He entered the City with excitement, but after everything that’s happened to him, he sees that the freedom that he longed for is now hurting him. We need police reform. American Idiot is the title track of the album ‘American Idiot’ by the rock band Green Day. …and he decides to go home. American Idiot Synopsis - Broadway musical The story of a certain group of teenagers, spending their time in vain, living with boring days – where everything is endlessly repeated – TV, despair, idleness, lack of desire and no-wannabe to develop and go somewhere to do something. In his attempts to be accepted by the new environment, Jesus suppresses all kinds of love in himself and turns into a reflection of rage that’s been brewing inside of him. Over a decade after its release, American Idiot is still as important today as it ever was, but why was the anthem originally written? With the band themselves revealing the song was written out of anger about not being represented by the world's leaders, it's not hard to see why American Idiot has become relevant once again. From it came its title track - a hugely politically charged-single which has firmly embedded itself into every important list of protest songs. Our democracy is at stake. Unknown. We need peace. This song describes the difficulties that a romantic relationship is going through after the infatuation subsides and partners face the day-to-day routine of each other’s lives. Invoking another American Idiot single Wake Me Up When September Ends and sharing a clip of American Idiot, he wrote: "It’s September 1st 2020 and I am WIDE AWAKE IN AMERICA.This has been the most unprecedented year of our lives.A pandemic. report. All of my enthusiasm is for BIDEN/HARRIS! So, the song is not as much about experiments with drugs, as just about the desire to get rid of the pain. Now, all we can do is wait and see what happens. Everything around him seems so fake – nothing is stable, nothing is forever. Oscars 2021: How to watch the Best Picture nominations in, Chris Moyles reveals why he “wouldn’t be good” on I’m A, The Snuts talk Scottish support from Lewis Capaldi to, Only a Noughties music expert can score 10/10 on this, Download 'Time Of Your Life (Good Riddance)' on iTunes. Was American Idiot meant to be a story before the play? It all seemed so new to him at first, he thought he was discovering the world, his perception was enthusiastic and bright (“Hear the sound of the falling rain – coming down like an Armageddon flame”), and now everything lost its color (“Here comes the rain again, falling from the stars – drenched in my pain again…”). Opinions about the meaning of this song range from a call for revolution (“Where have all the riots gone?”) to the nearing end of the world (“Where will we all go when it’s too late?”), and probably there is a little bit of everything in this song, going along one of the most important turns in the story of the album. This has been the most unprecedented year of our lives. The song begins with a female voice singing the lines that will later recur: “nobody likes you, everyone left you…” This might be Whatsername pointing out Jesus’ failure to have a decent social life, but it just as well might be his subconsciousness playing a cruel joke on him and making him feel worthless and insecure. 3 years ago Basically it boils down to JoS feels bored and alienated in his hometown (Jingletown) and moves to the city with his girlfriend Whatsername (or he meets her there, not sure on that detail). While Troubled Times acts as an American Idiot for the millennial generation, it seems American Idiot still speaks to audiences of all ages today. share. But it’s too late now, he’s made his choice and second thoughts will do nothing but cause regrets and insecurity. At the start of September, he shared a lengthy post backing Jo Biden for President. And since it was all a long time ago, he can’t remember the actual name of the girl he was in love with, and so he calls her “Whatsername”, while her real name remains unknown. We need health care for all. We are constantly being subliminally mind-fucked by commercials, campaigns and reality TV. And now second thoughts and doubts about what should have been done and what shouldn’t have are not going to change anything. He says that if no one cares about him, there is no reason for him to care about anyone else (“I don’t care if you don’t”). His war with himself led to a crash of his relationship with Whatsername. Grab a group of friends and register! So, the line “Jesus filling out paperwork now, at the facility on East 12th Street” probably means that he’s either planning to do community service for whatever crime he got caught for, or he got himself a desk job and is trying to have a “normal” life. The show closed on April 24, 2011, after 422 performances. Of course, the lyrics are clear that it's about politics and George W. Bush, so we got that covered. Grab a group of friends and vote! save. Another issue might be the number of vacations the president is taking – the current state of international politics is “the dawning of the rest of our lives”, and the president is always on holiday. The author shows his disgust towards the power-hungry president who will destroy anything that confronts him “Pulverize the Eiffel towers who criticize your government. AZ- October 5th FL- October 5th GA- October 5th MI- October 19th (can register to vote in person on election day) OH- October 5th PA- October 19th TX- October 5th WI- October 14th (can register to vote in person on election day), A post shared by Billie Joe Armstrong (@billiejoearmstrong) on Sep 1, 2020 at 1:53pm PDT. “I’m pissed off, and I’m angry, and I feel like I’m not fully represented.”. American Idiot The title of the song is referring to the author’s opinion that these days politicians and the media are telling us what to do, what to buy, what to believe in. Whatsername left him, everyone left him, and he shouldn’t have come here in the first place. When the president started the war a lot of countries turned their backs on the US and the nation was isolated. TRUMP HAS GOT TO GO. Alas, that doesn’t always work out the way it should. His disguise of sarcasm covers his cry for help (“Oh therapy, can you please fill the void?”). The St. Jimmy is a figment of your father’s rage and your mother’s love…”). Only sometimes does he dream of someone finding him and saving him from his aloneness, but so far he doesn’t know any better and is patiently waiting for a change. In this case the line “She sees a mirror of herself, an image she wants to sell to anyone willing to buy” could be interpreted as a reference to the fact that the American culture is spread all around the world. Yes, these are the guys who recorded an album named after bodily waste. In July 2018 a Facebook campaign was set up to get the song to the top of the UK charts in protest against President Donald Trump's visit to the country. 4 1 14. comments. Cut to 2020 and the band's frontman is still calling upon the famous song and its album to drive his message home. “American Idiot” tells the story of George W. Bush presidency’s effect on the nation’s youth. There are two meanings to the song. However, the song could be perceived as a part of the plot if we assume that the words of the song come from Jesus of Suburbia and this is him looking back on his childhood, his family and maybe his own father’s death. By the time American Idiot made its public bow on September 20, 2004, its authors were in possession of a quality that had eluded them since the days of Dookie 10 years earlier: buzz. If you needed any more proof on where Green Day lie on the businessman and celebrity-turned-politician, the band then released the visuals for their Troubled Times video in January 2017, which saw clips of Donald Trump interspersed between images of violence and inequality. An energy-fueled rock opera, American Idiot, features little dialogue and instead relies on the lyrics from Green Day’s groundbreaking album to execute the story line. Posted by 2 years ago. If you look at this song apart from the album, it has a meaning of its own. DO NOT WAIT!! But whatever happened to Jesus and however long it’s been since Whatsername left him – he still remembers her, and wonders how she’s been. This is a national emergency. Grab a group of friends and register! Many famous seers have suggested a prediction that the end of the world will come after or during World War III. This is urgent. Jesus states that he’s not living, he’s just existing – “to live and not to breathe is to die in tragedy”. So, the line “Hear the sound of the falling rain, coming down like an Armageddon flame” could mean that the war Bush has started might cause unfixable damage to the world. He wants to break free. The track was written under the presidency of George W. Bush, who led America into the Iraq War following the 9/11 terrorist attack. This whole relationship is based on lies and it crumbles leaving Jesus all alone again. Archived. Coming after the wildness of falling in love in She’s a Rebel, Extraordinary Girl is a calm and sad story of the next stage of the relationship between Jimmy and Whatsername – dating. I have not a single reservation in my mind. This song gives a deeper introduction of Whatsername’s character and why the relationship between her and Jesus/Jimmy is doomed to fall apart. It's a bit tempting to peg Green Day's sprawling, ambitious, brilliant seventh album, American Idiot, as their version of a Who album, the next logical step forward from the Kinks-inspired popcraft of their underrated 2000 effort, Warning, but things aren't quite that simple. Register by the dates below in your state. Running away from his boring Jingletown life he’s made a full circle and is now coming back home. He realizes that he’s failing, but no matter how he tries – he is not Jimmy. The trio visited the Radio X studio the day after US Election result, where Armstrong gave his reaction. We are constantly being subliminally mind-fucked by commercials, campaigns and reality TV. He doesn’t want to walk that same line anymore, doesn’t want to keep living a life that he has no faith in. Was American Idiot meant to be a story before the play? Jesus leaves the ruins of his life-like dream behind and goes back home. About “American Idiot” Starting off the album with a bang, “American Idiot” is a scathing takedown of American culture in the years following 9/11. View All Characters in American Idiot. “It’s not over till you’re underground” ‒ she still has a chance to try and start a new life somewhere else. If you are 18 and over PLEASE register to vote!! So I go to my phone and I look and I have 50 messages. It is quite possible that the frustration in Are We the Waiting is related not only to Jesus’ feelings but also to the author’s attitude towards the current situation in world politics. It’s September 1st 2020 and I am WIDE AWAKE IN AMERICA. Our earth is at stake. When the weight of emotional baggage is bringing you down and natural intelligence makes you realize things you might not really want to know that gives you a “bittersweet migraine” – you can’t take it anymore and just want to numb yourself and make the pain go away. Close. American Idiot - Musical. He feels no shame for leaving – “running away from pain when you’ve been victimized”. No one wants to fight for their beliefs anymore (“Where have all the riots gone? By now, you're probably aware that Green Day's 2004 album American Idiot was a fairly, uh, political affair. America cannot afford another 4 years of Trump in office. Racial uprising. I plead to everyone to WAKE UP AND REGISTER TO VOTE. 84% Upvoted. Green Day's American Idiot album is 16 years old this week. So, as a part of the plot Give Me Novacaine is describing the insecurity and fear that Jesus of Suburbia is experiencing when he enters his new life. The 2007 Simpsons Movie boasted an "American Idiot: Funeral Version" played on an organ after the band's fictional drowning in Lake Springfield during a performance on a barge. He describes her as a rebel, vigilante, everything he’s ever dreamed of. Download 'Burn Baby Burn' on iTunes, 21 September 2020, 12:06 | Updated: 21 September 2020, 16:08. This thread is archived. QUIZ: Do you know the lyrics to Wake Me Up When September Ends? Of course, there is more to this song than just Jesus’ emotional hangover. Holiday could be considered an anti-Bush song to a certain extent. However, as the album flows, we’ll see that this rebel isn’t always completely successful or happy and sometimes has to go through some hard times. Coming after Holiday this song describes the feeling of loneliness that Jesus of Suburbia has to face after the party is over. The story contains almost no spoken dialogue-instead, it's told mostly through songs from "American Idiot" and its 2009 follow-up album, "21st Century Breakdown." Jesus hated his hometown and was dreaming of life in the city, of the skyscrapers and neon lights – something he considered to be the real life. But now the holiday is over, the confetti landed on the floor and the intoxication is wearing off – he looks around and finds himself alone on the street of the heartless city, empty in the morning darkness. Also, the song portrays Jesus’ loss of innocence. Jesus calms down, takes a sober look at the world and realizes that there isn’t much he can do to change it, nor does he want to. This is the introduction of the album’s leading character. Starting a war is never the right answer (“Trials by fire setting fire…”). Find out about the origins of the single here. This part shows the softer side of Jesus’ personality. Boulevard is different – the narrator accepts his life the way it is, he’s used to it, no matter how horrible it might get or seem, this loneliness is his way. There’s no more “son of rage and love” – now there’s a product of the victimized society, the martyr of war and fear, St. Jimmy. From the first words of the introduction of Jimmy, he’s being described as this awesome son of a bitch shining with coolness – the kind of guy easily impressible teenage boys would want to be. We need peace. They turn us into idiots with no individuality. Bang, bang! We need health care for all. Racial uprising.As the song goes “wake me up when September ends”.I plead to everyone to WAKE UP AND REGISTER TO VOTE.". Another theory about this song says that “she” in this song is not only Whatsername but also America. Dan O'Connell The look is the sign of the American idiot. This is urgent. 1pm - 4pm, Burn Baby Burn Jesus points out that people don’t really care about anyone but themselves these days (“Lost children with dirty faces today no one really seems to care”), and surrounded by this indifference he states that now he doesn’t care either. Her lonely tears symbolize the political isolation that the US had to endure because of the war that the president started. American Idiot was Green Day’s first album that was truly rock ‘n’ roll, a characteristic that Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod and even Warning lack. “Forgetting you but not the time” – he’s already forgotten her name, one day he will forget her face, but the memory of the past will always dwell, no matter what. 13 years on, Billie Joe Armstrong was just as angry about the political situation in his country and was particularly vocal about Donald Trump being elected into the White House. American Idiot - Musical. He describes himself as “the son of rage and love”, living on a “steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin” and “doing someone else’s cocaine”. Although I have plenty of ideas for all sorts of IS Units, I doubt I'll use many-if any-of them in American Idiot, since the story focuses on Thomas and his journey through the IS Academy-and, if I can ever get through all of it-beyond the Academy. Written By: GeekStinkBreath.netNote: Adapted from the song meanings authored by GeekStinkBreath and presented here to provide an interesting take on the story from the American Idiot album. It is written from the perspective of a lower-middle-class suburban American teen, raised on a diet of "soda pop and Ritalin." That’s when St. Jimmy comes into the scene. I am whole heartedly backing JOE BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT. We delve into the history of Green Day's 2004 single, which came from the band's album of the same name. READ MORE: Why are Green Day called Green Day? He didn’t want to be Jesus of Suburbia, but he couldn’t handle being Jimmy – and now he’s neither (“You’re not the Jesus of Suburbia. Jesus failed to be a rebel, his life in the city was a sand castle built on lies and pretence – and it fell apart. She gives him hope of a life he’s always wanted. Wake Me Up When September Ends is believed to be the most detached song of the album because it mostly portrays the author’s personal feelings and is barely linked to the story of the album. Speaking to Chris Moyles, the Good Riddance singer revealed: "I went to bed and everyone kinda thought the correct side was going to win. But it’s also true that the American idiot isn’t just Donald Trump. His fake personality wasn’t enough to keep her by his side and she leaves the City and Jesus behind. Synopsis Bold, brash, and fun, American Idiot takes Green Day’s chart-topping 2005 punk rock album and brings it vibrantly to life. He’s tired of being weak, and so he fully surrenders to his alter ego, St. Jimmy. Suggested Audition Pieces Auditioning for Tunny? "This is a call to arms for the soul of America! American Idiot is a concept album that describes the story of a central character named Jesus of Suburbia. He’s all alone…The phrase “I’m walking down the line that divides me somewhere in my mind” could be considered the beginning of St. Jimmy’s appearance – Jesus doesn’t want to be weak and vulnerable anymore, he wants to change. Now he’s doing what Jimmy tells him to. We need justice. American Idiot is a one-hour manifesto on our world. This is her true nature and she’s not faking anything. Jimmy”. The song is an introduction of Whatsername. They realize that love is not just enjoying the good sides of each other, but also compromising and accepting everything in your loved one. Have you ever noticed how a shy little boy suddenly starts acting all cool and dangerous after changing schools? The American Idiot — led off a cliff by greater fools, like Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump — believes that the only way out of an abusive society is to be a bigger, hungrier, more vicious predator. It will surely add an enticing edge to any theatre’s season.” Vulgar, brash, secular, heavy and hard-rocking, American Idiot made a strong political statement in rock opera form. The sense of coming of age in chaos fuels American Idiot’s other feat: in addition to breathing life back into the protest anthem, the record also made rock operas cool again.Taking cues from monuments to ’60s excess like Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar, Green Day wove together solo jams and clipped punk snippets into kinetic suites, telling the story of Jesus of Suburbia along the way. In simple words, it’s about feeling shitty and not wanting to feel shitty. ', "And of course the first thing I do is think 'I'll check and see what happened'. "Then at 6am I wake up choking - like this is kinda gross, like when you inhale spit [...] I'm thinking 'oh my god why am I coughing? As the song goes “wake me up when September ends”. Green Day’s American Idiot is still one of the great albums of the last 15 years. Jesus decides that all his Jingletown philosophy is a lie and he needs a drastic change in himself to be accepted by the City. Johnny. Whatsername comes as the last track on the album but doesn’t give us a clear answer about what exactly the ending of the album is. Based on his/her attributes, we recommend you consider these audition pieces! Basically, Novacaine is not an intoxicant, it’s more of a pain-killer. Therefore, his fake rebellion gets him nowhere…. #notrumpnokkknofascistusa https://www.headcount.org/ These are the crucial states that could decide our democracy!! What are we waiting for? One is the song’s significance in the story line, and the other one is some message that the author expresses through the words of the song. We need justice. He doesn’t know what’s waiting for him, he just wants to start a new life. Tell EVERYONE!". The motto says “Home is where your heart is”, but it doesn’t mean that this works for everyone; some people just don’t fit in. 1. We must be WIDE AWAKE FROM SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER 3rd!!! goes the broken glass, kill all the fags that don’t agree”). What I believe the story of American Idiot is about is a political album. But when the story comes to its conclusion in the final song, we suddenly realize that the told story is Jesus’ memories about what happened. In this song, the narrator is saying that he doesn’t want his nation to be turned into complete idiots, he doesn’t want his country to be led by a redneck president (“I’m not a part of a redneck agenda”), doesn’t want people to be convinced that it’s right to hate someone because of their sexual preferences (“maybe I’m the faggot America”), doesn’t want the nation to be isolated and detested because of stupid decisions that the government makes (“Welcome to a new kind of tension, all across the alienation”). Love it or hate it, "American Idiot" is Green Day's first new release full-length album since 2002. This song is a little abstract. KAMALA HARRIS FOR VICE PRESIDENT.. “The shame, the ones who died without a name” is referring to everyone who’s fallen victim of the political battles that the power-hungry country leaders pull us into. This gradually leads him to his decision to go back home. “American Idiot is a high-concept show with strong social messages and endless creative possibilities. They turn us into idiots with no individuality. Will. Walking a lonely road is not only a one-time realization of your loneliness. Ash QUIZ: Do you know the lyrics to Green Day's Basketcase? Home is a safety net that’s always there for you if your independent life goes haywire. Other Characters From American Idiot. DO IT NOW!! But someone has to be a little bit ruthlessly honest with Americans right about now. All the soldiers, all the victims of the terrorist attacks – they all “died without a name”. This is a national emergency. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is believed to have found a distaste for cable TV's coverage of the war, and has been quoted as saying: "They had all these Geraldo-like journalists in the tanks with the soldiers, getting the play-by-play.". 2 1 12. The song is also believed to have certain political overtones. Is that what he was waiting for? He’s tired of being alone and rejected, of not fitting in. Most songs about loneliness are a scream for help, an expression of despair and fear of being alone. After the despair and loneliness in Give Me Novacaine, She’s a Rebel reflects the infatuation that Jesus/Jimmy experiences when he meets Whatsername. Complete loss of innocence – Jesus is growing up, Jimmy is dying. “She sings the revolution, the dawning of our lives” is obviously connected to a line in Holiday (“This is the dawning of the rest of our lives”), which shows that everything Jesus expected from his life in the City is now in front of him, reflected in his new addiction – Whatsername. In 2000, Green Day had released the album ‘The Warning’ which came off as a disappointment in terms of commercial success. Our lives depend on this election!! Since the album is highly political, there is an opinion that She’s a Rebel is a song about America. (1) A 2004 Green Day album which serves as a rock opera that tells the story of a few average American youth living in a metropolis of rhetoric, lies, and censorship. American Idiot was released in August 2004 from the album of the same name, peaking at No.3 on the UK Singles Chart. We need police reform. Green Day's American Idiot album is 16 years old this week. But now he’s finally in the City, and he doesn’t fit it, doesn’t belong. Despite the song taking place during Bush's reign, Armstrong says it wasn't just about the 43rd President, telling The Spin: "I would never think of American Idiot as being about the Bush administration specifically. American Idiot (the musical) is no collection of tangentially related tunes hot-glued and staple-gunned together, but neither is it Tommy, the messy, bloated rock opera based on The Who's 1969 album.