I love your reactions because it's so cool to hear a professional musician treat every song with legitimacy and artistic merit. I've spent my whole life hearing both classical music snobs and modern music snobs be patronizing toward genres or songs or artists, saying that it isn't real art, so it's very refreshing to have you be willing to treat each piece seriously and try to see what it has to say.
I agree and I also appreciate how Amy shows this respect! I am a big movie buff, and I feel like a similar thing can sometimes happen with movies, like dismissing an animated film as "just a kid's thing" or a silly horror movie as just being "dumb schlock" or things like that. For those specific examples, animated films can have a lot of depth, heart, and emotion for kids AND adults, and even schlocky horror films can have a lot of care, hard work, and artistry put into crafting their special effects (for example).
You should listen to the full album. It’s one of those albums that I always listen to as a package deal. It flows incredibly well, and there are many standout songs. Really captures the era in which it was released.
Green Day is basically polished punk rock, which is not a bad thing. As for what I mean by that is they are what happens when actual musicians use the punk rock musical structure. In the early days of punk nobody really knew how to play instruments. Back then they just picked them up, knew 1 or 2 basic chords and created songs.
You remind me of a choir conductor I once sang with. I could see every note on his face. He called for each sound with his hands and reflected that sound back through his face. When I watch your face, I can see you hear each note. It's a beautiful sight.
For some context: The American Idiot album is a rock opera that tells a story. To give just a basic idea here, the main character was fed up with his (to him) stagnant small-town life and goes to the city with big dreams, wants to change the world, lead a revolution, etc. But at this point, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, his dreams seem to have collapsed and it all feels empty to him now and he now feels alone and he is in turmoil and despair (and there are other themes of mental illness, split personality, and such). I would recommend the full album to get the full story, it's very good. The album/songs were also influenced by a lot of the post 9-11 feelings and also people's feelings about the war in the Middle East at the time and such.
Do you plan to react to the companion piece called “Holiday” also in the same album? Holiday came first to show an exuberance of youth in the new millennia followed by Boulevard of Broken Dreams which showed the reality of a changed world.
This whole album is a masterpiece. One song just flows into another. My husband and I saw Green Day live a couple months ago and they still play especially the whole of American Idiot from beginning to end
I love this channel! Your reactions are giving me new insight into so many songs I love! I would like to suggest something very different to previous videos - something by the Pogues. Dirty Old Town is a great place to start 😊
The outro is just wonderful and thrilling! It almost reminds me of the ending of something like I Want You (She’s so heavy) by the Beatles. It creates so much tension.
Glad you took this one on. I've always thought this was such a well-constructed song with a variety of interesting elements. Was interested to see your take, enjoyed your discussion of the disorienting ending.
Hello, I recommend you listen to Muse - Exogenesis Symphony Full Muse are one of the most innovative bands of the past 25 years, incorporating classical, progressive, alternative, and other subgenres in their music. In this case Exogenesis Symphony is comprised of 3 parts, and as the name suggests, it is classical/operatic sounding. Each part is unique but at the same time add up to tell a full story, one I think you might really enjoy.
I started to play guitar because of this song, back in 2004, by that time I didn't have a cd player so I taped it from the radio, after that I went to study music, I owe green day a lot, music is a beautiful thing, I met Billie Joe in person, he's such a cool guy.
This was a song and album I listened to a lot as a teenager, but these reflections bring a song I know well into a deeper understanding. I especially like the idea of a sort of train chugging in the background, relentless and boring Thank you!
@VirginRock, can't quite believe how many of the bands and songs you react to that I have been listening to for years (because they made an impression on me then and it has stayed) - have just seen the NiN reaction thumbnail, so I'm off there next 😅 And now, someone who knows what they are talking about explains to me why they are good!
Thank you for listening to one of my favorite bands! Also strongly suggest "Good Riddance" from their 1997 Nimrod album. For a band with punk roots amazing the mainstream acceptance. It's because they're great!!
Vlad. Have her react to " No Queen Blues " by "Sonic Youth " She said "sonically" at one point and again "sonic" at another. So i feel this a viable direction perhaps along the principle lines of synchronicity. Amy is bar none the best; the cream of the crop in this vein of video production. I have been on this stairway to heaven journey with you Dearies since that very first step. Absolutely brilliant she is. Ive learned a great deal along the way. And you kind Sir may go predominantly unnoticed here but it has become outstandingly apparent that you are a flame brightly spirited leading the way with an enormous heart for music that is to no end cultured. Bless you both! Peace and Love
There’s an accompanying Broadway rock opera of American Idiot which features this song and more. It’s interesting to hear this song and others with mixed voices. Perhaps you can get back to your covers series and visit it.
I was aware of Green Day, but hadn't paid much attention to them, till I saw them do a cover of the John Lenon song "Working class hero" on an awards show.
Billy Joe Armstrong (voc/guit) and Mike Dirnt (bs) also have a side project called The Coverups, and they play decent versions of songs like The Who's 'A Quick One (While He's Away)' 🙂
Love this song and your reaction, but the song title is very ironic in its timeliness. Since this was the nickname given to Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, which has been absolutely devastated by the current fires. Apparently it was given this nickname by Billy Wilder in the 1940s, who is the one who then created the classic 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. Now Sunset Boulevard looks like a war zone. A true boulevard of broken dreams. Although according to Wikipedia, as part of the "Jesus of Suburbia" theme, Green Day named it after the painting of the same name by Gottfried Helnwein that depicts James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley together in a downtown diner, reflecting their deaths.
Great video, if you enjoyed this one I think you would find interesting to check on Queens of the stone age, a classic one from them is "No one knows" but I would also recommend "Infinity" incuded in the OST from the movie Heavy metal 2000, cheers.
this is just a sample of how good the "american idiot" album is start to finish. it should go on your list of full album reviews (assuming you have one). you will notice green day doesn't have many long guitar solos in their songs like queen or led zeppelin etc. they rely a lot on power chords, and utilize them masterfully.
Really enjoying all your musical analysis, thank you. Please review CRIME OF THE CENTURY by SUPERTRAMP. It is compositionally worthy of musical analysis.
Maybe it's just moi, but I think earlier Green Day like 'Basket Case' and 'Longview' would've been more appropriate as a first taste of them for Amy. This is not a bad song either, but still rather 'Mainstream' by comparison; I'd thought this was Good Charlotte when I'd first heard it myself! 😅
``` text I wholeheartedly agree that the song is fantastic. I have a great appreciation for it, but I think it would have benefited from additional context - specifically, two more paragraphs that delve into the artist's emotions. This added depth would have elevated the song to an unparalleled level within its era. ```
For Green Day, I’d say there’s a few key pieces of music that better represent them than this one, even from this era of their music. American idiot is a brilliant protest song and album - the lyrics are the most interesting element by far, but the whole album is a middle finger pointed at the bush era. They are pretty interesting in their most popular 90s albums. The most popular songs like good riddance, warning, Longview, basket case, and when I come around all show different facets of the band. Who wrote Holden Caulfield is kinda the first song you see their protest / thought provoking slant to their lyrics and themes. Anyhow, Green Day is complex. Punk can sound more like noise than music to many, but it just rams protest through like no other rock subgenre.
This song has a very nice soundscape, but for most part it's quite unsurprising compared to Basket case or American idiot that really kick. The ending saves this though.
I feel psychic. Or like I manifested this. I discovered you a few weeks ago and was waiting for today so I could binge some of your videos. Just now as I was driving home, this song came on the radio and I thought 'I wonder if that lady on TH-cam who talks about rock songs has done this one?' and lo and behold, this video was uploaded an hour ago
Noel Gallagher from Oasis reckons that Green Day stole the arrangement from the song "Wonderwall". He once said in an interview: “If you listen, you’ll find it is exactly the same arrangement as ‘Wonderwall.’ They should have the decency to wait until I am dead [before stealing my songs]. I, at least, pay the people I steal from that courtesy.” Do you think they're similar?
Noel Gallagher is famously cantankerous. The two songs have a vaguely similar chord progression, but that's not enough to say that one song is "stolen." They are totally different thematically, lyrically, and melodically.
@@BloggerMusicMan I agree. It's the same to saying that a song has the same chord progression, melody, scale, tempo or dynamics. All of those elements combined make the music, not just the arrangement.
This Green Day song is an anthem!!! Loved your observations, especially the part with the silence cut, I'm a fan of groups who can create that artistic atmosphere, not only with their melodies, but with their intentional silences. Another amazing song that also plays with silences in a similar sense would be Labios Rotos from rock band Zoé. It would be great if you react/analyze it. It just has that unexpected twist. I very much love your channel, thanks for these sparks of knowledge and excitement you give us all. May you have a nice and wonderful day!!
Great Session again 👏. I’m wondering how you perceive this song. Down the Canyon by the Heartless Bastards. It probably won’t happen, but I’ll leave it here. Greetings from Germany th-cam.com/video/dnfQdghU7ds/w-d-xo.htmlsi=vtr3nJAkF_nTBpdU
Hi Amy - This is probably Green Day's best song. For guitar players like myself their songs are very samey. The Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist almost exclusively uses "power chords" which get very boring and tiresome to use over 3-4 minutes. They almost always use the same distortion tone too. What Green Day always lacked was variation imo...
"Ploughing along" yes. To me it seems like Green Day’s success came from one place; the lead writers good sense of melody, and okay lyrics. So despite lacking originality whatsoever and relying heavily on repetition like a hammer, this was early 2000's so it was welcome relief.
Green Day are an incredibly popular band, but they are as much punk as Britney Spears is a heavy metal musician. If you want to hear a real punk band with really political and meaningful messages, I would suggest listening to the clash.
I love your reactions because it's so cool to hear a professional musician treat every song with legitimacy and artistic merit. I've spent my whole life hearing both classical music snobs and modern music snobs be patronizing toward genres or songs or artists, saying that it isn't real art, so it's very refreshing to have you be willing to treat each piece seriously and try to see what it has to say.
I agree and I also appreciate how Amy shows this respect! I am a big movie buff, and I feel like a similar thing can sometimes happen with movies, like dismissing an animated film as "just a kid's thing" or a silly horror movie as just being "dumb schlock" or things like that. For those specific examples, animated films can have a lot of depth, heart, and emotion for kids AND adults, and even schlocky horror films can have a lot of care, hard work, and artistry put into crafting their special effects (for example).
Virgin Rock is my favorite TH-cam page! Thank you Amy for giving us fresh insight (and fresh ears) into the music that we love so much.
This song was everywhere in 04/05.
It was everywhere until about 2009 I’d say
You should listen to the full album. It’s one of those albums that I always listen to as a package deal. It flows incredibly well, and there are many standout songs. Really captures the era in which it was released.
Green Day is basically polished punk rock, which is not a bad thing. As for what I mean by that is they are what happens when actual musicians use the punk rock musical structure. In the early days of punk nobody really knew how to play instruments. Back then they just picked them up, knew 1 or 2 basic chords and created songs.
You remind me of a choir conductor I once sang with. I could see every note on his face. He called for each sound with his hands and reflected that sound back through his face. When I watch your face, I can see you hear each note. It's a beautiful sight.
For some context: The American Idiot album is a rock opera that tells a story. To give just a basic idea here, the main character was fed up with his (to him) stagnant small-town life and goes to the city with big dreams, wants to change the world, lead a revolution, etc. But at this point, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, his dreams seem to have collapsed and it all feels empty to him now and he now feels alone and he is in turmoil and despair (and there are other themes of mental illness, split personality, and such). I would recommend the full album to get the full story, it's very good. The album/songs were also influenced by a lot of the post 9-11 feelings and also people's feelings about the war in the Middle East at the time and such.
Do you plan to react to the companion piece called “Holiday” also in the same album?
Holiday came first to show an exuberance of youth in the new millennia followed by Boulevard of Broken Dreams which showed the reality of a changed world.
This whole album is a masterpiece. One song just flows into another. My husband and I saw Green Day live a couple months ago and they still play especially the whole of American Idiot from beginning to end
Thank you for great breakdown 💚💙
That final progression of this song is one of the few things I like about Green Day. And it's incredible!
I love this channel! Your reactions are giving me new insight into so many songs I love! I would like to suggest something very different to previous videos - something by the Pogues. Dirty Old Town is a great place to start 😊
I share your appreciation of this song, even 20 years after I first heard it. It's a little ominous, contemplative, and ultimately satisfying. :)
Nice tune & reaction, Green Day became an iconic band at the right time!
The outro is just wonderful and thrilling! It almost reminds me of the ending of something like I Want You (She’s so heavy) by the Beatles. It creates so much tension.
The Music Video to the tune, is also awesome!
Glad you took this one on. I've always thought this was such a well-constructed song with a variety of interesting elements. Was interested to see your take, enjoyed your discussion of the disorienting ending.
Absolutely! Please cover moreover them
Hello,
I recommend you listen to Muse - Exogenesis Symphony Full
Muse are one of the most innovative bands of the past 25 years, incorporating classical, progressive, alternative, and other subgenres in their music.
In this case Exogenesis Symphony is comprised of 3 parts, and as the name suggests, it is classical/operatic sounding. Each part is unique but at the same time add up to tell a full story, one I think you might really enjoy.
17:37 yes, yes it is. It is their most commercial song from their most commercial album. Wether that's good or bad, it's up to the listener.
Green Day - Basket Case
I started to play guitar because of this song, back in 2004, by that time I didn't have a cd player so I taped it from the radio, after that I went to study music, I owe green day a lot, music is a beautiful thing, I met Billie Joe in person, he's such a cool guy.
I need to get new glasses. I read that as "I met Billie Joe in prison" and thought WHAT!?
This was a song and album I listened to a lot as a teenager, but these reflections bring a song I know well into a deeper understanding. I especially like the idea of a sort of train chugging in the background, relentless and boring
Thank you!
@VirginRock, can't quite believe how many of the bands and songs you react to that I have been listening to for years (because they made an impression on me then and it has stayed) - have just seen the NiN reaction thumbnail, so I'm off there next 😅
And now, someone who knows what they are talking about explains to me why they are good!
Thank you for listening to one of my favorite bands! Also strongly suggest "Good Riddance" from their 1997 Nimrod album.
For a band with punk roots amazing the mainstream acceptance. It's because they're great!!
Was watching then at Helsinki in 1995, lived just 500 metres from the venue.
I like how they used a flanger to smooth out the end.
Still being played today on radio
Vlad. Have her react to " No Queen Blues " by "Sonic Youth "
She said "sonically" at one point and again "sonic" at another. So i feel this a viable direction perhaps along the principle lines of synchronicity. Amy is bar none the best; the cream of the crop in this vein of video production.
I have been on this stairway to heaven journey with you Dearies since that very first step. Absolutely brilliant she is. Ive learned a great deal along the way.
And you kind Sir may go predominantly unnoticed here but it has become outstandingly apparent that you are a flame brightly spirited leading the way with an enormous heart for music that is to no end cultured. Bless you both!
Peace and Love
Jesus of Suburbia is absolutely worth a listen. Their best song in my opinion.
There’s an accompanying Broadway rock opera of American Idiot which features this song and more. It’s interesting to hear this song and others with mixed voices. Perhaps you can get back to your covers series and visit it.
American Idiot should be the next concept album you cover!
Classic formula of 'noise, silance, noise', used briliantly in this sample.
Please give some time to the band called Muse, you won't regret it.
I was aware of Green Day, but hadn't paid much attention to them, till I saw them do a cover of the John Lenon song "Working class hero" on an awards show.
Billy Joe Armstrong (voc/guit) and Mike Dirnt (bs) also have a side project called The Coverups, and they play decent versions of songs like The Who's 'A Quick One (While He's Away)' 🙂
I hope someday Amy reacts to Marquee Moon by Television. I would love to hear her thoughts on them.
Love this song and your reaction, but the song title is very ironic in its timeliness. Since this was the nickname given to Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, which has been absolutely devastated by the current fires. Apparently it was given this nickname by Billy Wilder in the 1940s, who is the one who then created the classic 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. Now Sunset Boulevard looks like a war zone. A true boulevard of broken dreams. Although according to Wikipedia, as part of the "Jesus of Suburbia" theme, Green Day named it after the painting of the same name by Gottfried Helnwein that depicts James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley together in a downtown diner, reflecting their deaths.
Saw them live in 2010. Over three hours long, something like 35 songs! They played songs from everyone album, even smoth. They even played JAR.
I've been a longtime fan of theirs, but I gotta say boulevard is one of their songs I come back the least 😅
Great video, if you enjoyed this one I think you would find interesting to check on Queens of the stone age, a classic one from them is "No one knows" but I would also recommend "Infinity" incuded in the OST from the movie Heavy metal 2000, cheers.
this is just a sample of how good the "american idiot" album is start to finish. it should go on your list of full album reviews (assuming you have one). you will notice green day doesn't have many long guitar solos in their songs like queen or led zeppelin etc. they rely a lot on power chords, and utilize them masterfully.
Next song: Jesus of suburbia by Green Day!
You should really do something from Sonic Youth. But please make sure it’s one of the records before Goo. Those are all excellent
Really enjoying all your musical analysis, thank you. Please review CRIME OF THE CENTURY by SUPERTRAMP. It is compositionally worthy of musical analysis.
Maybe it's just moi, but I think earlier Green Day like 'Basket Case' and 'Longview' would've been more appropriate as a first taste of them for Amy.
This is not a bad song either, but still rather 'Mainstream' by comparison; I'd thought this was Good Charlotte when I'd first heard it myself! 😅
Please react to Jesus of Suburbia, it's a great song.
🎉
Boulevard of Broken Dreams (as a title) was originally by Marianne Faithfull. The song is a little different though
This one's OK. I prefer their earlier albums, Dookie and 1,039 / Smoothed Out Slappy Hours.
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text
I wholeheartedly agree that the song is fantastic. I have a great appreciation for it, but I think it would have benefited from additional context - specifically, two more paragraphs that delve into the artist's emotions. This added depth would have elevated the song to an unparalleled level within its era.
```
You have to listen to Jesus of Suburbia from the same album, best song in the album IMO. Music video is also great.
Please react to '39' by Queen.
It's pronounced Ro-Day-O, California. 🎉
Would really love to hear a reaction to NoFX’s “Linoleum” and Bed Religion’s “Skyscraper”
Based on your observations here you should try "Breathless" by Nick Cave (any Nick Cave is good, I don't think you've listened to him yet?)
For Green Day, I’d say there’s a few key pieces of music that better represent them than this one, even from this era of their music. American idiot is a brilliant protest song and album - the lyrics are the most interesting element by far, but the whole album is a middle finger pointed at the bush era.
They are pretty interesting in their most popular 90s albums. The most popular songs like good riddance, warning, Longview, basket case, and when I come around all show different facets of the band.
Who wrote Holden Caulfield is kinda the first song you see their protest / thought provoking slant to their lyrics and themes.
Anyhow, Green Day is complex. Punk can sound more like noise than music to many, but it just rams protest through like no other rock subgenre.
Songs about teenage angst.
Fozzie Bear is asking where his royalty check is for the “waka waka” use!
This song has a very nice soundscape, but for most part it's quite unsurprising compared to Basket case or American idiot that really kick. The ending saves this though.
I feel psychic. Or like I manifested this. I discovered you a few weeks ago and was waiting for today so I could binge some of your videos. Just now as I was driving home, this song came on the radio and I thought 'I wonder if that lady on TH-cam who talks about rock songs has done this one?' and lo and behold, this video was uploaded an hour ago
For a true sense of their brilliance listen to Jesus of Suburbia.
Noel Gallagher from Oasis reckons that Green Day stole the arrangement from the song "Wonderwall". He once said in an interview: “If you listen, you’ll find it is exactly the same arrangement as ‘Wonderwall.’ They should have the decency to wait until I am dead [before stealing my songs]. I, at least, pay the people I steal from that courtesy.” Do you think they're similar?
Noel Gallagher is famously cantankerous. The two songs have a vaguely similar chord progression, but that's not enough to say that one song is "stolen." They are totally different thematically, lyrically, and melodically.
@@BloggerMusicMan I agree. It's the same to saying that a song has the same chord progression, melody, scale, tempo or dynamics. All of those elements combined make the music, not just the arrangement.
This Green Day song is an anthem!!! Loved your observations, especially the part with the silence cut, I'm a fan of groups who can create that artistic atmosphere, not only with their melodies, but with their intentional silences.
Another amazing song that also plays with silences in a similar sense would be Labios Rotos from rock band Zoé. It would be great if you react/analyze it. It just has that unexpected twist.
I very much love your channel, thanks for these sparks of knowledge and excitement you give us all. May you have a nice and wonderful day!!
Great Session again 👏. I’m wondering how you perceive this song. Down the Canyon by the Heartless Bastards. It probably won’t happen, but I’ll leave it here. Greetings from Germany th-cam.com/video/dnfQdghU7ds/w-d-xo.htmlsi=vtr3nJAkF_nTBpdU
Hi Amy - This is probably Green Day's best song. For guitar players like myself their songs are very samey. The Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist almost exclusively uses "power chords" which get very boring and tiresome to use over 3-4 minutes. They almost always use the same distortion tone too. What Green Day always lacked was variation imo...
"Ploughing along" yes. To me it seems like Green Day’s success came from one place; the lead writers good sense of melody, and okay lyrics. So despite lacking originality whatsoever and relying heavily on repetition like a hammer, this was early 2000's so it was welcome relief.
Green Day are an incredibly popular band, but they are as much punk as Britney Spears is a heavy metal musician. If you want to hear a real punk band with really political and meaningful messages, I would suggest listening to the clash.
One of the worst, most irritating groups in the history of popular music.
Frankly most of the rock music you're being exposed to isn't very good even by rock music standards.
There's still so much better music thank Green day.....hace you tried Mike Oldfield? Crises, perhaps?❤