Jesus Of Suburbia // Green Day
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNKPYhXmzoE]
I came late to finding music by myself. I had a pedestrian diet of indie-rock and pop growing up but then American Idiot came along. Whilst the album’s lead single sparked my interest, it became overplayed before I actually bought the album. It was then, as the rock opera really takes shape in ‘Jesus Of Suburbia’, that Green Day had me hooked. I will forever remember the sunlight pouring into my bedroom as the opening lines: “I’m the son of rage and love, the Jesus Of Suburbia” bursting through my speakers. If you listened closely, you’d have heard the start of my puberty and my odyssey into punk.
Reflectively, I’m a long way from that person now – 11 years on – and I’d even say that in terms of Green Day, I actually connect better with Dookie but the revolutionary nature of American Idiot was something of a catalyst for me. Plus, if you ever need an example of how a band can reinvent themselves but still stay awesome then look no further than American Idiot. All bands “grow” in terms of sound (oh the old stuff is the best argument) but few can pull it off. I owe a lot to Green Day.