Best Green Day Song

Midpack

Midpack

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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We've understandably beat the Beatles :D best & worst songs to death (collective & solo).

There was some debate in another thread about Green Day's 2015 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (bunch of fuddy duddys).

Not that anyone personal opinion matters as to who's inducted, I think they're definitely deserving. We have all their albums, and saw the American Idiot stageplay in Chicago (twice), it "rocked."

Even though their newer material is probably better/more creative, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) is still my favorite. Sometimes simple can be great...
 
Since Midpack already picked my favorite Green Day song, I'll post my second favorite. :)

 
I can't pick a favorite. There are so many great ones. The only other band that has that "problem" for me is The Beatles. Here's a list of some of the best songs by Green Day. Top 10 Green Day Songs
 
who is green day? they a bunch of tree huggers or something?
 
When I come Around.

I saw Greenday on Sat. Night Live (I was in the audience.) Here's youtube of that performance.
After the show we went to a bar around the corner... fortunately, we were seated before Green Day came in... the mobs of screaming young girls was blocked from entering. (Not sure if they would have blocked my group of 30-something women.)

Great show.
 
Not a band I expected to see discussed here...
 
I have never been able to take any American band that was billed as "punk rock" seriously. The Sex Pistols were punk. Green Day are more like "spoiled-brat punk".

But then I grew up in England in the 70's when the striking coal miners nearly brought the country to it's knees and caused the government to impose a 3 day work week. Unemployment was high, and things were grim for a lot of people. There was a real class war going on, and the British punk movement of the late 70's tapped into the feelings of desperation and hopelessness that many youth were feeling.

Then in the late 80's, I moved to California and discovered that there were bands here that were calling themselves "punk". I didn't get it because, compared to England in the 70's, California seemed like a paradise. Palm trees, sunshine and economic good times seemed a world away from the grime and class wars of 1970's England. What could these kids possibly have to rebel against?

Feel free to label me as a grumpy old toad who doesn't get it but to me, Green Day are a pop group, and most definitely not a punk rock band.

I mean - they're from Berkeley, for heaven's sake!
 
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I'm rather fond of "American Idiot".
 
Gumby said:
I'm rather fond of "American Idiot".
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+1

Was not, am not, much of a punk rocker, but I do own a copy of "Nimrod".

I recall that, in late teenhood, there was a short period where I listened to Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper and the like, because of the novelty, I suppose. But there was so much music out at the time that the "novelty" wore off. I missed disco, arena rock, punk rock, new wave, etc., for the most part, because I was listening to old Beatles or Blind Faith, King Crimson and Yes, Roy Buchanan and Rory Gallagher, Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, etc.

Better music, and better musicians, IMHO, OF COURSE...


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Willers said:
Seriously? Even the Ramones, the one that the British bands idolized?
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After writing that rant last night (which was partially fueled by a couple of hot chocolates spiked with whisky), I realized that I consider The Ramones to be an exception, though I don't consider them punk rock - more like garage rock.

In my defense, consider that I grew up during the original UK punk movement and then moved to California, where some people even had the audacity to call bands like Blink-182 punk.

I woke up this morning seriously thinking about deleting that rather opinionated post of mine, or at the very least, editing it to include a partial apology. It's not that it didn't represent my opinion, it's just that it was probably inappropriate to express it in the company of Green Day fans.

PS - for the last few years that I lived in LA, before moving to the Bay Area, I lived about 2 minutes walk from the cemetery where Johnny Ramone is buried. I thought it was a real trip to be able to cross the street and see his grave.

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OK guys - you can carry on talking about Green Day now :D
 
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Huge fan of punk in general and Green Day deserve the HoF (first ballot debatable I suppose).

Wake Me Up When September Ends also meant a great deal to me at a difficult time in my life.

As to British/American or other punk (yes, other countries have punk bands) I find the argument that something is more "pure" than others tiresome. If you like it, it is worthy.

Best punk band of all time ? Besides The Clash ?

The Pogues.

And people probably don't think their music "qualifies" either but they sure lived the lifestyle... :cool:

(and put out the BEST Christmas song of all time)
 
Koogie said:
As to British/American or other punk (yes, other countries have punk bands) I find the argument that something is more "pure" than others tiresome. If you like it, it is worthy.
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You're right. I should know better than to post after a couple of drinks. But it's done now.
 
Major Tom said:
You're right. I should know better than to post after a couple of drinks. But it's done now.
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Wasn't picking on you, sorry. No harm, no foul !

And if that is the worst thing you did, not so bad !

After a good tumbler of bourbon, I have to try and stay off the Internet :angel:
 
Major Tom, think I've done the same.
I did not know they were from Berkley. Now there's three things that came from Berkley.

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Thanks Koogie - you were right though. If something has worth, it has worth. End of story, and no labels required.

I worked in a record store for years. We liked the weirdest stuff, and defended it to the hilt, while the guys who were into classical and jazz humored our love of what they must have considered particularly ephemeral music!

It beat working for a living though :LOL:
 
Major Tom said:
PS - for the last few years that I lived in LA, before moving to the Bay Area, I lived about 2 minutes walk from the cemetery where Johnny Ramone is buried. I thought it was a real trip to be able to cross the street and see his grave.
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This is cool. I had no idea there was a statue. Thanks for posting. I grew up with the Ramones in my back yard and fondly remember the old CBGB days. And yes, I understand your comments about British punk vs. American. Even though I love it too, American punk is mostly rants about truly first-world problems.

In the end...it all rocks.
 
Major Tom - I respect your perspective. Having grown up in SoCal and not had the same experiences as you - I have to disagree with your take.

X was punk. Black Flag was punk. I was also a fan of the Zeros (who came from San Diego/Chula Vista area).

I agree a lot of bands got labeled "punk" that weren't. For example I've seen the early Go-Gos referred to as punk in articles... in no world were they ever edgy enough to be punk.
 
Major Tom said:
- and Shane has the teeth to prove it :LOL:


- and even better, they did it with Kirsty MacColl :clap:
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Ahh... the late, great Kirsty. Every time I hear that song I think about her tragic murder/death.
 
Major Tom said:
After writing that rant last night (which was partially fueled by a couple of hot chocolates spiked with whisky), I realized that I consider The Ramones to be an exception, though I don't consider them punk rock - more like garage rock.

In my defense, consider that I grew up during the original UK punk movement and then moved to California, where some people even had the audacity to call bands like Blink-182 punk.

I woke up this morning seriously thinking about deleting that rather opinionated post of mine, or at the very least, editing it to include a partial apology. It's not that it didn't represent my opinion, it's just that it was probably inappropriate to express it in the company of Green Day

OK guys - you can carry on talking about Green Day now :D
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I enjoyed reading your whiskey-laced hot chocolate rant. I kinda like Green Day, what I've heard, but I hadn't realized they were considered punk.
 
rodi said:
Major Tom - I respect your perspective. Having grown up in SoCal and not had the same experiences as you - I have to disagree with your take.

X was punk. Black Flag was punk. I was also a fan of the Zeros (who came from San Diego/Chula Vista area).

I agree a lot of bands got labeled "punk" that weren't. For example I've seen the early Go-Gos referred to as punk in articles... in no world were they ever edgy enough to be punk.
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My ex-wife grew up in SoCal (in the LA area) and she also disagreed with me.

X and Black Flag - you've got me there. No-one can claim that X or (particularly) Black Flag were not punk and retain any of their credibility. Which reminds me of an X 7" I have here that is signed by John Doe. It's not one of the classic singles I'm afraid - it was something they came out with in the 90's (a single from the album Hey Zeus! IIRC, though I'd have to go into boxes and dig it out in order to find out).

Most of the bands I was into in the late 70's weren't as sonically dense as bands like Black Flag. I'm thinking of bands like The Buzzcocks and X-Ray Spex for example, two favorites of mine. Although not particularly a fan of Black Flag, I'm a big fan of Henry Rollins' spoken word. I didn't see his TV show, but albums like Think Tank, and his live show, were great. I loved his story about continuously trying to outdo Iggy Pop's frenetic energy, every time they were billed together. In Henry's estimation, every time he thought he had given his all, in an attempt to be more animalistic and energetic than Iggy, the Stooges frontman would effortlessly outshine him, and it would drive him crazy! I also love his story about visiting a young fan who was in hospital dying of cancer. Henry has a lot of heart. I met him twice. He was polite and gracious and yet, I couldn't help wondering if inside, he was quietly seething, and I would later find out what he really thought of me when reading one of his stories :) He was a gent to deal with.

Sorry to take this thread off the main topic of Green Day. I realized this morning that I have Dookie and American Idiot in the collection here. I think that one of these days, I will have to listen to at least one of them (American Idiot probably) from beginning to end and see if I can't challenge my own pre-conceived notions about them.
 
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