(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. The album tells the story, which takes place in the time span of about one year, through exploring the thoughts of each character as well as through dialog and interactions between the characters. While the plot is more of an abstract concept than it is a direct story, the message is fairly clear: the
American youth remain unheard because of the "I don'
t care" attitude many of them carry, but because of the lack of actual dialogue, the root of this attitude is the fact that the
American youth only know what they DON'
T want, and have never been presented with a reasonable option that they COULD want. Of course the ending of the story is, unfortunately, also an all-too-common reality in our current world.
The album/story also tells a typical teen-angst-style love story that applies a double meaning to the cover (which is a hand holding a
heart-shaped grenade).
The album is expected to receive negative criticism (especially by those who don'
t take the
time to truly understand the story or are too quick to judge and disregard it as "left-wing propaganda"), since it was considered a highly experimental concept from the very beginning. Others simply don't like it because of its difference from the typical Green
Day style, but many see this as a refreshing and much-needed
break. Love it or hate it, "American Idiot" is Green
Day's first new release full-length album since 2002.
(2) The title track from the above-mentioned CD.
(1) My friend
Joe told me not to waste my
money on American Idiot, while my friend Sally said that it's her favorite Green Day album ever. I'm not sure who to believe on this one.
(2) "Don'
t want to be an American Idiot / One nation controlled by the media / Information age of hysteria / calling out to Idiot America"
