It's the first rock opera album produced by Green Day. The 13-tracks album is about a character named Jesus of Suburbia (JoS).
It's interesting to read different interpretations of the album. Sometimes each song has different meanings to each person. After reading too much of them, here's what I think that fits best:
1. American Idiot :
It's the setting of the story, the mood and the main character's view on American culture which he thinks declining as people are becoming more and more revolved around the media.
2. Jesus of Suburbia :
It's the introduction of the main character in the story. Jesus of Suburbia (JoS) who is a typical American teenager, got sick of all the lies from what's so called his role models : "Mom, Dad and Brad". He can't stand the hypocrites and all the lies, he runs away from home.
3. Holiday :
JoS is free and up partying as he pleases. It's a celebration song for his freedom.
** Apart from the storyline, it's a song about the war in Iraq and criticisms to Bush administration. It's how we can see and hear the destruction but no one is actually doing anything about it. Billy Joe also said in a show : "This song is not about anti-American, it's anti-war"
4. Boulevard of Broken Dreams:
JoS gets the hangover after all the partying. He's on a low and starts to question himself. He's lonely and feels like there's no point in living. "Walking down the line that somewhere divides me in my mind" is describing JoS is on the line between him and St. Jimmy (his split personality).
5. Are We The Waiting:
It's describing JoS' fragile state of mind. He is questioning his own beliefs, wondering who he actually is and anyone really is. He is slowly losing his mind and slowly he develops his alter-ego: St. Jimmy.
6. St. Jimmy:
JoS decides to take on an entirely new identity named St. Jimmy. It's the dark side of JoS - angry, violent, aggressive and hateful.
7. Give Me Novacaine:
Confused about everything, especially his split personality, Jimmy introduces the world of drugs to JoS to ease away the pain and the sense of hopelessness.
8. She's A Rebel:
JoS/St. Jimmy meets this girl. Her name is never said because JoS/Jimmy has forgotten it. She is then referred to as "Whatsername". They have a lot in common - "She sings the revolution and the dawning of our lives" which is also on the song "Holiday". The image cover of the album was also taken from here - "She's holding my heart like a hand-grenade", meaning Whatsername is controlling JoS/St.Jimmy.
9. Extraordinary Girl :
JoS/St. Jimmy describes his feelings towards Whatsername. Whatsername is insecure, not happy with her life and her own image. But JoS/St. Jimmy sees this quality and Whatsername is ashamed of the fact that it's the reasons why he loves her so much. They're finding out that they're unhappy with themselves but find comfort in each other.
10. Letterbomb:
Whatsername is breaking up with JoS/St. Jimmy. She realizes that he's not good, nobody likes him and wants to be around him. She hates the St. Jimmy that JoS made up. She says “You’re not the Jesus of Suburbia, the St. Jimmy is a figment of your father’s rage and your mother’s love - made me the idiot America”. It's ironic that she’s sick of the lies he’s created. She leaves him and the big city.
11. Wake Me Up When September Ends :
Although this song is about Billie Joe losing his dad when he was only 10 (September 1982), this song is also about JoS/St. Jimmy. It's about losing someone close to you - wanting to forget but you never can, be it 7 or 20 years. In the story, JoS/St. Jimmy is dealing with the pain losing Whatsername. It is not known what she could have done in September that makes JoS/St.Jimmy doesn't want to be around in that month - possibly the month she dumped him.
This song has a personal meaning to Billie Joe about his dad. He said in an interview that sometimes he felt like he got choked up just to sing the next line, there's just too much emotions coming from the song. Billie Joe equates his pain of losing his dad to JoS/St. Jimmy's pain losing the girl.
There is also a speculation that this song is about the 9/11 tragedy.
12. Homecoming :
Jesus of Suburbia kills off his alter-ego "St.Jimmy" because he realizes that it's not worth it anymore for all the troubles ending with Whatsername leaving him. He then leaves the big city and heads back to suburbia and turning back into what he used to be - Jesus of Suburbia. He does this partly because of Whatsername wanting to leave the city and he wonders if he could ever live the old life again. He is leaving the city and return to the city that he had run from (City of The Damned). JoS gets a boring job, daydreaming about the lives that he had back in the city and he wonders if he'll ever see Whatsername again.
13. Whatsername :
JoS is still in love with Whatsername and he thinks of how perfect they were back then. He understands that they wanted different things in life and has no regrets. "I'll never turn back time, forgetting you but not the time". The times he spent with her were the best times of his life
It's interesting to read different interpretations of the album. Sometimes each song has different meanings to each person. After reading too much of them, here's what I think that fits best:
1. American Idiot :
It's the setting of the story, the mood and the main character's view on American culture which he thinks declining as people are becoming more and more revolved around the media.
2. Jesus of Suburbia :
It's the introduction of the main character in the story. Jesus of Suburbia (JoS) who is a typical American teenager, got sick of all the lies from what's so called his role models : "Mom, Dad and Brad". He can't stand the hypocrites and all the lies, he runs away from home.
3. Holiday :
JoS is free and up partying as he pleases. It's a celebration song for his freedom.
** Apart from the storyline, it's a song about the war in Iraq and criticisms to Bush administration. It's how we can see and hear the destruction but no one is actually doing anything about it. Billy Joe also said in a show : "This song is not about anti-American, it's anti-war"
4. Boulevard of Broken Dreams:
JoS gets the hangover after all the partying. He's on a low and starts to question himself. He's lonely and feels like there's no point in living. "Walking down the line that somewhere divides me in my mind" is describing JoS is on the line between him and St. Jimmy (his split personality).
5. Are We The Waiting:
It's describing JoS' fragile state of mind. He is questioning his own beliefs, wondering who he actually is and anyone really is. He is slowly losing his mind and slowly he develops his alter-ego: St. Jimmy.
6. St. Jimmy:
JoS decides to take on an entirely new identity named St. Jimmy. It's the dark side of JoS - angry, violent, aggressive and hateful.
7. Give Me Novacaine:
Confused about everything, especially his split personality, Jimmy introduces the world of drugs to JoS to ease away the pain and the sense of hopelessness.
8. She's A Rebel:
JoS/St. Jimmy meets this girl. Her name is never said because JoS/Jimmy has forgotten it. She is then referred to as "Whatsername". They have a lot in common - "She sings the revolution and the dawning of our lives" which is also on the song "Holiday". The image cover of the album was also taken from here - "She's holding my heart like a hand-grenade", meaning Whatsername is controlling JoS/St.Jimmy.
9. Extraordinary Girl :
JoS/St. Jimmy describes his feelings towards Whatsername. Whatsername is insecure, not happy with her life and her own image. But JoS/St. Jimmy sees this quality and Whatsername is ashamed of the fact that it's the reasons why he loves her so much. They're finding out that they're unhappy with themselves but find comfort in each other.
10. Letterbomb:
Whatsername is breaking up with JoS/St. Jimmy. She realizes that he's not good, nobody likes him and wants to be around him. She hates the St. Jimmy that JoS made up. She says “You’re not the Jesus of Suburbia, the St. Jimmy is a figment of your father’s rage and your mother’s love - made me the idiot America”. It's ironic that she’s sick of the lies he’s created. She leaves him and the big city.
11. Wake Me Up When September Ends :
Although this song is about Billie Joe losing his dad when he was only 10 (September 1982), this song is also about JoS/St. Jimmy. It's about losing someone close to you - wanting to forget but you never can, be it 7 or 20 years. In the story, JoS/St. Jimmy is dealing with the pain losing Whatsername. It is not known what she could have done in September that makes JoS/St.Jimmy doesn't want to be around in that month - possibly the month she dumped him.
This song has a personal meaning to Billie Joe about his dad. He said in an interview that sometimes he felt like he got choked up just to sing the next line, there's just too much emotions coming from the song. Billie Joe equates his pain of losing his dad to JoS/St. Jimmy's pain losing the girl.
There is also a speculation that this song is about the 9/11 tragedy.
12. Homecoming :
Jesus of Suburbia kills off his alter-ego "St.Jimmy" because he realizes that it's not worth it anymore for all the troubles ending with Whatsername leaving him. He then leaves the big city and heads back to suburbia and turning back into what he used to be - Jesus of Suburbia. He does this partly because of Whatsername wanting to leave the city and he wonders if he could ever live the old life again. He is leaving the city and return to the city that he had run from (City of The Damned). JoS gets a boring job, daydreaming about the lives that he had back in the city and he wonders if he'll ever see Whatsername again.
13. Whatsername :
JoS is still in love with Whatsername and he thinks of how perfect they were back then. He understands that they wanted different things in life and has no regrets. "I'll never turn back time, forgetting you but not the time". The times he spent with her were the best times of his life
THE END
1 comments:
this album has alot of similarities to the book the catcher in the ry by jd salinger. First of the town is like Holden Caulfields schools. int he boo holden runs awaya from school to new york and lives it for a while before relizing this isnt what he wanted and returning home. much like American Idiot
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