American Idiot (song)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"American Idiot"
Single by Green Day
from the album American Idiot
B-side"Too Much Too Soon"
ReleasedAugust 6, 2004 (2004-08-06)[1]
Genre
Length2:54
LabelReprise
Composer(s)Green Day
Lyricist(s)Billie Joe Armstrong
Producer(s)
Green Day singles chronology
"Waiting"
(2001) 		"American Idiot"
(2004) 		"Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
(2004)
Music video
"American Idiot" on
YouTube

"American Idiot" is a

signature songs.[not verified in body
]

Background

One of the two explicitly political songs on the album (the other being fellow single "

faggot" and "America", to create what he imagined would be a voice for the disenfranchised.[8]

In a 2004 interview with

Q Magazine, the three members of Green Day discussed the idea of flag desecration in relation to their song, with Armstrong and Dirnt being the most supportive: "It means nothing to me. Let's burn the fucking thing."[9]

Composition

"American Idiot"
A 15-second sample of "American Idiot"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"American Idiot" was written in the key of

melodic punk of Social Distortion and the hard rock of Joan Jett.[14] Armstrong plays a 1956 Les Paul Junior on the song, switching to a reissued 1959 flame-top Les Paul for the double-tracked guitar solo. Armstrong was initially reluctant to pursue recording a solo, fearing it to be corny. He eventually decided against this, as he hoped for the album to be "about being 15 and rocking out in front of a mirror."[4] The song's format and cadence was influenced by the Midnight Oil song "US Forces", which Armstrong was introduced to through his wife.[5]

Release

Billie Joe Armstrong touches on the idea that mainstream media has caused paranoia among the American public in a post-9/11 world. Armstrong also suggests that these same media outlets are brainwashing their viewers through propaganda and subliminal messaging.[15][16][17]

Released in 2004, the single peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Green Day's first Billboard Hot 100 chart entry.[18] The appearance of "American Idiot" on the US singles charts occurred just prior to Billboard's inclusion of Internet download purchases into their Billboard Hot 100 chart data, which would have made a significant difference in the song's peak had it benefited from the new chart tabulation system.[19] "American Idiot" became Green Day's first top-five single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 3, and it debuted at number 1 in Canada, their only #1 single there. In Australia, the song reached number 7 was ranked number 22 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004. Green Day performed the song at the 2005 Grammy Awards.[citation needed] "American Idiot" has sold 1,371,000 copies as of July 2010.[20]

Ian Winwood of Kerrang! said that "Green Day did for their generation, and their country, what the Sex Pistols did for the United Kingdom in 1977, for a nation sick with love for a parasitical royal family."[3]

Live version

Green Day's 2011 live album

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on the 21st Century Breakdown World Tour. It was also featured in their 2005 live album Bullet in a Bible, set at Milton Keynes Bowl
.

Music video

The music video for "American Idiot" shows the band playing in a warehouse against a green American flag (a reference to the name of the band), which only has 48 stars. In the middle of the video, the band is seen playing at different speeds (fast, slow-motion, and normal speed). During the bridge, the stripes of the flag melt onto the floor. The band is then sprayed by a green liquid from amplifiers next to the flag. At the end, the band drop their instruments and leave.[21] The song's video was directed by Samuel Bayer. At MTV's Video Music Awards, the video won the Viewer's Choice Award and was also nominated for Best Art Direction.[22]

Accolades

"American Idiot" was ranked the number 13 Single of the Decade by

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010, the only Green Day song on the list.[24] The song is certified Gold in the United Kingdom for sales of 400,000.[25]

Use as a protest song

In advance of

UK Singles Chart at 25 and the UK Singles Downloads Chart at number 2.[27]

In 2019, Billie Joe Armstrong began changing the lyric "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" to "I'm not a part of a

MAGA agenda" during live performances. The lyrical variation received renewed popular attention following Green Day's televised performance at New Year's Rockin' Eve 2024. Armstrong has been strongly critical of Donald Trump, comparing him to Adolf Hitler.[28][29]

Track listings

Europe single (CD 1)
No.TitleLength
1."American Idiot"2:54
2."Too Much Too Soon"3:33
Europe single (CD 2)
No.TitleLength
1."American Idiot"2:54
2."Shoplifter"1:52
3."Governator" (lyrics written by Mike Dirnt)2:31

7-inch picture disc

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."American Idiot"2:54
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Too Much Too Soon"3:33
DVD Single
No.TitleLength
1."American Idiot" (music video)3:02
2."American Idiot" (live at the Grammy Awards in 2005)3:17

Personnel

Personnel adapted from American Idiot single liner notes[30]

Production

  • Rob Cavallo; Green Day – producers
  • Chris Dugan; Doug McKean –
    engineer
  • Brian "Dr. Vibb" Vibberts; Greg "Stimie" Burns; Jimmy Hoyson; Joe Brown; Dmitar "Dim-e" Krnjaic; Reto Peter – assistant engineers
  • Chris Lord-Alge – mixing
  • mastering
  • Chris Bilheimer – cover art

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "American Idiot"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[59] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[60] 5× Platinum 400,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61] Gold 45,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[62] Platinum 50,000‡
Japan (RIAJ)[63] Gold 100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[64] Gold 5,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[65] Platinum 60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[1] Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "American Idiot"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States August 6, 2004
  • alternative radio
 Reprise [67]
Digital download [1]
Germany [68]
United Kingdom [69]
September 13, 2004 CD [70]

5 Seconds of Summer version

"American Idiot"
Hi or Hey
Songwriter(s)Billie Joe Armstrong
Producer(s)John Feldmann

Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer covered the song and released it on June 11, 2014.[71] The song was released as part of Kerrang!'s tribute album to American Idiot, marking the record's 10-year anniversary.[72] It was also included on their Amnesia EP.[73] The band performed the track live on The Howard Stern Show.[74]

Critical reception

The cover was met with mostly positive reviews from music critics. Haley Blum of

PopCrush praised the band's harmonies on the track.[77] Carolyn Menyes of Music Times gave a less positive review, criticizing the band's use of autotune and vocal distortion that "make this song sound not quite as biting as the Green Day version" and the track's overproduction.[72]

Charts

Chart performance for "American Idiot"
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[78] 89

See also

References

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  2. ^ a b Ensminger, David (July 4, 2020). "The Top 20 Punk Protest Songs for July 4th". PopMatters. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
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    ISSN 0262-6624
    .
  4. ^ a b DiPerna 2005, p. 24.
  5. ^ a b Winwood 2010, p. 50.
  6. ^ "Viva La Revolution!". Q. May 2009. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
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