For somereason, I got it in my head that I wanted to write a little about every single piece of music in my iTunes library. Memo Juez decided to join me and write about the music in his library, too. Recently, Christoph (our webmaster and writer at Irreversible Mistakes) has started writing here again, too.
I am writing in alphabetical order by the first letter in the name of the group (excluding “The,” just like iTunes does). Memo is going in reverse alphabetical order. We’ve been doing this for like four years now. Sporadically updated Index for both of us here. You can find Christoph’s entries here.
On the sidebar, I’ve linked to a bunch of old articles from E/N sites I used to write at. Mostly rescued from The Wayback Machine. I used the magic of WordPress to backdate them to the day they were published.
As of March 2012, we have a new layout going, though its still under construction. Any input would be most welcome.
So, yeah, that’s what’s going on. If you’d like to join us in writing about your music collection, you’re totally welcome to join us. Contact me to join.
Nimrod, released in 1996, was Green Day’s fifth album. The band expanded their sound a bit on this one (note the unusual violin bit at the start of this tune) and Armstrong developed some different writing techniques (this is where he seems to be clearly writing from the point of view of different characters).
I think I selected the songs I have from Nimrod based partially on the songs recomended by AllMusic.com. 1996 was near the start of my music “dark ages” period – a few years in the late 90′s and early 00′s where I wasn’t being exposed to a whole lot of decent new music. I am reasonably sure I heard this song and “Good Riddance” on the radio back then, but I can’t even be sure of that.
Anyhow, “Hitchin’ A Ride” seems to be about addiction and begging for drugs or alcohol – the chorus ends with “I’m off the wagon and hitchin’ a ride.” The lyrics were never especially important to me on this one, though. I’ve always loved this song for its catchy, driving rhythm work by bassist Dirnt and drummer Cool.
Apparently, the video for “Walking Contradiction” was a fan favorite, though I can’t recall seeing it before today. Its pretty hilarious, though.
This is probably my favorite track from Insomniac. I love the cliché twisting lyrics and the harmony vocals on the choruses. In fact, I would like to take a moment to mention that bass player Mike Dirnt’s backing vocals are one of the outstanding (but under stressed) elements of Green Day’s songs.
Apparently, “Brain Stew” was released with the song “Jaded” as a single tune. I vaguely remember this, but really prefer “Brain Stew” to “Jaded” and never downloaded the second part. Besides, with the way that iTunes shuffles everything (when you set it to shuffle), it would be unusual for me to ever encounter them at the same time. I’m sure there’s a way to link them on iTunes but I’m too lay to look it up.
This song has a great, memorable build which genuinely leads into the faster “Jaded.” I think it works just fine without that track, too.
After the success of Dookie, Green Day released Insomniac (their fourth album) in 1996. I bought the album on cassette based on the strength of this song and of their “Brain Stew/Jaded” single.
I did not know this until right now, but the song is apparently about methamphetamine use. One slang word for meth is “geek,” another thing I did not know. While the drug can lead to dry mouth, the bad breath associated with the song has to do with poor hygiene – something heavy meth users seem to have in common. Who know? I guess I don’t hang out with enough meth users to know this sort of thing.
It might not rock as hard as some of the other songs from that album, but it is one of the band’s most fully realized songs from their early period. The lyric (inspired by a bad break up) is intelligent and mature, the tune is as catchy as anything the band has produced and their is a precision and musicianship to the performance that was atypical for the band at that time (their middle and late period work builds on their musical talent – its unusual for one of their contemporary songs to be as gloriously sloppy as some of their early ones).
I like how Armstrong plays with the rhythm of the vocals on this one and find the “loser and a user so I don’t need no accuser” sequence especially satisfying.
That was filmed at an actual dilapidated former mental institution, by the way.
“Basket Case” was a huge hit off of Dookie. The lyrics focus on Billie Joe Armstrong’s actual struggle with panic disorder. Writing the song was, apparently, somewhat therapeutic for him.
This is not especially a favorite of mine, but I do enjoy the opening quite a bit.
Billie Joe Armstrong’s storytelling ability is showcased on “Welcome to Paradise.” Its an autobiographical story (that applies to all three band members) about moving away from home to Oakland. At the song’s beginning, he’s only been gone three weeks and is a little terrified of his new living situation. By the time we reach the end of the song, he’s been there six months and he’s sort of fallen in love with the place.
Even ten years before American Idiot, Armstrong was telling stories with a clear, well defined beginning and end. Not every songwriter can do that, you know.
While its obviously not as mature or complete a work as American Idiot, 1994′s Dookie – the major label debut of Green Day and the record that put them on the map – is a fantastic album in its own right. Actually their third record, Dookie brought worldwide attention to Green Day’s brand of personal as political punk.
“Longview,” Green Day’s paean to boredom, drug use and masturbation, was their first huge hit. Featuring a bass line that, according to Mike Dirnt, was created while he was on LSD, the song follows the “loud/soft” punk rock blueprint created by The Pixies. Its a great showcase for all three band members – I especially enjoy the drumming.
I am of the belief that “Whatsername” is an epilogue to the American Idiot story. An older, wiser main character reflects sadly on his relationship with Whatsername. He dreams that he’s run into her on the street (suggesting she’s still on his mind) while also making it clear that he “burned all the photographs.” Now, he remembers her face but not her name. More importantly, he remembers the time they spent together.
This is important because he recognizes that losing her is what motivated him to take a different path, but he also recognizes that he can’t ever have her back. He sounds grateful and nostalgic; he’s also moving on.
Musically, this is a legitimately beautiful song. It has a fabulous build to the “remember… whatever” bring and then comes to a very satisfying end – which also concludes the album.
The “Homecoming” suite and the “Jesus of Suburbia” suite bookend the album. In “Jesus of Suburbia,” as we already discussed, the main character moves from a place of home bound inaction to a place where he leaves home to seek his fortune elsewhere. In the “Homecoming” suite, he ultimately decides to return home – though there’s a lot more going on here.
The suite opens with these lines from “The Death of St. Jimmy:”
My heart is beating from me
I am standing all alone
Please call me only if you are coming home
Waste another year flies by
Waste a night or two
You taught me how to live
I find this to be one of Billie Joe Armstrong’s most affecting lyrics and vocal performances. Its simple, vulnerable and very powerful.
The rest of this section has to do with the end of the “St. Jimmy” part of the Jesus of Suburbia’s personality. His girlfriend has left him and now he’s rejecting the “rage” part of his personality, too. There’s a suggestion (especially in the next section) that he’s trying to kick drugs and that getting rid of his anger is part of what he needs to do to address his addiction.
“East 12th St.” begins with a “nobody cares” refrain that is similar to the one in the “Jesus of Suburbia Street.” My understanding of this section is that the title character is checking himself into rehab because “this life like dream [of drug use] ain’t for [him].” Its time to stop avoiding reality and start confronting it.
His first post-rehab confrontation with life is in “Nobody Likes You.” We heard a snippet of this song during “Letterbomb.” He’s healthier, but his choice to clean-up hasn’t done anything to bring Whatshername back into hi life. No matter how late he forces himself to stay up, she’s not here and he feels like nobody likes him. Mike Dirnt wrote this one.
What’s worse, the people he encounters in his life are like the guy portrayed by “Rock and Roll Girlfriend.” Sung by drummer Tré Cool, this song suggests a shallow, self-involved rocker whose life lacks any sense of permanence or depth. Whether this is a vision of what Jesus of Suburbia might become in the future if he stays where he is or whether its the kind of person he’d just as soon avoid, this character prompts him to return home.
And so we conclude with “We’re Coming Home Again.” The first image is of soldiers returning from war. It goes without saying that they’ve been changed by their experience, but they are coming home anyways to confront their post-war lives. Perhaps inspired by them, the main character of the story recognizes that he needs to stop running from his life. Getting rid of the “St. Jimmy” part of his personality wasn’t enough – he need to return home and work on making his life work there.
A couple of observations. First, it has to be said that the split personality aspect of this album immediately brings The Who’s Quadrophenia to mind. The Who are an enormous influence on Green Day – you can hear it most clearly in the interplay of voice in guitar in “The Death of St. Jimmy.” Imagine the line “In the streets of shame/Where you’ve lost your dreams in the rain” sung by Pete Townsend and you’ll her it right away.
Next, the album features a character trying to grapple with both personal and political problems. I read his return home not as a retreat but as a realization that he has to make changes at home in order to effect larger changes. Trying to change the world by railing against injustice isn’t really going to accomplish anything. Returning home will, presumably, give him the chance to actually do something concrete for his community. I think this is why the “We’re Coming Home Again” sounds like a triumphant anthem rather than a song of defeat or surrender.
And so the major story arc of American Idiot is one of a character who overcomes his own idiocy. If we imagine the song “American Idiot” is a prologue (and the next song is an epilogue), then the story told between the opening suite and closing suite is one of a character achieving a certain amount of wisdom.
One of the criticisms of American Idiot was that Green Day’s fans, perhaps, could care less about songs of hope. I don’t know – I think that, in 2004, songs of hope were badly, badly needed. Still are today.
