It has been just under two decades since the punk rock band Green Day released their seventh and most successful studio album: American Idiot. Just like Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, this too is a concept album that tells a story through nine tracks. It is widely acclaimed, and, in fact, Rolling Stone has labeled it the second best concept album, losing first to Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city (analysis coming next week!). In just shy of an hour, Green Day depicts the frustration, anger, and the prominent antiestablishmentarianism attitudes in the early 21st century, which saw major life-altering events, most notably 9/11 and the outbreak of the Iraq War. Many songs can be considered protest songs that point out the several troublesome aspects of America such as the warmongering sentiments of the Bush administration and the rising grip the media has on the nation.

Though it’s only nine songs, American Idiot is just under an hour. This is due to the lengthy duration of each song. For instance, two tracks are over nine minutes long and another 4 are over five. This plays into the idea that American Idiot is a “punk rock opera”, as quoted by the band themselves, who use the extra time to elaborate and paint a better picture. Four tracks are also the combination of two songs. For instance, Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams are listed as one track, and they seamlessly merge together despite having characteristics that can clearly differentiate them. But before I get ahead of myself, let’s start at the beginning with track one which shares the same title as the album. Here’s “American Idiot.”

Possibly their most famous song and one of the most famous protest songs, “American Idiot” does not hold back. With a fast pounding drum and a heavy rock guitar in the background, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong expresses his frustration toward the country with strong language and a meaningful repetition of key phrases. For instance, he repeats that “we’re not the ones who’re meant to follow”, calling out to all the nonconformists who are appalled by the trajectory of the nation. He also hints at his distaste for the Bush presidency, separating himself from the “redneck agenda.” Most importantly, however, is the clear condemnation of the media and its influence over the nation. The Iraq War was highly televised and instead of showing the horrors of war, it instead desensitized the nation to some extent by the way it was covered. Armstrong has said, “They had all these Geraldo-like journalists in the tanks with the soldiers, getting the play-by-play” showing how war was being turned into reality tv instead of showing the immense and unnecessary loss of American and Iraqi lives. 

Track two moves onto the story by introducing the main character, Jesus of Suburbia (which is also the title of track two), a disillusioned teen who despises his town. This nine minute saga can be broken into five segments that have unique components. The most important thread that ties the song together, though, is the anger toward the hypocrisy of the authoritarian roles. This is relatively prominent throughout the album and is what makes it such a powerful symbol of protest. 

All songs, however, are not directed toward sticking out against the increasingly intolerable and volatile nation. Track seven, “Wake Me up When September Ends” does not tie into the story but rather is a piece dedicated to Armstrong’s late father. Though his father had passed away twenty years prior to the release of the album, he wanted to express his emotions and the turmoil he had gone through as a child when he got the news that his father had passed. This is not the only mellow song on the album and is what differentiates American Idiot from other rock albums. There’s a good mix of mellow and hard rock that doesn’t make each song sound identical to the next which can get redundant, especially if it is a one hour album. Each song, however, still contains rock elements, showcasing the powerful guitar and drum.

American Idiot is an album that can make even the meekest snarl and rock their head. It’s a powerful statement and each song contributes a bit to the whole range of emotions that Green Day wants the listener to feel, from a screaming rage to a quiet pain. So test yourself and see if you are an American Idiot. If so, then I recommend playing it more than once and you can see for yourself that it has no skips.