Green Day have always been self-explanatory, whether it's through their choppy power chords or mouthy lyrics about not quite fitting in. They honed a three-minute formula that wasn’t even theirs to start with and steered clear of weighty issues at all costs. Don’t forget that the band’s name is slang reference to smoking life away in a dumb haze. It explains why their songs usually dealt with futile and mundane pleasures mixed with bad sex and equally bad drugs.
But bandmates Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool and Mike Dirnt have clearly spent the four years since the release of "Warning" examining why it limped in, and rapidly out, of the charts. It wasn’t a bad album but possibly the final stop of the slacker, weed-addled journey from punk upstarts to elder statesmen of corporate rock. In truth, you could argue they’d become a parody of themselves. Their future was uncertain.
So Armstrong was desperately seeking something to plug the void of inspiration. Step forward George Dubya, whose misadventures have clearly irked more than just Michael Moore. As the title suggests, "American Idiot" is a volley of abuse and insight into the state of America and Americans today but not in the snotty hit-and-run way you’d expect. On the contrary, Armstrong can successfully deliver the dreaded ‘concept album’ precisely because he’s got his teeth into real concerns for once, to blossom into the smart lyricist he’d always threatened to become.
Subtle and not so subtle references to the state of post 9/11 society lace the album together. Redneck agendas, paranoia, anti-French sentiment, alienation, patriotism, war, ill-advised political antics and suburban rebellion are just a few of the themes explored giving the Johnny Rotten snarl more bite, the serrated guitars more edge and the drum kicks more punch.
And it’s not just lyrically that there’s more on show. Musically, there’s expansion and exploration beyond three pumped-up chords. Nothing radical mind but acoustic guitars sneak more airtime (“Give Me Novocaine”), they’ve recorded a “Radio Ga Ga” stadium anthem (“Are We The Waiting”) and there’s some Mexican zing ("Extraordinary Girl”) to offset the unmistakable rattle of Green Day at their best.
Most people’s attention will immediately be drawn towards the two nine-minute epics that bookend the album but there’s no need to approach with caution. Mercifully they aren’t Grateful Dead wig-outs but essentially five-part snapshots of classic ‘Day knitted together to weave an engaging and loaded narrative.
Like an episode of the Simpsons, "American Idiot" works on many levels. Not only does it contain Green Day’s finest songs (and choruses) to date – no mean achievement given its their seventh album, 15 years into their career – but it also scratches at the surface of political dissatisfaction with nails sharp enough to leave a nasty scar. Style and substance in equal measure.
So they’ve pulled it off, a contemporary punk rock opera. Sure, they are far from struggling musicians putting their careers on the line by taking on ‘the man’ but just because they are bankable stars, doesn’t dilute their observations. While Springsteen, the Dixie Chicks et al continue to snipe away at the Bush administration, it looks like America has found a powerful voice that can actually claim to connect to today’s youth, not just yesteryear’s aged idealists.
Green Day might be latecomers to the protest party but they could well end up having had the most influence.
