American Idiot

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

After the disappointing Warning of 2000, the members of Green Day stood at a crossroads. They were quarrelling and wanted a new direction. A first album, Cigarettes and Valentines, vanished when the master tapes were stolen. The producer Rob Cavallo helped the band to start again. From short fragments of thirty seconds grew suites such as Homecoming and Jesus of Suburbia. In this way American Idiot, released on 21 September 2004, became a punk rock opera about a boy from the American middle class.

The record was made in Oakland and Los Angeles and took ten months. The band listened to rock operas such as Tommy and Quadrophenia by The Who. Besides punk, new wave, Latin and polka can be heard. The title song is about the politics of those years, after 9/11 and the war in Iraq. Boulevard of Broken Dreams won a Grammy for Record of the Year. The album reached number 1 on the American chart, won a Grammy for Best Rock Album and inspired a Broadway musical.

Listening

Track list

1. 1American Idiot2:55Apple Music ↗
2. 2Jesus of Suburbia9:09Apple Music ↗
3. 3Holiday3:53Apple Music ↗
4. 4Boulevard of Broken Dreams4:21Apple Music ↗
5. 5Are We the Waiting2:43Apple Music ↗
6. 6St. Jimmy2:55Apple Music ↗
7. 7Give Me Novacaine3:26Apple Music ↗
8. 8She's a Rebel2:00Apple Music ↗
9. 9Extraordinary Girl3:34Apple Music ↗
10. 10Letterbomb4:06Apple Music ↗
11. 11Wake Me Up When September Ends4:46Apple Music ↗
12. 12Homecoming9:19Apple Music ↗
13. 13Whatsername4:13Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗