When thinking about the two possible songs that I would like to study to semester and create a podcast about, two really came to mind. I knew since my young days that Green Day had a few protest songs on their American Idiot album. I’ve always been a fan of Green Day during my “rock” stage of life, but took a deeper dive knowing that one songs were a post 9/11 anti-government song, and another is anti-war. Embedded below each song’s review is their youtube performance from “Live 8” and the embedded Spotify player.

American Idiot by Green Day

In regard to the first song, American Idiot, the music alone gives a high-energy rock vibe to it. In the verses, Billie Joel Armstrong sings in the first half of the stanza a lyrical part that critics American politics and/or the media, and the instrumentation of the second part of the stanza is a hard alternative-rock 4-beat “jam session” where the people listening to this song could jam out (probably in frustration of how America is). The  refrain gives a hard-rock beat that people could enjoy jamming out to while hearing Billie Joel Armstrong sing the refrain saying that America is “okay” but in reality isn’t (as seen as the refrain lyrics):

Welcome to a new kind of tension
All across the alien nation
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay
Television dreams of tomorrow
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow
For that’s enough to argue

During the song, Billie Joel Armstrong sings the song in a tone that clearly states the lyrics (showing that he has passion). During his live versions (when Green Day is performing), he extends the bridge to get the crowd involved in the song during the bridge.

The song in general explains how America has gone from the “land of the free and the home of the brave” to a country where the new technological media and political agendas of Washington DC has corrupted this country.

Holiday by Green Day

Holiday is another song by the band Green Day. This song is similar to the previous Green Day song because the consistent rock beat provides this to be a stadium anthem to be performed in front of huge crowds (similar to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. – as discussed in the class). During the song the same chords are played over the drum beat to keep a solidified tempo during the song.

The lyrics of the song is about a protest from people that are oppressed and are fighting for freedom from a government that is just wanting to begin their new lives as freed people on their holiday (see below in the lyrics during the refrain).

I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives
On holiday

Similar to American Idiot, Billie Joel Armstrong sings with passion during the song urging for anti-war. During the bridge (and during the in concert performances – as seen at Live 8 – there is a kick drum beat that the people can clap their hands to (as it is a stadium anthem as well as anti-war).

 

 

Even as both songs are anti-political for different reasons, they criticize the facts of that the governments around the world are not acting in the best interest of the people, but for their own political agendas.