Greenday Case

Green Day was one of the first punk bands to hit the main stream audience in America. With their motivational lyrics they took a stand and showed the world that youth had strong opinions often spurred by tragedy and were not willing to stay silent any longer. It all started with Billie Joe Armstrong, born in Oakland California on February 17th, 1972. As the youngest of six children in the Armstrong household, Billie was by far the most musically talented. At the young age of five he was cheering people up in local hospitals with his amazing voice. His first clear sign of this was at the age of five when he recorded his first song called "Look For Love"., (IMDb.com)

At the age of eleven Billie's father Ollie Armstrong gave Billie his first ever electric guitar. It was a pale blue Fender Stratocaster that meant the world to Billie. Soon after receiving the guitar, Billie took his first guitar lesson. Little did he know that this would become his life's passion, and that his music would be taking the world by storm, empowering youth to take a stand and let their opinions be heard. (IMDb.com)

Billie's personal revolt against authority and imposed rules began after the untimely death of his father in 1982 from cancer of the esophagus. It appears that his rebellion grew as a result of losing the strong relationship with his father. This loss was compounded when Billie's mother remarried a man that none of the six children liked. (IMDb.com)

In this moment of tragedy Billie found Mike Dirnt, a boy who was the same age and was experiencing similar family issues. Mike Dirnt was a foster child that hated his foster parents because they would constantly fight over his life style. At the age of fifteen Mike moved out of his foster home and moved into another apartment in Billie's house. There Mike and Billie continued to bond and create a strong relationship. Since Billie was always into guitar, he persuaded Mike to get one so that they could practice together in the garage. The two boys were born to be rebellious and at no point did they ever think otherwise. (IMDb.com)

By 1987 Billie and Mike realized that they wanted to form a band, but they had only two guitarists. So Mike picked up the bass, and then they recruited a drummer, John Kiffmeyer. The three-some named the band Green Day and played at as many clubs and venues as possible no matter the size. As a result of their exposure, they attempted to obtain a record deal from a local studio called "Look Out Records". Eventually, they got their debut album that came out in 1990 called "Smoothed Out Slappy Hour". However, the band of three was short-lived as John left the band to return to college much to the dismay of his bandmates. Although Green Day lost their drummer, it was only a temporary setback. Luckily, another band from the Look Out label had broken up, providing Green Day's new drummer, Tre Cool. When Tre first came to the band, there was instant chemistry. Because Tre, Billie, and Mike were closer in age (as opposed to John, who was much older), the band formed a very strong relationship built on similar ideas that opposed many existing institutions and mind-numbing propaganda. (IMDb.com)

Green Day produced many albums in their career, but the most recognizable one was an album called "Dookie", which was released in 1995. With the song called "She", Green Day expressed their disgust with how superiors (parents, teachers, politicians, and clergy) instructed the youth as to how to live their lives. The song starts out with the lyric "She, She screams in silence, a sullen riot penetrating through her mind". (Wiemann, Bill) The line identifies a person who does not like the way their life is heading, but they don't know how to change their path so they remain silent. It continues with "Waiting for a sign to smash the silence with a brick of self-control". (Wiemann, Bill) Now, this person wants to challenge the so-called "proper" way of living life but is just waiting for the right opportunity. The chorus continues saying "Are you locked up in a world that has been planned out for you? Are you feeling like a social tool without a use?". (Wiemann, Bill) This questions the voice of youth in America. What is each person's purpose? Has each individual been encouraged to think for themselves and find their own life path? Or are individuals letting outside authority figures dictate the life that they will lead? These questions are answered with the line "She, she figured out, all of her doubts were someone else's point of view." (Wiemann, Bill) This song inspired youth to think as individuals and rather than respond like zombies under a hypnotic trance. Questioning the actions of authority and speaking out with a loud, opposing voice was now encouraged.

Next, in 2004 Green Day came out with the album called "American Idiot", with a hit single called "American Idiot". (Kaufman, Gil) This song was focused on wide-spread government corruption and the political machine. (Certainly, all residents within the city of Chicago or even the state of Illinois can appreciate the message of this song.) The song starts out as "Don't want to be an American idiot, don't want a nation under the new media, and can you hear the sound of hysteria? The subliminal mind f*** America"( Wiemann, Bill). Basically, these statements remind us that the politicians and the media are telling us what to do, what to buy, and what to believe in. We are constantly being subliminally mind-f***ed by commercials, campaigns and reality TV. They turn us into idiots with no individuality. The song continues with the chorus stating "Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alien nation. Where everything isn't meant to be