Blasphemy & Genocide: Unpopular Green Day Opinions, Part 2

[Todd]

For me, it goes beyond the music, length and lyrics. It's more of the entire concept the introduction to the title character, the themes and overall feel of the album. To me, American Idiot (the song) is just a prologue, but JOS is the true beginning of the album. The punchiness of those first two lines makes it nearly impossible to not listen to the rest of the song.

Beyond that, it was unlike anything the band had ever done to that point, and was definitely a risky move. So in the context of their careers, it's also epic in that regard.

But once everything is tied together at the end of the album, with Letterbomb (the lines "You're not the Jesus of Suburbia, etc.") and Homecoming (the line "We're coming home, again" contrasting with the line "You're leaving home"), it's impossible for me not to consider JOS the coolest fucking thing ever. Like I said, it doesn't mean it's the song I listen to most, but I don't understand how anyone can dislike it.

Oh my god, I never realized the coming home/leaving home connection. You just made this album even better for me!

I'm honestly not sure, which is why I said "a" track. My first thoughts are Scattered and Reject though.

:-/ those are just standard chord progressions, average Green Day songs to me. What do you see in them?

[AlissaGoesRAWR]

Oh my god, I never realized the coming home/leaving home connection. You just made this album even better for me!

Glad I could help. Did you notice the "I don't care if you don't" (JOS) and "Well nobody cares" (Homecoming) connection, too?

The two songs draw interesting parallels, and I just love how the entire album has themes laced throughout that actually make sense. Part of the reason I don't think I ever connected well with 21CB is I could never really understand the "concept" of it, and it everything seemed forced. With AI, it just seems to flow naturally, and years later I'm still picking apart details and realizing things I never knew before.

[Spike]

The awesomeness of JOS has nothing to do with length anyway. I mean sure, it's very impressive that they wrote such a simple punk song that's 9 minutes long but doesn't even begin to feel bloated, but everything about it is just perfect. Every line of the lyrics hit me so hard, and the performance is just brilliant. It might sound simple, but if you try replicating those opening chords in a band it's actually very difficult to play tight enough to get the power behind it that the original has. Despite everyone loving it I still think it's incredibly underrated. The only thing that could come close to JOS would be Homecoming.

[Hermione]

I will admit that I think Billie must have been drunk, or really overtired when he said that 99 Revolutions was the best song he's ever written, but JOS is sheer brilliance.

Just want to point out he didn't say it was the best, haha. When I google "Billie Joe" "99 revolutions is one of the best" and similar only this thread comes up so I'm not sure what he said exactly. It was something about it being among the best songs he's written (a natural thing to think/say shortly after he'd written it, pretty much every band is going to feel like their new material is some of their best), but does anyone have the actual quote?

I'm not saying AI itself isn't brilliant because it is. I still listen to it everyday. JOS just isn't my favorite song. I prefer Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and I love Homecoming.

Same, it's a great and epic song but like all the songs on AI it's also a part of the bigger story of the album which is great and epic in the same way so it's not like it's the only song on there with those qualities. Of the two long/multi part songs I prefer Homecoming.

[Sauli]

To be fair, if you don't think your new material is amongst your best, why would you release it at all? It's very usual that an artist cannot judge their compositions objectively immediately afterwards.

[gnash]

Just want to point out he didn't say it was the best, haha. When I google "Billie Joe" "99 revolutions is one of the best" and similar only this thread comes up so I'm not sure what he said exactly. It was something about it being among the best songs he's written (a natural thing to think/say shortly after he'd written it, pretty much every band is going to feel like their new material is some of their best), but does anyone have the actual quote?

Same, it's a great and epic song but like all the songs on AI it's also a part of the bigger story of the album which is great and epic in the same way so it's not like it's the only song on there with those qualities. Of the two long/multi part songs I prefer Homecoming.

It was in the Rolling Stone post-rehab interview

[Z J]

jesus christ it just got so intense in here.

#edgy

or

#characterbuilding

[The Disappearing Boy]

Yeah Homecoming is the only song which parallels JOS in terms of epicness. I fractionally prefer Homecoming, but it's so damn close for me. Easily their two best songs in my opinion.

[UNICORN VOMIT]

Just want to point out he didn't say it was the best, haha. When I google "Billie Joe" "99 revolutions is one of the best" and similar only this thread comes up so I'm not sure what he said exactly. It was something about it being among the best songs he's written

Yep that's what I was going to say & I think it was more about the content & meaning behind why he wrote it. That's the way I took it anyway.

I would agree with homecoming - both brilliant but my favourite is letterbomb & Are we the waiting (the start always gets me)

[Chin for a Day]

Just want to point out he didn't say it was the best, haha. When I google "Billie Joe" "99 revolutions is one of the best" and similar only this thread comes up so I'm not sure what he said exactly. It was something about it being among the best songs he's written (a natural thing to think/say shortly after he'd written it, pretty much every band is going to feel like their new material is some of their best), but does anyone have the actual quote?

OK, I stand corrected. I thought he had said that it was the best song I ever wrote. The exact quote is: "I listen to "99 Revolutions" on Tre and think it's one of the best I ever wrote".

I absolutely agree that you have to think that the material you are releasing is some of your best ever, but why release it. Oh, I know this may open some floodgates, but I think there is much better on the Trilogy. Brutal Love.

http://www.greendayauthority.com/articles/176/6/

[UNICORN VOMIT]

Oh god - we were doing so well - please not the trilogy again

[Chin for a Day]

Oh god - we were doing so well - please not the trilogy again

Don't blame me, blame Billie. He said the 99 Revolutions thing, I just quoted it.

[Hermione]

Thanks for finding the article and quote. I don't agree that 99 Revolutions is one of the best either, it's probably my least favourite Trilogy song . Brutal Love is the best indeed . But yeah I wouldn't have been surprised to hear him say that about any of the songs, he must have felt that way about them in order to want to release them and it's particularly unsurprising that he's say it about a protest song on a subject he feels passionate about

[Maid Meringue]

:-/ those are just standard chord progressions, average Green Day songs to me. What do you see in them?

I believe that a "best green day song" would be one that captures the band in it's entirety. Songwriting from AI and 21stCB is only a blip in their entire catalogue, and I think that Green Day's overall simplicity is what has kept them a timeless band. Having basic chords doen't necessarily make a song boring, or common. Tracks from Nimrod (such as those stated previously) encompass the "simple" vibe of Kerplunk and Dookie, while progressing into lyrics with more emotion. Panic Song or No Pride from Insomniac would also fit well into this train of thought.

[Anaïs.]

the only things that count as character building are things you don't want to do. Like listening to the Trilogy.

Anyway, yes JOS is the most brilliant Green Day song there is. I think that's objectively true, for the reasons everyone has put forth, but for me it's true in a very personal way as well. American Idiot was my go-to album for dealing with the craziness that was my teens, and JOS was my go-to song. I have never and most likely will never get tired of it

Church.

[Chin for a Day]

I believe that a "best green day song" would be one that captures the band in it's entirety. Songwriting from AI and 21stCB is only a blip in their entire catalogue, and I think that Green Day's overall simplicity is what has kept them a timeless band. Having basic chords doen't necessarily make a song boring, or common. Tracks from Nimrod (such as those stated previously) encompass the "simple" vibe of Kerplunk and Dookie, while progressing into lyrics with more emotion. Panic Song or No Pride from Insomniac would also fit well into this train of thought.

I agree that because a song is simple does not mean it is bad. There are plenty of simple, great songs. However, I disagree that their simplicity is what has kept them a timeless band. Their ability to experiment and adapt are some of the reasons that has kept them going. If it wasn't for AI I would not be refreshing my email every 5 seconds waiting for an email from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[Haushinka!]

No doubt Jesus of Suburbia is one of their best songs, if not the best. It's so incredibly powerful lyrically, instrumentally, and emotionally. For me, JOS really sums up in essence what the whole American Idiot album was - a masterpiece. To this day, I can't listen to it without being blown away. Like someone previously mentioned, they really proved what they are capable of with that song.

Edited December 10, 2014 by haushinkax3

[Spike]

Whenever the subject of Billie's best lyrics comes up we really don't talk about All The Time anywhere near enough.

[UNICORN VOMIT]

Whenever the subject of Billie's best lyrics comes up we really don't talk about All The Time anywhere near enough.

I'm not sure which angle to approach. Are you being serious.?

& just worked out that you aren't a mod anymore - Im friggin observant - when did that happen

[Spike]

I'm not sure which angle to approach. Are you being serious.& just worked out that you aren't a mod anymore - Im friggin observant - when did that happen

Yeah I'm serious!

It was a few weeks ago now. Three of four maybe? I intend to be back at some point.

[Anaïs.]

Whenever the subject of Billie's best lyrics comes up we really don't talk about All The Time anywhere near enough.

The rhyme scheme of that one is one of Billie's finest.

[The Disappearing Boy]

It's alright. I've never really got into it, for some reason. Probably cos Billie keeps talking about salad.

[Spike]

It's alright. I've never really got into it, for some reason. Probably cos Billie keeps talking about salad.

Of course he does, you'll have to wait for red day if you want songs about meat.

[The Disappearing Boy]

Of course he does, you'll have to wait for red day if you want songs about meat.

Red Day is easily one of my favourite bands.

[Libertine Angel]

Whenever the subject of Billie's best lyrics comes up we really don't talk about All The Time anywhere near enough.

That's true, it's fantastic.