazing as it was made out to be.

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Tue Jan 26 2021
2

Very clean album. A bit too clean and predictable, I like a bit of fuzz. Some good songs to listen to on their own, but BJ’s voice and guitar gets a bit grinding listening to a whole album.

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Fri Aug 20 2021
2

While their earlier work is a lot more poignant and relatable, the first few tracks of American Idiot are pretty good. The thing about this point on in Green Day's discography is that they will write maybe 1-2 good songs and then phone it in for the rest of the album. That's pretty much what happens here. Most of the tracks are very vague about antiestablishment/anarchist views, but American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, and Holiday/Boulevard are some great doomer-minded anarchist songs. The rest of the album can really just be thrown directly in the trash. Wake Me Up When September Ends doesn't really feel like it belongs on this album, and I honestly thought it was on Twenty One Guns or Nimrod, but it definitely solidified that Green Day could phone in their earlier punk talents for radio bullshit. Oh my god... there's even fake clapping added to track 6. This band fell so hard. It's like Weezer, but at least Weezer has had redeemable moments in the last decade. Highlights: 1, 2, and 3.

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Sun Feb 20 2022
2

Green Day were my first favorite band, and this was my first favorite album. I don’t love this album quite as much as I did when I was 8 or 9 but it still has its moments. Jesus of Suburbia is still just as amazing as it was the first time I heard it.

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Thu May 12 2022
2

Longstanding fan of everything up to and including Dookie. But nah, there's easily 2002 better albums to listen to this. Never listened before because I was fully done with them by this point. Heard the singles and thought nah. Maybe It's ok. Maybe I just stopped liking new Green Day stuff when I stopped being a teenager when they came out. It's a theory. Wait, what? The second track is 9 minutes long. Who are this band? Starts off aping the Beach Boys and then segues into All the Young Dudes. Actually quite funny how all over the place it is. What the hell, the next track is 8 minutes. Ha, Bush sent them mad. Ok I'm on board now. Might get 3 stars just because of how ridiculous it is. Yeah boulevard is still as dull as it always was. I see what's happening here, they've just removed the space between separate songs. Nah, too long and too many mediocre songs. 2 stars it is.

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Sun Jul 24 2022
2

Dookie is still the best Green Day album, but some classics on here

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Mon Jan 25 2021
1

LOL WHO MADE THIS LIST, TRASH

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Wed Jan 20 2021
1

Pop punks love politics. So edgy!

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Mon Feb 22 2021
1

Idiotisk highschool-punk MED allsang-tendenser. OMG.

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Thu May 27 2021
1

Ok guys. I’ve decided our next album is going to be a concept album! Oh wow that’s great Billy Joe. What’s the concept? A punk rock.....wait for it....OPERA! Amazing! Does that mean you’re gonna write punk songs again? Hahahaha of course not Tré Cool don’t be très dumb. No it means I’m going to base all of the songs around a few different characters. Do you think you’re capable of writing like that? Oh yeah definitely. See there’s this one character called St. Jimmy so I just call the song ‘St. Jimmy’ and write lines lines like “St. Jimmy that’s my name and don’t wear it out” Ok but that sounds awful Billy Joe. It is Tré Cool. It is.

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Sat Nov 14 2020
5

Hands down the best Green Day album of all time, one of the best concept albums of all time, and one of the best albums in general. 5 stars, all killer-no filler.

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Tue Jan 26 2021
5

One of my favorites, a great commentary and timeless rock sounds to bang your head along with.

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Wed Mar 17 2021
5

Was very excited to see this bad boy pop up. This was the album that introduced me to Green Day but I haven’t listened in forever. Very rewarding for us lyrics listeners ;) Kathleen Hanna should’ve sang Letterbomb though.

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Tue Mar 30 2021
5

One of the albums I listen to often, very good.

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Tue Feb 09 2021
5

Probably my best Green Day album as well. Loved the first one but this one is just really good.

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Tue Jun 01 2021
5

idiota americando da minha juventude idiota

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Tue Feb 02 2021
5

I definitely bought this album on the day it came out - I was 16. I was riding in the back seat of my friend's car listening to "Holiday" - we had it cranked and he was driving too fast trying to take a turn off 18th Ave - into the ditch we went! A fond memory. I get why some people don't like Green Day but they were such a big part of my formative years and I come back to their music often enough. I think this is their best album. "Jesus of Suburbia" is epic, I love that song. Rounding up to a 5.

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Mon Jan 18 2021
5

Great. Recognize lots of songs.

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Wed Jan 20 2021
5

Energetic, one of my favourite albums then I was a teenager.

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Wed Mar 17 2021
5

Punk Opera about the disillusionment of growing up in suburbia? Easy 5 stars. I listened to this album so hard the summer it came out that I spent the next 3 years hating on it. Once I went back and realized I had just overplayed it for myself, it went back into a moderated heavy rotation.

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Tue Feb 09 2021
5

Solid album that represents Green day maturity. I just don't get the double songs per album track.

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Thu Jun 24 2021
5

Américan idio, Jesús suburbio y boulevard broken dreamS

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Sat Apr 03 2021
5

Not surprised that this ended up on the list. Jam-packed with hits, somehow polished and pop while maintaining the raw edge.

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Wed Mar 17 2021
5

Wow this album unlocked childhood memories I forgot existed. Was a little nervous that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered, but oh my god am I so glad I was wrong. That rocked hard as hell, its got a political message that still rings true today, was a total risk by a band way outside of their comfort zone thematically, and still was an incredible success. We've had a lot of concept albums lately and I haven't been the biggest fan, but yo this is how its done right. Also, who else was a 5th grader who didn't really know anything about politics but didn't like George Bush just because of Green Day? Any ways, this group just earned its pop-punk merit badge because its 5s across the board for Green Day!

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Mon Apr 26 2021
5

"No one ever died for my Sins in hell As far as I can tell At least the ones that I got away with" (Jesus of Suburbia) "Cigarettes and ramen and a little bag of dope I am the son of a bitch and Edgar Allan Poe Raised in the city under a halo of lights The product of war and fear that we've been victimized I'm the patron saint of the denial With an angel face and a taste for suicidal" (St. Jimmy) A Green Day sí le permito hacer canciones de más de cinco minutos.

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Tue Feb 02 2021
5

This hasn't aged well but it still takes me back to chugging too many drinks at house parties and jumping off of the roofs of various neighbours

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Wed Mar 17 2021
5

Great album. Career defining. Good guitars, beats, melodies!, sensicle lyrics.

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Thu May 06 2021
5

One of the legendary Rock Opera's of our time. Right up there with Pink Floyd's The Wall.

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Sun Feb 14 2021
5

Un álbum prácticamente perfecto. No lo escuchaba desde hace más de 10 años y lo he disfrutado más de lo que creía. Las melodías vocales son perfectas, el ritmo prácticamente no decae, es una historia desesperada; no hay héroes, no hay cambio. El cambio es la quimera. "Letterbomb", el punto álgido.

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Fri Jun 11 2021
5

Да это же лучший жанр, поп-панк! Стоит, вероятно, немного пояснить за отношение к коллективу. Узнал где-то в период своего роцкерского становления на A-One. Вероятно, сразу после клипа на Бульвар поставил ярлык недорока для школьниц и боле шанса даже не давал. Ещё негатив подкрепился тем, что именно Green Day стали единственной "современной" (на тот момент) группой, удостоившейся собственной игры с пластиковыми гитарами. То есть встали рядом с Metallica, The Beatles, AC/DC, Aerosmith и Van Halen, отчего я немного негодовал. Посему в ближайшем окружении хейтил. Спустя годы выкупил прикол панка так какового, да и поп-панка в частности. Енто позволяэ как-то иначе взглянуть на творчество коллектива. На самом деле альбом сделал мои выходные, грубо говоря. Возможно, тут можно говорить о явлении, когда кто-то испытывает ностальгию по тому, чего в жизни и не было. Тупа веет яркой молодостью. Издали думал, что альбом является где-то первым-третьим с основания группы, мол в начале запилили, хайпанули, а потом паразитируют на начальных успехах. Но, сука, альбом то седьмой и запилен через 18 лет после основания! Уже подобное вызываэ увожение. Аналогия навскидку проводится разве что с пристовским Паникулёром. Чё там по трекам... На самом деле, прослушивание на 4-5-е выкупаешь, что все хорошие. Хотел сказать, что к концу явно просаживается, но то, что опосля Whatsername - цэ, оказывается, бонус-треки. Не, реально, как-то всё в единое концептуальное полотно выстраивается с сопоставимой степенью качёвости, из которого вырывать что-то отдельное и не хочется особо. Разве что 3 "главных" трека: есессна, заглавный, Бульвар и Сентябрь. Заглавный ранее казался недостаточно цепляющим, чтобы быть цепляющим при своей лаконичности. Но ныне, особенно в рамках альбома, звучит вполне достойно. К Бульвару сохранился немного школьный негатив, наименее живой трек на альбоме. Звучание веет словом "коммерческий". Ну типа а вдруг так вышло просто? Написался трек, как и остальные, но там продюссеры подсуетились, давайте ща стерильности наведём, сотни нефти подымем. Ну типа а чё бы и нет. Возможно, один из тех треков, по котором публика знакомится с исполнителем, а, прошарившись, не особо и ценит. Но трек в целом всё же хороший. Сентябрь, возможно, даже и не слышал ранее. Разве что фрагменты где-нить, да и то не точно. И прям чёт сразу пропёрся. Этот рек всё же достаточно цепляющий, чтобы быть интересным при лаконичности. При этом он не такой уж и лаконичный, там вон инструменты разные всякие, переходы. Ну типа попс, да. Но попс то мы тут не хейтим сам по себе. В целом, возможно, лучший новый для себя альбом в рамках 1001. Синтез идей прошлых декад, причём тех, что мне самому заходят. Тут слышу Битлов, там - Квинов немного, тут - Дэвид Боуи, там - глэм-митол 80-ых. И при этом как бы не завершает ход эволюции, а служит её звеном. Так, хук из Letterbomb я будто слышу в angelic milk - Rebel Black. Короче, отличный альбом. Отличный альбом, оставлю на плеере.

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Sat Jun 05 2021
5

Great piece of American music.

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Thu Jul 08 2021
5

Absolutely fantastic album that is a highlight of Green Day’s career. I love so much of this album and have for as long as I can remember.

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Sat May 29 2021
5

The high water mark for Green Day and possibly all pop-punk.

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Fri Jul 09 2021
5

Still one of the best concerts I ever saw was their American Idiot tour. I also still know most of the lyrics as I listened along. Jesus of Suburbia is still a classic and forever will be.

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Tue Jun 22 2021
5

Rating: 10/10 Best songs: all

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Sun May 09 2021
5

I've had heard the hits, but never the full album. Every song is good or a masterpiece, it's a very solid album.

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Fri May 21 2021
5

Been touring this album for 15+ years and that's alright. Good stuff.

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Sat Jul 24 2021
5

Perhaps I’m just rating it highly because I lived in the East Bay for so long, but this album seriously holds up after 17 years. A punk rock opera was genius then and is genius now

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Wed Aug 25 2021
5

Riley says 5 stars and I agree. I have a soft spot in my heart for pop punk and Green Day does it better than anyone. Jesus of Suburbia is like a microcosm of the whole album, a tiny pop punk rock opera all on its own. Even if you don’t love them, you have to appreciate the ambition here.

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Thu Aug 26 2021
5

Grew up listening to Green Day, needed to be a 5

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Mon Sep 13 2021
5

Nostalgia. Letterbomb and Homecoming don't really stand out but the rest are really great. A must.

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Sat Sep 18 2021
5

I don't want to be an American idiot.

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Sat Sep 25 2021
5

I know all the songs in this album by heart! I used to listen to it when I was an awkward teenager, so it will always be special to me. Favourite track: Jesus of Suburbia but honestly I like them all

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Tue Oct 12 2021
5

That's my childhood, no way I could not love it

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Mon Oct 18 2021
5

Whew, American Idiot is an absolute classic in my eyes. The entire album is filled with commentary on the political and disenfranchised state of the USA in the early/mid 00s, and although the album is almost 20 years old, sadly it still speaks to the state of USA. This conceptual album is multi Grammy award winning, has been adapted for Broadway and has a documentary that was filmed about the process of making the album. This takes me back to early high school blasting this in my headphones on my discman, and to what we now know as a much simpler time considering what the Trump Administration has brought to the world. Best: American Idiot; Boulevard of Broken Dreams; Wake Me Up When September Ends Worst: Are We the Waiting Note: Spotify has joined some songs as one, which I can see why they've done it for the flow, but I have always listened to them as separate songs. (Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams; Are we The Waiting/St. Jimmy, and a couple of others)

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Thu Oct 21 2021
5

Know this one great. Good one.

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Thu Oct 21 2021
5

This album has been in regular rotation for me since it was released. As much as Dookie was incredibly influential for the pop-punk scene and the band continued to evolve their sound on Insomniac and Nimrod - it wasn’t until American Idiot that they really cemented their legacy as a Hall of Fame band. Haven’t been as big of a fan of anything since but still love the classics. This album tells a story and does so in a way that’s never boring. Would love to see the musical (or a film adaptation) some day. Fav Tracks: “Jesus of Suburbia” “Letterbomb” “Homecoming”

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Fri Oct 22 2021
5

Green Day's masterpiece. What a perfect pop-punk album. Every song flows together nice and moves into the next one. It's one of the few 21st century albums that really engages you from song to song and is best listened to in its entirety. What a fantastic album from one of my all-time favorite bands. Listening to this when I was in my youth during the Kerplunk! days would have been slightly disappointing, but now that I've grown up, I can really appreciate American Idiot for what it is: perfect for its time and genre. Nice work, Green Day!

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Tue Nov 16 2021
5

Very nostalgic. Loved this album growing up

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Wed Nov 17 2021
5

I can't even begin to quantify how much of a soft spot I have for this album. It came out when I was a kid, and was the first rock music I got REALLY into at the time, having listened to contemporary country up until then. Easy 5/5, but I'm biased as hell to the point where I'm not gonna bother trying to explain why I feel that way. I did actively relisten to the album for this, but I seriously considered just skipping it because I have literally every song on it already in my usual playlist. If you want a nuanced opinion ask literally anyone else.

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