Ai

American Idiot

1. American Idiot

This song was strongly opposed by some people in the US because of its controversial lyrics that express the author's attitude towards the George W. Bush administration, as well as certain relevant political and social issues. Some people believe that this song is anti-American, because of its title and harsh sarcastic comments. However, if you pay attention to the lyrics you may see that in many ways the song is highly patriotic.

The title of the song is referring to the author's opinion that these days politicians and the media are telling us what to do, what to buy, what to believe in. We are constantly being subliminally mind-fucked by commercials, campaigns and reality TV. They turn us into idiots with no individuality. In this song, the narrator is saying that he doesn't want his nation to be turned into complete idiots, he doesn't want his country to be led by a redneck president ("I'm not a part of a redneck agenda"), doesn't want people to be convinced that it's right to hate someone because of their sexual preferences ("maybe I'm the faggot America"), doesn't want the nation to be isolated and detested because of stupid decisions that the government makes ("Welcome to a new kind of tension, all across the alienation").

This song is an overview of the album's most important ideas, as well as a sort of a warning calling out to the people across the country: don't let them take away your personality, don't let them turn you into Idiot America.

2. Jesus of Suburbia
Jesus of Suburbia is an unwanted kid that is different from the crowd and ignored, so he turns to drugs. "St. Jimmy" symbolizes drugs. I don't remember what song it was, but the quote, "Jimmy died today..." symbolizes Jesus of Suburbia quitting drugs, and it also symbolizes when Billie Joe quit drugs.

3. Holiday

Holiday comes right after Jesus of Suburbia, continuing after Jimmy (JOS) ran away from home. He's in The City, and he's pretty much partying the night away.

4. Boulevard of Broken Dreams

This song is about being drunk and walking around somewhere feeling like you are all by yourself and looking up at everyone else thinking that they can't see you . It's about when you try to ask for help ,but you just can't seem to open your mouth.

5. Are We The Waiting

Jimmy (JOS) ran away from home at the end of Jesus of Subrubia, saw The City in Holiday, and then got confused about everything in Boulevard of Broken Dreams and started wondering if it was a bad idea to run away from home in the first place.

Are We The Waiting never really had much of a concrete meaning to me, but I think it's about Jimmy wondering what's going to happen in the end, and if they [all the kids from Jingletown and him] are the ones waiting for someone to come save them.

6. St. Jimmy

OK, so if Jesus of Suburbia ran away from his life in the suburbs, then he is now in the city. In "Are we the waiting" he is going though a transitional period. He is walking the streets, he is learning the city life. In "St. Jimmy", the transitional period ends, and JoS becomes St. Jimmy. The city life has corrupted JoS. he is now violent, does drugs, and doesn't really give a crap about life. The music of this song reflects the change.

7. Give Me Novacaine

Posted by Rachelle :) on April 07 2010

to me, Give Me Novacaine means that every once in a while you will wanna give everything up and think that everyone hates you and all you wanna do is think that not being here and killing yourself is the best option coz no one seems to actually give a shit about you anymore. i also think that sometimes shit happens but sometimes it can really hurt and jimmy is trying to show that there is a brighter side of life and forget all the drugs and shit they aren't gonna help you, just walk away from those problems and take your own holiday where its you and you only.

that's what this song means to me, forget the shit life you once had and don't feel like drugs or suicide is your one and only option. :)

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This song is about Jesus of Suburbia taking novacaine with St. Jimmy to get away from all the pain and emotions he suffered from running away. As JOS deals with the effects of the drugs, he realises that it causes more pain ("I can't take this feeling anymore") and that he should stop, but now, like all drugs, he's addicted ("So give me novacaine"). Also, St. Jimmy watches him and assures him ("Jimmy says it's better than here / Tell me Jimmy I won't feel a thing").

8. She's A Rebel

Billie Joe actually wrote this song about his ex girlfriend from the early 90's, Amanda. She was a rebellious feminist and left him to join the peace corps. She was the first girl to dump him; some people think of her as "the one that got away."

9. Extraordinary Girl

Extraordinary Girl is about a girl [ Whatsername] who is really ordinary , but also unique in many different ways that people [ Billie Joe ] can't figure out , but likes alot.

Posted by Alex Britt on January 21 2010

I think that the song is about how JOS is afraid to commit to Whatshername and that it's tearing them apart. The song says that JOS "lacks the courage in his mind". Whatshername is afraid that JOS will never commit to her and she will be forgotten. The lyrics say "he steals the image in her kiss, from her HEART'S APOCALYPSE, from the one called WHATSHERNAME". Her biggest fear is to be forgotten. As far as the part about being an extraordinary girl in an ordinary world and not being able to get away i think the only way for her to get away is to find someone who will stay with her. "She's all alone again wiping the tears from her eyes" "she sees the mirror of herself an image she wants to SELL". It's obvious if you look at the lyrics.

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Posted by Nicole ORielley on September 03 2009

I think Extraordinary Girl is a 'falling out of love' song. It's like the half way mark between She's A Rebel (the falling in love song) and Letterbomb (the song about Whatsername leaving Jimmy).

Whatername seems a strong, rebellious girl on the outside but inside she's scared. As she looks to Jimmy for support she realises that he can't help her because he cant help himself - "Some days he feels like dying. She gets so sick of crying." So Whatsername is torn between her feelings for Jimmy and the fact that she's feels stuck in a bad place - "She's an extraordinary girl in an ordinary world. And she can't seem to get away."

At the end of the song - "Some days he feels like dying. Some days it's not worth trying. Now that they both are finding. She gets so sick of crying," - both Jimmy and Whatsername understand the apparent situation. They realise that Whatsername is suffering from having to deal with Jimmy and herself and hence, the falling out of love begins.

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Posted by Jinx on August 12 2009

This is another song for Whatshername, what she's truly like and what she really feels. It tells how JoS/Jimmy sees her.

It's also a reflection of how we sometimes feel, alone, weak, and helpless. It shows how we hate ourselves and then how someone comes and makes us feel better.

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Posted by Dylan on June 01 2009

"Extraordinary Girl" is about a how much sympathy the country got after 9/11. We have these moments of helplessness where we milk our pain to get the world to feel for us in order to get nations on our side.

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Posted by Destiny on May 27 2009

This is another song where Jesus of Suburbia/St. Jimmy talks about his feelings for Whatsername. We now see Whatsername’s true self, with her insecurities.

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Extraordinary Girl

Posted by Raquel V. on February 05 2010

Extraordinary Girl is about a girl [ Whatsername] who is really ordinary , but also unique in many different ways that people [ Billie Joe ] can't figure out , but likes alot.

Posted by Alex Britt on January 21 2010

I think that the song is about how JOS is afraid to commit to Whatshername and that it's tearing them apart. The song says that JOS "lacks the courage in his mind". Whatshername is afraid that JOS will never commit to her and she will be forgotten. The lyrics say "he steals the image in her kiss, from her HEART'S APOCALYPSE, from the one called WHATSHERNAME". Her biggest fear is to be forgotten. As far as the part about being an extraordinary girl in an ordinary world and not being able to get away i think the only way for her to get away is to find someone who will stay with her. "She's all alone again wiping the tears from her eyes" "she sees the mirror of herself an image she wants to SELL". It's obvious if you look at the lyrics.

Posted by Nicole ORielley on September 03 2009

I think Extraordinary Girl is a 'falling out of love' song. It's like the half way mark between She's A Rebel (the falling in love song) and Letterbomb (the song about Whatsername leaving Jimmy).

Whatername seems a strong, rebellious girl on the outside but inside she's scared. As she looks to Jimmy for support she realises that he can't help her because he cant help himself - "Some days he feels like dying. She gets so sick of crying." So Whatsername is torn between her feelings for Jimmy and the fact that she's feels stuck in a bad place - "She's an extraordinary girl in an ordinary world. And she can't seem to get away."

At the end of the song - "Some days he feels like dying. Some days it's not worth trying. Now that they both are finding. She gets so sick of crying," - both Jimmy and Whatsername understand the apparent situation. They realise that Whatsername is suffering from having to deal with Jimmy and herself and hence, the falling out of love begins.

Posted by Jinx on August 12 2009

This is another song for Whatshername, what she's truly like and what she really feels. It tells how JoS/Jimmy sees her.

It's also a reflection of how we sometimes feel, alone, weak, and helpless. It shows how we hate ourselves and then how someone comes and makes us feel better.

Posted by Dylan on June 01 2009

"Extraordinary Girl" is about a how much sympathy the country got after 9/11. We have these moments of helplessness where we milk our pain to get the world to feel for us in order to get nations on our side.

Posted by Destiny on May 27 2009

This is another song where Jesus of Suburbia/St. Jimmy talks about his feelings for Whatsername. We now see Whatsername’s true self, with her insecurities.

10. Letterbomb

In this song, Jimmy is reading the letter that Whatsername had sent him. In the letter, Whatsername is telling Jimmy what has happened in Jingletown since the time he left the place. She's saying that the place is a huge mess, and that something very bad is going to happen soon.

Then, it seems to me, that she's mad at Jimmy. She says, "You're not the Jesus of Suburbia," and by that she means that he's not the Savior. "The Saint Jimmy is a figment of your father's rage and your mother's love," meaning that the Saint Jimmy was a character that Jimmy invented that had came out of his family. (This also contributes to Jesus of Suburbia, the song, "I'm the son of love and rage.") The letter ends here.
If you have the in-lay of the album, flip to this song in the little booklet thing. The part of the song that is on the side of the page, those are Jimmy's thoughts after reading the letter. He says that Whatsername is saying that he's too weak to take this place, this town, and so she's leaving him.

11. Wake Me Up When September Ends

Posted by Dylan Ware on April 17 2010

This song is about Billie Joe Armstrong's father passing away when billie was only ten years old, his father died of cancer. The fans thought it was about the 9/11 but in a interview, he said the song is deacatied to his father.

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Posted by Christian on February 14 2010

This song serves as a memorial to Billie's father who died when Billie was 10. It means that he just doesn't want to remember that painful memory so he just doesn't want to... he just wants to skip September to avoid remembering that painful event.

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Posted by st.jimmys girl on January 17 2010

i know how billie feels about his father, my dad died when i was 5, billie addresses being drowned in pain that seems to come from nowhere even as he becomes who he is now ''drenched in my pain again becoming who we are.'' he says ''wake me up when september ends'' because his dad passed in september and he wishes it was possible to just sleep through it. ''as my memory rests but never for forgets what i lost'' i think that means that he doesn't think of his father every sec. of the day but when he does think of his dad he remembers the good times.

''the innocent can never last '' that means that no matter what your age death can change your life forever.

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Posted by Ben Cl. on December 26 2009

I think this is the perfect spot in the album for this song, it speaks sorrow for the loss of Whatsername and the result of a pounding breakup and feeling nothing but hurtful memories, but most importantly it refers to Billie's father and "as my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost." Billie's father died and this song pays some tribute to his memory.

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Billie wrote this song about his father, who died of cancer when he was 10 years old. The song is about how Billie Joe dealt with his loss then and now. He writes "20 years have come and passed" and when he wrote the song he was around 30.

12. Homecoming

I consider this song one of Green Day's greatest, no matter what the "true fans" say that GD are now stupid and emo and all that fake bullshit. i'm gonna break this descrip. up into the separate parts of the song:

The Death of St. Jimmy: the guitar and vocal at the very start of the song represent the place that JOS ran away from, which is his true home. The home wants JOS back and to tell him it missed him. Then the rest of the band come in. THe city described in the verses is the place JOS ran to, which wasn't all it was cracked up to be (it could be considered America, which Billie Joe said himself isn't really the best country, and how people who say it the loudest have never been out of the country). JOS voices his opinion on the fucked up and brainwashed minds of the inhabitants (who may be the stupid americans that Billie describes in American Idiot the song) and blames it on the old generation. Something i want to mention is that when the line "JImmy died today" comes up, it might not be as it exactly appears. JOS and St. Jimmy can be the same person, and when Jimmy "died", he was "killing" the ego that was St. JImmy.

East 12th Street: This is JOS trying to live in the city that he ran away to, even if he desperately wants to go back home. His actions described in the verses are probably based off of the time when Billie Joe was in San Francisco just before this song was written, and he was AT THE FACILITY ON EAST 12TH STREET. At the end of this section, JOS is screaming that he wants to get out of the hell he is in. The last line states his regrets of running away and his stupid dream.

Nobody Likes You: As most fans know, this was the first song written on the AI album. Mike was chilling in the studio while Tre was out and Billie was in San Francisco (at the facility on east 12th street). Mike began to fool around with some instruments in the studio and wrote a tune. If concept fans must have a description matching the story, here it is: the singer is the voice inside JOS's head, saying that he left everyone back home and is now hated for his betrayal, that they don't care about him and are having fun with each other.

Rock and Roll Girlfriend: I couldn't find a description to match the story, but i think it's just a stereotypical look at a rockstar coming clean and becoming a new person (which may refer to JOS deciding to go home).

We're Coming Home Again: this final section is the time when Jimmy, no longer the Jesus of Suburia or a Saint, just Jimmy with a few others possibly, are going back home. After a few lines from the chorus, Jimmy says, "I started fucking running as soon as my feet touched ground" which means that he fled from the city of lust and lies as soon as he could, and he ran home. He ran home to the place he loved and hated, with rage and love. In my opinion (you can hate it), the city of lust and lies is the new America and what we have become: sex-obsessed, obese liars and criminals. The home Jimmy is going back to is the old America, when things weren't the best, but was better than today and whole-er. This is the place we should all go to. I can't listen to the song, or album, without crying. I am that stupid. GREEN DAY FOREVER!

13. Whatsername

This song reflects St. Jimmy's feelings about a long lost love (whatshername) a relationship that has ended a long time ago leaving only regretful memories in his mind. He was obviously hurt by the break up and 'made a point to burn all the photographs' however he still remembers her face 'I wonder how what's her name has been' even though the name has been erased by the time that has passed.