Spring Break
Looks like a Green Day
Stephen Ortiz
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Focus
It's been five years since Green Day sparked its comeback with its hit album, "American Idiot." The band did a massive world tour, released a handful of big singles and then quietly exited the spotlight. Instead of trying to capitalize on its resurgence, it remained low-key and put out an album under an entirely different band name (The Foxboro Hot Tubs), but on May 12, the group will be back with its eighth record, "21st Century Breakdown." Let's take a look back at the best of these California punk rockers.
10. "Minority," Warning - A classic punk rock ideal: being the outsider, disagreeing with the man and going against the law.
9. "Hitchin' A Ride," Bullet In A Bible - Originally part of "Nimrod," this track finds a new life on Green Day's live album from its Bullet In A Bible Tour supporting "American Idiot."
8. "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)," Nimrod - Everyone knows this song. Tacky as some may think it is thanks to the countless graduation mixtapes it's been on, it's still a sincere and heartbreaking goodbye song.
7. "Longview," Dookie - If you think masturbation is funny, then this song is right up your alley. If you don't, then shame on you.
6. "2000 Light Years Away," Kerplunk! - A short and sweet love song frontman Billie Joe Armstrong wrote for his eventual wife, Adrienne Armstrong. The line "she holds my malakite tight" refers to Armstrong's green eyes.
5. "Brain Stew," Insomniac - A raw and rough trip to Armstrong's head that ties in perfectly with the album title. Armstrong sings, "My eyes feel like they're gonna bleed / Dried up and bulging out my skull / My mouth is dry / My face is numb / f---ed up and spun out in my room."
4. "Jesus Of Suburbia," American Idiot - The exact definition of teenage angst. Despite being in their mid-30s when they wrote this song, it hits home on multiple levels. Some of it may seem cliché to some, but the band crafted something wonderful in this nine-minute epic.
3. "When I Come Around," Dookie - The final single off of the album that defines Green Day (songs off of it own the top three spots) is at its heart a breakup song. While there's nothing flashy about the track, it's the simplicity that makes it so special.
2. "Welcome To Paradise," Dookie - Originally included on "Kerplunk!," "Welcome To Paradise" was cleaned up, ditched the grainy sound and made infinitely better the second time around.
1. "Basket Case," Dookie - When I think Green Day, I think "Basket Case." From the way Armstrong's voice echoes over the opening riff to drummer Tre Cool's crashing drum intro just more than 30 seconds in, "Basket Case" is probably the band's most infectious track and the blend of pop and punk elements are brilliant.
10. "Minority," Warning - A classic punk rock ideal: being the outsider, disagreeing with the man and going against the law.
9. "Hitchin' A Ride," Bullet In A Bible - Originally part of "Nimrod," this track finds a new life on Green Day's live album from its Bullet In A Bible Tour supporting "American Idiot."
8. "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)," Nimrod - Everyone knows this song. Tacky as some may think it is thanks to the countless graduation mixtapes it's been on, it's still a sincere and heartbreaking goodbye song.
7. "Longview," Dookie - If you think masturbation is funny, then this song is right up your alley. If you don't, then shame on you.
6. "2000 Light Years Away," Kerplunk! - A short and sweet love song frontman Billie Joe Armstrong wrote for his eventual wife, Adrienne Armstrong. The line "she holds my malakite tight" refers to Armstrong's green eyes.
5. "Brain Stew," Insomniac - A raw and rough trip to Armstrong's head that ties in perfectly with the album title. Armstrong sings, "My eyes feel like they're gonna bleed / Dried up and bulging out my skull / My mouth is dry / My face is numb / f---ed up and spun out in my room."
4. "Jesus Of Suburbia," American Idiot - The exact definition of teenage angst. Despite being in their mid-30s when they wrote this song, it hits home on multiple levels. Some of it may seem cliché to some, but the band crafted something wonderful in this nine-minute epic.
3. "When I Come Around," Dookie - The final single off of the album that defines Green Day (songs off of it own the top three spots) is at its heart a breakup song. While there's nothing flashy about the track, it's the simplicity that makes it so special.
2. "Welcome To Paradise," Dookie - Originally included on "Kerplunk!," "Welcome To Paradise" was cleaned up, ditched the grainy sound and made infinitely better the second time around.
1. "Basket Case," Dookie - When I think Green Day, I think "Basket Case." From the way Armstrong's voice echoes over the opening riff to drummer Tre Cool's crashing drum intro just more than 30 seconds in, "Basket Case" is probably the band's most infectious track and the blend of pop and punk elements are brilliant.
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