Though they were extremely popular in the 90’s during the “punk” and “alternative” eras, not many people know about the punk rock band Green Day. Green Day was formed right after one of the most influential and iconic bands, Nirvana, left the scene. Next to Pearl Jam, Green Day was extraordinarily influential in changing the music industry during this time period.  Though they were extremely popular in the 90’s during the “punk” and “alternative” eras, not many people know about the punk rock band Green Day. Green Day was formed right after one of the most influential and iconic bands, Nirvana, left the scene. Next to Pearl Jam, Green Day was extraordinarily influential in changing the music industry during this time period.

Green Day hails from California, but when it was first formed, the band went by another name. Friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed their first band, Sweet Children, in Rodeo, California when they were just fourteen years old. By 1989, the group changed its name to Green Day (allmusic.com). The band members remained the same until then, when they changed their drummer to Tre Cool. Their 1994 major label album “Dookie” put them on the map in the music industry. This debut album sold over fifteen million copies, but most people know the punk band for their legendary, multi-platinum Grammy-winning album, “American Idiot”. One of my personal favorite songs on the “Dookie” album, “Basket Case,” spent five weeks on top of the American modern rock charts. “Dookie” also won the 1994 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance (allmusic.com).

After a long wait from their last hit, “Warning”, in 2004, Green Day’s aggressive rock opera, “American Idiot” finally came out. This is easily the best album they have created, winning numerous awards, and becoming the favorite among many fans. It was a chart-topper around the world, a multi-platinum Grammy winner, and the songs were cultivated into a Broadway show (allmusic.com). It is incredibly different from many other albums in the sense that, just like “The Wall” from Pink Floyd, the whole album tells a story if the songs are listened to in the order in which they appear. The album features the stunning song “Jesus of Suburbia”, which is a whopping nine minutes long, but the best part is that there are so many different elements and narratives in just this one song.

The album also features the song “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, often referred to as their “fall anthem”; but this song was actually written after an extremely tragic event in lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong’s, life. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” was written about Armstrong’s father who died of cancer on September 1, 1982. According to songfacts.com, “at his father’s funeral, Billie cried, ran home and locked himself in his room. When his mother got home and knocked on the door to his room, Billie simply said, ‘Wake me up when September ends,’ hence the title.” The line “20 years has gone so fast” refers to the time that Billie wrote the masterpiece of a song to when his father died twenty years prior.

Today, Green Day is touring the country with their newest album “Revolution Radio”, which features many songs such as “Bang Bang”, about a mass shooting, and “Say Goodbye”, which goes back to Green Day’s original punk roots. Although in their forties, the band members still put on a fantastic show, full of energy and aggressive music. Billie Joe once said, “I didn’t think I’d even be alive at 29… let alone still making music,” and almost twenty years later he is still bringing the house down at different cities every night (greendayauthority.com).