GreenDay and Jesus of Suburbia

In the modern era where techno, rap and hip-hop play a major part of the music lifestyle chosen by most of the country's young teenagers, Green Day was the band that stuck to the punk roots and explored rock and punk music to the core. A punk rock band formed in 1987, Green Day had many lows and highs in their career over the years. The music they made, always had punk rock as the central style and which never faded away form the roots of the band. In the late nineties, as the band's popularity started reducing, they were in tough times as a result of the shift in culture and the style of music that people listened to. 'Billie Joe Armstrong' and the rest of the band members thought of making a concept album that would be different from anything that they've ever made, in order to try saving the band. But this one album not only reclaimed the band's status once and for all and awarded them with success but also changed the face of punk music and brought the seemingly fading rock music, back into the picture.

The concept album made by Green Day in 2003, named "American Idiot" is one of the best albums punk had ever seen. The concept of the album is to tell us the story and take us on a journey into the life of an adolescent, confused teen who faces tough times in the modern world; 'Jesus of Suburbia' who in a sense is a powerless and mundane antihero, desensitized by constant intake of Ritalin, Soda-pop and other drugs. The life, the neighborhood and the people around him sicken him, and the constant depression makes him come to a stage where he can't take the grueling pain anymore despite of the usage of anti-depressant narcotics. This makes him decide to leave to the big city for the better.

Here, on his journey in the big city, Jesus of Suburbia meets St.Jimmy, a revolutionary freedom fighter who tends to question the politics and the ill doings of the government. He is introduced in the song 'Whatshername' and continues to stick in the story along with Jesus of Suburbia. Other Characters are revealed as we move form song to song in the album who are either directly or indirectly related to the story. But the main theme always revolves around the two main central characters. Both of them are have contrasting natures and the way they think. Jesus of Suburbia is more of a person who wants to pursue love and live a free life, unbounded by the shackles of the pain inflicting government and the society, whereas St.Jimmy is a revolutionary sort of person who always questions and gets into situations where he is making riots against the wrongdoings that he faces. Jesus of suburbia, being a person who has true ethics and moral fiber tries to change St.Jimmy with his influence. What we slowly understand in this is that, both of them are in fact the same person who has two different personalities, and is trying to come out of the rebellious frame of mind. As the album comes to an end the St.Jimmy part of the character dies out slowly which is a bitter sweet end to the album.

Lyrics of many songs clearly to depict the depression going trough the mind of Jesus of Suburbia. The songs, "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Give me Novacaine" tell us about the way he tries to relieve the pain. The song "Holiday" clearly shows the dark side of him, where he talks about the government and how the politicians are hypocrites who neither care about the country nor its people. According to me, "Jesus of Suburbia" is the song that clearly depicts the life and the main theme of the album.